USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Wilbraham > Historical address, delivered at the centennial celebration of the incorporation of the town of Wilbraham, June 15, 1863 > Part 3
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The meeting adjourns to the 26th, and receives the answer that " the worthy Mr. Mirick gave to the call that he should settle in the Ministry heare," in the fol- lowing letter : -
" To the inhabitants of the fourth precinct in Springfield convened, and
" DEAR FRIENDS : I have now more thoroughly Con- sidered your voats Relating to my settling among you, and must Confess that the matter Looks dark Enough
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with Regard to my support, Your encouragements, you must needs be sensible, being but small ; but, however, Considering your Present Circumstances and the great need you stand in of a minister, and considering fur- ther the unanimity you have Discovered in your Choice and the seeming call of Divine Providence, I dare not think of leaving you.
" I have therefore determined (puting my trust in him who Careth for us all) to Except of your invitation with hopes and Expectations of your future Kindness to me, and your Readiness, att all times, to contribute to my support and comfort, as God shall give you ability ; and the Lord grant that we may live together in Love while we are hear, and when we go home may set down togeather in the Kingdom of our Lord and Savr Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, both now and for- ever. Amen.
" NOAH MIRICK.
" SPRINGFIELD, May 26, 1741."
The meeting at once votes to " Chuse a Committee to confer and agree with Mr. Noah Mirick Relating to the time of his ordination, and also what Churches to apply to for assistance in the ordination, and to act in other affairs Dependent thereupon," who are to make " a Return of their Proceeding to the next meeting that shall be called."
Events now thicken. The great day of desire is near at hand. A special meeting of the precinct is called, by a new warrant, May 29. Daniel Par-
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sons "moderates " the meeting ; and, with a pride which we cannot quite admire, and with an indiscre- tion which the fervor of their enthusiasm at the near prospect of having a minister all their own will cer- tainly excuse, they voted " That the Ordination of the worthy Mr. Noah Mirick shall be in the oldest Parish in Springfield, if Liberty can be obtained;" and, "that the Committee shall take care that suitable Provisions be made for the Entertainment of those called to Assist in said Ordination, att the expense of the Precinct."
Whether " Liberty " could not be obtained, by a wise overruling of Providence, or by the obstinate unbroth- erliness of the " oldest Parish in Springfield," or whether the Warriners and Blisses and Warners came to their right minds after the meeting, which is to be hoped, they were saved that long, dreary, wearisome journey across the plains, through the woods and swamps, by a final determination to have the ordina- tion of their own minister among their own dwellings. Accordingly, a large oak-tree was selected as the place of ordination, then standing in front of the house where Mrs. Brainard Brewer now resides, and a rude pulpit of rough boards was constructed, and a few seats of boards and logs arranged around it to accommodate the people.
The morning of the great day to this people came at last; but it came not clear and balmy and fra- grant as June mornings usually are ; it was lowering, and the sky was unpropitious. The " ministers and
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their dellegates and students," had come from Hadley and Springfield and Longmeadow and Brimfield, and the grave council was sitting in solemn deliberation, we may suppose, at Nathaniel Warriner's. The people were gathering, - Daniel Lamb from the plains, David Chapin from the mountains, the Bartletts, and Blisses, and Burts. The venerable oak seemed to feel the honor done it, and beckoned them lovingly to its shelter, if not to its shade. The little children were restrained in their desire to run upon the seats and even climb into the rude yet sacred pulpit, by the stern rebuke and grave remonstrance of their parents : "There might be bears in the swamp !" The sun was getting high, and the clouds were growing thick. Yet the council did not come. A very serious difficulty had arisen, which the learned and worthy ministers and their " Dellegates " could not remove. In organizing the church, before proceeding to ordain the minister, they found that there were but six members, - an in- sufficient number. There must be, said the venerable council, seven. On what ground this reason for not proceeding with the ordination was set up, does not appear; indeed, there is no record of either the mem- bers or the proceedings of the council. Seven men- bers, for some reason, must be had, and there were but six. The proceedings were all in abeyance. At last, grace was given to one man, who stated that he had long thought of joining the church, to give in his name, and make up both the sacred and required
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number seven, thus relieving the reverend council of their difficulty, and the wondering audience of their impatience. But they were not soon enough to escape the gathering storm. Hardly had they reached the hospitable oak, when it began to rain, and they were compelled to adjourn the service to a neighboring barn, on the place where Mrs. Gale and Mrs. Mears now reside. Here the ordination services were performed. The hymn was sung, the prayer was offered, the charge was given, the sermon preached, the benediction pro- nounced, and the audience departed to their homes, with hearts overflowing with joy, that the Lord had heard their prayers, and given them so good a man for their minister as him whom they loved to call the " worthy Mr. Mirick." The reverend council, their del- egates, and students, after again partaking of the hospi- talities of these frugal people at the houses of Warri- ner and Brewer, and spending the night, start in the early morning for their distant homes, leaving behind them good wishes and prayers fragrant as the flowers.1
The promises are made. We must now trace with faithful pen the fulfilment of those promises, - the struggle of the people to pay what they had pledged in the hour of ardent desire, and the struggle of the minister to retain the affections, rebuke the sins, and cherish the virtues of his parishioners. The work before them is difficult, and they will need wisdom; it will be long, and they will need patience. The " Wor- 1 Appendix D.
