USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Hampden county, 1636-1936, Volume II > Part 6
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Time went on and John Mckinstry, son of Reverend John McKin- stry, was ordained. The father was a graduate of Edinburgh Uni- versity, "a gentleman of good abilities and popular talents." The son was a graduate of Yale and was fourth in a class of twelve. His father, in his seventy-fifth year, preached the ordination sermon. Eliza Mckinstry, who remembered her grandfather dressed for meet- ing, said he wore a wig, a three-cornered hat, breeches, long stockings and shoe and knee buckles. Probably the other ministers were dressed much the same and also many in the audience, though at this time the wig was going out of fashion and the "queue" taking its place. In
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those days all ministers were settled for life, which was well, as the smallness of the population made an ordination a rare and interesting occasion. Not only did the churches respond, but friends and rela- tives came to share in the joy. A genuine dinner was prepared and the big brick oven was heated again and again.
The minister's salary was to be paid one-half in provisions- wheat, rye and Indian corn, and one-half in silver. Mr. Mckinstry was also to have "Twenty-five cords of wood the first year, one cord to be added each year for ten years." Later, it was voted to provide the minister with a sufficiency of firewood and likewise with "candlewood." Candlewood is an old name for pine knots. They were abundant and easily gathered from the pine trees on the plains, and when burned on the hearth their light often took the place of candle light.
Eight children were born in the old parsonage and to one of these, Mr. John, we are indebted for many interesting incidents. He owned the first thermometer in Chicopee Street and was a great reader. Soon after the new minister's settlement the French and Indian War broke out, bringing great anxiety. A number of young men enlisted. Ensign Moses Chapin was taken prisoner at Lake George and at first fared badly; but he could talk a little Latin and interested in his behalf a Catholic priest, who helped him in getting some needed comforts. He was a surveyor and his surveying books in Latin were long treasured in the family. Caleb was killed at Lake George and his brother, Captain Elisha, was cruelly massacred by the Indians at what is now Williamstown. His house was near the upper end of the street and he had been commander at Fort Massachusetts, and becoming interested in that part of the country he removed there with his family. A number of families were together in the fort and while most of the men were away in the fields an attack was made by the Indians. They were repulsed by the women dressed in their husbands' clothes, but afterward the Indians suc- ceeded in taking some of the men prisoners. Among them was Cap- tain Chapin, and he was brought to the walls and tortured to death in sight of his wife and children. Mrs. Chapin went back with her chil- dren to her early home. One of her sons graduated from Dartmouth College and entered the ministry. Another was a captain in the Revo- lutionary War. By that time the forest path had grown into a pleas-
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ant well-shaded street with substantial houses and barns. Captain Ephraim was living on the farm, keeping tavern and fattening cattle for the Boston market; Landlord Abel kept the tavern on the east side of the street; and his brother Japhet on the next farm beyond, and there were various others of the Chapin clan in the region round about.
A little low one-story house which stood in Johnny Cake Hollow up to about thirty years ago was a relic of these early days. Deeds in the possession of the Snow family which own it dated back to before 1700, but did not go back to its beginning. It had a large square chimney and wooden hinges on the doors. A large barrel of corn meal usually stood in the shed and the owner intimated that the Hollow got its name from its staple food. In its later days the house was papered inside with the "Springfield Republican" and reinforced outside with sections of packing boxes from local concerns.
