Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887, Part 35

Author: Gay, W. B. (William Burton), comp
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., W. B. Gay & co
Number of Pages: 824

USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887 > Part 35

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CHURCHES.

The First church in Hadley, Trinitarian Congregational .- The church and town were planted at one and the same time in Hadley, as we have shown. Just at what time the formal organization took place is not known,

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TOWN OF HATFIELD.

owing to the loss of the church records in 1766, but it was doubtless in 1660, and certainly before 1661. Rev. John Russell was first pastor. The first church building was completed in 1670, and did services till 1714, and in 1808 the present building was erected, and removed to its present location on Middle street in 1841. It is a wooden structure capable of seating 500 persons and valued, including grounds, at $5,000.00. The present pastor (emeritus) is Rev. Rowland, Ayres, D. D., with Rev. George W. Stearns, acting pastor. The society has 194 members.

The Second Congregational church, located at North Hadley, was organized October 26, 1831, with twenty-four members, and the first settled pastor was Rev. Ebenezer Brown, installed in 1835. The church building was erected 1834, a wooden structure capable of seating 350 person, and valued, includ- ing grounds, at 8,000.00. The society now has 144 members, with Rev. John W. Lane, pastor.

The Russell Congregational church, located on West street, was organized in 1841, with eighty-seven members from the First church, and Rev. John Woodbridge, D. D., pastor. The church building, a wooden structure cap- able of seating 350 persons, was built during that year. The society now lias ninety members, with Rev. Edward S. Dwight, D. D., pastor.

H ATFIELD lies in the center of the county's northern tier of towns, upon the west bank of the Connecticut. In area one of the smallest towns of the county, yet one of the most important. Its earlier his- tory, the causes which let to its settlement, etc., are given in connection with the history of Hadley, of which it formed a part till May 11, 1670.

Two years later, October 19, 1672, the town purchased of the widow of the Indian chief Quonquont a tract to the north comprising what is now the town of Whately and a portion of the north part of Hatfield. The Hatfield of then included within its geographical limits also the present towns of Wil- liamsburg on the west and Whately, north. The town is finely situated, as we have said, upon the west bank of "ye Great River Quinnaticot," whose general course is north and south, and which by its great bend to the west on the southern border makes the river both the eastern and southern boundary of the town, separating it from the town of Hadley, which is located east and south. Its northern bound was Pocomptuck, the town line running west about nine miles, from where the Pocomptuck path crossed the Sugar Loaf brook. It was also bounded on the south by Northampton for a distance of six miles, abutting on the unclaimed wilderness west, comprising a territory of about sixty-five square miles. After its territory was shorn by the incor- poration of the towns of Williamsburg and Whately, its area was reduced to about sixteen square miles. It is watered by the Capawonk (Mill river) and its tributaries, Beaver brook, Running gutter, West brook and several smaller

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TOWN OF HATFIELD.

brooks. On the westerly side of North Meadow was Great pond, which fed a brook running from it to the Connecticut.

The topography of the town is peculiar. Along the line of the Connecti- cut river lie fertile meadows, extending westerly in varying widths, from two hundred rods to two miles. Beyond this is a plain, elevated about fifty feet, which extends westerly one and one-half miles, including the mill swamp lands to the foot of " the Rocks." The highest ground within the town limits is Horse mountain, which is about eight hundred feet.

