USA > Massachusetts > Historical collections, being a general collection of interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c., relating to the history and antiquities of every town in Massachusetts, with geographical descriptions > Part 33
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259
HAWLEY.
ed
of inviolable integrity, of great urbanity of manners, and a generous example of good old English hospitality. He was also an affectionate Father, an indulgent husband, a zealous friend of the primitive church, and a sincere follower of Jesus Christ. Hence he lived beloved, and died lamented, by a large circle of friends and acquain- tance, and the few sorrowing relatives who have erected this marble to perpetuate his remembrance.
HAWLEY.
THIS town was incorporated in 1792. It has an elevated situa- tion on the Green mountain range, and is well watered by several branches of Deerfield river. Rev. Jonathan Grout, the first Con- gregational minister, was settled here in 1793; he died in 1835, aged 72. His successor was Rev. Tyler Thacher. No regular minister has yet been settled over the second parish. The names of some of the first settlers were Deacon Joseph Bangs, Adjutant Zebedee Wood, Daniel Burt, Samuel and Arthur Hitchcock, Timothy Baker, Reuben Cooley, Joseph Easton, Elisha Hunt, Abel Parker, Nathan West, Phineas Scott, Thomas King, Joseph Long- ley, William McIntire, and James Percival. Part of the north part of the town is named from Bozrah, Con., from which place some of the first settlers came.
Old Mr. Hale, one of the first settlers of this town, located him- self about half a mile from the South Hawley post-office. He is described as being a very singular sort of a man. He was never married, but lived by himself: with his own hands he cleared up land and raised a considerable quantity of grain. He used to talk much to himself, and was very much harassed by the appearance of " spirits," which he said very much troubled him; he, however, like Fingal," showed fight " with his tormentors. He has been seen armed with a pitchfork, and to all appearance, as far as he was concerned, engaged in mortal combat with his enemies. He would violently thrust the fork into the air in various directions about him, furnishing a kind of representation of Fingal's cele- brated contest with the spirit of Loda, thus described in Carric- Thura, a poem of Ossian :
" The flame was dim and distant ; the moon hid her red face in the east. A blast came from the mountain ; on its wings was the spirit of Loda. He came to his place in his terrors, and shook his dusky spear. His eyes appear like flames in his dark face ; his voice is like distant thunder. Fingal advanced his spear in night, and raised his voice on high.
"' Son of night, retire : call thy winds, and fly ! Why dost thou come to my presence with thy shadowy arms? Do I fear thy gloomy form, spirit of dismal Loda? Weak is thy shield of clouds ; feeble is that meteor thy sword! The blast rolls them together ; and thou thyself art lost. Fly from my presence, son of night! call thy winds and fly !'
"' Dost thou force me from my place?' replied the hollow voice. 'The people bend before me. I turn the battle in the field of the brave. I look on the nations, and they vanish ; my nostrils pour the blast of death. I come abroad on the winds ; the tempests are before my face. But my dwelling is calm, above the clouds; the fields of my rest are pleasant.'
""'Dwell in thy pleasant fields,' said the king. 'Let Combal's son be forgot. Do my steps ascend from my hills into thy peaceful plains ? Do I meet thee with a spear on thy cloud, spirit of dismal Loda ? Why then dost thou frown on me? why shake
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HEATH.
thine airy spear ? Thou frownest in vain : I never fled from the mighty in war. And shall the sons of the wind frighten the king of Morven ? No : he knows the weakness of their arms !'
" 'Fly to thy land,' replied the form; 'receive thy wind, and fly ! The blasts are in the hollow of my hand ; the course of the storm is mine. The king of Sora is my son ; he bends at the stone of my power. His battle is around Carric-thura; and he will prevail ! Fly to thy land, son of Combal, or feel my flaming wrath !'
" He lifted high his shadowy spear! He bent forward his dreadful height. Fingal, advancing, drew his sword ; the blade of dark-brown Luno. The gleaming path of the steel winds through the gloomy ghost. The form fell shapeless into air, like a column of smoke, which the staff of the boy disturbs as it rises from the half-extin- guished furnace."
In 1837, there were in this town 2,716 merino sheep, which pro- duced 8,148 lbs. of wool, valued at $4,574. The value of leather tanned and curried was $13,000. Population, 985. Distance, 20 miles from Greenfield, 23 from Northampton, 53 to Albany, and about 120 from Boston.
HEATH.
