USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Deerfield > History of Deerfield, Massachusetts: the times when the people by whom it was settled, unsettled and resettled, vol 1 > Part 57
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575
GREENFIELD APPEALS TO THE GENERAL COURT.
Dec. 10th, 1753, the town chose a committee of five to,-
Come into some Measures to Divide the Sequestered land north of Deerfield river with the Minister or people of Greenfield & to act and do whatever shall be necessary to be Done in order to accom- plish and Settle the Improvements of said Sequestered Land.
Feb. 15th, 1754, the town voted to give Greenfield the rents of the sequestered land in the same proportion as they pay the Province tax :-
Provided the said District will accept of the same, and that they do by their vote at a meeting called for that purpose, or by a com- mittee by them chose for that purpose, give the town of Deerfield a Discharge from all demands that they have in and to the said Rents for the year passed, which the Town votes as a free Gift, and not as anything they are by law enjoyned to.
Voted to Referr the further consideration of the report of the committee for Dividing the Improvement of the Sequestered land &c with the Inhabitants of Greenfield to next March Meeting.
By the last two votes there seems to have been a hitch in the proceedings somewhere, which does not otherwise ap- pear. Although according to the vote the cost of making the award should have been paid by Greenfield, at this meet- ing it was voted to divide it "in equal halves."
Committees to lease the Sequestered lands continued to be chosen in town meetings as before the incorporation of Greenfield, and the land was amicably occupied in common until 1767, when Conway being set off as a district, Green- field, according to the terms of her charter, had no more rights to the income of these lands. In spite of this provis- ion, however, Greenfield continued to claim what she had held for fourteen years, and backed her claims by forcibly taking away the crops in 1768 and 1769. In August, 1768, Lieut. Seth Catlin, as agent for the town of Deerfield, began a suit at law against Jonathan Severance and others for tres- pass, under the advice of "Gentlemen versed in the Law." Catlin won the case in the Superior Court, after the usual law's delay, and Greenfield settled the affair by paying £40 lawful money.
Greenfield then appealed to the General Court for such a change in her charter as would make it in accordance with the award of the commissioners in 1753. She met with no success, although the committee to whom the matter was referred reported a bill under which Greenfield should share
576
MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS. SEQUESTERED LANDS.
the income of the Sequestered lands in common with Deer- field, Conway and Shelburne, the latter town having been set off in 1768. This did not pass, and the matter rested with the decision of the Superior [then the highest] Court that the Sequestered lands could not be divided with any seceding bodies, but must remain with the party for whom it was se- questered for the use of the ministry in 1686. The lands are still held by trustees for the "First Congregational Parish in Deerfield," to which they descended under this decision.
The peace which followed the treaty at Aix La Chapelle was little more than an armed truce in Europe, and, so far as the prosperity of the colonies went, little better than open war with the Indians here. The farmers had no assurance when planting that their crops would not be reaped in terror and blood; and cultivation of the soil was kept down to the bare necessities of life, as much as in time of declared war. The poverty of our townsmen was such, that to avoid the expense of a representative, the town in 1751 voted not to send one. In those days "Representation and Taxation " went literally together. Being called to account by the Gen- eral Court for slighting their precept to send a representa- tive, the town by its selectmen sent a statement which well shows the condition of affairs here in this unquiet interval of peace. The letter is given below :-
To the Honble House of Representatives in Gen. Court Assem- bled May 29 1751-
We the Subscribers Selectmen of the Town of Deerfield and at the request of sd Town on our and there behalf
Humbly Desire
In excuse for not sending any Person this year to Represent us in the Great & General Court; To offer the following reasons-
That we have been great Sufferers in the last War, in being Drove from our improvements so that we have been obliged to go into the lower Towns & some to Connecticut for our Bread Corn And altho in years Past we Used to furnish the Market with some Droves of Hoggs, yet for the six years past we have been obliged to buy pork of our Neighbors and have had befor the War, more fat Cattle in our Stalls in May, than has been fatted in Town any year since the War Commenced, and what few we fatted the last Year take the Town together did not fetch what they cost in the Fall, by which our Time, Hay & Provender was entirely lost to us. That through Difficulty we have Repaired our Fences that were not Burnt & made Such new as were; and at the Desire of Many & particularly some Gentlemen in Boston; have laid ourselves out to our utmost by Clearing, Fitting & Sowing some Hundred acres of Wheat; for an
577
DEERFIELD CONSENTS ON CONDITION.