The territory described includes about two-thirds of the area of Hatfield, most of it very fertile, and much of it still occupied by the descendants of the first white settlers, who located the house lots on Main street in the year 1660 From the foot of the Rocks to the Williamsburg line at the summit of Horse mountain is a wild and desolate region abounding in gravel and rocks, better suited for the growth of wood and timber than for agricultural purposes. This territory of six square miles does not contain a single human habitation, and is but little changed from what it was when first seen by the English settlers. Running gutter starts from an immense spring near the north line of the town in this region, and runs southerly a sparkling trout brook of clear cold water about two miles to its junction with Beaver brook. Its waters were first utilized by Ebenezer Fitch, who built his linseed oil mill about a half-mile north of the junction, more than one hundred years ago- and the greater part of this section has since been known as Linseed woods. It was laid out into lots running west to the town limits by the early settlers and called the "Third Division of Commons." The tillage land for the first century after the settlement of Hatfield was with the exception of the house lots on Elm street, in the meadows. The top of the hill which sepa- rates the meadows from the plain was marked by a ditch and at its top was erected a strong post and rail fence, which extended from the Great river at the southwest point of Capawonk meadow (Little Ponsett) to the north line of the town and thence east to the Great river. All of the territory outside of this line of fence was the " Commons," or the common pasture where the farmers summered their cattle. A system of brand and ear marks was adopted and recorded on the town records. These marks settled all disputes among the proprietors about the ownership of cattle after the grand "round up" in the fall. As each farmer had his special and distinctive brand re- corded, no questions could be raised. Each year after the corn was gathered into the barns, the cattle and sheep were turned into the meadows until the snow came.

The whole territory of the town was divided up among the original settlers and their children during the first fifty years after the incorporation of the town. It consisted of eight grand divisions, viz. : First, the forty-four home lots on Main street, containing from four to eight acres each; Second, the Meadows ; Third, the Mill Swamp, which extended from the grist-mill built by Thomas Meekins in 1661, northwesterly to the Deerfield line, and on the

306

TOWN OF HATFIELD.

higher ground at the edge of the swamp east and west two highways were laid out ten rods in width ; Fourth, the First Division of Commons, which extends from the Meekins mill northerly to a point within the present town of Whately, and bounded east by the top of the hill adjacent to Great pond, the home lots and the North Meadows and west by the East Mill Swamp highway; Fifth, the Second Division of Commons, which extends from the First Division to the Deerfield line, the whole Division being now within the town of Whately in Franklin county ; Sixth, the Third Division of Commons, now partly in Hatfield, but including Haydenville and the center of the town of Williamsburg, bounded on the south by Northampton and east by the West Mill Swamp highway ; Seventh, the Fourth Division of Commons located north of the Third Division now wholly within the towns of Williamsburg and Whately, including about one-half of the territory of each town ; Eighth, the Dennison and Bradstreet grants-1,000 acres located north of the North Meadows, now lying partly in Hatfield and partly in Whately.

These grants were early purchased by the town of Hatfield. The Mead- ow lots were small, and the land of the First and Third Divisions of Com- moms were divided into long, narrow strips by parallel lines running west through each division and numbered from the Northampton line northerly to the lines of the second and fourth divisions, which are similarly run and numbered.

The Meadows were sub-divided. Capawonk Meadow (Little Ponsett) 157 acres was purchased of Northampton. It is separated from the other South Meadow by Capawonk river (Mill river) and Great Ponsett Meadow, is bounded west and north by this river. East Division, Middle Division, In- dian Hollow and Indian Field form the eastern divisions of South Meadow. Lower Plain is situated south of the home lots on the Hill, and is bounded south and east by the Capawonk river.

Little Meadow is at the north end of Main street, and separated front North Meadow by a high ridge extending from King's Hill to the Connecti- cut. The other divisions of the North Meadow were Cow bridge, Long lots, Fifty pound lots, Bashan, Old Farms and Great Pond.

Settlement and Growth .- At the first town meeting held in Hadley, October 8, 1660, the following vote was passed :-

" Voted that all who sit down on the west side of the river (Hatfield) shall be one with those on the east side in both ecclesiastical and civil matters that are common to the whole, they paying all charges from their engagement and all purchase charges from the beginning. Those admitted for inhabitants on the west side of the river are to be inhabiting there in houses of their own by next Michaelmas (Sept 29, 1661), and to sign an engagement by themselves or some others for them.'