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thy Mr. Mirick's " house is to be built; the meeting- house is to be located and built ; the expenses of the ordination are to be paid ; enough is to be done to challenge all their strength, and command all their skill.
At the first precinct meeting, held after the ordina- tion, Nov. 6, 1741, it was voted, by what authority I know not, but as if in gratitude for having secured a shepherd to care for the sheep of the great Shepherd, " to build a pound in this precinct att the Charge of the precinct," so that the cattle should also be saved from doing themselves or their owners harm. Then came before them next the very difficult subject of locating the meeting-house, for now settlers had begun to come into the extreme southern portion of the precinct. To give time for consultation apparently, the meeting is adjourned for " half an hour." The question is too im- portant to be determined in half an hour, and the meet- ing is adjourned for one month, to Dec. 7, " att nine of the clock in the morning." They met but were not ready to act, and " adjourned to one of the clock in the afternoon." Once again they met. They are resolved ; and it was "Voted that the 1st Meeting House or House for the Public Worship of God shall be sett on the Land Called the Over Plus Land in the Middle Division," a strip across the precinct from east to west, four miles long, as will be remembered, and eighty-two rods wide. This was as near as they could come to agreeing upon a location after a month's special consideration and four
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meetings. To determine on " what Place or Spot in the Over Plus Land of the Middle Division said Meeting House shall be Erected," they "voted to choose three men," and accordingly chose " James Wood of Summers, John Shearman, Esq., of Brimfield, and Ephraim Terry of Endfield," for that purpose.
Another meeting was called, Dec. 14, 1741, within just one week, at which the chief business was to raise and appropriate money. They " Voted and granted to Rev. Mr. Noah Mirick Fifty Pounds in money for half a years salary;" to " Nathaniel Warriner six pounds, one shilling and sixpence for his keeping the Minister's Del- lagates and Scholars at the time of the Ordination ; " to " Aaron Stebbins for the Expense he was att in Geting the Deed of the Over Plus Land further executed one pound ten shilling;" to "Isaac Brewer ten shilling for keeping the Ministers Dellagates and Scholars Horses att the time of the aforesaid Ordination ; " and also " Ten Shilling for the Boards and Nails he provided for a Pulpit and ye work he did tords ye same ; " to "David Mirick four shillings for the work he did tords the same ;" to " Revernd Mr. Noah Mirick Forty Pounds for Twen- ty Sabbaths Preaching before he was ordained;" to " Nathaniel Wariner for keeping Mr. Mirick and his Mair Eleven Pounds Ten Shilling;" to "Sanı" Stebbins, Jun"., Three Shilling for keeping the Reverud Mr. Mir- ick's Mair Last Spring;" to "Thomas Mirick, 2d, one Pound Twelve Shillings for his Expense in pursuing a Petition in the General Court in Behalf of this Precinct ;"
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to " Abel Bliss fifteen Shilling" for the same service ; " Granted also Seven Pounds in money for Contingent Charges to be Disposed of by the Committee of this Precinct ; " to "Daniel Warner for his Geting Mr. Mir- ick's Mair kept Last Spring two Pounds;" " Voated to Chuse a Committee to se that Mirick's house be sett up agreeable to the Precinct's Obligation ;" "Granted Twenty Pounds to Defray the Charge of Providing a Scriber and Building a House for the Reverend Mr. Mir- ick ;" "Voated that Isaac Brewer " (he seems to have kept a house of public entertainment or infant " tavern ") Shall entertain the Committee appointed to Determine a Place or spot " for setting the "first Meeting House att the Charge of the Precinct; " " Voated that fourty one Pound fifteen shillings and six pence of the money Granted at this Meeting shall be Raised of the Poles and Rateable Estates of the Inhabitants of this Precinct ; " and finally, " Voated that the whole sum of one Hundred fourty one Pound fifteen Shilling and six pence, that was Granted att this meeting shall be Disposed of by the Committee of this Precinct." Such was the generous sum raised to liquidate past obligations and accomplish future undertakings.
