USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > West Springfield > Historical discourse delivered at West Springfield : December 2, 1824, the day of the annual thanksgiving > Part 2
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used for that purpose, by the first parish in Springfield. No doubt, it embosoms the dust of nearly all the early settlers of the town, but in respect to most of them, there is no stone to point to the spot, which enclosed their remains. The earliest monuments, which I have observed, are those of Mrs. Mary Holyoke, of 1657, and of Mr. John Glover, son of Mr. Pelatiah Glover, of 1666.
In April 1674, the town, finding their meeting house too small for their accommodation, after deliberating whether to enlarge the old, or build a new one, decided in favour of the latter .* At a subsequent meeting in May, the committee, who had been ap- pointed to superintend the work, requested permission to defer it, till October, that they might have a better opportunity for procuring materials; and the town granted their request. It seems, however, that the house was not actually built, till 1677; and that the old one remained, till that time. Probably, this delay was owing to the severe losses, which the town had sustain- ed, in the interval, from the barbarity of the natives.
* The site of the new house was a few rods west of the old one. According to the vote of the town, it was to be 50 feet long, 40 feet wide, to be under-pinned with stone, two feet and a half above ground, and to be so high that it might be accom- modated with galleries, when the town should see need. The whole expence of the building was about 400 pounds. The architect was Jolm Allys of Hatfield. Both the meeting house and the parsonage house were fortified. In March 1703, the town voted to repair the meeting house, and laid a tax for the purpose.
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It was during the period of Mr. Glover's ministry, in the year 1675, that the town was so severely scourged by the Indians. Until this period, the people in this vicinity had been but little disturbed, by their Indian neighbours ; but about this time, the celebrated warrior, King Philip, of Mount Hope, near Bristol, Rhode Island, being driven from his residence, he, with his Indians, advanced westward, and having destroyed Brookfield, they mingled themselves with the Indians on this river, with a view to excite their hostility against the white population. Though the people of Springfield were unwilling to distrust their own Indians, with whom they had lived on terms of friendship, for more than forty years, yet in conse- quence of some outrages, which had been committed upon some towns at the north, they began to be alarmed for their own safety. The Indians, however, assured them that they had no unfriendly intentions, and even gave some hostages, as a security for their quiet behaviour. These hostages were sent to Hartford to remain ; but they soon made their escape ; and it was disclosed, by a Windsor Indian,* that three
* The name of this Indian was Toto. He lived in the family of Mr. Wolcott, the father of the first Governor Wolcott ; was friendly to the English, and was observed, for a day or two, before he made the disclosure, to be greatly agitated. In consequence of being pressed, in regard to the cause of his dejection, he disclosed the plot.
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hundred of Philip's men were concealed in the fort on Long Hill, and were on the eve of executing a plot, for the burning of the town. The intelligence was communicated by an express, which came in the night, and arrived in season for the inhabitants to take refuge in their fortified houses, and thus save themselves from a general massacre. Two men, who were more incredulous than the rest, on the morning of the 5th of October, resolved to ascertain the real state of things, by going to the Indian fort ; but they were fired on by the way, and one was instantly killed, and the other, mortally wounded .* The conflagration of the town immediately ensued, and about 30 dwelling houses and 25 barns were destroyed.t Among them was the house occupied by the Reverend Mr. Glover, together with his library, which is said to have been extensive and valuable. Beside the two men already mentioned, there was one man and one woman killed, and several men wounded, one of whom died soon after. There were, at that time, several houses, on this side of the river,
* The former of these men was Thomas Miller, from whom descended the family of that name, in this parish. The latter was Lieutenant Cooper, who, though he had several balls shot through his body, yet being a man of great strength and courage, kept his horse, till he reached the first fortified house, and gave the alarm.
+ See Appendix, E.
c)c)
and at Long Meadow, but they escaped, in conse- quence of the seasonable arrival of some forces, from Westfield and Hadley.
It was a circumstance, which contributed greatly to heighten this calamity, that it occurred at a season, when the fruits of the earth were gathered in, and of course, left them without any supply, for the coming winter. But they were sustained in all their affliction, and by the good providence of God, were enabled to survive it. The succeeding season is said to have been unusually favourable, insomuch that they ploughed their fields, in the midst of winter. By the blessing of God upon their exertions, the town was soon rebuilt, and restored to its former condition.