THIS town was incorporated in 1785. Rev. Joseph Strong, the first minister, was settled here in 1790. The church originated from that in Charlemont, at the close of the Revolutionary war, when'Mr. Leavitt was the minister of the latter. "It was a period of some difficulty, owing, in part, to the state of the times." The number of original members was thirty-five. Rev. Moses Miller succeeded Mr. Strong in the ministry, in 1804. It is stated in the American Quarterly Register, Feb. 1838, as follows, viz. : "The church now consists of about 200. It has been diminished 100, by emigration. About 60 families attend Mr. Miller's meeting; of which 15 do not belong to the parish. About 350 persons attend meeting statedly ; 30 families attend the Baptist meeting; 10 the Methodist; and 20 are Unitarians. At one time one third of the persons in town were professors of religion."
This is principally an agricultural town. The principal articles manufactured in the town are palm-leaf hats; of these, in 1837, there were 30,000 manufactured, valued at $5,000. The number of inhabitants in 1830 was 1,199 ; in 1837 it was reduced to 953. Distance, 4 miles N. of Charlemont, 13 from Greenfield, and 125 from Boston. There are three churches in the town, 1 Congrega- tional, 1 Methodist, and 1 Baptist; and two post-offices. One of the cordon of forts, built in 1744 for a defence against the Indians, was situated in this town, and was called Fort Shirley.
LEVERETT.
THIS town was incorporated in 1774. Rev. Henry Williams was installed pastor here in 1784. He died in 1811, and was succeed -.
261
LEYDEN.
ed by Rev. Joel Wright, in 1812, who continued pastor till 1820 ; Rev. Joseph Sawyer, the next minister, was settled in 1822. The next was Rev. Jonas Colburn, who was settled in 1824; and was succeeded, in 1832, by Rev. Freegrace Reynolds.
This is principally an agricultural town. In 1837, there were two scythe factories, which manufactured 2,400 scythes, valued at $1,600. Palm-leaf hats manufactured, 30,400; the value of which was $4,590. There are two Congregational churches, one in the north, the other in the south part of the town; there are two post- offices. Population, 902. Distance, 3 miles E. from Sunderland, 10 from Greenfield, and 85 from Boston.
LEYDEN.
THIS town was incorporated in 1809. It was formerly a part of Coleraine, and is now divided from that town by Green river, which, passing through Greenfield, passes into Deerfield river. There is one church in the town, which is situated in the central part, and belongs to the Baptists, the only regular denomination in the town. Agricultural pursuits is the business of the inhabitants. In 1837, there were 1,140 Saxony, 1,733 merino, and 269 other kinds of sheep in this town; Saxony wool produced, 3,320 lbs .; merino, 5,199 lbs .; other kinds, 807 lbs .; average weight of fleece, 3 lbs. ; value of wool, $5,129 30; capital invested, $7,855. Popu- lation, 656. Distance, 7 miles from Greenfield, and 100 from Bos- ton. The " Glen," a narrow rocky pass, through which a branch of the Green river passes, is much admired for its wild and pic- turesque scenery.
William Dorrell, the founder of the sect of Dorrellites, it is believed is still living in the north-west corner of this town. He is a native of England, and was born in Glou- cestershire, about 1750, and was the son of a farmer. He enlisted as a soldier when he was twenty years of age. He came to America and was captured with Burgoyne. He lived for a time in Petersham, where he married a woman by the name of Polly Chase ; he lived afterwards in Warwick, and then removed into Leyden. He was visited by a gentleman in 1834, from whom the above, and following particulars are derived. He was found living in a poor old house, situated in a bleak place, far from any travelled road. He was six feet or more in height. He did not believe in the Bible. He said the first revelation was made to him when he was chopping wood ; it was, " Ren- der yourself an acceptable sacrifice," or something similar. He began to have follow- ers in the spring of 1794, and at one time twenty or more families joined him ; some were from Bernardston. Dorrell held that all days were alike, and also to non-resist- ance, and would say that no arm of flesh could hurt him. Some of his followers wore wooden shoes and tow cloth. Dorrell possessed a good deal of firmness of mind, and it is said that the organ for this was very fully developed in his cranium. He was in the habit of occasionally drinking too much; he was, however, very punctual in ful- filling all his engagements, whether drunk or 'sober. The sect of which he was the head, it is believed, has become extinct.
MONROE.
THIS town was incorporated in 1822. It is situated on the high lands north of Hoosic river. Distance, 23 miles from Greenfield,
262
MONTAGUE.
and 130 N. W. of Boston. Number of inhabitants, 232. It is stated that no religious society has yet been formed in the place. In 1837, there were 400 Saxony, 600 merino, and 103 other kinds of sheep; the average weight of whose fleeces were three and one fourth pounds.