In 1753 it was voted that the parish "take care that a Drum be beat to call the People to meeting at Proper seasons." The drum was beaten up and down the street. It was owned by Ebenezer Jones and he was paid when it was broken and a conch shell probably took its place. Another vote was "to agree with some person or per- sons to sweep and cleanse the meeting-house." By 1774 Springfield had begun to take into "serious and deliberate consideration the pres- ent dangerous condition of the province." The situation was indeed trying, for most of these men and women were of English blood, and those who were not had found safety and protection under English government and law. They had brought to New England not only the English language, but English customs and habits. Their public officers were called by English names and the minister was the parson. The nine o'clock evening bell still common in many New England towns was the curfew of Old England. Following the English custom their farms were divided by ditches, some of which still remain, mark- ing boundaries laid out in the long ago. The old home in the Mother Country was still dear to them. They mourned England's danger or defeat by solemn days of fasting and prayer and when, in 1746, the Duke of Cumberland obtained the remarkable victory against the rebels in north Britain, they kept glad thanksgiving. But they could not allow even England to oppress them and when the town appointed a committee of public safety money was voted to teach soldiers the
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military art and every able-bodied man was required to train that he might be in readiness for any outbreak. When the crisis came in 1775, Paul Revere was not the only messenger who rode to alarm the country. Scarcely had the first shot been fired at Concord Bridge, when a rider armed with authority from one of the committee of safety in Boston, started in hot haste for the Connecticut Valley. He asked for men and from Springfield sixty-two responded. Shays' Rebellion made itself felt in Chicopee and for a time was the rallying point of one company of the insurgents. They took possession of what was then the new Chicopee bridge, but scattered in confusion when the news of Shays' defeat reached them; indeed, many fled through Chicopee streets. One found refuge and a hiding place in a secret chimney closet at Captain Ephraim Chapin's, and a sick sol- dier was kindly cared for at the minister's.
In 1782 the Legislature passed "an Act granting a lottery" for erecting a bridge over the Chicopee River on the road leading from Springfield to Hadley. As an apparent excuse, we are told that "much expense, difficulty and danger attend the passing of the river." The town itself appropriated two hundred pounds, but the tickets failed to sell rapidly and the town agreed to take all that were unsold for pay- ment of all prizes. In March, 1783, when the bridge was nearly completed, the building committee complained that by spending antici- pated earnings of the lottery most of the tickets remained unsold. So the town reaffirmed the agreement to take the unsold tickets.
Deacon Edward Chapin's diary has interesting entries. The first entry is on September 9, 1745, and is "A cool foggy morning." He tells us of the weather; of his hunting and farming; of the savage Indian foes and their attacks on the settlements; of his subscribing for a Boston newspaper; of the building a schooner, "The Hamp- shire," by the neighbors to carry their produce to market at Hart- ford, which makes but one successful trip and is lost, cargo and all; of the building of the meetinghouse and schoolhouse; and of the texts and sermons. On March 24, 1748/9, it is recorded: "A long spell of very muddy travelling this spring." June 9 the entry is: "This day was observed as a day of humiliation and prayer through the Province on account of the distressing drought." November 13, 1753: "About II o'clock in the forenoon, to the surprise of many, was heard the
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report as of a large Cannon in the air and by some in Connectticut the same, an Alarm of a Drum following by the space of several minutes." May 23, 1766: "The schoolhouse in Hartford was blowed up by powder." On the back of an old deed was found the following pre- scription : "Give a portion of the Reed root every morning for 3 mornings going; every night going to bed give him 2 or 3 spoonfuls of black water according as he can bear ; on or about 1 I or 12 o'clock, in the day give him a portion of Tumeric, about as much as will ly on a Shilling at a Time, and wash it down with a decoction of agrimony, Elder blooming, or Hysop."
A few colored people were held as slaves in Chicopee, but slavery was always mild in Massachusetts. Pompey and Betty, who were married, belonged to Phineas Chapin, and Cæsar to Lieutenant Japhet. Cæsar ran away. Reverend Pelatiah Chapin, Japhet's son- in-law, went in search of him, but stopped to preach and lost him again. History does not say if he was ever found.
From 1779 to 1785 there are no parish records. Meanwhile, Mr. Mckinstry had been growing feeble and with loss of vigor his voice was growing weak. The young people were not coming into the church and there seems to have been general dissatisfaction. An effort was made to secure the resignation of Mr. Mckinstry and one faction went so far as to close the meetinghouse. But Mr. Mckinstry had been settled for life and reasonably enough was unwilling to give up his pastorate. After long discussion a council decided that the minis- ter was to retain his parish and perform such ministerial services as the parish desired and his strength allowed. It was voted to secure as his colleague "a learned and orthodox minister." For sixty-one years Mr. Mckinstry was pastor of this church, but for only thirty was he in active service.