Experiment whether we Cannot raise as good as the Other Govern- ments. In doing of which we have unavoidably expended what lit- tle Money we had, which will in no poor Degree be evidenced by the Accts of the Committee Appointed to give Certificates [to] such as had any Money to Exchange for the Dollars
The uncertainty of Success in this our Attempt (should the Sea- sons prove favorable) by reason of our Remoteness from market, The scarcity of Money Amongst us and the Apprehension of an Heavier Tax this year so influenced the Town, that we had not a vote for a Representative and Caused us to Hope should this our State be laid before Your Honours, you would not lay a fine upon us (who are scarce 100 families) for not Complying with the Precept sent us in all which is submitted to Your Hon's Wise Consideration by your Honrs obedient Humble Servants
EBENEZ: HINSDALE Wm WILLIAMS DAVID FIELD JONAth HOIT
The petition was endorsed "To be considered with other cases," but no action was found on the premises. The "fiat money " of this period was so depreciated that the price for a day's work was fixed at 15s in summer and ios in winter ; and £800 were voted for Mr. Ashley's salary, for the £300 due in the same bills by the terms of the settlement. In 1751, Capt. Catlin was chosen to,-
Fence the Burying Yard with a Good five railed fence, with a good Gate to enter sd Yard, and to purchase a Pall for the use of the Town, not to exceed the price of £5-8-8, Lawful Money *
* but if any Person or Persons will add to sd sum so as to purchase a velvet Pall he may procure that.
Judicial Affairs. Our Justices of the Peace for this period were Jonathan Wells, 1715,-I give earliest dates of official action noticed-Thomas Wells, 1734; Elijah Williams, 1744; Ebenezer Hinsdale, 1747; William Williams, 1750; Thomas Williams, 1754; Jonathan Ashley, Jr., 1770.
In 1737, the town voted not to join Northampton, Hatfield, Westfield, Hawley, Sunderland and Northfield in paying for one-half of a court house to be built at Northampton. In 1763, our representative was,-
Desired to oppose in the Gen'l Court a Division of this County ac- cording to the present plan for dividing the same, or any other Di- vision that may be proposed by a North & South line.
March 5, 1770, Voted that the Town have no objections respect- ing the alteration of the Inferior Courts being held in the County of Hampshire, saving it would be more agreeable to have the August & November Terms held at Northampton & the March & May Terms held at Springfield.
578
MILLS. GAME. SURGEONS. FERRY.
This is very modestly put, but it shows that our little commonwealth claimed the right to have a voice in judicial, as well as in ecclesiastical, civil and military affairs.
Mills. From 1701 to 1709, nothing is found about corn mills on the records. It may be that during Queen Anne's War the meal was home-made by means of wooden mortars and sieves. March, 1709, the town "Voted that Joseph Par- sons of Springfield should com and perform his former bar- gain in building a grist mill for ye town of Deerfield." [See ante, page 269.]
Dec. 2d, the town granted Parsons leave "to build a grist mill upon Deerfield River, at a place called Sutliefs Falls." It does not appear whether he availed himself of this privi- lege; but his bargain with the town was canceled January 6th, 1713-14, and three days later the town "granted to Capt. Wells ye Green River stream to set a corn mill upon;" and to encourage him he is given £50, to be paid "by Michael- mas next." The town reserved the right to set a saw-mill on the same stream. At a meeting April 23d, 1715,-
The town then agreed yt there should be a mill set upon Green River about 60 or 100 rods above the other mil.
At ye same Meeting the Town voted yt they would build a dam for Capt Jonathan Wells on ye place above mentioned & sd Capt. Wells stands obliged as in ye former bargain & ye Town shall have all ye old dam.
A committee was chosen to build the dam and £60 raised to pay the expense. Wells is to have for grinding " 1-12 part of Indian corn, 1-14 part of rye & provender, 1-16 of wheat & 1-18 of barley malt." He is to have the stream so long as he shall keep a mill there in good condition to do the town's grinding. In default of this, the property reverts to the town, "except in case of extraordinary providence :" and "sd Jonathan Wells or his heirs shall not be Rated for s' Mill for ye defraying any Town charges." I suppose the present grist mill stands on the site of that built by Jonathan Wells, and here for one hundred and seventy years much of the "town's grinding" has been done. March 8th, 1714,-
The Town Granted Ed Allyn: Ben More Jnº Smead Jnº Nims Sam1 Childs Jnº Allin; Sam1 Field; Ebn Smead; viz. : ye stream yt formerly ye Saw Mill was set upon provided no former grant Inter- vene: on the other hand these persons above sd are to get sd mill fit for work by this time Twelve month :
579
PROTECTION OF DEER.