MONTAGUE.
MONTAGUE was incorporated as a town in 1753. Before that time, the southern part belonged to the town of Sunderland, and the northern part belonged to the state. It is about 6 miles square .- The general face of the town is uneven, the soil various ; a range of highlands in the easterly part of the town, the parts of which
North-west vien of Montague, (central part.)
are designated by different names, Harvey's Hill, Chesnut Hill, Bald Hill, Pine Hill, Quarry Hill, &c. South-westerly from the present center of the town there is a. hill called Taylor Hill. The northerly part consists of pine plains; on the west of the town, bordering upon the Connecticut, there is quite an extensive tract of meadow land, of a good quality for cultivation. There is also upon the Saw-mill river, which takes its rise from Lock's Pond, Shutesbury, considerable meadow land. This river enters the town of Montague near the south-east corner, and winds its way in a north-westerly direction, passing northerly of the center of the town, and empties itself into the Connecticut, about one mile from the south-west corner of the town. The town affords many excellent water privileges. Timber, clay, granite and other stone of a good quality for building, are abundant.
The above is a view from the north-west of the central part of the town, on the bank of Saw-mill river, showing the two churches, and some other buildings in the vicinity. In 1837, there was $6,000's worth of scythe-snaiths and $3,000's worth of palm-leaf
263
MONTAGUE .*
hats manufactured. Population, 1,260. Distance, 7 miles from Greenfield, and 80 from Boston.
In the north-westerly part of the town there is a canal 3 miles long, commencing at the head of Turner's falls, descent 70 feet, through which lumber and goods are conveyed in great abundance annually. There is a post-office at this place, called Montague Canal post-office. From time to time many traces of savage men are here discovered, such as points of arrows, stone chisels, &c. The first ordained minister was the Rev. Judah Nash, as appears upon a slab of slate-stone over his grave; was settled Nov. 17, 1752, died Feb. 19, 1805, having continued with his people 53 years. And it is engraven upon said slab, that
" He was faithful to his God, a lover of the church, a friend to mankind.
Ever ready to hear affliction's cry, And trace his Maker's will with a curious eye, He tried each art, reproved each dull delay, Allured to brighter worlds and led the way. At church, with meek and unaffected grace, His look adorned the venerable place."
The names of some of the first settlers are Ellis, Harvey, Root, Gunn, Taylor, Clapp, &c. The celebrated Capt. Jonathan Carver had his residence in this town for many years .* One of his daugh- ters married a Mr. Moses Gunn, who is still living in this place, and through the descent of his children by Capt. Carver's daughter claims an interest in what is called the Carver lands, granted him by the western Indians, situated in the Wisconsin Territory. The following was transcribed from a grave-stone in said Mon- tague, about one mile from the present center :- " In memory of Mrs. Olive, wife of Mr. Moses Gunn, and daughter of Capt. Jona- than Carver of Montague, who died April 21, 1789, aged 30 years, leaving 4 children."
That part of the town taken from Sunderland in early times was called Hunting-hill Fields. Tradition says that it was thick- ly inhabited by animals of the forest, such as bears, wolves, deer, and moose. From the many stories of hunters, one only is select- ed. "A Mr. Ebenezer Tuttle and his father, of this place, at the time of its first settlement, went out on a hunting expedition, agree- ing to continue out over night, designating the spot, about 3 miles from any house, in the easterly part of the town, in a gloomy forest. They separated for the objects of their pursuit. The son returned first to the place of encampment; he had not been there long before he heard a noise, saw the bushes move, and, being somewhat frightened, he thought he saw a bear, levelled his piece and fired; his father replied, ' You have killed me !' and soon expir- ed. It was then almost dark. He took his father in his arms, with what emotions nor pen nor tongue can describe, and continued with him till day, and then went and gave information of what had taken place." In the grave-yard in said Montague there is the following inscription :-
* Communication from J. Hartwell, Esq.
264
NEW SALEM.
" In memory of Mr. Elijah Bordwell, who died Jan'y 26, 1786, in ye 27th year of his age, having but a few days survived ye fatal night when he was flung from his horse and drawn by ye sturrup 26 rods along ye path, as appeared by ye place where his hat was found, and here he had spent ye whole of the following severe cold night tread- ing down the snow in a small circle. The Family he left was an aged Father, a wife, and three small children."
NEW SALEM.