In 1796 it was "voted to hire a master to instruct in singing." This was church music and consisted of Watts' Psalms and Hymns, which were in use here very soon after they were first introduced into the country. There was a choir in the meetinghouse almost from the very first.
In 1785 Colonel Abel Chapin built the old brown house where he kept tavern for many years, hanging out under the old elm tree a sign which told of good cheer and hospitality within. The sign showed on one side haystacks and sheaves of grain and on the other side an
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ox and sheep with the name "S. Chapin" in large letters underneath. When "Uncle Austin" Chapin was innkeeper there was a typhus epi- demic in the village and several of his family were ill. Some men, fresh from rafting on the river, came to get the inn's refreshments, but Mr. Chapin turned them away, saying: "If you knew how sick my family are, you would not ask it." In the morning the sign was taken down and "Uncle Austin's" days of tavern keeping were over.
Family worship was almost universal at this time, as was also the custom of asking a blessing at the beginning and returning thanks at the close of the meal. In most families the Sabbath began and ended
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at sundown, but a few thought as did Mr. Pynchon that the Lord's Day began with the natural morning after midnight and ended with the natural evening at midnight. There were few clocks or watches, but the hour glass, sun dial and noon mark were used instead to mark the time. By the close of the century tall clocks had become common.
Homespun was the everyday dress, but most men had a Sunday suit of English broadcloth, while their wives had one or more silk dresses. Cloaks of beautiful red broadcloth were worn and occa- sionally one of black satin. Every young girl had her chest of bed
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and table linen, blankets, coverlids, underwear and stockings, probably spun, woven and knit by her own hands. The store accumulated from year to year and was ready for her marriage when that came, or if she remained unmarried, perhaps she needed it all the more. It was called her "setting out," a quaint term to indicate the new life upon which she was entering.
The big kitchen with its great fireplace was the most attractive room in the house. The utmost care was taken to preserve the fire by covering it with ashes at night. Sometimes fire was "borrowed" from a neighbor, and there were town laws ordering that fire should always be covered when carried from house to house. Matches were unknown and every house had a tinder-box with flint and steel and scorched linen for striking fire when necessary. The warming pan was part of the furniture of every house. This was a covered brass pan with a long handle, which was filled with coals and passed between the sheets at. bedtime to take off the chill.
Dipping candles was an interesting process. Under the skilled hand of the housewife they grew into the proper size and form, and when the number of dozens needed for family use was completed they were properly cooled and laid away in the candle-box.
After the death of friends it was customary to "put up a bill," as it was called, "asking the prayers of God's people, that the affliction might be sanctified to the surviving family and friends." The rela- tives all sat together and some who were never seen in church dared not lose their respectability by staying away at this time.
The greatest day of the year was Thanksgiving Day, for to those of Puritan ancestry Christmas was unknown. (The first time Christ- mas was kept in Chicopee Street was in 1867.) For weeks before Thanksgiving all the housekeeping arrangements were planned for it and the farm work was hurried up that the boys might be ready to begin school "the Monday after." New shoes, new gowns, new bonnets and hoods and cloaks were made ready, everything must be in order for the great and joyful occasion. Pies without number and in bewildering variety found their way from the fragrant big brick oven to the "buttry" shelves. The raised cake was a work of art and was always baked the week before. At least twenty-four hours were required from the making of the yeast before the beautiful brown loaves gladdened the heart of the housekeeper. Then came the Sun-
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day when the proclamation was read. The minister rose in the great pulpit, opened the big printed sheet, and after reading the causes for thankfulness which the pious heart of the Governor had suggested, closed with the stirring words, "God save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Hearts beat fast with pride and patriotism.
Going to meeting was a part of Thanksgiving Day. It was a reunion of friends, for children and grandchildren came to the old home to keep the day in glad remembrance. Special music was always prepared and the meetinghouse rang with psalm and anthem. The dinner table was loaded with all good things the farm could supply and the skill of the housekeeper provide. One thing that was always on the table and must not be forgotten was the chicken pie. The turkey might sometimes be left out, but the chicken pie, never !
