USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Great Barrington > History of Great Barrington, (Berkshire County,) Massachusetts > Part 14
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The earliest mention which we find of this bridge- "The Great Bridge"-as a public work is in the Shef- field records, March 7th, 1737, when it was voted to repair the Great Bridge by highway work, and in a deed of land lying in that vicinity dated March 27, 1739, mention is made of the "highway (now Water Street) leading to the bridge." And again, April 23, 1744, the town of Sheffield appropriated "Fifty Pounds Old Tenor for defraying the charge of building a bridge over the River at David Ingersoll's mills."
The road-mentioned in a former chapter-which had been provided by the settling committee, running from the brook south of the residence of the late Doctor Collins, northerly to the Castle street hill, near the late residence of Asa C. Russell, was made a town road by the town of Sheffield, March 15, 1745 ; begin- ning "by a white oak tree by the Brook, from thence running northerly [to] a black Oak Bush, from thence running northerly into the Upper Town a top of the Hill east of the pond." This highway which was four rods wide, was discontinued in March, 1747, and the road-now called Castle street-was then established. In laying the Castle street road, land was taken from the north line of Aaron Sheldon's ten acre lot, and as a compensation part of the discontinued road was given to him. But as the discontinuance of the old road was expected to discommode Moses Ingersoll, provision was made that he should "during his natural life, pass and repass with slays and sleds from the 15th day of
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ROAD EAST OF VILLAGE.
December to the first day of March annually, ye said Sheldon finding Draw Bars-said Sheldon consenting to ye same."
On the east side of the river, a path-perhaps co- eval with the settlement of the country-led from the old meeting house, southerly, between the mountains. This path, along which some settlers had early estab- lished themselves, was, by a vote of the town of Shef- field, in 1749, made a pent road of two rods in width, with gates or bars, and with the proviso that "No per- son or persons shall have any demand upon the town for any satisfaction therefor." In process of time the gates and bars, if such there were, disappeared, the road became a public highway by virtue of use and oc- cupancy, and was a great convenience as a means of communication between the upper and lower parts of the town, especially in time of freshets, which often in- undated and destroyed the bridges on the river. In later years a portion of it was again made a pent road, by the town, and the public were afterwards debarred the privilege of using it. But the town has since assert- ed its right to the road, and it was reopened and relaid by the county commissioners within a few years past.
Inn-keepers.
The first "Inn-keeper" of the parish of whom we find mention was Moses Ingersoll, whose residence was near the site of the old brick house in the south part of the village, lately occupied by Ebenezer Pope. A tavern was also kept earlier than 1742, on the east side of the river, on the old road leading south from the iron bridge, by Moses King ; this was apparently near where the house of the late Lieutenant Thomas Siggins now stands. Aaron Sheldon also kept a tavern, per- haps as early as 1744, on the site of the present Berk- shire House. The taverns were places of resort for the exchange of news, for social intercourse and amuse- ment. The use of intoxicating drinks was common with all classes; and intemperance was no less an evil than then it is to-day. In 1744 the minister used his in- fluence to prevent a tavern being kept here; on account
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HISTORY OF GREAT BARRINGTON.
of which, he says, "some are offended with me, yea even rage at me."
Administration of Justice.
The distance of the parish from Springfield-the shire town of Hampshire county-was so great as to render it extremely inconvenient and expensive for the inhabitants to attend courts there. This was perhaps an advantage rather than a disadvantage to the people, as it restrained litigation; and a suit at court was too expensive a luxury to be frequently indulged in. Earlier than 1756, no lawyers resided here.
The earliest magistrates in the parish were David Ingersoll and Joseph Dwight, the latter being also one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas for- Hampshire.
The stocks and whipping post were then in vogue and furnished the means of punishment for petty offences. A stray leaf from David Ingersoll's Justice's . records sheds some light upon the manner in which justice was administered and the usual form of punish- ment, as the following extracts will serve to illustrate:
"Aug. 14, 1754.
The King
ag't
Eliner Ward for stealing sundry goods from Mr. John Brewer ... She confes: she stole 3 caps and } M pins. Ordered to pay 32 shillings and ye goods; being 3 fold Damages and cost, and to - be whipt 20 stripes. All were performed."
