USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Gazetteer of Berkshire County, Mass., 1725-1885 > Part 23
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Among the prominent men of Lanesboro of the last century, may be mentioned Nehemiah Bull, Peter Curtis, Gideon Wheeler, Wolcott Hubbell, William Bradley, Samuel W. Wheeler and Ebenezer Buck. Among those of the town, or those who resided here for a time, may be mentioned Hon. Henry Shaw, his son, Henry W. Shaw, (" Josh Billings,") who was born here in 1818, Hon. George N. Briggs, and A. L. Hubbell, Esq.
Three brothers, John, Miles and - Powell, settled in Lanesboro about 1760. John lived nearest the village till his death. His son, Col. John Powell, was eight years old when brought here, was colonel in the Revolu- tionary war, was in the battles of Bennington and Ticonderoga. He was the father of twelve children, eleven living to maturity. He died January 7, 1827, aged seventy five. Asahel A., his son, was born in 1794, lived in the town till his death, 1869, aged seventy-five. He had seven children, five now living, two in this town, Mrs. W. R. Weed and Miss Ada L. Powell.
Joseph Farnam removed from Connecticut to Lanesboro at an early date, when there were but four families in the town, and settled on the farm where Henry J. now lives. His wife, Anna, melted the weights of her clock for bullets to fight the British. Joseph Farnam, Jr., born in Lanesboro in 1777, died in 1869, aged ninety-two. John 2d, son of Joseph, Jr., was born in Lanes- boro in 1807, died in 1880 aged seventy-three. Henry Farnam, his brother, was born in 1805, died in 1880, aged seventy-five. John, 2d, left two sons, Henry J. and Clifford T., both of whom now reside in Lanesboro. Henry Farnam left no children.
William Bradley removed from New Haven, Conn., in 1762, locating on the farm now occupied by his great grandson, William Bradley, where he died in 1809 aged seventy-nine. He had six children. His son Uri, born in Con- necticut, came here at six years of age, and died in 1843, leaving three children. William Bradley, son of Uri, was born on the farm where his son William, born in 1813 yet lives. The present William married Clarissa Miller, of Adams Their son, William D., was graduated from Williams college in 1865, then from the Albany law school. He diedin 1870. One son, Carlton A., now resides in North Adams, and his son Charles is the sixth generation who remain at the original family home.
Asahel Bradley, son of William, was also an early settler. Eli, his son, born in 1787, lived on the farm on road 7, (now occupied by his son Asahel T.) till his death in 1866. He had three children, two dying in infancy.
Capt. Ephraim Bradley, brother of William, was born in Connecticut in
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1752, came here at an early date, and died in 1824. He left a fund of $1,000 to the Episcopal church in Lanesboro, and the same amount to the North Center school of this town.
Peter Curtis was a very early settler, coming from Connecticut, locating in the north part of the town, and died there on a farm now leased by W. H. Rice. He was graduated from Harvard. His son, Peter B., was born in Lanesboro. and kept a hotel there till his death. His son, David, was born in this town about 1768, and served in the war of 1812. He lived for a time in Lewis county, N. Y., but returned here and died in 1841. His wife, Rachel, still survives him, aged ninety-five, the oldest resident of the town. His son, David, born in 1817, is also a resident of the town.
Benjamin Weed came to Lanesboro at an early date, locating in the west- ern part, where he lived till his death. He had nine children, only one of whom is now living.
Joseph Barnes came to this town from Connecticut, and first settled in the eastern part of the town. He afterwards purchased the farm now occupied by his granddaughter, Mrs. Annie B. Pratt, and lived here till his death in 1819. His son Naaman was born here, and lived here till his death, in 1838. He left four children, all of whom are now living, two in this town, one son, Pitkin H., in Lee, and one daughter, Mrs. Ellen Day, in Ohio.
Dan Bradley, brother of Eli, was born here in 1792, and lived here till the latter part of his life, when he moved to Pittsfield, and died there in 1860.
Nathaniel Williams came from western Connecticut previous to the Revolu- tion, settling on a portion of the farm on road 7 now occupied by George S. Will- iams, where he died. He left three sons, Stoddard, Solomon and William. Nathaniel, 2d, son of Stoddard, was born in Lanesboro in 1779 and died there in 1875, leaving five children, George A. and two others residing in this town.
Job Sherman came to Lanesboro from Newtown, Ct., about 1762, settling near the center of the town, and had eleven children. His son Asahel was born in town in 1792, living here till his death in 1879, of his three children only one son, Ezra H., now town clerk, is living.
