USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887 > Part 23
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TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD.
According to the instructions contained in the last clause of the incorpo- ration act, Samuel Mather, Esq., of Northampton, issued his warrant to Jere- miah Stockwell, calling a town meeting at the dwelling house of Elisha War- ner, July 20, 1762. At this meeting Eleazar King was chosen moderator and town clerk ; Joseph Burnell, Benjamin Bonney, and Everton Berwick, select- men ; Benjamin Bryant, constable; Elisha Warner, treasurer; Everton Ber- wick and Benjamin Bonney, assessors.
Highways .- A vote was passed October 25, 1762, that " for every faithful day's work clearing and repairing highways," they would pay 3s. 4d., or about eighty-six cents. The first town highway laid out by the selectmen and on record, is Ireland street, and it has held its original course till the present time. It was laid out December 18, 1762, and is recorded as follows :---
" Beginning at a beach staddle which stands on ye south side of ye county road at ye east end of ye west row of lots in ye town of Chesterfield, extend - ing south from ye staddle on ye line which divides ye west row of lots from that which adjoins it on ye east, extending so far south as ye lot No. 86 ---- ye road forty feet wide till it comes within twenty rods of Mr. George Buck's well, then widening out till it comes to be sixty feet wide by ye well, then narrowing off till it goes twenty rods beyond ye well, then holding its first mentioned width to its aforesaid bounds."
The county road spoken of is the road known as the Pontoosuc road from Hatfield-Williamsburg-to Pittsfield, and was the first road through the town. It was laid in 1760, and passed through the center of Chesterfield, crossing the Westfield river about midway between the old and new roads as they remain at present. Indications of this road are still visible in the woods near Westfield river. The site of George Buck's well is still visible near the roadside, and is probably one of the oldest wells in town. To give some idea of the travel which crossed the town in the old staging days, it is only neces- sary to state that the town had ten hotels.
Almost every year several new roads were presented to the town for ac- ceptance. But few of the roads of an early date are now traveled. Time and experience proved that it was not always the best way to go over the tops of hills, and they gradually learned that a kettle bail is as long stand- ing as when lying down, and therefore experimental philosophy had some- what to do in the changeableness of their roads. One other road we will no- tice, however, which remains about as it was laid. It was accepted March 6, 1769, and is as follows :-
" Beginning at a hemlock tree on ye county road about six rods east of ye Rev. Benjamin Mills' house, and thence straight by ye east end of his barn, and thence straight by ye east end of ye burying yard, thence straight to and between ye lowermost ledge and ye second ledge and Lieut. Abner Brown's lot, and thence between ye ledge to a convenient place to go down, thence straight to ye meeting-house, and ye road is four rods wide.'
This, as it plainly appears, is the one from the hill to the north part of the town, and it remains almost precisely as it was formerly laid.
June 5, 1769, it was voted to clear the " new road across Westfield river,"
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TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD.
which is now the old River Hill road. At what time the bridge was built is uncertain, though perhaps not far from this time, March 9, 1797, the third Massachusetts turnpike corporation was established, and this road became a part of the turnpike from Northampton to Pittsfield. A toll-gate was kept just beyond the west end of the bridge. This neighborhood still goes by the name of " the Gate."
It seems that bridges were scarce in the early settlement of the town, and that streams were forded as they are in new countries at the present time. Streams evidently were larger then than they are now, and sometimes travel- ers were put to much inconvenience to cross them. To illustrate their in- genuity in discovering ways to cross under such circumstances, it is related of Jonathan Anderson, that he was coming from Northampton horseback with a load of provisions, he came to the river somewhere near Florence, which at the time was so high he could not ride on his load. So dismounting he headed his horse into the stream and applied the whip, catching the horse by the tail as it swam away, and was thus safely drawn across the river.
Early Schools. - The first notice of schools is under date of December 21, 1767, when the town voted to have a school or schools, and soon after voted not to raise any money to support them. September 28, 1768, it was voted to raise £ 9 to be expended in schooling. The town was to be divided into three districts. A line from east to west by the meeting-house would separate the north from the south district, and all over the river would form the west district. A committee of three was also appointed in each district, and " empowered to provide masters and dames for their respective districts and also places to keep at." The pay of a " dame " in those days the follow- ing fact will illustrate. Dea. Oliver Taylor records in his memorandum that he hired a "schoolmarm " for fifty cents a week, and she boarded herself. May 8, 1769, we find another vote to raise £12 for summer schools. The town was divided into five districts, and one man appointed in each district to act as a committee for the district. The men appointed were Dea. May, Benjamin Bonney, Joseph Burnell, Robert Hamilton and John Buck. The vote of instruction given them showed in what light they esteemed their schools. The committee " are hereby empowered to call their respective dis- tricts together at proper times and know their minds how and when the school should be kept, and make report to the selectmen who they have em- ployed to keep school." December 11, 1769, they voted £18 for win- ter schools, and each district was authorized to build a school-house. De- cember 22, 1772, they voted £24 for schools, and March 7, 1774, they had increased their appropriation to £30.