At a court before Justices Dwight and Ingersoll, Oct. 5, 1754. "Sam'l Taylor Jun'r and Eben'r Crowfoot of Pontoosuck, com- plained of for making and spreading a false aların and digging up . and scalping an Indian which was buried. They confessed them- selves to be guilty. Taylor ordered to pay a fine of 20 shillings: for making and spreading a false alarm and making a lie and spreading ye same ; and for his digging up s'd Indian a fine of 20 shillings, or be wipped 30 stripes; Neglected to pay s'd fines . and was whipped. Crowfutt to pay fine of 13 shillings 4 pence, for s'd alarm, and for digging up s'd Indian 13 shillings + pence, or be whipped 20 stripes ; omitted paying and was whipped. Both to pay cost being £6. 7. 6. Committed until performed."" In addition they were bound for their good behavior in the sum. of £5, each. October 7, 1754. " Eliatha Rew, Samuel Dewey Jun'r and Timo. Younglove, brought before me upon complaint. of Ebn'r Hamblin and Simon Cook, for firing or discharging of
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SLAVES.
several Guns in the night following ye 3d of Oct'r current. Con- vic.ed and they sat in ye stock one hour; paid cost. Bound to their good behavior until next court."
The offences of Crowfoot and Taylor, as well as of Rew and Dewey were of a more serious nature than appears from the simple reading of the record. At the time of these occurrences the people of this western frontier were in a feverish state of anxiety occasioned by the devastations of the French and Indians, and by the attack upon a Stockbridge family, by Indians in the preceding month; and any unnecessary disturbance, such as creating a false alarm, was under the circum- stances a misdemeanor justly punishable to the extent of the law. In addition to making an alarm, Crowfoot and Taylor had the mercenary object in view of obtain- ing the bounty for the scalp of the Indian, which the province was offering in retaliation for similar offers made by the French for English scalps. A few negro slaves or as they were termed "servants" -- were owned in the parish; more perhaps amongst the Dutch-who brought them from the state of New York-than the English. These servants were not held to very severe servitude, nevertheless they were chattels. David In- gersoll had his men "Sipeo" and "Dick," whom he sometimes hired out to work for his neighbors ; and in 1741 he sells to Moses King, and charges the same on his book, a servant girl "Sophia Green," for the sum of £20.
Ingersoll's Works.
David Ingersoll, who as we have before remarked, was a man of some enterprise, kept a small store of goods near the Great Bridge, in 1739 and later, and was the earliest merchant in the parish of whom we have knowledge. The vicinity of the bridge-and from that eastward to "Bung Hill"-was then the business center, and the enterprises there, which have been alluded to, are worthy of more particular notice. The settling committee had made a decree by which the water power below the bridge, was sequestered to the joint use of both the Lower and Upper Townships ; but Moses Ingersoll, in disregard of the order of the
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HISTORY OF GREAT BARRINGTON.
committee, laid out to his right, in 1736, a tract of land lying on both sides of the river, which included most of this water power. In the spring of 1739, he con- veyed this tract to David Ingersoll, though for some reason the deed was not acknowledged until ten years afterwards; nor placed on record until 1752, after the decease of Moses Ingersoll. David Ingersoll entered, immediately, into the occupancy and improvement of the water privilege and erected a saw-mill, grist-mill, and iron-works, all of which were completed and in operation in 1740. These works were all on the east side of the river ; the iron works a short distance be- low the bridge, and the saw-mill and grist-mill a little farther down the stream.
The iron-works-a forge for making wrought iron from the ore-was in operation in 1739. It consisted of an open hearth, on which the ore was reduced by the aid of a bellows driven by water power. The iron, drawn from the hearth, was, by means of a trip ham- mer, shaped into merchantable bars ready for use. The ore was mainly obtained from the bed lying east of the residence of Lebbeus M. Pixley; though it is also prob- able that some ore was brought from the south end of Long Pond, where we find the "ore bed" and the cart path leading to it-crossing "Seconks kiln"-in 1743. This iron-works, though small and unimportant in it- self, is of interest inasmuch as this was one of the ear- liest attempts at manufacturing iron in Western Massa- chusetts. A forge of similar character had been erect- ed in Sheffield at a little earlier date, on the Konkapot brook,-then called the "Iron Works River." A week's product of Ingersoll's forge in 1739, as appears from his account book, was only 4 cwt., 2 qrs, 4 lbs. The cost of labor for making the iron was fifteen shillings per cwt .; the price paid for charcoal forty shillings per hundred bushels; and the price at which the iron was sold from seventy-five to eighty shillings per cwt .- all in Old Tenor currency.
