USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Greenfield > History of Greenfield : shire town of Franklin county, Massachusetts, Vol. II > Part 31
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Lot No. 12. In 1698 Michael Mitchell was granted thirty acres of land and a home lot at Green River. This grant was confirmed March 3, 1700-1. In March, 1718-19 he conveyed to Thomas French " A house lot as may be seen upon Deerfield Town Records." May 29, 1727, Thomas French sold this lot to Ezekiel Bascom. In 1774 Joseph Bascom appears to be the owner or occupant. The proba- bility is that Ezekiel Bascom, Sr., and Joseph Bascom, Sr., brothers, owned the lot together, as Lemuel Bascom purchased of the other heirs of Joseph, Sr., one half of this lot, April 17, 1780, and was described in the deed as owning the east half of said lot, thus making him the owner of both the Corse lot and the French lot. July 9, 1794, he sold to Jonathan Leavitt five acres running round the tavern property to Federal street, and on Main street Mr. Leavitt built the Leavitt (Hovey) mansion. This portion came to his daughter, Mary H. Leavitt, who sold to the late George H. Hovey. The Lem- uel Bascom house stood east of the Leavitt house and was sold by Judge Leavitt's heirs in 1836 to Richardson Hall. Mr. Hall became insolvent and this property was sold by General David S. Jones, assignee to the heirs of Mrs. Samuel Wells (of Northampton), who was a daughter of Judge Leavitt. When Dr. A. C. Deane built his house the Hall house was moved to the lot on which the Masonic block now stands, and when that was built it continued its journeying to the Rocky Mountain road and now stands a few rods north of S. Allen's Son's powder house.
Lot No. 13. A grant was made March 3, 1700-1 of a home lot to Zebadiah Williams. April 26, 1727, Ebenezer Williams, son of Zebadiah, conveyed this lot and lot No. 8 to Ebenezer Smead. By some unknown process the lot seems to have become the property of Ezekiel Bascom, Jr., as his daughter Aseneth and her husband, Jonathan Russell, con-
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THE JOSHUA WELLS FORT
veyed September 22, 1818, the west nine rods to her sister Electa and Samuel Wells, Jr., her husband, and Electa and her husband deeded the east seven rods to Aseneth and Jona- than Russell. In 1843 Alfred Wells, executor of the will of his father, Samuel Wells, Jr., sold the west lot to Sylvester Allen, and he built the house now owned by William E. Wood. The old house which stood on the Allen lot was moved into Davis street and was the home of Stoddard W. Temple until his death, and is now owned by John G. Yetter. May 2, 1844, Henry W. Clapp added the Jonathan Russell lot to his possessions and in the fall of 1845 opened Franklin street. Dr. A. C. Deane purchased his lot in 1860 of John Russell who became owner of the Sylvester Allen place January 1, 1849. The Allen place is now the home of William E. Wood.
Lot No. 14. The home lot of Joshua Wells was granted before the division of the lands "north of Cheapside and east of Green River" in 1736, for he laid out his "pitch No. 90" between his home lot and the country road leading to North- field, High street now taking the place of said road. The Joshua Wells house stood on the east side of the country road, and was fortified in 1744 and called the Wells fort. Joshua deeded this land to his sons, Abner and Joel, in 1767 and Joel conveyed his interest to Abner in 1785. Abner was ninety-three years old at the time of his death, Octo- ber 31, 1835. In 1789 Abner Wells sold to Dr. John Stone a quarter acre at the southwest corner of lot 14 and in 1800 Ezekiel Bascom sold from lot 13 additions to the lot then owned by Captain Caleb Clap who had purchased of Dr. Stone. This is probably the Edward Upham house shown on the plan of 1774. Joshua and Abner Wells sold to Upham one quarter acre just east of where the Library Association build- ing stands, on which stood a small gambrel-roofed house which was moved to a lot opposite the Union House. When the railroad came it was again moved to the east side of Deerfield
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THE GRENNELL FARM
street just above C. C. Dyer's brickyard barn, where it yet stands. It was called the Logan house. Abner Wells sold his holdings to Oliver Cooley in 1819 and Cooley to Elijah A. Gould in 1827. Mr. Gould was from Templeton and was a merchant, and at one time had a store at Cheapside. He is said to have drawn $25,000 in a lottery, with which he built in 1822 the Henry W. Clapp house, now the home of Ar- thur D. Potter. He at one time owned the middle store in the S. Allen's Son's block. Henry W. Clapp purchased the Gould place November 25, 1834, and resided on the premises until his death. Franklin and Park streets were laid through the Clapp property.