Military .- September 29, 1774, a special meeting was called to see whether a delegate should be sent to a provincial congress to be held at Concord on the second Tuesday of October following. They voted in the negative ; but December 2 Ist they voted to comply strictly with the association of the continental congress, and a committee was chosen to carry out the mind of
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TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD.
the association. A committee chosen to look after those people who could not arm themselves, and voted to purchase 400 pounds of powder for a town stock. Ezra May was chosen delegate to the provincial congress, and they agreed to indemnify all officers for all losses in not making returns to Harri- son Gray, Esq., province treasurer. Thus we see that a sudden change came over them within the space of three months, and now they took strong meas- ures in the cause of their country. January 16, 1775, thie vote to purchase 400 pounds of powder was reconsidered, and another passed to buy 200 pounds as soon as possible, and 400 pounds of lead and 1, 200 flints. Affairs appeared more threatening in the country, and the people of Chesterfield were preparing to share in the dangers of the Revolution. Capt. Webster of the minute men was ordered, if called into action before the March fol- lowing, to procure guns enough to supply those men who could not purchase them for themselves, and in town meeting a subscription paper was drawn up for the benefit of the men. April 21, 1775, Capt. Webster marched to Cambridge with forty-seven men, and mustered into Col. John Fellows's reg- iment. July roth, it was rated that fifteen men from each of the two com- panies in town should be enlisted and stand in readiness in case of alarm. April 1, 1776, Abner Brown's account was allowed "for a door, staple and hinges under the pulpit to secure the town stock of powder." It was also "voted to run the town stock of lead into balls and buckshot of different sizes." On June 19, 1776, it was voted " that should the Honorable Conti- nental Congress for the safety of the United Colonies, declare themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain, the inhabitants of the town of Chesterfield will, with our lives and fortunes, engage to defend them in the measure."
November 3, 1777, a consultation of the committee of safety was urged to determine what should be done with the German prisoners sent from North- ampton ; but we have no report of their action. These were some of the prisoners taken at Saratoga the October previous. They were lodged in the barn of Jonathan Anderson. Mrs. Anderson was a peculiar woman, ready to do what her sense of justice required, and it is related of her that some of the privates of the prisoners asked for some refreshments, and presently some of the officers made a like request, when they were told that they could have some when their turn came.
In brief, the town furnished about forty soldiers for the Revolutionary war, about twenty for the war of 1812, one for the Florida war, and one for the Mexican war. In the late great war the town sent ninety-five men to the front, ten over its quota, two of whom were commissioned officers. It appro- priated and expended $14,662.00 for the cause, exclusive of $5,013.01 which was refunded by the state.
Biographical .- Of the families of the first settlers but little can be learned except that they came from such a place, settled at a certain spot marked by a pile of stones or a cellar hole, and that they died abont such a time. But
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TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD.
a few family records are known to exist, and the memories and records of the old inhabitants are as unsatisfying as the traditions handed down from gener- ation to generation. The family name in many cases is lost, even where there are descendants by other names. Added to this is the fact that many of the old families lived in what is now the town of Goshen, and will appear in the history of that town. Of a few of the pioneers whose names are among us we append the following, omitting generally, names of those removed or died without children, tracing the family name down to the present generation.
Of the original settlers, Joseph Burnell and David Stearns came from Dud- ley ; Benjamin, Consider and Prince Bryant, Abiel Stetson, Abner, Nehemiah and Benjamin Bates, Benjamin, Thomas and Jonathan Pierce, Seth, Nehe- miah and Luke Sylvester, Jacob Litchfield, Robert, Amos and Isaiah Damon, Joshua and John Rogers, John Pynchon, Joseph and Joshua Baily, Charles and Job Cudworth, from Scituate; Ichabod Damon, John Stephenson and Zebulon Willcutt, from Cohassett; Seth Taylor, Benjamin Bonney, Zebulon Robinson, Gideon and Jotham Bisbee, from Pembroke ; Paul and Silas King, Elisha, Elijah and Joel Warner, Justus Wright, Paul and Amasa Clapp and Oliver Edwards, from Northampton ; Daniel Littlefield, George and Matthew Buck, Abram Joslyn and Prince and Barnabus Cowing, from Bridgewater ; Thomas Holbert and David Macomber, from Easton; Samuel and Joseph Rhodes, from Marblehead; Samuel, Elijah and Barney Higgins, from Cam- bridge, N. Y .; Abijah Whiting (or Whiton), from Hingham; Nathaniel Bry- ant, from Plymouth ; Thomas Moore, from Brookfield ; Gershom Collier, from Boston.