This forge was worked as late as 1748, but had ap- parently disappeared in 1755, when the grist-mill and saw-mill were still standing. Cinders, supposed to have been from Ingersoll's forge, were found several
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IMPROVEMENTS.
feet below the surface of the ground, in excavating for the east abutment of the iron bridge, which were evi- dently deposited there when one of the earliest bridges. was built at this point.
New Inhabitants and Improvements.
The parish gradually received some small acces- sions to its population, and some improvements were made, but its progress was not rapid. In 1744, Aaron Sheldon of Northampton purchased of Stephen King his dwelling house, and land which has been mentioned as lying both sides of the village street. By other purchases and additions, Sheldon was soon after, the owner of all the land, on the east side of the street, bounding easterly on the river and extending from the south line of the premises lately owned by the Misses Kellogg as far north as the "Rubber Bridge" in Water street; he also owned on the west side of the way from Castle street southerly to the dwelling of Frederick Lawrence. To the southward of Sheldon's posses- sions, Moses Ingersoll was the owner of the land on both sides of the way southerly to the premises of Ed- ward Manville and John Brewer; and to the north of Sheldon's land Ingersoll owned from Castle street to the spring,-near the foot of the hill in Water street. From the spring northerly, the river formed the east, line of the highway, and David Ingersoll's land-which he bought of Moses Ingersoll-extended, on the west, side of the road, from the spring to the proprietor's, line at the bridge. Such was the condition of what is now the village down to 1749 ; the whole real estate on both sides of the street south of the Great Bridge was; in the possession of three individuals, and there were- apparently but three or four dwellings within the lim- its we have described. At a little earlier date the- Rev. Samuel Hopkins had built his house, on the hill west of the village, where Walter W. Hollenbeck now resides. As one of the conditions of his settlement, it had been stipulated that the proprietors should furnish. certain materials for the building of a house, when
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HISTORY OF GREAT BARRINGTON.
they might be needed; and in anticipation of building he afterwards addressed the following letter to them :
" To the Proprietors of the North Precinct in Sheffield :- You may remember that when you invited me to settle among you in the ministry, in order to my worldly accommodation, and to enable me to Build, you proposed to give me the value of one hundred and eighty ounces of silver, in money, and to get my Timber and stone, and the Logs that should be wanted to the mill; and seeing that I must depend upon this incouragement in the affair, I take this opportunity to inform you that I purpose (by the Leave of Providence) to proceed to Build this spring, and expect that you will be in some way to accomplish what you have proposed. I am your friend and servant,
"SAM'L HOPKINS.
"Sheffield, March 29, 1745." (1)
But Mr. Hopkins, although he had anticipated the erection of a house-and as a beginning of his im- provements had "set out ten apple trees" in April 1744-probably owing to some interruption of his plans, did not build at the time proposed in his letter. He states in his diary, February 11, 1746, "the people drew stone for me to-day." The "stone " were for the cellar and underpinning of his house; and it is sup- posed, from this and other circumstances, that he did build in 1747.
Samuel Lee, with his wife Rachel, removed to this place from Westfield, in the spring of 1746. He set- tled on the west side of the way, at the top of the hill south of Merrit I. Wheeler's residence, and is sup- posed to have built the house still standing there, in which Zina Parks lately lived. This house, which is one of the oldest in town, was standing and occupied by Mr. Lee as a tavern in 1763, and afterwards, for many years, by his son Warham Lee for the same pur- pose.
Samuel Lee had several children, amongst whom were Warham-above mentioned-who became a some- what prominent citizen of the town ; Samuel Lee Jun'r, who died at the age of twenty-three years in 1757; Rachel, who married Major William King.
Timothy Hopkins, from Waterbury, Conn., a brother
(1) The original of this letter is in the possession of Rev. Evarts Scudder of this town.
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HOPKINS-GUNN-BRECK.
· of the minister, and a deacon of the church, came here perhaps as early as 1744, at least before 1749. He pur- · chased, in 1749, of David Ingersoll, the house built by the latter, which stood opposite the factory in Water street, and may have, for a time, resided there, though he afterwards dwelt on Christian Hill, near where the house of Patrick McGowan now stands. Deacon Hop- kins was a useful and influential citizen, and his name appears frequently in the parish and town records. He was deceased as early as 1774, as appraisal of his estate was made April 25th of that year. His wife- Jemima-died October 16, 1771. The children of Timothy Hopkins, so far as we have ascertained, were :
Ichabod, baptized Dec. 9, 1744, who married Sarah, the "widow of Elias Ransom, and lived north-east of the David Lea- vitt mansion, on the old road east of the river.