Joel B. Sherman, born in 1807, has lived fifty-three years on the farm on road 29 now occupied by his son, George B.
Abial Platt moved from Connecticut about 1762, settling in the northern part of the town, on the farm now owned by Josua Pine, where he reared a numerous family and died there. His daughter, Hannah, married Wm. Harrison and was the mother of the present Wm. Harrison of this town.
Timothy Whitney was born April 26, 1764, came to Lanesboro at an early date, and lived here till his death in 1841. He had six children and was postmaster and registrar of deeds for many years. His son Richard, born in 1800, died in 1879, was also postmaster for some time, and was registrar of deeds after the death of his father, Timothy Whitney, until the removal of the office to North Adams. Richard married Clarissa Tower, had four chil- dren, only one, Mrs. A. H. Harrison, of Pittsfield, is now living. One of his
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sons, Charles, was born in 1827, living in town till his death in 1872. In 1847 he entered as clerk in the store of the Briggs Iron Co. (now Lanesboro Iron Co.), and in two years had charge of the store and the books of the company until he died. He was twice married, and had one son by each wife, George A. and Frank P. His first wife, Laura L. Sherman, was a descendant of Job Sherman, one of the earliest settlers of the town.
John Farnam, born in Lanesboro in 1767, lived there till his death in 1856 aged eighty-nine. His son Oran J. was born in 1797 and lived here till his death in 1866. He had four children, three now living in this town-Oran F., George W. and Almena M., who is the wife of V. Burlingham. Oran F. married Hannah M. Hungerford and has three children.
Peleg Potter came to this town at an early date, cleared a farm in the west part, and reared thirteen children, he died in 1823. His son Jesse was born in 1822, living in town most of his life, and died here in 1882, he left two sons and one daughter. The daughter is the wife of Rev. P. L. Dow, of Ketchum's Corners, N. Y. One son, Warren L., is assistant cashier of the Hoosac Val- ley savings bank, at North Adams, and one son, Clarence E, lives in Lanes- boro.
Jason Newton came from New Milford, Ct., about 1774, setled in the west- ern part of Lanesboro, cleared a farm and reared a family of children. His son Philo was a small child when brought here, and in 1814 he moved to Chautau- qua county, N. Y., where he died about 1860. His son, Jason, was born in Lanesboro in 1789, and lived here till his death. Jason took an active part in town and church affairs, was warden in the Episcopal church for thirty-two years, held offices as selectman, assessor and collector of taxes for many years. He had eight children who lived to maturity, four of them still living. His son J. W. has been deputy sheriff for thirty-two years, also chairman of the board of selectmen and of the assessors for many years. Of the other chil- dren, Elias A., Jason and Henry H., live in Pittsfield. Stephen, son of Philo, was born here in 1793, died in 1873. He had three children, two now living, Mrs. Sarah B. Griswold in Stamford, Ct. and Sidney A. born here in 1815, and has lived here most of his life. Sidney A. has five children, four now living in this town.
Titus Wood came from Newtown or Salisbury, Ct., to this town about 1774, and settled in the western part, had fifteen children, twelve living to maturity. He died January 25, 1839. His son Titus was born in 1791, mar- ried Elizabeth Weed in 1813, reared ten children, and died in 1872. Eight children are still (except one) living in this town-Mrs. Mary Gardner, Mrs. Hannah Burlingham, Mrs. Louisa Shepardson, Miss Helen Wood, in Lanes- boro, and Mrs. Sarah Tower, in Pittsfield, while George M., who served in the war of the Rebellion, Erastus and Leman, a present selectman, also reside in Lanesboro, as well as a number of the eleven children of George M.
Stephen Mead came from Dutchess Co., N.Y., in 1775, his native place being Stamford, Ct. He settled on the same farm which has remained in the
1
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Mead family to the present date. He died in 1794 aged fifty-one. His son Stephen, who was two years of age when brought here, died in 1865, about ninety-five years old. His son Henry was born in Lanesboro, in 1793, and lived there till his death, August 9, 1860. Five of Henry's children are still living, only one, William H., in this county, who resides at the old homstead on road 11, settled by his great-grandfather.
John Pratt moved here from Taunton, Mass., about 1780, located in the north part of the town, and died there in 1831. He had six children, one dying young. His son Micah was born in Taunton in 1778, but came here with his father and lived till his death in 1862. He had five children who lived to maturity, three now living, two, Jesse C., on the original farm, George D., on road 7, and one son, Albert M., in Bryan, Ohio.