In the spring following, some further outrages were committed by the Indians, on both sides of the river. There were six killed near Pecowsick brook, three* of them, as they were passing from Long Meadow to Springfield town, to meeting on the sabbath. During the same season, there was a young man, by the name of Pelatiah Morgan, killed in Chickopee street, on this side of the river, and Abel Leonard, who lived near the south west bank of Agawam, was shot, as he was
* Jolin Keep and his wife, and son Jabez. From tradition, the guard, who accompanied them, are faulted as cowardly, by the following couplet :--
" Seven Indians, and one without a gun,
" Caus'd Captain Nixon and forty men to run."
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crossing that river, in a canoe. At Skipmug, near the commencement of the last century, there were three persons killed in one house, and a fourth, who was taken captive, was killed soon after. There is a tradition of some others having been taken captive and killed, but it is too obscure to be relied on. I cannot ascertain, that there is any authentic record of more than sixteen having been killed by the Indians, within the limits of the original town.
In the year 1683, the town was visited by a dis- tressing sickness, which spread over it a general gloom, and swept off a large number of the inhabitants. Not less than twenty adults were among its victims. Public worship was, for some time, suspended, and scarcely enough could be found in health, to admin- ister to the necessities of the sick. The season was proverbially called, by the ancient people of the town, " the sickly winter."
In May 1692, the town voted that they would employ Mr. John Haines* " to carry on the sabbath, til! they could have advice from the elders of the Bay ;" and at a subsequent meeting in September, invited him to become their minister. Upon his giving a negative answer, they twice renewed their invitation, but he persevered in his first determination. They then
. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1656.
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proceeded to take further measures, for the resettle- ment of the ministry .*
In January 1694, the town voted " to give Mr. Daniel Brewer an invitation to carry on the work of the gospel" among them. In a short time, he signi- fied his acceptance of the call, and was set apart as their pastor and teacher, May 16, 1694. He contin- ued with them in the ministry, nearly forty years.f
It is impossible to ascertain, precisely, at what period the settlement, on this side of the river, com- menced ; though it was probably as early as 1654, or 55 ; as there were, in those years, a number of house lots granted, on Chickopee plain, on this side of the river.# Thomas Cooper and Abel Leonard settled on the south west side of Agawam, about the year 1660, and in a short time, Thomas Merrick was there also. Within a few years after this, there were grants of house lots in various places ; some, as far west as Paucatuck brook.§
* November 30, 1693, the town passed the following vote :- " That we will send Capt. Thomas Colton, and Sergeant Luke Hitchcock to the Bay, for the procuring a minister, to preach the word of God to this town, and that they apply themselves to the Reverend the President of the College, Mr. Increase Mather, and the rest of the Reverend elders in Boston for their help, for the obtaining a minister, that may promote conversion work amongst us."
+ See Appendix, F.
# The grants here referred to, were made to the following persons :- Francis Pepper, Anthony Dorchester, Samuel Terry, Ilugh Dudley, John Dumbleton, Miles Morgan, John Stewart, Obadiah Miller and Simon Sacket.
§ See Appendix, G.
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In 1673, there appear to have been a number of inhabitants here ; for we find there was a petition presented to the town, on behalf of the inhabitants on this side of the river, that, by reason of their great trouble, in getting over the river to attend publick worship and other meetings, a boat might be provided, at the charge of the town, for their accommodation. Also, in March 1683, as several persons were returning from publick worship, three of them were drowned, by the upsetting of a boat, and another, who was at first supposed to be dead, was afterwards restored .*
In May 1695, the inhabitants on this side of the river, consisting of thirty two families, and upwards of two hundred souls, presented a petition to the general court, "that they might be permitted to invite and settle a minister." The reasons, which they state, are " their distance from the place of meeting for the publick worship of God, and the difficulties and danger attending their passing the river, beside many other inconveniences." A com- mittee, on behalf of the town, was appointed to state to the general court their objections against the petition being granted. The court appointed a committee of several judicious and indifferent persons,
* The persons drowned were Reice and John Bedurtha, and Lydia, the wife of Joseph Bedartha. The person, who was restored, was a woman by the name of' Rogers.
