USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887 > Part 29
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87
In 1762 Chesterfield was incorporated, including the territory called New Hingham and "Quabbin," or the "First Additional Grant." This brought its north line as given above, with " The Gore " on the north.
In January, 1763, a petition was sent to the general court from the people of the Gore, asking to be annexed to Chesterfield. " This was so promptly done by the court that, no notice having been given, Chesterfield waked up one fine morning surprised to find its territory enlarged by the addition of 3,500 acres of land it had never asked for. It rubbed its eyes, saw that it meant the removal of the church location to some unknown point northward, and sent at once a counter petition for a speedy divorce, which was granted in June following."
The first settlers within the present limits of the town were David Stearns and Abijah Tucker, who came on from Dudley in 1761 and began a clearing on the farm now owned by Amos Hawks. In the fall they brought their fam- ilies and passed the winter. Stearns finally settled upon what is known as the David Beals farm. These men the first winter were often absent, seek- ing work in Northampton, and the families met the hardships of pioneer set- tlement alone for several days at a time. It is told of them that they had a cow and a horse that were pastured at the "Great Meadow ; " that in the deep snow of the following winter the cow wandered off to the same ground one day, and night came on before the absence was noticed. Then neither of the women could safely go after the cow alone, nor stay with the children alone, so one woman mounted the horse and took the five children on with her, the other woman led the horse, and so they went after the cow, two miles away and back, through the snow.
The influx of immigrants in the spring of 1762 must have been quite ex- tensive all along the line of this town and Chesterfield. William White, of Charleton, was one of these. He received a deed of land here May 17, 1762, from Gad Lyman, then of Northampton, but later of Goshen.
255
TOWN OF GOSHEN.
Col. Ezra May, from Woodstock, Conn., with ten men to assist him in his labors, came about the same time, with "old Mr. Corbin and wife to do their cooking." The north bound of his farm was a few feet south of the present church. White took the third hundred acre lot south of May's, and boarded with May during the first year. The next lot, north of May's, on which the church now stands, was taken by Lieut. Lemuel Lyon, also from Woodstock, and probably the same year.
Capt. Robert Webster, from Dudley, with his wife and one child, also came this year. There may have been a few other arrivals upon our territory at this time, but probably not. Farther south, on land now included in Chester- field, there was, doubtless, a greater number.
Other settlers upon our territory that came within a few years, were Asa Grant, from Wrentham, John James and Zebulon Willcutt, from Cohasset, Joseph Blake and Edward Orcutt, from Hingham, Reuben and Moses Dres- ser, and Ebenezer Putney, from Charleton, Thomas and Daniel Brown and the five Banister brothers-John, Lemuel. Christopher, Barzillai and William -and probably Artemas and Sylvanus Stone, from Brookfield, Joshua Abell, from Reheboth, Capt. John Bigelow, Isaac Kingman, James and Joshua Packard, from Bridgewater, Dr. Benjamin Burgess and Samuel Mott, from Tisbury, John Smith, Timothy Lyman, Benjamin Parsons and his sons, Ebenezer, Justin, Solomon, Silas and Benjamin, from Northampton, Thomas Weeks and Ambrose Stone, from Greenwich, and William Hallock, from Long Island.
William White was a man efficient and prompt to act in every good cause. He was one of the first that went to the country's defence, on the alarm that followed the battle of Lexington. He drew up the petition for the incorpora- tion of the town, was its town clerk for some thirty years, selectman for many terms, justice of the peace thirty-five years, representative to general court, and delegate to many important conventions.
Col. Ezra May, a man of such acknowledged ability that upon the incor- poration of Chesterfield, which included his farm, he was, in the very first year of his residence here, chosen the moderator of the first town meeting in Chesterfield, and constable and chairman of the selectmen. He was first deacon of the church in that town, went early into the army, rose to the rank of colonel, was in the battle of Saratoga, and at the taking of Burgoyne, where he took a violent cold, which resulted in his death a few months later, at the early age of forty-six years. Two of his sons, Nehemiah and Dexter, were in the army with him.
Thomas Weeks, from Greenwich. went down to Lexington with a small company of men, and was with the army near Boston, in 1775-76. He was a man of more than usual education for his time, had been deputy sheriff in Worcester county for many years, and served as paymaster for the troops. He left many records and several journals of the scenes through which he passed, and from which it appears, that in 1777 he was at the surrender of Ticonder-
256
TOWN OF GOSHEN.
oga ; an event which he branded with the terms-" Shame, Infamy, Dis- grace." He was an able surveyor, laid out many of the highways of the town, was often employed in running the boundaries of the land, and was the first town clerk of Goshen ; the first subscriber to the papers for the organ- ization of the church, and a delegate to the convention that formed the con- stitution of the state.