Dorcas, born May 26, 1747 ; married Stewart, and in 1805, was a widow residing in Hanover, Luzerne county, Penn. Timothy, born Nov. 25, 1750.
Esther, born Feb'y 8, 1752.
James, born Aug. 14, 1754.
Jemima, born May 17, 1757 ; married Stephen Sibley. Feb'y (or May) 23, 1785.
Sarah, born June 5, 1760.
Mary, born Dec. 4, 1762; married David Youngs and re- moved to Hanover, Penn., as early as 1789.
Benjamin, who resided in Bloomfield, N. Y., in 1806.
Ehud, who married Chloe-daughter of Asahel King, and who resided in this town, Alford and Egremont.
About 1750 Capt. Stephen Gunn, who had then re- cently married Eleanor-daughter of Moses Ingersoll -settled where Ralph Taylor now resides, and erected the first house upon that ground. This house stood until 1815, when it was removed to make place for the present dwelling of Mr. Taylor. Capt. Gunn died here of the small pox, November 11, 1759. His widow sur- vived him and remained upon the premises to the time of her death, February 25, 1772. John Gunn, a son of Capt. Stephen Gunn, removed to Hudson, N. Y., soon after the close of the Revolutionary war.
Doctor Samuel Breck, one of the earliest physicians of the town, came here, apparently from Palmer, in 1751. He is supposed to have lived in the house built by David Ingersoll in Water street. He married Mary
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HISTORY OF GREAT BARRINGTON.
Long of Stockbridge in 1762, and died about two years- afterwards.
In 1753, Daniel Allen purchased of Aaron Sheldon a tract of land on the west side of Main street, includ --- ing the present homestead of Frederick T. Whiting and the late Mrs. B. F. Durant, and built upon the site- on which the stone dwelling of Mr. Whiting stands. He also had a carpenter's shop which appears to have stood within the highway limits and near his dwelling. The main body of the house of Mr. Allen, afterwards. the residence of Gen. Thomas Ives-having been twice removed-now stands near the railroad on the new street south of Frederick T. Whiting's house. Mr. Allen was the principal carpenter and builder, as well as furniture maker of this region. He built the Hen- derson house for Gen. Dwight, and also the house- since removed-in which the late Charles W. Hopkins, Esq., resided. That he was a fine workman the inter- ior finish and wainscoting of the south front room of the Henderson house sufficiently attests. Mr. Allen died in 1767. His son, the Hon. John Allen, was a. distinguished lawyer in Litchfield, Conn., and also a . member of Congress ; and his daughter, Anna Willard Allen, became the wife of Hon. Elizur Goodrich of New Haven, Conn.
In 1757, Israel Dewey, with his wife and ten child- ren, removed to this place from Westfield; which event he duly chronicled in his book of accounts, as follows: "Feb'r 7, 1757. I came to Sheffield with my family from Westfield." About thirty years previous to that time, Thomas Dewey, the father of Israel, had come here with the early settlers, and, if we mistake not, was the same Thomas Dewey who located on the present David Leavitt place.
The first settlement of Israel Dewey was on the- farm now Frederick Abbey's, on the road to Van Deu- senville, where Hezekiah Phelps had formerly dwelt,. and where Benedict Dewey-son of Israel-afterwards resided. Four years later he purchased land in the village, the same on which Major Samuel Rosseter afterwards lived, and on which Henry Dresser now re -- sides. Here he built the first house which stood upon
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DEWEY-DWIGHT.
that spot; he also erected mills on the river in the rear of his dwelling. These mills will be more particularly mentioned in another place. Israel Dewey was a man of strong mind, of more than ordinary ability, and ap- parently fond of discussion and argument. He was a member of Mr. Hopkins' church, to which both he and his wife came recommended from the church at West- field. He was not in full accord with the minister in some of the theological doctrines held and taught by the latter, and engaged him in a written controversial discussion, which was printed and attracted consider- able attention.
Mr. Dewey died November 23, 1773, at the age of sixty-one. Of his children-thirteen in number-we make note as follows:
Israel, married Mary Pixley of Stockbridge and settled in Lenox.
Benedict lived on the Frederick Abbey farm, in Great Bar- rington ; he was an influential man in the town; during and after the Revolution ; he died Feb'y 19, 1796, in his 60th year.
Paul settled in Lenox.
Justin, born Jan'y 5, 1751 ; lived in Great Barrington ; died Aug. 31, 1832, at the age of 82.
Hugo, born Dec. 4, 1752 ; lived in Great Barrington ; died April 17, 1833, aged 81.