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to investigate the matter, and report at a subsequent session. This report being favourable to the peti- tioners, the court, in November 1696, " Ordered, that the said petitioners be permitted and allowed to invite, procure and settle a learned and orthodox minister, on the west side of Connecticut river, to dispense the word of God unto those that dwell there, and that they be a distinct and separate precinct for that purpose." In consequence of a subsequent petition from the inhabitants on this side of the river, the general court ordered that the inhabitants on the east side should pay them 50 pounds toward building their meeting house. This order seems not to have been promptly complied with ; as we find that, so late as 1711, part of the 50 pounds was still due, and a committee of this parish was appointed, to demand, and if need be, to recover it, by a legal process.
In June 1698, this church was formed, and the Reverend John Woodbridge was constituted its first pastor. Of his ministry, but little can be collected, as he either kept no record of the church, or it was destroyed, shortly after his decease. He is repre- sented as having been a man of more than ordinary talents and learning, much respected by his brethren, and greatly beloved by his people. He continued here twenty years, and died June 1718, at the age
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of 40. 'There is a tradition in the family, that his death was occasioned by the fall of a tree, as he was riding in the parish ;* but there is no monument of any kind, to tell the story of his death, or to mark the place of his grave.f
In 1702, was erected the first house for publick worship, which, till within a few years, has remained, a curious specimen of ancient architecture, and a monument of the piety and zeal of our fathers.}
The first piece of ground, which was appropriated for the burial of the dead, on this side of the river, was that, which is now customarily termed " the old burying ground." There is a tradition, that it was the gift of a man, of the name of Foster. It is not improbable, that for-some years, after the settlement began, they were in the habit of carrying their dead for burial across the river ; but it is most likely, that, if this practice ever existed, it had ceased before the
* Since this sermon was delivered, I have been led to doubt the correctness of this tradition, by the following extract from the diary of Rev. Doctor Williams of Longmeadow, wluch has been obligingly furnished me by a friend.
" June 10, 1718, Died Reverend John Woodbridge. I look upon this as a very great frown upon us all in this town, and in this part of the country ; for Mr. Woodbridge was a man of great learning, of pleasant conversation, of a very tender spirit, very apt to communicate, one that had an excellent gift in giving advice and counsel, and so must certainly be very much missed by us."
Had any such casualty as that mentioned in the tradition brought him to his end, it seems almost certain, that Doctor Williams would have recorded it in his diary. I cannot learn, that there has ever been any such tradition in this parish.
+ See Appendix, II.
+ See Appendix, I
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incorporation of the parish. The oldest monuments to be found here, are those of Mr. Nathaniel Dwit, ! who died November 1, 1711, and of Deacon John Barber, who died June 27, 1712. This continued to be the only burial-place in what now constitutes this parish, until April 1787, when the remains of Mr. Solomon Lathrop, son of the Rev. Doctor Lathrop, were interred in that lot of ministry land, which lies east of the town house, and which has since been the only burial-ground below the hill.
In July succeeding the death of Mr. Woodbridge, the parish met to consult in respect to procuring another minister; and in August, authorized their committee to employ a Mr. Hobart,* to supply them with reference to settlement. He seems, however, to have continued with them but a short time, as they voted in November following, to invite the Reverend Mr. Pierpointt " to come and undertake the work of the ministry." After hearing him for some time, on probation, in May 1719, they voted to give him a call, and " to allow him 90 pounds per year for his
* Probably, Mr. Nehemialı Hobart, who was graduated at Harvard College in 1714, and was afterwards minister of Hingham.
+ I have not been able to gain any information, in respect to Mr. Pierpoint, as his first name is not on the parish record, and I can find no data, by which to decide, which of the several graduates of that name, who have been in the ministry, he was.
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settlement and salary, including the use of the ministry land." He gave his answer in the negative.