It will be observed that the smallest services rendered by any inhabitant of the Precinct were paid for. Very little if anything seems to have been voluntarily given. This peculiarity will be more prominently manifested hereafter than it is now, and the items of money raised and appropriated are sometimes ludicrously small. as for
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instance, (1757) "Voted and Granted to Mr. Mirick's Negro for fetching Clay from Town four pence three farthings ;" and at another meeting of the Precinct Dec. 5, 1741, " fifteen shillings" each was "Voated to Daniel Warner and Joseph Wright for their service in Procuring advice of the Neighboring Ministers Respect- ing Mr. Mirick's settling as their Minister." Certainly justice was done, if generosity was not abounding. At this meeting the Committee on locating the meeting- house presented their report. We can easily imagine with what eagerness and solicitude these " freeholders and Other inhabitants of the fourth Precinct in Spring- field qualified and assembled according to law att the Dwelling House of Isaac Brewer" listened to the im- portant finding of their disinterested Committee selected from "neighboring towns." It is too important a docu- ment to be passed over with a simple reference. It read as follows : -
"Whereas we the subscribers being Chosen a Com- mittee by a vote of the Freeholders and inhabitants of the fourth Precinct in Springfield to Determine what Place or spot in the over plus land in the Middle Division where the first Meeting House should be Erected or set up and haveing heard the Pleas of the inhabitants Re- lating to the said Affair and having Considered maturely thereon, Doe mutualy Agree and Determine said Meet- ing House to be set up on that hill lying in the over plus Land and about six score Rods East of the Wester- most Rode in said Precinct and about sixty or seventy
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rods West or Westerly of the top of wigwam Hill so Called and Southerly of a Run of Water that Runs out of the mountains there being a small Black Oak Tree marked on the South side with a cross on said Hill.
" Springfield, December 17th, A. D. 1741. " JOHN SHERMAN, JAMES WOOD, Committe."
EPHRAIM TERRY,
When the reading was finished, it was " Voated, Ex- cepted in the full intent Contents and Limitations Ex- pressed and set forth in said Committe's Report." The great question now apparently settled, there is a lull in the storm of Precinct meetings, and work is com- menced in earnest on Rev. Mr. Merrick's house. At a meeting, held May 14, 1742, no less than twenty-nine separate grants, in sums from five pounds down to six shillings, are made of money in "old tenor," to pay for work on it. Rather perhaps I should say that each man's work was credited on his tax, so that when he " hewed," " carted slit work up the mountain," "sleded rafters," "worked a framing." " drew timber," "sled limbe," or " furnished his Team and Boy for most of a Day " the amount earned was deducted from his tax; or if the value of his work exceeded his tax he was paid the balance in money. The work on Mr. Merrick's house seems to have been pushed forward so that it was soon occupied by its owner.
Of the progress of building the meeting-house. we
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hear nothing till Nov. 4, 1742, when " Eighty Pound Old tenor bills are Voated and Granted to Provide Matterials toard Building a Meeting House in this Precinct, viz : Nails, Glass, Covering, &c; " and "David Mirick, Sam" Stebbins, Daniel Cadwell, Sam" Bartlett and Abel Bliss are chosen a " Committee to Take Care and Provide Materials in Order to Build said Meeting House." The winter of 1743 is improved by drawing " good pine boards, one inch thick," and " quarter boards," and " good Marchantable pine Boards," and " good Seader Shingles," and " good Spruse Shingles without sap" up "on that Hill aponted by a Committee Chosen by this Precinct to Erect the first Meeting house on." The labor warms on the bleakest days as the teams of Merrick and War- riner and Bliss and Stebbins and Brewer and Burt and Langdon smoke, dragging their loads up " Wigwam Hill." In May the Precinct " voates" them their pay for work done, and we imagine that the hammers and saws, the hewers and the framers are following close upon the "Scriber " as he lays out the work, improving every day, between planting and hoeing, and haying and sowing, so that when the autumn comes, the doors of the sanctuary will be opened for worshippers. Alas for human anticipations! Instead of this expected result, we find that at a Meeting, Nov. 29, an attempt is made to change the location of the meeting-house ; but it was not successful, for, Dec. S, 1743, it is “ Voated to build a meeting-house on that spot of Land that this Precinct voated to build one on in a former meeting," and also
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that the "Precinct Committee shall take care to Pro- vide a Place for the Carring on the Worship of God."