Sixteen acres lying east of Joshua Wells's home lot and running as far south as the northerly side of Main street, was granted to him as his "pitch," No. 90, in the first division. It was surveyed in 1736. On the east side of this lot ran the " country road " leading to Northfield, separating Mr. Wells's land from the eighty-acre " pitch," No. 52 of Ebe- nezer Williams, drawn upon the right of his father, Zebadiah, which lot extended north to where Grave brook crossed the country road and twenty-five rods south of the north line of Main street. July 1, 1774, Ebenezer Smead conveyed one hundred and five acres to John Caldwell. In 1787 Caldwell sold to William Moore, who conveyed it to George Grennell, Sr., in 1792, since which time a large portion of it has re- mained in the Grennell family.
That part of the Grennell farm lying south of Main street was bounded on the west by the line between the William H. Allen and the Franklin R. Allen places extending to the little brook south of the Solon L. Wiley place; from that corner the south line of the farm ran almost east to the top of Rocky mountain. The west line north of Main street extended upon the east side of the old country road certainly as far as the lane running along the south side of the A. W. Grout place and perhaps as far north as where the road at that time crossed
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Grave brook, and then ran east to the mountain. All the streets and avenues located within these bounds were at one time parts of the Grennell farm.
The ancient dwelling house which stood where the James S. Grinnell mansion now does, was moved to High street and was the home of the Misses Williams, in which for many years they kept their boarding school.
A few acres adjoining the east side of High street was sold to Albert Jones, jeweller, afterward purchased by Mr. Clapp, who sold it out as building lots. In 1843 he sold the Bird lot, now owned by Judge Fessenden and by Charles C. Hoyt.
CHAPTER LXVIII
OLD HOME WEEK ASSOCIATION
" To sit about old hearths, among old friends, Beneath old gambrel roof,-and so renew Our days with the elixirs of the past."
U PON the invitation of the selectmen of the town, on the 29th of April, 1902, a meeting of representative citizens of Greenfield was held and after discussion, a " Home Week " association was organized. It was voted to celebrate the last week in July, by inviting all former residents of the town and the general public to participate in the exer- cises. Committees were appointed ; the general committee consisting of Joseph W. Stevens, president ; Francis M. Thompson and Charles J. Day, vice presidents ; Walter S. Carson, secretary ; Wm. G. Packard, treasurer ; George H. Wilkins, Frank P. Forbes and Frederick E. Pierce, executive committee.
A circular letter was addressed to the town's people solicit- ing names and addresses of former residents, which was responded to in such measure that large numbers of invita- tions were issued, the names and addresses furnished being recorded for future use. The festivities opened Wednesday evening July 30th, with a loan exhibition in Grinnell Hall. Visitors were required to record their names, and the result showed that several hundred former residents or their repre- sentatives had accepted the invitation of the town. The loan
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CELEBRATION AT FOUR CORNERS
collection was an unqualified success, and the committee were embarrassed with the riches offered them. Many offerings of most interesting articles were reluctantly declined by the com- mittee in charge, because of insufficiency of space in the hall, and lack of sufficient time to arrange the same, in an artistic manner, in season for the exhibition as planned. On Thurs- day, the 3Ist, the literary exercises of the week took place nearly upon the grounds formerly occupied by the first meet- ing house built in Greenfield, at Long's corner. Music was furnished by a large chorus of the school children of the town under charge of Prof. A. J. Mealand. Martial music was rendered by the Sunderland band. The presiding officer, J. W. Stevens, made a short address in which he gave hearty welcome to returning former residents of the town. Prayer was offered by Rev. John D. Reid, of All Souls Church. The principal address was made by Major Henry E. Alvord, of Washington, a former Greenfield boy. His theme was boyhood recollections, and was entertaining and amusing, and withal rich in historic value. A reminiscent letter from Hon. John E. Russell was read, giving in his characteristic style, sketches of Greenfield happenings at a little earlier period than that covered by Major Alvord's address. The letter was received with much applause. Both of these papers are pub- lished in this history. George G. Rockwood, of New York, a former Greenfield boy, gave some pungent reminiscences. Letters were also read from Admiral Charles E. Clark, Marshall Field, and Rev. Charles C. Carpenter, all formerly interested in Greenfield affairs. Interesting letters were also received from many former residents of the town, which could not be publicly read for want of time. All the writers expressed their love for the old town and regretted that circumstances prevented their attendance during the week of its festivities. The exercises were brought to a close by singing " America," the benediction being pronounced by Rev. Sidney H. Treat, of St. James Church.