The first family that wintered in town, as we have stated, was that of George Buck, who, with his son Matthew, from Bridgewater, settled on what is known as " Ireland Street." In fact this street was limited on the north by George Buck's well, just south of C. P. Hathaway's house, on land of John W. Cow- ing. A son (Thomas) of Matthew was the father of Cyrus, who, with his son Franklin, lived where Otis now lives. Isaac Buck, a descendant of the same family settled on the "Mount." Isaac, Jr., also lived on the Mount, and was one of the soldiers of 1812. One of his sons died in the Florida war. One son, Thomas, lives in Goshen.
Dr. Robert Starkweather was the physician of the town for more than fifty years. He was from Stonington, Conn., and settled here in 1790. He built and occupied the house now occupied by Oliver Edwards. Of his children, Horace went to Michigan, Rodney lived many years in town, but late in life removed to Ohio. Mrs. Oliver Edwards (the mother of the present Oliver) and Mrs. Emmons Putney, of Goshen, were his daughters. Anecdotes of the " old doctor," who was somewhat of a joker and very particular and peculiar in his habits, might be related, enough to fill this volume.
Oliver Edwards (grandfather of the present Oliver) removed here 1775 to 1780, from Northampton, at Robert's Meadow, so-called, where Eli A. Sylves- ter now lives. He was a son of Nathaniel Edwards, long known as " Land-
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TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD.
lord Edwards." He settled on "Sugar Hill," on the place now owned by Ebenezer Edwards. Of his children, Luther and Oliver settled in Chester- field ; Elisha, in Springfield ; Mrs. William Pomeroy, at Williamsburg; Mrs. Ambrose Stone, at Williamsburg; and Mrs. Joshua Bates, at Skaneateles, N. Y.
Lieut. Robert Damon, with his brother Amos, came from Scituate in 1762. Robert built the mill now known as Bisbee's, and Amos located in the north part of the town, about half a mile north of Utley Corners, and near the Fred- erick Utley house. His children were Isaac, Jemima, Debby, James, Nathan, David, Hannah and Caleb. Isaac's children were Isaac, Thomas, Lewis, William, Cyrena, Rufus, Zenas, Salma, Rowena, Calvin, Sophronia and Wealthy. Calvin owns the old homestead of his father, and Wealthy mar- ried Orin Bisbee, at Bisbee's Mills. Most of these settled in town and have an extensive family connection.
Elisha Witherell, while a single man, removed from Scituate and located in the southeastern part of the town, about 1770, and while that section of the town was a wilderness, making his first domicile in a cabin built against a huge rock on his premises. He married Mrs. Rebecca Studley, who bore him three sons and three daughters, all of whom settled in this town. His sons were Nathaniel, Joseph and Elijah. His daughter Rebecca married Joshua Nichols, father of Albert Nichols. Nathaniel's children were Levi and Mrs. John Hayden. Elisha's children were Edsel, Lewis, Hiram and Ransom. Joseph's children were Henry, Mrs. Charles Cudworth, Lyman and Electa.
The Bisbee family came from England, in 1634, and settled in Marshfield, or Pembroke, where we find the record of John Bisbee. His son Gideon came to this town about 1755, and spent one summer clearing a portion of land near the " Kidd Lookout," in the eastern part of the town. Returning to Pembroke in the fall for his family, he arrived just in season to join in the French and Indian war, where he died of the small pox. Soon after this his widow and two sons and daughters removed to this town and located just a few rods south of the present homestead of Otis H. Buck. The widow died there and was buried at "The Gate " cemetery. Of his children, Jotham married Lydia, daughter of Luther Curtiss, and remained at Home. Gideon married Betsey, daughter of Nathaniel Bryant, and settled on the Mount. Lydia married Joseph Nichols and located on the farm still owned by Albert Nichols, one of the grandchildren. The other daughter married Luther Cur- tiss, and removed to the eastern portion of the town, where descendants now live. Of these four children, Jotham had ten children, among whom were Jonathan, Elisha, Job and Asahel. Gideon had five children, but the family has long been extinct in town. The record of the daughters will appear in other places. Jonathan had seven children, among whom we find Capt. James, of Worthington ; Rev. John H., of Westfield, and Martha, who mar- ried Capt. James Kelly, of Worthington. Elisha had eleven children, among
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TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD.