Dr. Benjamin Burgess came during the Revolutionary war, and for a long period was one of the leading physicians of this vicinity. He was a man of sound judgment and strong common sense, and was often called to serve in town affairs. He came from Martha's Vineyard, bringing his wife with him. Before setting sail for the main land, his wife quilted what money they had- $1,000 in gold-into the skirts of her dress for greater security if they fell into the hands of the British, whose vessels were troubling our coasters. They were once fired upon, but escaped unharmed.
Dea. Oliver Taylor was another important man in the early affairs of the town and church. He was a man of great firmness of character, and seems to have had things pretty much in his own way. He was first deacon of the church, an office he held for nearly forty years ; was four times elected to represent the town in the legislature, and was justice of the peace for sixteen years. He enlisted in the army of the Revolution, but was sent home to work at his trade-that of a tanner-as his services for his country in sup- plying leather for shoes for the army were more important as a tanner, than they could be as a soldier.
John James, the moderator of the first town meeting called by the select- men, and the first merchant in town, was a man of much force of character, and a successful man of business. He died in 1804, leaving to the town a donation of $100, to be kept on interest for one hundred years. After that time the income is to be devoted to the support of schools and the gospel, and for such other purposes as may be desirable.
Reuben Dresser, from Charleton, was another of the sturdy yeomanry who was among the early settlers. He made large purchases of land, employed many workmen, set out extensive orchards, and built, it is said, on his own land fifteen miles of heavy stone wall, much of which stands to the present time. The farm is still in possession of his descendants.
Joshua Packard was an early settler, locating here about 1770. He had born to him three sons, one of whom Willard, always lived in town, married Bathsheba Smith, and nine children were born to them, viz .: William S .. Cor- delia, Edmund, Malesta, Julia, Willard, Emeline, Hiram and Freeman S. Hiram was born September 6, 1816, married Lurane A. Carpenter, and has had born to him three children, namely, Henry W., Edward C. and Charles S. Henry died in New Mexico. Mr. Packard resides on road 9.
To give some idea of the increase in the population we quote the following from the records, a list of those living in the several school districts of the town in October, 1781 : Samuel Old, John Hatch, Deborah Narramore,
257
TOWN OF GOSHEN.
James Packard, Isaac Kingman, Ezekiel Thomas, Wait Burk, Samuel Snell, Joshua Packard, James Orr, John Jepson, Moses Elwell, Ambrose Stone, Justin Parsons, Caleb Cushman, Barzillai Banister, Sylvanus Lyon, Nathan Bigelow and Thomas Hamilton, District No. 1 ; John James, Oliver Taylor, Lemuel Banister, Ebenezer Amadon, Joel Gustin, Barnabas Potter, David Stearns, Cyrel Leach, Jesse Willcutt, William Banister, Benjamin Bourn, Christopher Banister, Samuel Grimes, Isaac Tower, Cyrus Lyon and Thomas Weeks, District No. 2 ; John Smith, Ebenezer Parsons, John Williams, Lem- uel Lyon, Nehemiah May, Benjamin Burger, Timothy Lyman, Artemas Stone, Widow Halbert, Reuben Lummis, Jedediah Buckingham, Stephen Grover, Thomas Brown, Daniel Brown, Dexter May. Edward Orcutt, Far- num White, Christopher Grant, Asa Grant, Adam Beal, William Hallock, Adam Beal, Jr., William Meader and Benjamin Abell, District No. 3 ; Joshua Abell, William White, Ebenezer Putney, Reuben Dresser, Richard Tower, Moses Dresser, John King, Daniel Wyman, Nathaniel Vinton, James Lull, Joseph Blake, Ebenezer Paine, Ezekiel White, Widow White, Noah White, District No. 4.
The population at the beginning of the several decades since then has been as follows : 1790, 681 ; 1800, 724; 1810, 652 ; 1820, 632 ; 1830, 617 ; 1840, 556; 1850, 512 ; 1860, 439 ; 1870, 368 ; 1880, 327.
Organization .- The " Gore " seemed to be, in some respects, unfortun- ately situated. Its early settlers, as already stated, had been at one time an- nexed to Chesterfield, but to restore peace, were again set off. Their neces- sities finally compelled them again to appeal to the general court, reciting their grievances, and asking to be incorporated as a town. Capt. Thomas Weeks presented the matter to the court in 1779, and again in 1781. In Jann- ary of the latter year, moved by the " petition of Thomas Weeks, agent to the petitioners of a part of Chesterfield," also of the "Gore of land called Chester- field Gore," a committee was appointed by the general court to repair to Chesterfield, hear the parties, and report at the next session of the court. The action of the committee may be inferred from a letter of which the fol- lowing is a copy :-
" NORWICH, May 1, 1781.