Most of those who wished to settle on the west side of the river signed an engagement for themselves or their friends to be dwellers there before Sep- tember 29, 166r. Some signed at the meeting October 8th, others Novem- ber ist, and some in January, February, or March, 1661. Twenty-five per-

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TOWN OF HATFIELD.

sons " manifested an intention " before March 25, 1661, to establish them- selves on that side of the river in the new town, viz .: Aaron Cook, Thos. Meekins, Wn. Allis, Nathaniel Dickinson, Jr., John Coleman, Isaac Graves (with his father, Thos. Graves), John Graves, Samuel Belden. Stephen Taylor, John White, Jr., Daniel Warner, Richard Fellows, Richard Billings, Edward Benton, Mr. Ritchell (with his son), Ozias Goodwin, Zechariah Field, Lieut. Thomas Bull, Gregory Wilterton, Nathaniel Porter, Daniel White, William Pitkin, John Cole, Samuel Church, Samuel Dickinson. Of these twenty- seven persons, Aaron Cook and Samuel Church did not remove to the west side of the river. Ozias Goodwin, Lieut. Bull, Gregory Wilterton, and Will- iam Pitkin continued to reside at Hartford; Nathaniel Porter at Windsor ; Mr. Ritchell (and son) and Edward Benton at Wethersfield. Seventeen ap- pear to have become permanent residents on the west side, and thus consti- tuted the first settlers of. Hatfield. They were from Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield, Conn., except Thomas Meekins and William Allis, who belonged to Braintree, Mass. Several families, whose names were afterward very prominent in all the public business of Hatfield, as Hastings, Partridge, Will- iams, Smith and others, settled a few years later.

"The home-lots in Hatfield village were assigned so that they were owned from 1668 to 1672 about as follows, commencing at the north end, east side of the street, at the old highway to the river [present Bliss Hotel corner] : Thomas Bracy ; Hezekiah Dickinson, twenty rods wide; William Scott, tventy rods wide ; Daniel Belden, sixteen rods wide ; Samuel Allis, sixteen rods wide ; Samuel Marsh, sixteen rods wide ; Nathaniel Foote, sixteen rods wide ; a space left for a street ; Philip Russell. four acres ; Samuel Gil- ett, four acres ; John Wells, four and one-half acres ; John Coleman, sixteen rods wide ; Samuel Belden, eight acres ; William Gull, eight acres ; Samuel Dickinson, eight acres ; Edward Benton, Nathaniel Dickinson, Sr., six acres ; John White, Jr., Nicholas Worthington, eight acres ; Nathaniel Dickin- son, Jr., eight acres ; Richard Billings, Samuel Billings, eight acres ; Daniel Warner, eight acres ; Thomas Bull, by the town to Mr. Atherton, eight acres. Returning to the north end, and beginning on the west side of the street, opposite the Bliss Hotel, the proprietors were Will- iam King, afterward Samuel Field, sixteen rods wide ; Benjamin Wait, sixteen rods wide ; John Graves, Jr., sixteen rods wide; Samuel Foote, sixteen rods wide: Robert Danks, sixteen rods wide ; space for Deerfield lane; Isaac Graves, Jr., sixteen rods wide ; Samuel Northam, sixteen rods wide ; Richard Morton, twenty rods wide ; a town-lot sixteen rods wide ; space reserved for street ; John Hawks, four acres; Mill lane ; Samuel Kel- logg four acres ; Obadiah Dickinson, four acres; John Allis, eight acres ; Daniel White, eight acres ; Wm. Allis, eight acres ; Thomas Meekins, Thomas Meekins, Jr., eight acres ; Eleazer Frary, eight acres ; John Graves, eight acres, Isaac Graves, eight acres ; Stephen Taylor, Barnabas Hinsdale, eight acres ; Ozias Goodwin, Mr. Hope Atherton, eight acres ; Zechariah Field, John Field, eight acres ; highway to Northampton ; John Cowles & Son, eight acres ; Richard Fellows, Widow Fellows, eight acres.

This plot or survey seems to have been made as early as 1661, for in the Hadley records it appears that a committee was appointed for that purpose January 21st of that year.

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TOWN OF HATFIELD.