It is not certain where this stream was. Before 1766, Adon- ijah Taylor had a mill on Roaring Brook at the place now called Sanderson Glen. In 1771, there was a mill called Taylor's mill, standing on the small "Roaring Brook " a few rods south of Cheapside bridge.
A traditionary story has it that a mill was built here by a young man who, when it was completed, sent for his father to come and see this great effort of his genius. The old gen- tleman looked it over with a quizzical smile that troubled the son, but said nothing. "What's the matter, daddy ?" asked the son at length, "don't you think my dam is safe?" "Wal -- yis-tolerbul safe," replied the sire, glancing at the scanty supply of motive power, "it would be parfectly safe in case of a flood, but I was wonderin' what in the world you'd do in case of a fire."
Deer. Through greed or wantonness, deer were slaugh- tered in season and out of season. As buckskin was an arti- cle of prime necessity, not only for breeches, but for snow- shoes, military accoutrements, and a dozen other things, the Legislature passed laws for the protection of deer. An officer, called a deerreeve, was chosen in each town, whose duty it was to see these laws enforced. These regulations were often supplemented by town legislation, when votes like the fol- lowing were passed :----
Mr. Joseph Clesson was chosen to inspect and see yt yr is no Deer killed from ye Ioth of December to the first of August, & to Com . plain of all breaches of ye Laws made for ye preservation and In- crease of Deer yt shall come to his knowledge.
During the soft snows of winter, deer became an easy prey to hunters on snow-shoes; and the time of the protection was extended, to cover the season when the doe was rearing her young, and until the fawn became able to take care of itself.
Surgeons. As a general thing, the practicing physicians of this period were not versed in the science of surgery. The following vote, which carries its own interpretation, was passed at a time when Dr. Thomas Wells was here, where he had been in practice for a dozen years or more. Mch. 27th, 1739,-
Voted that Mr John Catlin be appointed to go to Hatfield and meet the Comttees of Northampton, Hadley & Hatfield, and there in behalf of this Town to act and determine what to give Dr. Porter for
580
MILLS. GAME. SURGEONS. FERRY.
his encouragement to settle as a bone setter in this part of ye Coun- try ; that is to say, whether to give fourteen Pounds, or what part so- ever thereof shall be by him accounted to be our proportion with ye rest of ye towns, considering ye circumstances of ye town with regard to their distance from him; and what he shall agree for, the Town will and do hereby order to be raised for him in a rate on the Town, to be raised according as ye Law Directs for ye raising of Town taxes.
The man referred to was probably Hezekiah Porter, from Farmington, Ct., who settled in Northampton about this time.
The Scow. There were two roads to Greenfield in use ; one was down the lane by the old burying yard across the Pocum- tuck at the old ford, by Old River and Little Hope to the Green River farms. The other was from the north end of the street across Great Plain east of Pine Hill, crossing the river to the Sequestered lands, and through Cheapside. The river at this point was not fordable and a "scow" for teams, and a canoe for foot men, were kept here at the expense of the town. The main need of this ferry was to allow conven ient access to the town lands at the mouth of Green river; and first and last the town expended a good deal of money upon it. By means of sudden freshets and the careless- ness of men, the boats were often carried away, to be utterly lost, or recovered from below at some expense. Stringent legislation and strong chains "to seize them withall" were provided for their safe keeping.
In 1714, a scow was built and put under the charge of the selectmen, and they agreed with the " Proprietors of Cheap- side " to take the care of it six years in view of the extra ben- efit they had from its use.
In 1720, voted " to make a new scow provided the Mill Men, the Cheapside and Green River Men " will be responsible for its safe keeping, "it being delivered to them with sufficient chain of seizure to seize it withall." Perhaps no party would take the responsibility, for in 1722 a committee was chosen to treat with Joseph Parsons about building a bridge.
In 1726, a canoe was built to be used with the scow.
In 1727, voted to build a bridge "at the first turn of the river below the road at Cheapside."
In 1727, voted not to build the bridge, but to build a scow and two canoes, and to procure "an anker, alias grappling, to seize the seow."
In 1731, a new scow was built, and "on account of great
1
581
THE TOWN FLEET.
loss of vessels," stringent provisions were made against their being taken from their harbors without authority.