Henry Pratt, son of Micah, was born here in 1820; was graduated from Pittsfield medical college, practiced medicine for some years in Becket, and went from there to Ohio. About 1858 he returned here, and followed his pro- fession till his death in 1877. His only son, Edward L., is now a student of the N. Y. University medical college. His widow, Anna B., resides on road 13.
Zadoc Fuller moved here from Plainfield, Mass, about 1783. He had a family of eight children. Noah was the youngest son. He died here about 1865. One of his sons, Charles H., now lives on road 12.
Jabez Fuller came here when quite young, living in town till his death in 1855. He had eight children, only one, William A., now living.
Nehemiah Talcott came here from Connecticut about 1813, locating in the northern part of the town, where he followed the business of a clothier and wool carder for about fifty years, and died there about 1848. He had six children, only two, Mrs. Emeline Tower and Wm. A. Talcott, now living, both in this town.
Marshall Shepardson was born in Adams, in 1816, came here with his par- ents about 1820, and lived here till his death in 1862. Four of his children are still living. One son, George M., resides off road 21; another son, Jason N., is in Pittsfield, and two daughters, Mrs. E. P. Wood and Mrs. Frank Stur- ges, resides in this town.
Enoch Nourse was born in Groton, N. H., in 1795, and came here about 1822, locating first on a farm in the north part of the town. About 1832 he settled on the farm where his son Frank now lives, and remained there till his death, in 1868. He married Experience Parker, of Whitley, Mass., and had nine chil- dren, four of whom are now living.
Joseph Belcher was born in Stephentown, N. Y., 1818, came here about 1843; and now resides on road 13. Two of his sons served in the late war, one of whom, Frederick, died from wounds received at the battle of Port Hudson.
Rev. Alfred A. Gilbert, A. M., was born in Cummington, Hampshire county, Mass., in 1816, was graduated from Union college, Schenectady, N. Y., and from the Theological Institute in Conn. He preached for some years,
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and in 1849 established "Elmwood Institute," of Lanesboro, which until the present time has been solely under his supervsion. This school has been pat- ronized by scholars from nearly all parts of the United States, from Canada, and from South America, some of whom are the most prominent men of this country.
Robert B. Dickie was born in Scotland in 1839, came to Berkshire county, in 1852. He enlisted in the 2d Regt. N. Y. V., and served two years in the war of the Rebellion, and was wounded four times. He was a staff officer for Generals Berry and Carr, at different periods.
Prince Bowerman moved from Falmouth to Adams about 1800, living there till 1860, when he came to Lanesboro, where he died in 1873. He left three children, two, Joshua L. and Angeline E., living here, and Samuel W., a lawyer in Pittsfield.
William Smith came to Hancock from Rhode Island previous to 1784, locating in the eastern part of the town, and lived there till his death. He had eight children. His son, William, Jr., was born here in 1784, married in 1806. In 1807 he moved to Canada, where he lived till 1836, when he returned to Lanesboro, living in this vicinity till his death in 1864. He has eight chil- dren, five now living. William B. now resides at Lanesboro, and his two sis- ters, Mrs. Amy Boice and Mrs. Roxy Edwards, in Pittsfield.
Benjamin Chase came from Nantucket, being one of the first settlers of North Adams. He settled in that section known as the "Notch," and there cleared a farm and had a family of children. His son William was born there, but after his marriage he moved to Cheshire and died there about 1863. He had five children, all now living. One son, Harvey, lives on road 16, in Lanes- boro, and has held most of the town offices.
Captain Adonijah Royce, a brother of Josiah and Nehemiah Royce, the latter of whom settled in Vermont, was born in Woodbury, Conn., January 10, 1744. He married his first wife, Amy Brush, at New Fairfield, Conn., about 1771, and soon after settled in Lanesboro, where he became possessed of quite a large tract of land, and reared a family of nine children, all of whom married. A second wife, Deborah Barker, whom he married in Newport, R. I., January 1, 1796, was a daughter of Peckham Barker, a hatter of Newport. Three children were born to them in Lanesboro. The eldest, Dorcas, mar- ried Harry Mead. The youngest, Amos, married, July 16, 1823, Laura Rock- well, a daughter of Josiah Rockwell, a native of Danbury, Conn., who came early to Lanesboro and married Mary Hungerford. They reared a family of fourteen children, thirteen of whom were married. Amos, the youngest child of Adonijah Royce, (who died June 23, 1807,) inherited a portion of his father's home farm, and purchased the remainder, in all about 100 acres. He and his wife, Laura Rockwell, both died in 1881. Of their eight children only two are now living, Josiah A., their second son, and William S., their youngest son. Josiah married, Oct. 23, 1852, Emily E. Heath, of Sandis- field, Mass., eldest daughter of Daniel Heath ; William married her sister,
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Mary J. Heath, and they reared three children, two sons and a daughter. Of Josialı Royce's five children only one son, Rubert S., is now living. In 1851 Josiah Royce formed a copartnership with Charles French, and they estab- lished a job printing office in Lee, Mass., and remained together nearly eleven years. In January, 1857, they commenced the publication of a weekly paper called The Valley Gleaner, which Mr. Royce edited seventeen years. In 1866 he purchased of his father the old family homestead of 100 acres, and having sold out his printing business at Lee, he moved with his family, in 1876, to his native place in Lanesboro. He greatly improved the place, which is called " Brookside Farm," remodeled and enlarged the old farm- house, so that he accommodates during the summer months twenty or twenty- five city boarders, many of whom are attached to this beautiful town, nestled among the Berkshire Hills.