CHAPTER LXIX
REMINISCENCES BY
MAJOR HENRY E. ALVORD
A soldier in the company of which I was First Sergeant was wont to complain that he was detailed oftener than anyone else and for all sorts of duty, because his name was Abbott and " so handy " at the top of the roll. All my life I have been accustomed to answering to my name among the first,-where the roll was alphabetically arranged,-and I presume it was by this accident that the " Old Home Week Committee " happened to detail me for this occasion. Al- though a most unexpected call, and one for which any fair doctor would give me a certificate of disability, I have enough of the soldierly sense of duty left to present myself at the ap- pointed hour. My chief purpose is to thus set a good exam- ple to other sons of the old town, so that better results may be hoped for, when future committees, in preparing for simi- lar occasions, make more discriminating details from farther down the roll of Greenfield boys.
The time is ripe for sentiment and philosophy, but remarks in that vein must be left to those more competent. The pre- dominating suggestions of this celebration,-the first thoughts of those coming back to the old home,-must be of the days of childhood and youth, each in his own generation. So it is with me a day of reminiscence, and I must be allowed to speak of recollections of village life in Greenfield. I must be excused, also, if largely personal. One is safest in speaking
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MAJOR ALVORD'S ADDRESS
of that which he knows best-that which he saw and in which he participated.
My earliest recollection of Greenfield is of spending one of the coldest nights which the town ever knew, at a north win- dow in the snug little cottage of the good Mrs. Prentiss, which used to stand at the corner of Federal and Pleasant streets, and, in the care of my equally good nurse (Mary Ann McCarty Severance, a most useful person and " a character " in the village for full half a century) watching the slow burn- ing of the old-fashioned, heavy framed house in which I was born. Fires in Greenfield, especially of village residences, were rare in those days. The only fire apparatus then owned by the town (55 years ago) was on wheels, and carefully stowed away for the winter behind a large collection of vehi- cles and other impedimenta, so that it was not got out for service till some time the next day. Nothing checked the conflagration, or interrupted my admiration of it, except a characteristic act by one who has long been a respected citizen of the town. Captain George Pierce, as useful and brave then as he has been ever since, came wading through the deep snow, bearing aloft tenderly and in triumph, one of my most cherished possessions-a big black rag baby, which he had heroically rescued from the flames.
Although my own birthplace was thus destroyed, I could, until recently, identify, on the west side of Federal street, in a much changed condition, what I formerly knew as the old Ripley house,* in which my father was born. (Daniel Wells Alvord, 1816.) The house is still standing, I believe, but removed to another part of the town. And it has been but a few years since there stood at the west end of Main street, under a great elm, on the brow of the hill, the substantial homestead in which my father's mother was born (in 1785). The house was built by her grandfather, Colonel Samuel Wells in 1752, the year before the town was incorporated.