So the matter rested for more than a year; for the next information we have is in the doings of the precinct meeting, April 18, 1745, when it is " Voated that the meeting house shall be set by the West Rode of this Pre- cinct on the Land Called the Over Pluss Land in the Midle Division." The " good pine boards," and "Seader Shingles " had been dragged two years before up the great " Wigwam Hill," nearly half a mile east of the " west Rode." Surely the wisdom of the fathers is fail- ing them. The "Worthy Mr. Mirick " has already built his house there, among other reasons perhaps, because the meeting-house was to be built there. A storm is evidently gathering. The precinct has secured a " Law Booke" to aid and guide its action. This fact is omi-
nous. The " Wigwam Hill " and the " west Rode " parties rally their strength at the next meeting, Oct. 28, 1745, and the favorers of the " hill" carry it; for it is " Voated to Build the Meeting House on the Hill Called Wigwam Hill " and " to Chuse some judicious men to advise us to some measure whereby we may Establish a Place where to Erect a Meeting House in this Precinct ; " and it was " Voated that Mr. John Worthington, Mr. Francis Ball, and Mr. Timothy Nash be advisers in the affair afore- said ; " and Caleb Stebbins is to " apply himself to said advisors in behalf of the Precinct." Caleb Stebbins failed in his mission, or the Committee would not act, or could not be assembled, or else they were merely to
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give advice, and did advise a Committee, for, Nov. 4, 1745, it is " Voated to Chuse a Committee to determine the Place or Spot on the Overplus Land on ye Middle Division, viewing the land at large, where the first Meeting House shall be erected," and that "Ensign William King, Lieutenant Abraham Adams, and Leut. Thomas Jones " be that Committee. Surely this array of military talent must put to rout all opposers.
The next vote which is passed at this meeting seems to specify more definitely the powers of the Commit- tee, and the purposes of the precinct.
" Voated, That Leut. Abraham Adams, of Suffield, Ens" William King, of Suffield, and Leut. Thomas Jones, of Endfield, be a Committee to appoint and Determine in what Place in the Over Plus Land in the midle division in this Precinct, it is most fit for this Precinct to build their Meeting House, and that the Place which they shall appoint shall be the Place of Set- ing it, and that the Meeting House be set there accord- ingly, at the charge of this Precinct, and of such De- mentions as this Precinct shall determine;" and Na- thaniel Warriner is directed " to apply to the Commit- tee," and " Daniel Parsons and Nathaniel Bliss to wait on the aforesd committee in showing of them the Land." The meeting was then adjourned to Nov. 18, - two weeks, - when the report of the committee was received, whose decision they had voted should be final. The committee say : " Pursuant to the trust Reposed in us by said Precinct, after viewing the Land and hear-
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ing the Pleas in said Precinct, we Judge and Deter- mine that the Meeting House be built on a Hill Com- monly Called Wigwam Hill, about seven or eight and twenty Rods southward of the house of Rev. Noah Mirick [which was opposite the place where Pliny Merrick's house now stands], and about seven Rods south westward from a pine tree which we have markt with an ax as wittness our hands this sixteenth day of November, 1745." The good people generously paid Adams and King, of Suffield, each "four pounds," and "Jones, of Enfield, three pounds, fifteen shilling, old tenor, for their services; and Nathaniel Bliss and Daniel Parsons each " one pound five shillings for Rideing with the Committe 2 days & half; " and Dea. Nathaniel Warriner " one Pound six Pence for Procuring the Committee, and two Pound twelve shil- ling & six Pence," all in " Old Tenor, for Keeping said Committe and their Horses."
The meetings on Sunday having been held in Daniel Parsons's house, he was paid for its use for the year ending March 22, 1746, " two Pounds, old tenor ; " and in May there are " Voated and granted to Isaac Brewer, att the Rate of three pounds old tenor per year, for the use of his Chamber to Cary on the pub- lick worship in," and " that he shall have Reasonable Elowance for fitting up said Chamber for the Decent Carrying on the worship in." Subsequently, March 17, 1747, there was "Voated and granted to Isaac Brewer two shillings, old tenor, for his service in Riging up his
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chamber for the Publick Worship, with the nails he Provided."