In October 1719, the parish voted to request Mr Samuel Hopkins to preach to them on probation ; and in January 1720, gave him an invitation, with but three dissenting voices, to become their minister. He accepted their proposals, and was ordained, June 1, of the same year, being then twenty-seven years of age. He died suddenly, in October 1755, in the 62d year of his age, and the 36th of his ministry. He is remembered by some of the aged people now living, as having had the reputation of being an eminently prudent and faithful minister .* From his sermons, many of which still remain, I conclude that he must have possessed respectable powers as a preacher ; though his delivery is said to have been languid. His diary, which he continued during the whole of his ministry, is also, a considerable part of it, in existence ; and though it is little more than a record of the passing incidents of cach day, it breathes a spirit of ardent piety, and shews that his heart was earnestly set upon the salvation of his people. From the letters, which were addressed to him, some of which are still
* It appears that Mr. Hopkins, in the early part of his ministry, was suspected by some of being heterodox ; but I cannot learn to what his supposed error related. A Mr. Jonathan Worthington of Springfield, was presented by the grand jury, for making such an assertion, and was fined by the court, May 16, 1722.
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in existence, it appears that he had an extensive acquaintance, and corresponded with some of the most distinguished clergymen of his day in New England .*
During the ministry of Mr. Hopkins, there were, within this parish, which then included the whole tract now called West Springfield, 660 persons baptized, and 210 admitted to the church. At the time of his death, the original parish contained about. 200 families. It had increased to that number in about 60 years.
In 1750, a number of the inhabitants, in the north part of the original parish, uniting with a number, on the east side of Connecticut river, presented to the general court a petition, that they might be incorpo- rated as a distinct parish. This petition was granted, June 10, 1751 ; and they were incorporated as the fifth parish in Springfield. In the same year, they erected a meeting house, and on the 9th of September 1752, the Reverend John M'Kinstry was set apart as their minister.t By a subsequent act of division, the part on the west side of the river has become a distinct society, and is now the third parish in this town. It has never had a settled congregational minister.₿
* See Appendix, J. + See Appendix, K.
# See Appendix, L ..
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In 1757, the southern part of the original parish was erected into a distinct parish, containing about 75 families. It was then the sixth parish in Spring- field ; but in 1773, it became the second parish in West Springfield. On the 10th of November 1762, a church was formed, and on the 17th of the same month, the Reverend Sylvanus Griswold was consti- tuted its pastor. That parish has since been divided, and both are now enjoying the benefit of gospel ordinances, under the ministry of the Reverend Reuben S. Hazen .*
In 1773, the inhabitants on the west side of the river, belonging to the town of Springfield, were incorporated as a distinct town, by the name of West Springfield. This was done, at the request of the first parish in Springfield, contrary to the wishes of those. who were incorporated, and even against the remon- strance of the town. Perhaps, it is not easy to find a more curious fact in the annals of legislation.
But to return to the history of our own parish ;- next to Mr. Hopkins, succeeded your late venerable minister, whose character you have all known, and whose memory is embalmed in your gratitude and affection. On the 2d of February 1756, the parish appointed a committee, to request the association of
* See Appendix. M.
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this county to recommend some suitable person, to preach to them with reference to settlement. They recommended Mr. Lathrop, whom they had examined . and approved as a candidate, in January preceding. He was immediately applied to, and commenced preaching here on the 28th of March .* On the 5th of July following, he received a unanimous call to take the pastoral charge of this church and society. He refused to settle upon the conditions, which were at first proposed, but they were immediately changed to meet his wishes, upon which he gave an affirmative answer.
A fast was observed in this place, a few days previous to the ordination, with reference to that solemnity.t
On the 25th of August 1756, Mr. Lathrop was consecrated to the ministry, by the usual solemnities : being then in the 25th year of his age.
The ministry of Doctor Lathrop occupied a consid- crably longer space than that of both his predecessors ; and has been exceeded, but in few instances, in New England. It was also, for the most part, unusually quiet, and free from religious controversy. In 1772,
* His first sermon in this place was from Matthew xxii. 57. He preached for the first time, after being licensed, for the Reverend Mr. M'Kinstry, at Chickopee.
t The Reverend Mr. Merrick of Wilbraham preached on the occasion, from Matthew v. 16.
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the attention of some of his people was particularly excited to the subject of Baptism,* which was the occasion of his preaching and publishing his celebrated sermons on that subject, which have been among the most deservedly popular of all his publications.