THIS town was incorporated in 1753. The first inhabitants were chiefly from Middleborough, and some from Danvers. The first minister was Rev. Samuel Kendal, who died in 1792, and was succeeded in the ministry by Rev. Joel Foster, who was settled in 1779; he resigned in 1802, and was succeeded by Rev. Warren Pierce. Rev. Alpheus Harding succeeded Mr. Pierce in 1807. The north Congregational society erected their meeting-house in 1836, about three and a half miles north of the south church. The church (called the Orthodox) was organized in 1824. Rev. Levi French was settled pastor the next year; he was succeeded by Rev. Erastus Curtiss, in 1834. There is a Baptist church near the southern line of the town.
The south Congregational church and the academy, which was incorporated in 1795, stand on a very elevated hill, which com- mands an extensive prospect over the neighboring valleys. "The fogs of Connecticut river seldom rise above this place, while it covers the surrounding country ; and the towering Monadnock on the north appear like islands rising from a boundless ocean." This place is 19 miles from Greenfield, 12 from Montague, 35 from Worcester, 10 from Athol, and 73 from Boston. The Millington post-office, in this town, is 3 miles distant from this place, in a little village in the south part of the town. Population, 1,255. Agri- culture is the principal business of the inhabitants. The manu- facture of palm-leaf hats, however, receives considerable attention. In 1837, seventy-nine thousand were manufactured, valued at $13,575.
The following, relative to Revolutionary times, is copied from. the Barre Gazette.
" The news of the battle at Lexington flew through New England like wildfire. The swift horseman with his red flag proclaimed it in every village, and made the stirring call upon the patriots to move forward in defence of the rights so ruthlessly invaded and now sealed with the martyr's blood. Putnam, it will be recollected, left his plough in the furrow and led his gallant band to Cambridge. Such instances of promptness and devotion were not rare. We have the following instance of the display of fervid patriotism from an eye-witness-one of those valued relics of the band of '76, whom now a grateful nation delights to honor.
" When the intelligence reached New Salem in this state, the people were hastily as- sembled on the village green, by the notes of alarm. Every man came with his gun, and other hasty preparations for a short march. The militia of the town were then divided into two companies, one of which was commanded by Capt. G. This company was paraded before much consultation had been had upon the proper steps to be taken in the emergency, and while determination was expressed on almost every countenance, the men stood silently leaning on their muskets, awaiting the movement of the spirit
265
NORTHFIELD.
in the officers. The captain was supposed to be tinctured with toryism, and his present indecision and backwardness were ample proof, if not of his attachment to royalty, at least of his unfitness to lead a patriot band. Some murmurs began to be heard, when the first lieutenant, William Stacy, took off his hat and addressed them. He was a man of stout heart, but of few words. Pulling his commission from his pocket, he said : 'Fellow-soldiers, I don't know exactly how it is with the rest of you, but for one, I will no longer serve a king that murders my own countrymen ;' and tearing the paper in a hundred pieces, he trod it under his foot. Sober as were the people by nature, they could not restrain a loud, wild hurra as he stepped forward and took his place in the ranks. G. still faltered, and made a feeble endeavor to restore order ; but they heeded him as little as the wind. The company was summarily disbanded, and a reor- ganization begun on the spot. The gallant Stacy was unanimously chosen captain, and with a prouder commission than was ever borne on parchment, he led a small but efficient band to Cambridge. He continued in service through the war, reaching, we believe, before its close, the rank of lieutenant-colonel, under the command of Put- nam."
The following inscriptions are copied from monuments standing in the grave-yard near the south Congregational church.
Sacred to the memory of Revrd. Samuel Kendall, who died Jan. 31, 1792, in the 85 year of his age, first minister of New Salem.
Equal in dust we all must lie ; And no distinction we can make, But Faith forbids the rising sigh, And sees my sleeping dust awake.
In memory of Mrs. Lucy Kendall, the late virtuous & amiable consort of Mr. Sam- uel Kendall, Jr., who died Oct. ye 22, 1784, in the 34th year of her age.
Tantum mors temporalem vastat felicitatem .*
Nor art nor virtue could redeem from death,
Nor anxious love prolong her lab'ring breath ; Conjugal bands asunder must be torn, And thou, surviving partner, left to mourn ; But let her virtue now your grief suppress, And wait reluctant till you meet in bliss.
NORTHFIELD.