The Hill, so-called, west of Mill river, was not settled until after King Philip's war. But the mill is of very early date, and by the time the oath of allegiance was administered, 1678, there were doubtless some living out there.

The comparative growth of the town may be seen by the following figures placed after the respective years : 1776, 582, 1790, 703; 1800, 809 ; 1810, 805 ; 1820, 823 ; 1830, 893 ; 1840, 933 ; 1850, 1,073; 1855, 1,162 ; 1860, 1,337 ; 1865, 1,405 ; 1870, 1,594 ; 1875, 1,600; 1880, 1,495.

Among the prominent Hatfield residents may be mentioned Jonathan Dickinson (1688-1747), clergyman and author ; Elisha Williams (1694-1755), president of Yale college from 1726 to 1739 ; Oliver Partridge (1712-1792), member of the first colonial congress ; Col. Samuel Partridge (1645-1740), representative to the general court, judge of probate, one of his Majesty's council, "and the most important inan after the death of Col. Pynchon, in 1703, in all the western part of the province; " Col. Israel Williams (1709- 1788), prominent as a military officer ; Col. Ephraim Williams ( -- 1755), founder of Williams college ; Hon. John Hastings, member of the state gov- ernment for thirty years ; Dr. Joseph Lyman, pastor of the church fifty-six years ; Oliver Smith, (1766-1845), founder of Smith Charities, of North- ampton, and Sophia Smith, founder of Smith college, of Northampton, and of Smith academy, and this list might be largely extended.

Nathaniel Dickinson, the ancestor of most of the family of this name now residing in Hatfield, Hadley and vicinity, came from Weathersfield, Conn., to Hadley in 1659, and died there June 16, 1676. William, a descendant in the sixth generation from Nathaniel, was born in Hatfield, June 13, 1783. He married Fannie Smith, and reared three children, of whom William H. is the only one now living. The latter was born March 4, 1820. He married Ange- lina Waite, a descendant in the sixth generation of Benjamin Waite, Novem- ber 30, 1842. Their children were James W., Mary S., Sarah E. and Will- iam Cooley, the latter of whom is the only one now living, at home with his parents. J. D. Bardwell, son of Sarah, also resides with Mr. Dickinson, and a granddaughter, Mary J., resides in New York city.

Samuel H. Dickinson is a son of Solomon, and a grandson of Daniel, and came here as one of the early settlers, and located on the place now owned by John Brown, a descendant of the family.

John Cowles, the ancestor of the family of that name now residing in this town, was one of the early settlers here, and lived on the place now owned by Rufus Cowles. Jr. Rufus, Sr., was born in 1783, married Lucy Osborne in 1804, and had born to him six children, namely, Rufus, Alpheus, Augustus, Erastus, Orsamus and Elizabeth. Erastus was born in 1805, married Olive Dickinson, and reared seven children, four of whom are living, Elizabeth (Mrs. Billings), of Deerfield, Edward C., of Deerfield, Charles L. and Rufus H., who resides on Meadow street. Rufus, Jr., married Fanny P. Moody, and has one daughter, Lucy O., who resides with her father on Maple street.

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TOWN OF HATFIELD.

Alpheus married Sophia Wells, and has had born to him one child, Henry, deceased.

Capt. Silas Billings, son of Col. Erastus, and a descendant of one of the early settlers of this town, was born October 30, 1800, married Mary Smith Graves, daughter of Lewis Graves, and had born to him eight children, viz .: Samuel F., Abbie F., Samuel F., 2d, Abbie A., Mary C., Jane M., Cornelia, and Sarah A. Of these, four are living, Samuel F., Abbie A., Mary C. and Cor- nelia A. Abbie A. married Lyman Clapp, and has one child. Samuel F. married Elizabeth H. Allis, and has had born to him six children, four of whom are living.

John Fitch was one of the early settlers of this town, and is supposed to have located on the farm now owned by Mrs. B. M. Warner. Ebenezer, son of John, was for many years a surveyor here.