Everything now seems to be very well arranged. A temporary place of worship is provided, and the site of the meeting-house decided ; nothing remains but to go on and finish the building. Still things did not run smoothly. The Precinct had for some cause got into a law-suit with Daniel Parsons; the owners would not pay " the two pence per acre " land tax, and suits were growing up because the lands were sold to pay them. It seemed desirable to some " that the Lands that were given to the Rev. Mr. Mirick should be exempt from the tax laid upon it, Either in whole or in part; " and, more than all, the old meeting-house question would not remain settled, but thrust itself up through votes, decisions of committees, and repeated settlements ; and, March 4, 1747, the Precinct " Voats to Chuse Ensign Joseph Sexton, of Summers, Leutnt Joseph Blocket, of Brimfield, and Leutnt Gersham Makepiece, of Western, a committee " to locate the meeting house, and that they have liberty to set it in any place in the Precinct, and said committee shall view the lands of said Precinct at large, or till they be satisfied." They no longer confine their inquiries even to the " Overplus Land." The town is "all before them where to choose."
A committee is chosen " to show them the land ;" another, to entertain them ; another, of six members, "to take care to build the meeting-house, at the cost of the
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Precinct where it is located," making it " forty-five feet long, thirty-five feet wide, and of suitable height."
On the "first Monday in May, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon," it is " Voated that the award of the commit- tee be accepted and recorded ;" which was as follows : " We doe award, Prefix, & Determine that the spot or place where their meeting House ought to be set, is on the Hill Commonly Called the Wigwam Hill, the centre of said spot being att a walnut Staddle of about four or five inches Diameter, there being a fast stone in the Ground, about two feet and a half northwest of said staddle; said staddle standing twenty-eight Rods & sixteen Links, Running by a point of compass from the southwest corner of Mr. Noah Mirick's dwell- ing-house, south sixteen degrees thirty minits East unto said staddle." 1
It is done. After a struggle of six years, the "place, or spot of setting the meeting-house " is determined. Warriner's " seadar shingles," and Brewer's " good pine timber," and Stebbins's " Marchantable pine boards," and Warner's " slit work" have been seasoning and rotting on the hill for four years, waiting for the build- ers. The hour has come. Teams, boards, saws, ham- mers, axes, are now busy ; and so much progress had been made in the work, that, December 25, 1747, a precinct meeting is to be held, "at the house of Na- thaniel Hitchcock or House of Publick Worship." And
1 I find by future notices that there was a common of about two acres on which the meeting-house was placed.
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again, March 15, 1748, the precinct meeting is said to have been notified in the same way. In January 23, 1749, the precinct meeting was opened at the meet- ing-house, but adjourned to the house of Nathaniel Hitchcock, because, as I judge, it was too cold to remain for the transaction of business, where they could endure to remain, warmed by the fervors of devotion, to worship. There is no date of the first assembling for worship in the meeting-house; but it was earlier than this, for in the church records it is stated that " Charles, son of Isaac Brewer, was baptized in the meeting-house, December 25, 1748." Unques- tionably the house was used for public worship at this time. That it was not used for that purpose much earlier is rendered very probable by the record of the next earlier baptism. October 30, 1748.
There is no record of any dedication services. It is probable that the settlers worshipped there as soon as the building was covered. Indeed, it was a mere shell for three years. The timbers of the frame were all exposed on the inside ; the seats were loose boards, or slabs with legs in them; the pulpit was a rough box; not a trowel of mortar nor an ounce of paint was anywhere to be seen. The boards on the floor were loose; the windows were mostly of boards ; very few panes of glass were used, if indeed any ; the winds whistled through the crevices, and the snow drifted over the floor and seats in the winter. Three years after this time, January 15, 1752, it is voted to
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further finish the meeting-house by "Ceiling and Plas- tering, in order to make it warm, and if there be any Money Remaining, to Lay it out in Procuring mate- rial for seats."
Such was the house our fathers erected in their poverty for the honor and worship of God. This was their " hill of Zion," this their sanctuary. As they went up to worship, the land lay spread out before them. From its door the whole valley of the "Great River," from the mountains on the north, Holyoke and Tom, to below Hartford on the south, was visible. The open fields of the first settlers - of Burt and Hitch- cock and Brewer and Warriner and Merrick - were under their feet; and on to the west, over forests and meadows, could be seen the blue line of vapor, signalizing the homes of the old settlers in Spring- field Street; or the white cloud of fog, lying low along the tree-tops, indicating the course of the river from its gateway between the mountains to the settle- ment at Middletown. And beyond, more than twenty miles away, rose the blue ridges of the Green Moun- tains, tipped with gold in the morning, veiled in purple in the evening ; and when the frosts touched the forest in autumn, how the red maple flamed among the trees; and the green of the pines and the yellow of the walnut caused the whole vast landscape to appear like a gorgeous carpet woven in the loom of the gods. The Lord's house was exalted upon the hills, and hither the tribes came up to worship. Daniel
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