By 1761 the number of children had increased so much as to make the old school building uncomfortable. This was taken down and what was afterward known as the "Old Red Schoolhouse" was built on the same lot. It was of two stories and fronted the south. At first there were fireplaces and later box stoves were substituted, one of them large enough to hold four-foot wood. The schoolhouse was used for a variety of purposes, prayer meetings and lectures, singing schools, debating societies, spelling matches, temperance and anti- slavery meetings, and sometimes a justice's court. In the lower room the desks were on three sides, rising by steps to the last row against the wall. Upstairs the seats and desks were movable. The oldest scholars occupied the room downstairs and the little ones the upper room. Sometimes there was a private school in the upper room for the more advanced scholars and in this room there was a globe and a prism.
For many years there were frequent changes in the teachers. A young woman taught all the scholars in the summer and the younger ones in winter. But a man, sometimes a college student, was thought necessary to govern the large boys who came in the winter.
The spelling book and the catechism were the first things studied and the Testament was the first reading book. Arithmetic was taught and fine penmanship was considered an accomplishment. Later, "The School Master's Assistant," also called "Daboll's Arithmetic," came into use and kept its place for a long time. In 1783 "Webster's Spell- ing Book," with its fables and wonderful pictures, entertained the
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children and the next year "Morse's Geography" told most wonderful things about the world. "Peter Parley" began his story-telling about 1830, and continued it in geography and in several history books. "Emerson's Arithmetic," with its pretty pictures, was the first child's arithmetic. G. and C. Merriam had an interesting series of readers, starting with "The Easy Primer" and continuing with "The Intelli- gent Reader" to the "Village Reader." The "Old Red Schoolhouse" was used for more than eighty years.
For a long time the schools were opened and closed with prayer and the scholars were quietly dismissed at night, each one stopping at the door to bow or "curtsey" to the teacher. The children were expected to show the same civility to older persons whom they met in the street. This custom was continued as late as 1835, and when the stage went by the children ranged themselves in a row to "make their manners."
Wagons and carriages were not seen in Chicopee until after 1800, for everyone rode on horseback. We do not read, however, that the vehicles frightened horses as they did in Blandford, where a town meeting was called to forbid their use. Captain Phinehas was one of the first to own a chaise and Dr. Skeele had one about the same time. Ruel Van Horn, of lower Chicopee, owned the first double carriage and drove a pair of handsome white horses.
A familiar feature of the early days was the post rider. Once a week he rode to Northampton, bringing from there the "Northamp- ton Courier" and "Hampshire Gazette," which he distributed to subscribers along his route. Another day he brought the Springfield papers and sometimes letters and passengers. His wagon was usually well loaded with boxes and bundles for his patrons. Winter's cold or summer's heat rarely kept him from his weekly round.
The long box stove, which furnished the first heat in the church, stood near the easterly end of the audience room and had a long pipe extending across the church and turning upward toward the roof a short distance in front of the pulpit. It had a large pan attached to the knee of the pipe to catch any stray rivulets that might course down the pipe from the roof and otherwise fall on the heads of the listeners below. The story is told that some woman opposed the innovation of a stove, fearing the heat would be too oppressive. The stove, how- ever, was put up, but for some reason no fire was built in it the first
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Sabbath. This, however, was not known by the woman, who was so overcome by imaginary heat that she had to leave the church during service.
The choir was seated in the gallery and before the last bell ceased ringing old Mr. Goodman, with his big bass viol, would leave his little red house across the street and with slow, dignified tread enter the church and climb the stairway. Then he proceeded to tune his instrument and awaken divers wondrous noises from its recesses, until at last the right sounds were evoked and he was ready to accompany the choir. For a long time it was customary for the congregation to turn around in their pews to face the singers in the rear gallery. The pastor suggested that a change be made and the congregation face the minister instead of the choir during the singing, but all did not readily accept this new idea, with the result that some faced one way and some another.