whom were Orin, Osmon, Miranda, Joanna, Arvilla, Asenath and Ursula. Asahel had four children, Henry A., of Williamsburg, George, of Goshen, Celia, who married Edgar, son of Patrick Bryant, Jr., and lives in Westfield, and Harriet, who died young. Of the children of Elisha, Orin married Wealthy Damon, who bore him seven children, Wealthy, who married C. T. Macomber, Horatio, who married Louisa, daughter of Col. Lyman Rice, Mary, who married Allen Shaw, Lydia, who married Joseph B. Macomber, Jane, who married C. S. Vanslike, and Almarin, who married Martha, daugh- ter of E. W. Tilden. Osmon married Sophia, daughter of Lewis Damon, who bore him five children, Melvin, J. Eliot, Melissa, Rockwell and Adelbert. Miranda married Royal Harrington, and had two children, Hellen and Ella, the latter of whom married Albert Abbott, of Easthampton. Joanna mar- ried Waterman Buck, and went West. Arvilla married James Robinson and went West. Asenath married Chauncey Witherell, who lives at the Center. Ursula married Elijah Tilden, and lives in California.
Jacob Thayer, from Bridgewater, located in the west part of the town quite early. Of his children, Luke and Joel located on the " Mount," Ste- phen near the river, on the farm now owned by Mrs. Edward Thayer, and later on the farm owned by the Thayer brothers. One son married the daughter of Elder Vining. Of the descendants, Luke's children went West. Joel had two sons, Orrin and Daniel. Daniel removed to Connecticut and Orrin located in South Worthington. Stephen's children, among whom were Alpha, Ansel and Susan, settled in town. Alpha married Anna Whiton, and located on the " Mount." One son, Luther, represents the family in town as the last of Alpha's family. Ansel married Elvira, daughter of Job Cowing, by whom he had three children, Dwight, Electa and Lewis. His second wife was Em- eline Manley, by whom he had three children, Elwin, Ella and Edwin. Susan married Lyman Culver, and had six children, all of whom removed from town.
Jesse Willcutt lived in the town as early as 1775, and tradition says he heard the firing from the battle of Bunker Hill by putting his ear to the ground, and the identical spot where he stood at the time is pointed out to those curious in such matters. There were twenty-one children, of whom seventeen grew to mature age, and among them was Jesse, Jr., a son of whom was Joel (Capt. Joel), father of Martin, who occupies the old farm. A few years since, at a cattle show at Cummington, Capt. Joel appeared in the pro- cession with five generations of the family by direct descent, on horseback. But few of the people of the vicinity that have not seen the captain officiat- ing as marshal or officer of the day on many a patriotic or festive occasion, and in his latter years he sported a sash taken from a Confederate officer by C. T. Macomber, at the battle of Newbern, N. C. The future historian can only speak of the Willcutts as " the old men," as the name dies out with the present generation in spite of the offer of Capt. Joel of a yoke of oxen for a grandson by the name of Willcutt.
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TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD.
Timothy Engram came from Williamsburg in December, 1798, and settled on the Coleman tract. Of his children, Timothy and Benjamin lived in Westhampton ; Joel, Nathaniel, Porter, Otis, Deborah and Mrs. Edwin Da- mon remained in town. Sons of Joel, Joel, Jr., and Newman, and Nathaniel and Ammiel, sons of Otis, are still in the town.
James Utley lived near where Edward Cobb now lives. His children were Frederick, William, Knowlton, Sally, Ralph, Samuel and Mrs. Gershom House. A son of Knowlton represents the family name at present in town
Joseph Rhodes, from Marblehead, had children, Jacob, Chapman, Thomas, Joseph, Stephen, Samuel, Benjamin, Amy, Polly, Hannah and Betsy. Chap- man's children were John, Norman, Horace, Harvey, Joseph, Mary Ann, Sarah, Jane and Janette. Thomas's children were Eunice, Matilda, Thomas C., Dorus L., Elmira and Alden.