"Sir: I have left the report of the committee appointed on the matters relating to the Gore, Narragansett No. 4, and Chesterfield, with landlord Eli- sha Lyman and all the papers except yours, left with me, which are here en- closed. If you go down this session, remember to carry down to Court the plan of that part of Narragansett No. 4, as Capt. White proposed to the com- mittee when at Mr. May's representing those that were willing to be annexed to the Gore. Doct. Mather and Doct. Shepard propose not to go down this session, and I can't. You will do as you think best respecting going down this session or the next. We have closed our report, which if you send, you will have safely conveyed to the Secretary as directed.
" I am Sr. your most Humble Serv't " JOHN KIRKLAND.
" To Mr. Joshua Abell."
258
TOWN OF GOSHEN.
The act of incorporation finally passed May 14, 1781, and was approved by John Hancock, governor. The name given in the act is Goshan-probably a clerical error. The origin of the name, as given by Dea. Oliver Taylor to his daughter, Mrs. Catheart, is said by her daughter, Mrs. Polly Tilton, to have been this: Goshen of old was the best part of Egypt, so the name was considered appropriate for what was claimed to be the best part of Ches- terfield. The town meeting, for organization, was held pursuant to a warrant issued by Jacob Sherwin, Esq., of Ashfield, May 23, at the house of John Williams, which then stood just above the burying-ground. Lieut. Thomas Weeks was chosen clerk; Joshua Abell, treasurer ; Capt. William White, Lieut. Lemuel Lyon, Maj. Christopher Banister, selectmen and assessors ; Thomas Brown and Ebenezer Parsons, constables ; Farnum White, Lemuel Banister, Ebenezer Putney, Lieut. Timothy Lyman, Thomas Weeks and Barzillai Banister, highway surveyors ; John Williams, sealer of weights and measures ; Lemuel Banister and Farnum White, tithingmen ; John Smith and Maj. Christopher Banister, fence viewers ; Samuel Olds, leather sealer ; Barzillai Banister, deer-reeve ; Nehemiah May, Daniel Brown, Barzillai Banister and Lemuel Banister, hog-reeves.
Education .- The earliest schools in the "Gore " or in "Quabbin " were kept in private houses. Capt. Thomas Weeks taught school in the house of John Williams, but names of other teachers of that date are unknown. The first shool-house in town was erected just west of the bridge, in the northwest district, near the former residence of Col. L. Stone. The first teacher in it was James Richards, of Plainfield. Another school-house was built near the meeting· house, and a third near the house of Ebenezer Putney. The town was divided in four school districts in 1781.
In 1799 the town passed a vote that the money raised by the tax on dogs should be used towards the support of the school. In 1869 the legislature passed a law making this rule throughout the state.
In 1805 the town seems to have originated another idea that the state put into more general practice. The town voted that the selectmen have the care and charge of the school-books belonging to the town, and distribute them among the schools as they judge proper, indicating beyond question that the town furnished the books for the scholars, so that none should fail through poverty, or other cause, of having the necessary books for use in their studies. The state, it will be remembered, recognized the same benevolent principle in the law passed in 1873, giving towns permission to authorize their school committees to purchase text-books for use of the schools, to be owned by the town and loaned to the pupils under proper regulations.
The town began to choose school committees a quarter of a century before the state required it by law. In 1799 William White, Reuben Howes, Justin Parsons, Ambrose Stone and Moses James were appointed to this office. In 1826 Rev. Joel Wright, Capt. Joseph White, Capt. John Grant, Dr. George Wright, David Carpenter, Jared Hawks, Jr., and Emmons Putney were chosen
259
TOWN OF GOSHEN.
the first general school committee under the act of the legislature. This was the commencement of the new era in the history of Massachusetts schools, which, in a few years later, placed Horace Mann at their head as secretary of the board of education.
Another important factor in the education of the early residents of the town was a first-class town library. In Captain Grant's journal he speaks of attend- ing a library meeting in 1796, and it was continued for many years after, but how long we are not informed. It contained valuable books, history, biogra- phy and travels, and we are told that the young men read them. Of one of them it was said that he was one of the most thorough students of history that could be found in his time.