In 1778, Doctor Lathrop fell into a feeble state of health, in consequence of which, his ministerial labours were suspended, a considerable part of the time, for three years. It was during this period, that an impostor, by the name of Watkins,t intruded into his parish, endeavoring, and with some degree of success, to produce dissatisfaction in the minds of his people. His fanatical doctrines, as well as bold claims to superior sanctity, were soon refuted by his ungodly life. It was in reference to this state of things, that Doctor Lathrop composed and published his sermons entitled "Christ's warning to the churches ;"' which have gone through many editions, and had an extensive circulation on both sides of the Atlantic.
In the year 1802, this house of worship, which we now occupy, was finished ; and on the 24th of June, the day, which completed a century from the erection of the former house, it was solemnly dedicated to the
* This was in consequence of the preaching of the Reverend Mr. Upham, upon the Baptist controversy, and the circulation of pamphlets, in reference to the same subject.
t See Doctor Lathrop's memoir, pp. 23, 21, 25, 26
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worship and service of God. The house, which your fathers had erected, had been for years, so far in a state of decay, as to call loudly for another building ; but the difference of opinion, in respect to its location, was so great, that every attempt to produce union, was for some time abortive. The controversy, as you all know, was at length terminated by the liberal proposals of an individual, who now rests from his labours. It was a subject, which Doctor Lathrop had long viewed with deep concern, as involving the prosperity, the union, the very existence of the parish ; and this was one consideration, which led him to decline an invitation to a more conspicuous, and what would usually be considered, a more eligible sphere of ministerial labour .* He rejoiced exceedingly, when he saw the accomplishment of the object, concerning which he had felt so much apprehension ; and always mentioned in terms of respect, the liberality of the individual, who, he supposed, had prevented a division of the parish.t
At the time of the incorporation of the second, or south parish, there remained in this about 95 families and 550 souls. In 1786, nineteen years afterwards, there were 154 families and 897 souls. In 1796,
* Professorship of Theology in Yale College.
+ See Appendix, N.
1781150
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there were 180 families and about 1050 souls .* At the present time, according to the best estimate, which I have been able to form, there are about 190 families and 1150 souls. From this statement, it appears that in the 19 years preceding 1786, there was an increase of 59 families and 347 souls. During the next ten years, that is, from 1786 to 1796, there was, including the addition from the south parish, an increase of 26 families and 153 souls ; and from that time to the present, including a period of 28 years, there has been only an increase of 10 families and 100 souls.
In the first 20 years of Doctor Lathrop's ministry, the number of deaths was 208; in the space of 30 years, it was 346 ; in the period of 40 years, it was 473; in the period of 50 years, it was 654; and in the period of 63 years, which included the whole of his active ministry, it was 867; making an average of little more than 13 to the year. Of this number, 280 had arrived to the age of 50 years ; 226 to the age of 60; 162 to the age of 70 ; 75 to the age of 80; 13 to the age of 90; and 7 to the age of 95.t The least
* A little before this period, nine families were annexed to this, from the south parish.
¿ There has been a remarkable instance of longevity in the family of Day. Of 10 children, the average age was about 80 years ; and two of these were taken away by casualties, in the midst of health. It is a singular fact, that for three successive generations, this family has occupied the same spot, and has consisted of five males and five females.
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number of deaths, during this period, in any one year, was 4, in 1779 ; the greatest number was 51, in 1800.
During the ministry of Doctor Lathrop, there were 1266 baptisms of children, whose parents were members of this church. Of admissions to the communion table, there were 513, including transfers of relation to this from other churches. Beside these, not far from 100 joined the church upon the half-way covenant, as it is called, expressing a doubt of their fitness to come to the communion .* There were
several seasons, which were marked by an unusual attention to religion, particularly, the year ending September 1816, during which, 55 were added to the church ; the largest accession in any year of his ministry. With how much gratitude and joy he welcomed this interesting season, so near the close of his ministry, you well remember, who witnessed the activity of his labours,t and the fervency of his prayers that divine influences might continue to descend upon his beloved people. It was the seed, which he had sown, during a long succession of years, springing up and yielding an abundant harvest ; that thus the evening of his days might be cheered with a
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