" In the struggles of the Revolution, "says J. G. Holland, " the town took a decided stand in favor of Independence, and cheerfully sustained its propor- tion of the burdens. Peter Curtis was chosen a delegate to the Provincial Congress, held at Cambridge, February 1, 1775. April 26, 1776, it was voted to purchase 150 pounds of powder, 600 pounds of lead, fifty guns, and 1,000 flints. The position of the minister, Mr. Collins, in relation to the Revolu- tion, was not satisfactory to the people, and a committee was appointed to confer with him. The committee listened to his explanations, and they were reported to the town, but the town voted that they were not satisfactory. The matter was finally satisfactorily adjusted. June 7, 1776, it was voted to abide by the Continental Congress, in case it should declare the colonies in- dependent of Great Britain. Four days afterwards, money was granted to defray charges for taking care of unfriendly persons. December 12, 1777, it was voted 'to allow a sum of money to Thomas Barnum for his horse that was killed by the goard of a bull when out in an alarm.' April 23, 1778, the new constitution was unanimously rejected, and a committee of seven appointed to amend it. June 1, 1778, it was voted that John Welch was an enemy to the country, and that he be sent to Bennington, and delivered to the proper authority. It was voted at the same time that Capt. Ebenezer Newell procure the evidence against Sol. Bunhill, then in the Northampton jail, and attend the court at his trial. Bunhill had shot two of his neighbors through the head at the Bennington fight."
The Congregational church of Lanesboro .- Previous to the organization of a church society, the people received occasional ministrations from Rev. Samuel Hart, Rev. Woodbridge Little and others. But March 28, 1764, Rev. Samuel Hopkins, of Great Barrington, and Rev. Stephen West, of Stockbridge, organized the present Congregational society, consisting of eight members-five males and three females. On the 17th of the following month the first pastor, Rev. Daniel Collins, was installed, and in 1765, the first house of worship was erected. This building did service until 1828, when the present brick edifice was erected, which is now valued at about $5,000.00.
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The society now has twenty-seven members, with Rev. William F. Avery, pastor.
St. Luke's Episcopal church, located at Lanesboro, was organized by Rev. Samuel Andrews, of Wallingford, Conn., in October, 1767. The first rector was Rev. Gideon Bostwick, who had charge of the church, in connection with St. James church in Great Barrington, from 1770 until his death, in June, 1793. Their first church building was a wood structure, erected in 1785. In 1836 it was superseded by the present gothic building of stone, which will comfortably seat 400 persons, and is valued, including grounds, at $5,000.00. The society now has fifty-eight members, with Rev. Charles J. Palmer, rector.
The Baptist church of Lanesboro, located at Lanesboro village, was or- ganized by Rev. Augustus Beach, the first pastor, and neighboring ministers, February 13, 1818. For some years before a church building was erected, which was not until 1828, meetings were held in the town hall and private houses ; but in 1828 the town hall was destroyed by fire, and within a few days thereafter a meeting was called to consider the question of building a church edifice. The result of this meeting was that Asahel Jordan donated the land, Bushrod Buck the brick, and Abial Platt and Henry Mead the marble for erecting the present church. The house was finished in 1828, and the society took possession of their new building free of debt. The original, or charter members of the society, twelve in number, were as follows: Dea- con, Joel Redway, Laura Redway, Joel Redway, Jr., Dr. Wm. H. Tyler, Celia Tyler, Augustus Beach, Linus B. Miner, Polly Reynolds, Deborah Green, Sibyl Hill, Eunice Smith and Maria Sunderland. Gov. George N. Briggs, then a young lawyer here, was an earnest supporter of the church. Henry Shaw ( Josh Billings ) married a daughter of Levi Bradford, a deacon of the society. An earnest work of grace, soon after the church building was erected, resulted in many additions to the society, and seventy-five families were soon represented among its earnest supporters. Death and migration, however, has greatly reduced the interest, so that the society now numbers only seventy members, the pulpit being supplied by neighboring pastors.