* Dr. Walker's place,
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MAJOR ALVORD'S ADDRESS
My paternal grandfather was born in Wilmington, Ver- mont, but passed nearly all his life in this town, where he died. His father and his grandfather both lived and died here. My grandfather's grandfather moved to Greenfield from Northampton with a large family in 1762, and my an- cestors in three lines (Alvords, Clapps and Wells) were among the early members of the old church which stood but 2 few rods from this spot .*
It will be remembered that before being set off from the town of Deerfield, this was " the Green River district." To the lovely stream in our western meadows we may apply the lines written by William Cullen Bryant of another Green River not very far away :
" When breezes are soft and skies are fair, I steal an hour from study and care, And hie me away to the woodland scene, When wanders the stream with waters of green; As if the bright fringe of herbs on its brink, Had given their stain to the wave they drink ; And they, whose meadows it murmurs through, Have named the stream for its own fair hue.
*
" Though forced to drudge for the dregs of men, And scrawl strange words with the barbarous pen, And mingle among the jostling crowd, Where the sons of strife are subtle and loud, I often come to this quite place, To breathe the airs that ruffle thy face, And gaze upon thee in silent dream, For in the lonely and lovely stream, An image of that calm life appears, That won my heart in my greener years."
One of the first public works of the town which I remem- ber, was the extension of the railroad northward, and the building of that much admired wonder of the time, "The Arch " on Main street. How the little boys who clambered down the deep sandy banks and up again, to get to school,
* Four Corners.
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MAJOR ALVORD'S ADDRESS
envied the bigger ones, who dared make the perilous passage on the partly finished masonry! "The old brick school house "* was then the goal, set well back from Main street, with its broad, barren expanse of gravel in front. Another matter of special envy was the frequency with which Henry Keith won the honor of wearing home, at the end of the week, a bright quarter-dollar hung upon a string around his neck, in token of being at the head of the spelling class ; the struggles of several of us to " down him," and the occasional but tran- sitory triumphs, will never be forgotton.
The small boys of the town in my day stood in special awe of three men,-entirely different from one another, but all known as " Bill," with equal disrespect. The first was " Bill " (Wm. F.) Grinnell, son of an honored sire and repre- sentative of a family of special prominence in the town for more than a century. He was rather a belligerent leader of the young men of the village and seemed to delight in mak- ยท ing all small boys think him far more dangerous than he was. But he got all over that and only two years ago, cordially welcomed and entertained me at Manchester, England, where he has represented the commercial interests of this country for many years. The next, " Bill " Wilson, was keeper of the peace,-the only special officer at " the centre ; " to us he represented the majesty of the law, and none of us were so rash as to incur his displeasure. The third was " Bill " Elliot, long the chairman of the "Prudential committee" for the public schools ; he was unquestionably a modest, faithful and useful public servant and I can now see no reason why we so dreaded his visits and his decisions as to examina- tions and vacations and new teachers :
" His knowledge, hid from public gaze, He did not bring to view; Nor made a noise town-meeting days, As many people do."
* Old Fellenberg.
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MAJOR ALVORD'S ADDRESS
For several years, an annual event of great interest to the younger school children of the village, was a picnic held by invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Wendell T. Davis, in the orchard east of their Main street residence,-where the Matthew Chapman house has since stood. A platform was erected against the Davis house and from it budding orators de- claimed,-" You'd scarce expect one of my age,"-" The boy stood on the burning deck," and other choice selections from " The Little Speaker." Under the apple trees long tables were loaded with the things children like to eat, and we had a good time generally. One row of those old apple trees is still standing.
About this time I was old enough to be trusted to do er- rands. I was sent periodically to buy snuff for my grand- mother from Dr. Hovey or Dr. Howland and allowed to carry her tin " foot stove," with its glowing coals, to " the Brick Church " of the Second Congregational Society. Par- son Langstroth preached there with great regularity, except late in the Spring ; he took his vacation then, because it was the swarming season, and " A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay." There were other provisions for warming the church and of a highly decorative character. I remember long lines of black stove pipe which extended for several rods over the side aisles, with bright tin pans hanging under every joint to protect Sunday clothes from the results of a green- wood-air-tight combination. At "the Stone Church " serv- ices were then conducted by the saintly Dr. Strong, its rec- tor for more than forty years, and his Sunday school, which I attended, was directed by one whom we reverentially called " Bishop " (Richard E.) Field. Occasionally an elder cousin permitted me to accompany him on a Sunday tramp to the First Church, near Nash's mills, where good Dr. Chandler held forth. Sometimes we went out Pleasant street and then across the country through " Wells' woods," and sometimes, when particularly courageous, we started from lower Main
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MAJOR ALVORD'S ADDRESS
street and following the mysterious paths through laurel and hemlock, braved the traditional dangers of the dismal " Dark Woods." (That was before Wells street and Conway street had been opened and before " the tool shops " had come from Conway.)