First Highway .- The first highway through Goshen was the old military road from Boston to Albany, established in 1758. The soldiers in passing over this road made camps from time to time, where small clearings were made. The road passed over the farm of the late Captain Grant, where a log bridge was built which remained to his day. One of the old camping grounds was the spot where Col. L. Stone's "red house " was built. The remains of their bark huts were found here by Major Stone later than 1780. Joshua Packard once passed over the route with the troops, and on this camp-ground he lost his pocket-knife. After he became a resident of the town he searched for it and found it. John Williams, in 1786, owned the first wagon in the town.
Military .- A company of minute-men was early formed in Goshen, and when the news of the battle of Lexington, April 21, 1775, was received, this company started out for the scene, two daya after the battle. There were forty-four men in this company, with Robert Webster, captain ; Christopher Banister, lieutenant ; William White, first sergeant ; Timothy Lyman, second sergeant, and Jonathan Nelson, corporal. Thirty-nine of these men con- tinued in the service, joining Gen. Pomeroy's regiment, and fifteen returned home after terms of service, varying from seven to thirty-seven days. The men who returned received one cent per mile for expenses, and twenty-five cents per day as wages. The privates from what is now Goshen, were Tilly Burke, Benjamin Bourn, Caleb Cushman, Barzillai Banister, Nehemiah May, Cyrus Lyon, Oliver Taylor, Artemas Stone, Reuben Dresser, Samuel Thomas, Ebenezer Parsons, Samuel Olds, Christopher Grant, Adam Beals and Wait Burk.
In the war of 1812 it is probable that only one went out from Goshen into the regular service, John Manning. The following, however, went to the de- fense of Boston : Capt. Timothy Lyman, Asahel Billings, William Abell, William Tilton, Oliver T. Catheart, Enoch James, John Fuller, Robert Bar- rus, Abisha Williams, Arad Hasford and Moses Dresser.
In the late great war Goshen furnished forty seven men, a surplus of six over all demands ; expended $5,374.50, and loaned the state, in aid to sol- diers' families, etc., $2, 178.42.
260
TOWN OF GOSHEN.
Notes .- Among the natives of Goshen who have achieved prominence in the world may be mentioned the following :-
Ezra Weeks, son of the first town clerk, removed to New York city, ac- cumulated a large fortune, owning at one time seven acres of what is now the most fashionable portion of that city, became president of a bank, and an author of a popular pamphlet on the treatment of cholera.
William Lyman became a merchant, and was one of the leading citizens of Schenectady, N. Y. He educated his nephew and namesake, Dr. William, son of his brother, Captain Francis, whose residence was here. The young William became a physician of acknowledged skill, an orator of much elo- quence, a member of the Illinois legislature, and in the civil war, was medical director on General Logan's staff.
Joseph H. White, grandson of the early settler, William, son of Joseph, was born on the White homestead in 1824. He was for many years the leading meniber of the firm of White, Browne & Co., the senior member of the firm of White, Payson & Co., the selling agents of the Manchester mills, and a principal stockholder and director. He soon accumulated a handsome for- tune and assisted his brothers in starting in mercantile business, one of whom is R. H. White, the head of the house of R. H. White & Co., whose business is not exceeded by more than three or four establishments in this country. Another brother, Hon. James White, was formerly in business with Joseph H.
Dea. Benjamin Burgess, grandson and namesake of the long time physician, a prominent merchant and citizen for nearly half a century, and his brother Silas, a lawyer of Worcester.
Enoch and L. L. James, grandsons of the early settler, John James, became successful merchants in their day, and Luther James, of Ann Arbor, Mich., all prominent as business men and capitalists.
William Mayhew, the wealthy and generous Baltimore merchant, of national reputation, was a son of Freeborn Mayhew, for many years a resident of this town.
Mrs. Martha J. Lamb, whose literary ability has placed her name highi upon the roll of honor. Her History of New York is said to be the largest work of the kind ever accomplished by a woman. It is not only the largest, but has received the endorsement of eminent literary authorities as worthy of rank with the best.
Lucretia Parsons, daughter of Rev. Justin, married Rev. D. O. Morton, and was the mother of Levi P. Morton, the New York millionaire, member of congress and United States minister to France.
Mercy Burgess, daughter of Dr. Benjamin, married Mitchell Dawes, and was the mother of Hon. Henry L. Dawes, one of the honored and worthy senators of this state.
This list might be largely extended.
GOSHEN is a pleasant little post-village, located in the central part of the town. It lies principally on one street, has a store, hotel, two churches, and
261
TOWN OF GOSHEN.
a number of substantial residences. The postoffice was established here in 1817, and John Williams was the first postmaster.