The Methodist Church at the Falls was organized about 1825 and the Baptist Church three years later. The Catholics commenced holding services in a house close to the river, which has since been washed away. In thirteen years, between 1835 and 1848, there were seven churches built in the village of Cabotville. Every denomination at some period in its early existence held services in Chapin Hall, but never together. The first Episcopalians that came to Chicopee were called "very good people, but Episcopalians." The Universalists and Unitarians took the lead in many a good work, but they were "Univer- salists and Unitarians." It is said that one minister prayed that the Universalist Church might be carried by a high wind, "shingle by shin- gle, into yonder river." The Baptists thought the river the only place to administer baptism. The Congregationalists were called "blue orthodox" and the hill on which their church was built was called Brimstone Hill.
A stagecoach began to run through the village and before 1830 was carrying the mail. The yellow coach with its four horses was the most elegant conveyance imaginable, and how the children envied the people who found it convenient or necessary to travel in that luxurious manner. At first one coach was sufficient, but in the years just before the building of the Connecticut River Railroad three or four crowded stages passed daily.
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At the time of the Civil War, Soldiers' Aid societies were formed and the needs of the soldiers found a ready response. Lint and bandages were prepared; apples dried; comfortable garments for the sick and wounded made ready; garrets and closets were ransacked and coverlids and blankets sent to the army. Reverend E. B. Clark, the pastor at this time, was very public-spirited. He cared for the parsonage, planted shade trees and served on the school committee.
When the news of the fall of Richmond came to Chicopee, Mar- shall Pease was the first to hear it. He rushed to the church and rang a peal of joy on the old bell. That roused Mr. Clark, who came hurrying to know the cause of this midday ringing. "Richmond is fallen," Mr. Pease shouted. "Then let us sing the Doxology," said Mr. Clark, and there in the old church the two sang "Praise God from whom all blessings flow."
It was during Mr. Clark's pastorate that the Underground Rail- road ran through Chicopee Street, with stations at various houses. Mr. Clark was glad to be of assistance on this line and at one time kept in his family for several weeks a bright and valuable colored man who was in hiding from his master.
The first librarian in Chicopee was William L. Bemis, who remained in that position until 1841. He was most careful and exact in his care of the books and covered them all with white cotton cloth. At one time a number of anti-slavery books were put in the library and these were all marked with a big black A. The list of books was varied, but rather solid, and included volumes of sermons, medita- tions, essays, memoirs and histories. "The Ladies' Library," one volume, plainly catered to the fair sex and "Robinson Crusoe" must have gladdened the heart of many a boy. When the library was estab- lished is unknown now, but its end was recorded by John Mckinstry when on June 21, 1834, Chicopee auctioned their library and "forsook the tree of knowledge."
The town has had many industries since the first sawmill was built by Gad, Luther and Azariah Van Horn, assisted by six Chapins and other men. Boots and shoes were made and sent to Hartford and New York and powder and brick were manufactured. The first fric- tion matches in this country, and perhaps in the world, were made here in 1835. Two large two-horse wagons went out over the State, taking orders and delivering the goods. Deacon Sidney Chapin made brooms
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in Chicopee Street for twenty-five years, sending them as far away as Georgia in the South and to London, England. At times he turned out thirty thousand brooms a year. The broom corn was raised by the farmers all through the valley and many a boy had the "itch" while stripping the seeds from the tops. No fields of the tall waving plumes are now to be seen in the region and the manufacturer must send to Oklahoma for it.
The beginning of manufacturing really took place in 1786 when ten Chicopee men leased to James Byers and William Smith of Spring- field "two acres of land and the water privilege on the south side of Chicopee River at Skenungonuck Falls." The conditions of the lease required that within two years they should be ready to manufacture hollow ironware. The ore to supply the furnace was taken from the south bank of the river, about eighty rods above the present dam at the falls and at other places. The ore was very "lean," but a little went a long ways then. Benjamin Belcher later bought the whole business and in turn sold it to Jonathan and Edmund Dwight. The property consisted of a blast furnace and nearly all of the land where now stands the village of Chicopee Falls. One of the fine things the Dwight brothers did for Chicopee was to plant elm trees along many of the principal streets. Mill streets were treated the same as resi- dence streets and many of the magnificent trees of the city were due to their thoughtfulness.
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