Dea. John Brown lived in Heath, Mass., and reared thirteen children. His son Jonas was for many years a physician in Cazenovia, N. Y. Aaron, son of Dea. John, married Rebecca Dickinson, daughter of Daniel, and moved to this town about 1826, located on the farm now owned by John.

The Morton family traces its establishment in Hatfield to Richard Morton, who moved from Hartford, Conn., to Hadley, and thence to Hatfield about 1668. His wife's name was Ruth, and she bore him nine children. From these have descended the Hatfield Mortons of to-day, in the sixth and seventh generations. Richard died April 3, 1710, and his wife survived him till De- cember 31, 1714.

Jonathan Porter, a descendant of Ichabod Porter, an early settler of this town, married Electa Allis, and reared five children, viz .: Moses C., of South Amherst, Henry S., of Griswold, Conn., Sophia, of Sunderland, Mass., and Jonathan and James who still live in Hatfield.

Jacob, Fred and Philip Carl, sons of Christian Carl, came to America from Germany, Jacob in 1857, and Fred and Philip in 1858. Jacob married Abbie Pardenhiner, and has three children, Nellie A., Henry W. and Emma L. Fred married Mary Pardenhiner, and has two children, Hattie A. and Lillie A. Philip married Minnie Smith, and has two children, John S. and Ella M. All at present are living in Hatfield.

Eli A. Hubbard was born in Hinsdale, Mass., December 11, 1814, gradu- ated from Williams college with the class of 1842, was tutor there till 1844 teacher in Williston seminary in 1848, and for twelve years thereafter was superintendent of schools in Springfield, from 1865 to 1873; agent of the Massachusetts board of education, from 1875 to 1883. His grandfather and grandmother were both descendants of John Hubbard, the first one of the name in Hatfield, the grandmother being the great-granddaughter, and the grandfather being the great-great-grandson of said John, of Hatfield.

Organization .- Meetings were held in the " West Side," as Hatfield was known from the very first, on account of the difficulty in crossing into Hadley to attend town gatherings. For this reason when the town was legally set off

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TOWN OF HATFIELD.

its municipal machinery was already in motion. The selectmen for 1670- 7t were Nathaniel Dickinson, Sr., William Allis, John Cowles, Sr., Isaac Graves and John Coleman. John Allis was the first town clerk, and Samuel Partridge was the first representative to the general court.

Military .- The sufferings of Hatfield in the Indian wars are well-known facts of general history, and anything more than the following brief recapitu- lation would be out of place in a gazetteer sketch. On the 19th of October, 1675, a band of about Soo savages burst upon the town. They were expected, however, for this was only two days after the terrible affair of Bloody Brook, only fifteen miles distant, and the people here had prepared for an attack. Capt. Appleton's company, from Hadley, held the left, Capt. Mosely the center, and Capt. Poole the right. A regular battle ensued ; but the Indians were repulsed at every point. The whites killed were Thomas Meekins, Nathaniel Collins, Richard Stone, Samuel Clarke, John Pocock. Thomas Warner, Abram Quiddington, William Olverton and John Petts, mostly from Hadley.

On May 30, 1676, about 700 Indians again attacked Hatfield, this time succeeding in destroying many buildings. The flames were seen in Hadley, and twenty-five young men came to the rescue and the Indians were driven off. Of the five whites killed, John Smith was from Hadley, two others were from Connecticut, and two from the garrison at Hadley.