Elijah, Barney and Simeon Higgins were from Bridgewater. Simeon was among the Revolutionary soldiers. Barney settled in Worthington and Lewis in Chesterfield, where J. W. Cowing lives. He had three wives. By the first he had children, Jonathan, who removed to Ogdensburg, N. Y., Lewis, who settled in Chesterfield, Elijah and Luther in Worthington, Re- becca, Deliverance, who married Mr. Billings and removed to Canada, So- phronia, and William, who in middle life removed to Worthington, where he died ; by his second wife, Ruth ; by his third wife, Billings, who lived in Worthington. Lewis, who married Mary, daughter of Rev. Asa Todd, and had children, Jacob, who married Eliza Moore and Julia Prentice, and re- moved in middle life to Cummington. Almon married Lucy Clapp and re- moved to Westfield, Elzina married Chauncey Langdon, of Westhampton. Lucy E. married Madison Cudworth, of Chesterfield, Deliverance married John Cady, of Westfield, Elijah married Zilpah Collier and Elmira Prentice, and lives in Chesterfield, Catharine married James E. Westcott, of Westfield.
Nathaniel Bryant, grandson of Lieut. John Bryant, of Plymouth, removed from Plymouth in 1777 and located a little east of E. S. Kinne's present domi- cile. There is a pear tree now standing near the site of the house. He married Joanna, daughter of Ebenezer Cole, of Plymouth, by whom he had twelve children, two only of them born after their removal to this town. Of the two children who settled in this town, Betsey married Gideon Bisbee, Jr., and located on the " Mount," and Colonel Patrick, who married Anna, daughter of Capt. Thomas Halbert, and settled near the " Mount." Patrick had seven children, of whom Patrick, Jr., and Ann located in this town. Patrick, Jr., married Bricea Dumbleton, by whom he had five children who grew to maturity, viz. : Elizabeth, Royal, Orrin, Calvin and Edgar. They located and built the mills now owned by H. B. Smith & Son, and the father and sons were widely known in mechanical matters and also as forming " Bryants' Band." Ann married Obed Skiff, of Williamsburg, and lived many years on the old homestead. They had seven children, all living, but widely scattered.
2II
TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD.
The Baker family trace their genealogy back to Edward Baker, an English- man, who, as one of Winthrop's colonists, settled in Saugus in 1630. The name is perpetuated in town by way of Elisha, who came from Northampton, mar- ried Alice Wilder and had nine children, of whom Elisha, Jr., who married Samantha Parker, of Peru, and lived where his son Levi now lives. Zeruah, who married Ralph Utley and located in Goshen ; Andrew K., who married Eveline, daughter of Luther Edwards ; Sarah, who married Darius Stephen - son and Asahel Bisbee ; Daniel C. who married Mary Ann Wilder, of Pitts- field, and Fanny, a daughter by a former wife, married Israel Graves, of Northampton. Joshua Healy lived in the northeast part of the town and was the father of Seth and Parley and grandfather of the present Seth A. Healy. Joshua was in the Revolutionary war and his sons in the war of 181 2. In the Shays Rebellion Joshua made himself obnoxious to the neighbors, by taking sides with the government, to such a degree that his house was fired into, three balls lodging inside.
Zebulon Robinson located and lived to middle life where E. S. Kinne now lives. Later in life he purchased the old " Gate Tavern " of Daniel Little- field and remained there till his decease. Of his children, Josiah settled in Worthington ; Asa located and kept store where Horace Cole now lives, just opposite the tavern kept by his father. He was also interested in the woolen manufacture and in the raising of silk. Eleazer occupied the old homestead till middle life, when he removed to Worthington, where he now resides. Silas carried on the tannery in the west part of the town several years, when he removed to Worthington and engaged in farming till the burden of years and bodily infirmities forced him to relinquish hard labor and tarry with some of his children. His present residence is Florence. His wife was Cynthia Potter, by whom he had twelve children, eleven of whom grew to mature age.
By old deeds in possession of the Nichols family, we learn that Job Nich- ols owned and occupied a homestead in Scituate, and that in 1752 he pur- chased of Joshua Oldham, of Scituate, an addition to the same. Job Nichols married Mehetabel Oldham, by whom he had two sons, Joseph, and one who was lost at sea, leaving no family. Job removed from Scituate to Pembroke and lived with his son Joseph till his decease in 1778. Joseph Nichols, son of Job, settled in Pembroke, in that portion now Hanson. He married Lydia, daughter of Gideon Bisbee, of Pembroke, by whom he had three children, two sons and one daughter. In the spring of 1794 he re- moved and located in Chesterfield, his mother accompanying him, where she deceased in 1804. His sons were Joseph and Jonathan B. The latter, about 1800, removed to Otisco, N. Y., where he settled as a farmer and gen- eral business man, reared a large family, and about 1830 removed to Pitts- field, Mich., where he deceased in 1834. Joshua remained at home, and in 1803, married Rebecca, daughter of Elisha Witherell. His family consisted of six sons and three daughters, two sons being the only representatives now (1886) left. Of these remaining sons, John is living in Columbus, Ohio, is a
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