In 1733, John Catlin was awarded damages for want of the scow when he last hired the Sequestered lands.
In 1736, another scow and a canoe were built, and soon after the committee in charge was directed to prosecute at law any one who put them in the water after they were taken out in the fall.
Mch. 2d, 1747, the selectmen were authorized to procure two canoes for the town, and Jona. Hoyt, David Field and Aaron Denio were "fully Impowered in the fall of the year at such time as they shall think proper to secure the scow and canoes that belong to the Town in such manner & place as they shall think convenient & that they be Impowered to prosecute any person or persons who shall remove said ves- sels from the place where they put them without there Lib- erty so to do." A similar vote was passed in 1754 and again in 1755.
Thus far the fleet kept on the river was principally for the accommodation of those who hired the Sequestered lands, and those having land at Cheapside Meadows. The tide of emi- gration was now setting northward and the scow was called upon to officiate as a ferry-boat, but nothing is heard about tolls.
In 1754, a committee was chosen to report the cost of a bridge to "accommodate travellers." No report is found, or any further action about a bridge until after the Revolution.
In 1758, the matter of a regular ferry was agitated, and by order of the Court of General Sessions the town was directed, about this time, "to keep and maintain a ferry over Deerfield River, between Deerfield and Greenfield," and in 1761 a lot of land was bought of David White, "west of the County Road, between sd Road and Pine Hill & Samuel Bardwells lot." This was the "Old Ferry Lot," held by the town until it was exchanged for a gravel pit a few years ago. On this lot a house was built for the use of the ferry-man, "18x20 feet, with a stone cellar under or near one side of it as the Committee we chose shall think best & all at ye Town Cost." An old schoolhouse was utilized in the construction. A bunch of house lilies still marks the site of this house, at the north- east corner of Pine Hill.
582
FERRY. SUGAR LOAF. CONWAY.
The ferry appears to have been run at the town charge, and the scow used also for the convenience of farmers. In 1764 it was,-
Voted that Lt David Field Messrs Joseph Stebbins & John Shel- don be a Comtee to take care of the Scow & to give liberty to Per- sons to use the Same up or down the River from the Road at Cheap- side as they shall think reasonable-except on Mondays Fridays & Saturdays
Why travelers were specially favored these three days does not appear, but this action is given as a feature of the times. As nothing later about the ferry appears on the records, it is presumed it became a private enterprise. Moses Chandler was ferry-man here as early as 1771, and during the Revolu- tion ; his son, Dr. Amariah Chandler, so long minister of Greenfield, was probably born in the old ferry house, Oct. 27th, 1782. Moses Chandler kept a store here in connection with the ferry business. Some of his stock in trade was pro- cured in Albany -- " which reminds me of a little story." It belongs to the Revolutionary period, but being on the spot, the season will be forced a little, to give it place here, al- though it will lack its natural surroundings:
Chandler was suspected of Tory proclivities-and justly, too, if tradition can be relied upon. It is said among his de- scendants, that many a Tory found shelter in the garret of the ferry-house, while going up and down on treasonable er- rands, and that a gable window facing the side hill was a ready means of escape to the woods on Pine Hill. Something of this kind doubtless reached the ears of the "Committee of Safety," and a delegation was sent to examine the premises for evidence of treason. They were abundantly rewarded. A search revealed mysterious documents written in cypher, which was proof enough of a conspiracy against the dawning liberties of the new nation.
The culprit was seized, and with the evidence of his guilt was hurried before the Committee of Safety for trial. But to the intense chagrin of the zealous Whig officers, and to the hilarious delight of the Tory spectators, an examination showed that this "damnable proof of treason," this mysteri- ous correspondence with the enemy, was none other than in- voiced bills of goods bought at Albany, and made out in low Dutch.
583
THE SMOKE JACK.
There is another story connected with this ferry that may as well be told now that the subject is up. Of course, as the framework is wanting, it could be better appreciated at the time of it than now. But it is given at a venture :
It was in May, 1780, that a constitution for the new state was laid before the people for their examination and action in town meeting-and the subject was uppermost in the minds of all Whig politicians. It so happened that at this time there was lying on the bank of the river at the ferry- where it had been landed from a boat, and was waiting trans- portation-a smoke-jack, which Esq. John Williams had just bought to place in his house, the one now known as the Wil- son house. A smoke-jack was a new thing in this region, and a traveler naturally made inquiry as to what the strange looking object might be: Mrs. Chandler, who had no more sympathy for the Whigs than her husband, venting her wit and her spleen at one breath, replied: "Oh, that's the new Constitution that everybody is talking about now days."