Early mills and manufactories .- Reuben Dresser built a saw-mill, one of the first in town, more than a hundred years since, below the Dresser pond. A broom-handle factory was added about forty years ago ; and later, button moulds have been manufactured there. It now belongs to the heirs of C. C. Dresser. About two miles above, Emmons Putney built a saw-mill not far from 1835, which ran for twenty years or more, and was owned finally by Will- iam H. Webster.
Ezekiel Corbin had a grist-mill on Swift river, a little below Shaw's bridge, near Cummington line, as early as 1796. James Patrick had a saw and grist- mill two miles or so above, on Swift river, near Ashfield line, built about 1788. Daniel Williams, many years later, built a new mill and stone dam a few rods above the old mill, which has since been owned by Samuel Ranney and others, and later, for many years, by J. D. Shipman, who sold, in 1880, to Ansel Cole. Stone's saw-mill and broom-handle factory on Stone's brook, a branch of Swift river, were erected in 1828. It was the first factory for turning broom-handles by machinery in this vicinity. Planes were made here from 1854 to 1859, by Hiram Barrus & Brothers. At the present time the works comprise a saw mill and brush-handle factory, owned by Amos H. Stone & Son. The second grist-mill in town stood about forty rods higher up the stream, built by Captain Bigelow. Maj. Ambrose Stone, in 1780, changed the works to a fulling-mill and clothier establishment, the first by nearly forty years for many miles around. Nearly a mile above, Willard and Hiram Packard had a saw-mill, which was abandoned more than twenty years ago. Still further up, on a branch of Stone's brook, at the outlet of Beaver Meadow, is Sear's saw-mill, formerly owned by Dea. Stephen Parsons. Beaver Meadow is connected by a small stream with the upper reservoir, which, in time of high water, discharged its waters in two directions-one, through Stone's brook into the Westfield river, the other through Mill river into the Connecticut. Near the south end of the upper reservoir, built in 1873, was another saw-mill erected by Francis and Thomas Lyman, about 60 years ago. At the lower reservoir, on the street east of the meeting-house, there was an ancient saw-mill, owned by John Williams-called " Carpenter John," to distinguish him from " Squire John," the postmaster. It was after- wards owned by Abner Moore, who added a small grist-mill with broom- handle and button-mould factory. A little below is the saw-mill of Rodney Hawks, on the site of another built some forty years ago.
Farther down Mill river is the remains of an old dam that marks the place where Nehemiah May and Ebenezer Putney about 1788 erected a mill for grinding sumac to be sent to Europe for tanning morocco. But it did not pay and was given up. Just below, Emmons Putney erected a saw-inill in 1839. He has made button moulds here for many years. He states that one girl turned off for him in one day 150 gross of moulds, equal to 21,600
18*
-
262
TOWN OF GOSHEN.
pieces. Below Putney's mill, was another, built about 1815 by Ebenezer White and Elias Lyon, and afterwards owned by Capt. Horace Packard & Sons. About a mile below, Nehemiah May built a grist-mill more than a century since, said to have been the first in town, which stood for fifty years. Not a vestage of the old timbers remain, but Maj. Hawks remembers going there to mill in his boyhood. On Harding's brook, a tributary of Mill river, coming down from the vicinity of Moore's hill, Asa White built a saw-mill nearly fifty years since, which run for only a few years.
Cider-mills, run by horse-power, belonged to Dresser, White, James, Gloyd, Lyman, Packard and Naramore. The Packard mill, owned by Joseph Beals, still exists ; and E. C. Packard has recently set up another.
In 1812 Major Stone & Sons furnished considerable quantities of cloth for our army. It was narrow in width, but sold for a high price. In 1780 he bought wool at an average price of twenty-five cents per pound, which in 1812 was worth $2.00. Other mills of the kind becoming inconveniently numerous, Stone finally gave up the business, having pursued it for nearly fifty years.
Levi Kingman, of Cummington, did a successful business here about 1812- 14, in the manufacture of patent overshoes, called " Tuscarora socks." They had an extensive sale, and were long a popular article.
Solomon Parsons and John James engaged quite largely in the manufac- ture of potash, and continued in the business for many years.
There was formerly a tannery owned by Oliver Taylor where William H. Webster lived. It was in operation before the Revolutionary war. Taylor enlisted and went into the army, but it becoming known that he was a tanner, he was sent home to work at his trade, as he could be more useful in that de- partment, laboring for the soldiers, than by serving in the field with them. Another tannery near where William Tilton lived was owned for many years by his brother, Benjamin Tilton.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.