" IN 1672, a township was granted to John Pynchon, Mr. Pearson, and other associates, at Squakheag, now Northfield, on Connecticut river; and the following year a few people from Northampton, Hadley, and Hatfield, began a plantation at that place. The township was laid out on both sides of the river, and included an area of six miles by twelve, extending several miles into the pre- sent states of New Hampshire and Vermont, including a valuable tract of interval land. The northern boundary of Massachusetts was at this time unknown, but the grant was supposed to be within the limits of the province. A deed to William Clark and John King of Northampton, agents for the proprietors of Northfield, covering the grant, was made August 13, 1687, by Nawelet Gon- gegua, Aspiambelet, Addarawanset, and Meganichcha, Indians of
* Thus does death destroy temporal (happiness) felicity.
34
266
NORTHFIELD.
the place, in consideration of 'two hundred fathom of wampum and fifty-seven pounds worth of trading goods.' It was signed with the marks of the grantors, and witnessed by Jonathan Hunt, Preserved Clap, William Clark, Jr., Peter Jethro, Joseph Atherton, and Israel Chauncey." "The planters built small huts, and co- vered them with thatch; made a place for public worship; and built a stockade and fort."
A great part of Northfield is excellent land, particularly several valuable intervals on both sides of Connecticut river. The village of Northfield is situated on an elevated plain, rising above the meadows on the Connecticut. The main street runs parallel with the river, and is about a mile in length; it is wide, and ornamented with shade trees. The houses are handsomely built. There are two churches and an academy in the village.
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Southern vien in the central part of Northfield.
The above is a southern view in the central part of the village, showing the Unitarian church and some other buildings, with the shade trees ; the whole intended to give a characteristic view of the appearance of the village. This place is about 12 miles from Greenfield, 12 from Brattleborough, Vt., 16 from New Salem, 13 to Montague, 78 to Hartford, Ct., and 78 to Boston. Population, 1,605. Very little is done in the manufacturing business at present in this town.
Northfield has suffered much from the horrors of Indian warfare and bloodshed. Upon the opening of Philip's war, Northfield, be- ing a frontier settlement, was much exposed to the attacks of the enemy. In the beginning of September, 1675, nine or ten people were killed in the woods at Northfield; others escaped to the gar- rison-house. The day after this took place, and before it was known at Hadley, Capt. Beers, with thirty-six mounted infantry, was detached by Major Treat, to convoy provisions to the garri- son and people at Northfield. Beers' route led through the present
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NORTHFIELD.
towns of Sunderland, Montague, and the tract called Erving's Grant, then a continued forest, through which was an imperfect road, the distance of nearly thirty miles; and though continually exposed to attacks, he passed several difficult places, and among others Miller's river, without seeing an Indian. Dismounting and leaving the horses, the'march was continued on foot, and was ne- cessarily retarded by an accompanying baggage. At the distance of about two miles from the garrison at Northfield, the route lay over a deep swampy ravine, through which ran a considerable brook, emptying into Connecticut river .. " Discovering Beers' ap- proach, a large body of Indians formed an ambuscade at this place, and lay ready to attack his front and right. Without discovering the snare, Beers arrived at the point, and received the fire of the Indians from the margin of the ravine on his right. A considera- ble proportion of the party fell on the spot; the remainder instantly broke, and, in scattered order, retreated over a piece of level ground, closely followed by the Indians. Beers, with a few of his men, gained an abrupt hill, about three fourths of a mile in his rear, where they bravely maintained their ground some time against an overwhelming force ; but at length he received a fatal shot, and the survivors were compelled to retire from the ground. Out of the thirty-six, only sixteen escaped back to Hadley, leaving the baggage and wounded in the hands of the enemy .* Two days after this fatal disaster, Major Treat, with one hundred men, ar- rived on the ground where Beers was defeated, and witnessed the horrid barbarity of the savages. Several of the slain were behead- ed, and their heads were elevated on poles near the road; one man was suspended to the limb of a tree, by a chain hooked to his un- der jaw, probably when alive, and the whole scene was appalling. Pursuing his march to the town, the major found the garrison safe, and brought them off with the inhabitants. The Indians soon after destroyed the fort, houses, and every thing valuable in the town.
During the first part of "King William's war," which com- menced in 1690, Northfield was again occupied by a few settlers, pro- tected by small works, and a few troops, furnished by government ; but the people were at length compelled to abandon it, on which the Indians the second time destroyed the place. Immediately after the peace of 1713, the settlers of Northfield returned to their plantations, rebuilt their houses, and one for public worship; and in 1718, they settled Mr. Benjamin Doolittle, from Wallingford, Con., as minister of the place, which then consisted of about thirty families. The following is the date of the settlement of the cler- gymen succeeding Mr. Doolittle : John Hubbard in 1750; Samuel
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