Josiah resided in this town.
Eleanor; married Ensign John Burghardt of this town.
Lydia, married Joseph Dwight-son of Gen. Joseph Dwight -and removed to Lenox.
Abigail, married Deacon Daniel Nash of this town, and was the mother of the late Lonson Nash, Esq., and of Abigail the second wife of Rev. Sylvester Burt.
Justin and Hugo were the ancestors of several fami- lies of Deweys, which in later years have resided in this town and in Alford. They lived close together in the west part of the town near the Alford line. They were fine, jovial old men, always together, noted for their sociability and general good feeling, for their fondness of story telling, and for their attachment to one another.
Gen. Joseph Dwight from Brookfield, having resid- ed for three or four years in Stockbridge, took up his residence here in 1756 or '57. He purchased the land -the Henderson place-on which the late Deacon
11
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HISTORY OF GREAT BARRINGTON.
Allen Henderson since dwelt-of Aaron Sheldon, in 1759, and erected in that or the next year, the house still standing on the premises. This was at that time, and for many years later, the finest dwelling in the township. Gen. Dwight, who was bred a lawyer, was distinguished both as a civilian and military man, and was a valuable acquisition to the sparsely inhabited parish. A more extended notice of him will be given hereafter.
These were the principal changes and improve- ments, which were made, south of the bridge, previous to the incorporation of the town in 1761. East of the bridge, John McLean, in 1750, erected a dwelling on an acre of land which he had purchased of David Inger- soll. This house stood about eighteen rods east of the river, near where Miles Avery now resides, and is de- scribed in 1752, as a "Mansion House" about ten rods north-west of the meeting-house. In the spring of 1750, James Root from Westfield, purchased the land, and house (which has been mentioned as erected by Jonathan Willard) directly east of the bridge, and re- moved to this place; he also afterwards owned the "Mansion House" built by McLean. Capt. Hewit Root from Westfield-a brother of James-came here in 1754, and bought the house next east of the bridge, where he engaged in business as an inn keeper, and kept one of the most noted taverns in this region to the time of his decease in 1788. To the northward, at Van Deusenville, John Williams erected a grist-mill and saw-mill, in 1750, on the Williams River, under the grant of the water privilege which had been made to him by the proprietors. It is also probable that a saw-mill had previously stood upon this stream, as it is called in the vote making the grant, the "old Saw-mill Brook." Above Van Deusenville few, if any, improve- ments were made earlier than 1753. The settlements, especially north of the bridge, were for the most part confined to the valley of the river, and did not, to much extent, penetrate the more remote parts of the Upper Township until after the divisions of the east and west tiers of Long Lots, which were made in 1753-4. Soon after these divisions, families by the names of Hamlin, Brunson, Munger, Wilcox, Kelsey, Hoskins and Rew
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CHANGES.
located in the west part of the Upper Township; some of whom were afterwards, by the change of the town line, included in Alford. During the interval which elapsed between the incorporation of the parish and its erection into a town, through the unremitting labors of the Rev. Samuel Hopkins, together with the acces- sion to the population of such men as Gen. Joseph Dwight, Dea. Timothy Hopkins, Israel Dewey and Daniel Allen, all substantial and influential citizens, the social and moral status of the inhabitants had some- what improved. The church, which had been origi- nally organized with but five members, had received additions, in all, to the number of about one hundred, and was fairly prosperous, though some dissensions had arisen amongst the people, which afterwards as- sumed a serious aspect, and the parish was already re- miss in the payment of the stipulated salary to the minister.
Several of the original settlers had died, amongst whom were Coonrod Burghardt, Moses Ingersoll, Moses King, Joseph Noble and John Pixley ; others, sons of the original, had grown up, were married and had families. Their names will occur in considering the history of the town. By the incorporation of the town of Egremont in 1760, that part of the parish ly- ing west of the Upper and Lower Townships. had been included within the limits of that town, and the area of the parish had been correspondingly reduced. The territory now in Egremont, which with the few fami- lies there living, had been included in the parish at its formation, was commonly known as the "country land," -"the Province land" or "the west lands." It was not without some opposition on the part of the parish that this territory was separated from it.
The inhabitants in that part, in 1756, endeavored to obtain for themselves a separate town or district organization, and at the same time demurred to the further payment of taxes to the parish. The parish "chose Stephen Gun to send to Boston to represent the north parish and give reason why the west lands should not be a district separate from us;" and having twice voted to defend the assessors in rating the people
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