Sugar Loaf People. Nov. 29th, 1758, Thomas French peti- tions the General Court that his property may be exempted from taxation for ministerial purposes in Deerfield, as he lives within one mile of Sunderland, and goes there to meet- ing. He is ordered to notify the town of a hearing on the matter "the second Friday of the next Setting of the Court." Nothing more is heard of this matter ; but in 1761 others join him in a similar petition.
Thomas French, John Hooker and Elijah Billing of Deer- field, Joseph Sanderson, Nathaniel Sawtelle and Philip Smith of Hatfield. represent that they all live within one mile of Sunderland meetinghouse; that they attend meeting there and send their children to school at Sunderland; and ask that they be taxed to support public worship and schools in Sun- derland and exempted elsewhere. The petitioners were or- dered to serve the towns of Deerfield and Hatfield with a copy of their petition and give notice of a hearing on it, "on the second Tuesday of the next setting of the Court." No sequel to this has been found.
Conway set off. The action of the Proprietors of Pocumtuck on this matter has been given, [ante, page 508.] We now take up the municipal action. March 2d, 1767, the people of "South West " appeared in town meeting with a petition to
,
CONWAY AND SHELBURNE SET OFF.
be set off into a separate district. About this time a large sum of money was being expended by the town in repairing the meetinghouse. From its location, the people of Conway could get little comparative benefit from the taxes they would be called upon to pay in footing the bills. The same amount expended at home would give a much more satisfactory re- turn. This consideration probably hastened the inevitable act of a separation.
This petition probably contains nearly a full list of the voters in South West at this time. It is addressed :-
To the Inhabitants of the Town of Deerfield in the County of Hampshire qualified by Law to vote in Town Meetings
We the Subscribers inhabitants and owners of lands within that tract of land in the sd Township of Deerfield called the South West Division, for too many reasons herin to be mentioned, humbly re- quest of you that you would by a vote give your full Consent and declare yourselves willing that the sd South West Division should be sett off from ye sd Township of Deerfield and made into a distinct Township or District and that the inhabitants therof should be in- corporated and vested with all the Power and Priviliges which Towns or Districts within this Province are by Law vested withal, if the Gen1 Court of ye sd Province upon application to them made shall judge the Same Expedient
Deerfield Jany 12 1767
Thomas French,
Alexander Oliver,
Simeon [Jones?],
Moses Daniels,
Silas Ransom,
Elijah Wells,
David Parker,
Jonas Twitchell,
James Gilmore,
James Oliver,
Nath. Field.
James Gilmore, Jr.,
Robert Hamilton,
Robert Oliver,
John Rand,
Samuel Wells,
Elias Dickinson,
Will'm Smith,
Josiah Boyden,
David Whitney,
Abra. (?) Marble,
John Thwing,
Israel Rice,
Mathew Graves,
Cyrus Rice,
Will Warren,
Nathaniel Marble,
Joel Baker,
Jearamiah How,
Joseph Cutler,
Daniel Davidson,
James Dickinson,
John Merrit,
Ebenezer Allis,
Stephen Davidson,
Benj'm Pulsipher John Boyden,
[Abel Marinan?].
At the town meeting March 2d, 1767, a committee of nine was chosen to "Confer together & draw up a proper vote for the Setting off the South West part of Deerfield into a Sep- arate District and lay the same befor the Town for its Ac- ceptance." The meeting was adjourned one day for a ma- ture consideration of the proposition, when it was :-
Voted that the Prayer of the Petitioners be granted upon the fol- lowing Conditions, viz .: That the Inhabitants aforesd be set off with their Lands into a town or separate District by the following Meets & Bounds, viz. East upon the seven Mile Line, so called, untill it comes to Deerfield River; West upon Ashfield Bounds, or the west
585
NORTH WEST FOLLOWS SOUTH WEST.
line of Deerfield; South upon Hatfield Bounds; North, partly upon Deerfield River, untill it comes to the Northwest Division so called, & thence by sd Northwest Division untill it comes to the west line of the Town.
Provided also that they pay the same proportion of the Yearly Province & County Tax laid upon Deerfield, as the Polls & Estates of the Inhabitants of sd South West were set at & Assessed in the last list & Tax.
With this consent, the Conway people at once applied to the Legislature, and on June 17th, 1767, Gov. Francis Bernard signed the act which gave Conway a separate municipal ex- istence.
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