The greatest loss, however, was effected by only about fifty Indians, who fell upon the settlement about eleven o'clock on the morning of September 19, 1677. The killed were Isaac Graves, Sr., John Graves, Sr., John Atchin- son, John Cooper, Elizabeth, the wife, and Stephen, son of Philip Russell, Hannah, the wife, and Bethia, daughter of John Coleman, Sarah, the wife of Samuel Kellogg, and their son, Joseph Kellogg, Mary, the wife of Samuel Belding, Elizabeth, the daughter of John Wells, and Thomas Meekins, thirteen in all. The captives were two children of John Coleman, Goodwife Wait and three children, Mrs. Foote and two children, Mrs. Jennings and two chil- dren, Obadiah Dickinson and one child, a child of Samuel Kellogg, a child of William Bartholomew, and a child of John Allis, seventeen in all. Six or seven others were wounded and not carried off by the Indians. One of Mrs. Foote's children was killed by the Indians afterwards, and one of Mrs. Jen- .nings's. "A child was born to Mrs. Wait in Canada. The prisoners, with others from Wachuset, were all taken, a sad and weary company, to Sorel, Canada. Efforts to rescue them were immediately made. Benjamin Wait and Stephen Jennings obtaining a commission from the Governor of Massa- chusetts, proceeded by way of Albany, the Hudson River, and Lake Cham- plain to Chamblee, in Canada, arriving there late in December. The nego- tiation was long and tedious; by the aid of the French authorities and the payment of f200 ransom, the captives that survived were finally gathered. The homeward route could not be taken till spring; the captives were at Albany May 22d. The almost triumphal procession home, the re-uniting of

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TOWN OF HATFIELD.

families, the tearful memories of the dead mingling with the joy of the saved, -all this must be left for the imagination to paint."

The following rough diagram will give one an idea of the holders of house- lots on each side of Main street in 1677, those at the north end of the street being mentioned first :--

William King,1

Bracy,

Samuel Field.

H. Dickinson,

Benjamin Wait,2

William Scott,

John Graves,

Dan. Belden,

Samuel Foote,3

Samuel Allis,

Robert Danks,

Samuel Marsh,

Stephen Jennings,3

Nathaniel Foote,

Deerfield Lane.

Philip Russell,8

Isaac Graves, Jr.,

Samuel Gillett,

Samuel Northam,

John Wells,7

Richard Morton,

John Coleman,9

Mill Lane.

Samuel Belden,?

S. Kellogg,4

William Gull,

O. Dickinson, 5

Samuel Dickinson,

John Allis, 8

Edward Benton,

D. White,

Nathaniel Dickinson,

William Allis.

John White,

Thomas Meekins,

N. Worthington,

E. Frary,

N. Dickinson, Jr.,

John Graves,7

Richard Billings,

Isaac Graves, 10

Samuel Billings, S

S. Taylor,

B. Hinsdale, S

O. Goodwin, Hope Atherton,

Z. Field,

John Field, § Highway to Northampton.

John Cowles, John Cowles, Jr.,

Richard Fellows,

Apropos of this sketch, we print the following extract from a communica- tion from Mr. S. G. Hubbard of Hatfield :-

"The rough sketch herewith of Hatfield street with home lots and occu- pants is substantially correct. It proves that the published accounts of the Indian attack of 1677 are incorrect, in stating that the attack was made at the north end of the street. There is a tradition in the Graves family that

I. Three persons killed.

2. Four captives taken and two buildings burned.

3. Three captives taken.

4. One captive taken, two killed, and two buildings burned.

5. Two captives taken and a building burned.

6. A captive taken and a building burned.

7. One killed.

8. Two killed.

9. Two killed, two captives taken and building burned.

10. One killed and a captive taken.

Daniel Warner,

Thomas Bull,

M. Atherton.

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TOWN OF HATFIEL.D.

John and Isaac Graves were shot from their barn which they were roof- ing, near the south end of the street, as seen on the plan. The Indians coming in from the western woods first went down Mill Lane and struck the street at the center, where they burned five buildings and killed eight persons, while only three persons were killed at the north end and two buildings, the house and barn of Benjamin Wait, were burned. It is evident that the center was the safest point for them to attack, as most of the men were at work in the Meadows adjacent to both the north and south ends of the street-the river being on the east and the plain woods on the west, which was the natural point of retreat, where they would not be likely to meet any men from the Meadows or re-inforcements from Hadley or North- ampton.

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Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887, Part 35

Author: Gay, W. B. (William Burton), comp Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., W. B. Gay & co Number of Pages: 824

Author: Gay, W. B. (William Burton), comp
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., W. B. Gay & co
Number of Pages: 824