L EE, a very irregularly outlined town, lies just south of the central part of the county, in lat. 42° 17', and long. 3º 47', bounded northeast by Washington, east by Becket, south by Tyringham and Great Barring- ton, and west and north by Stockbridge and Lenox. The line on the west, the dividing line between Lee and Stockbridge, is S. 7º 30' W. about 1,550 rods. Great Barrington line on the south is E. 7º S. 757 rods. Tyr- ingham line on the southwest corner has one re-entrant angle, and running from the corner made with Great Barrington, extends N. 37° E. 628 rods, to Deerhorn Corner, where it turns and extends E. 2º S. 1,072 rods. At this
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southeast point of the township it forms a corner with the Becket line, which runs N. 82° W. 376 rods. Here is met the Washington town line, which runs N. 29° W. 580 rods, then makes a sharp turn on line of lot No. 63 of the old township, S. 63° W. 246 rods, then takes the same course as first given, N. 29° W. 1,236 rods, to the uppermost corner of the town, on the east bank of the Housatonic river. From this it follows down the line of the river 1, 106 rods, then across the river, enclosing a little strip between the river and a line running S. 8° W. 162 rods. Then it crosses the river again, and runs in general course W. 62º N. 563 rods. Here the line makes a double jog like two steps down- ward N. 6° E. 48} rods, S. 853° E. 52 rods, N. 10° W: 342 rods, S 84° E. 122 rods, till it strikes the Stockbridge line.
The territory thus inclosed as a township was made up from portions of five different grants of land, viz. : Hopland, Watson's, Williams's, Laraby's and Glassworks. The first of these extended nearly across the southern por- tion of the town, including what is now six school districts-the two at South Lee, the one near the Charles Hinckley homestead, the two in Water street, and the one at East Lee. "In or about 1770," says Charles J. Taylor in his History of Great Barrington, "William Ingersoll, afterwards a leading citizen of Lee, removed from the central part of Great Barrington to the Hoplands. In February, 1770, the proprietors of the Upper Township authorized the sale of the school land in the Hoplands for the benefit of its inhabitants, and in the same year, by a vote of this town, those inhabitants were excused from the payment ,of ministerial, school and highway rates. The first roads in the Hoplands were established by this town in 1771, and six years later-1777-thirty persons, inhabitants of that section, were pay- ing poll taxes in Great Barrington. But the Hoplands, isolated and remote from the central part of the town, were by nature separated from it, and at the incorporation of Lee in 1777, were made a part of that town without opposi- tion from Great Barrington. The name of this tract was derived from the great quantity of wild hops which formerly grew upon the banks of the river which flows down from Tyringham. William Ingersoll owned about one- quarter of the tract, making a good sized farm for himself and each of his seven sons.
Watson's grant comprised a large tract originally purchased by Robert Watson, of Sheffield, (assisted by a Tory lawyer of Great Barrington, named Williams,) of the Indians in 1757, which constitutes to-day the town of Washington, and parts of the towns of Middlefield, Hinsdale, Lenox and Lee. This land, before it became incorporated into the several townships with which it is now connected, passed through a number of hands, and was known, or parts of it at least, by the successive names of Watsontown, Green- ock, Hartwood, and Mount Ephraim.
The Williams grant was a tract of land located in what is now the north- western corner of the town, embracing about 4,000 acres. It was granted to Col. Ephraim Williams, of Stockbridge, and six associates, January 21, 1740.
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Col. Williams was the first justice appointed from among the citizens of what is now Berkshire county, in 1741, and was the father of Col. Ephraim, the founder of Williams college (see sketch on page 33).
Larabee's grant was made to John Larabee, who then had command of the single fort "Castle Williams," which was thought to afford sufficient pro- tection to the harbor of Boston. Upon his memorial, which sets forth seven- teen years of especial services, a large and dependent family, a small and in- adequate compensation, the legislature, in June, 1739, voted to grant him ¥175 and 500 acres of unappropriated land of the Province. This grant, located east of the Williams grant, and duly reported to the legislature, was confirmed to Lieut. Larabee and his heirs and assigns. He seems to have been a faithful officer, for in 1762, the year following his death, a grant of 50 was made to his heirs, by the general court, in testimony of his faithful services.
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