One of the annual events of the year, clear in my memory, was cutting the grass on the Clapp lot (Main, Church, High and Franklin streets). My grandfather's house was the only one on the square, leaving about seven acres of beautiful meadow, and as my home was then on Franklin street, facing the field, I had the full benefit of the haying operations. Such crops of grass I have never seen since upon an equal area. When the right day came, the neighborhood was awak- ened by the music of stone and steel, and it was truly inspir- ing to see the line of ten or a dozen skilful mowers move across the field, swinging their scythes in even cadence, and stopping at intervals to whet the blades, all together. During these brief halts, it was my ambition to help distribute from big pails, iced molasses and water, spiced well with ginger. The veteran Colonel Nutting was the foreman of the force. Banishment from the lot would have been instant had I ven- tured to molest the nests of meadow larks and bobolinks, around each of which if discovered in season, was left standing a large tuft of grass. The nests of bumblebees were treated with equal consideration. Mr. Clapp was a good farmer and this mowing lot was his pride. It used to be said that the sound of the scythe in that field was the signal for haying to begin all over Franklin County. In the proceedings of the old United States Agricultural Society is the record of a crop of almost 50 tons of well cured hay, cut from that field in a single season (three cuttings), or nearly seven tons to the acre. This was authenticated, and in recent years I have looked in vain for a heavier crop, anywhere in this country, upon land not irrigated.
The boys of the Fifties joined in the public spirit and the
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MAJOR ALVORD'S ADDRESS
political movements of the village. We organized the Niag- ara Fire Engine Company, and by various entertainments, in- cluding amateur circuses and minstrel troups, aided by direct subscriptions, had a remarkable hand pump machine built ex- pressly for us, and bought at least 100 feet of one inch gar- den hose. I wonder where that little tub is! We did not rival " Eagle, No. I" and " Franklin, No. 2," in all respects, but our shirts were just as red and we could "run with the machine " almost as fast.
The "Young America Fremont Club" had a brief but flourishing existence, and its members were able to present a striking appearance by falling heirs to the regalia of the Greenfield Know-Nothing lodge, which had just gone out of business. A few youthful enthusiasts, inspired by paternal teachings, peddled Kibbe and Crane roll lozenges, assorted flavors, at Cattle Show time, the net proceeds being for the benefit of the local fund in aid of " Bleeding Kansas."
There was always considerable militia interest in Greenfield. We maintained a company which attended General Bank's "great Concord fight," and in 1860, the 10th Regt. M. V. M. was encamped on Petty's Plain (Camp Richmond). The colonel of the regiment (Decker) and the adjutant (H. D. Mirick) were both Greenfield men.
Who were the boys of Greenfield forty-five or fifty years ago? Let us try to call them from their homes, canvassing the village from east to west : Henry Hall, Ed. Dewey, Joe Beals, Ed. Mirick, Andrew Wait, Ed. Everett, Charley Lyons, Henry Alvord, Russell and George Davis, Sam Pierce, George Potter's youngest sons, Dwight Kellogg, Charles and George Forbes, Charley Conant, Scott and Henry Keith, Will Chapman, Wilbur Fisk, Gilbert Wilson, Henry Miles, Henry Elliott, Bowdoin Parker, Frank Pond, the Rowleys, and the Mitchell twins-peppery and pugnacious. From Cheapside came the Duncans and John Thompson, and Dan Kelliher. And our ranks were swelled from the North
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MAJOR ALVORD'S ADDRESS
Parish and the Meadows by Newtons, and Nims and Smeads.
Of course, " Jim " Long is not forgotten, but he was " be- twixt and between " as it were ; he didn't live in the village, although attending school at the Centre, and he really be- longed to a set of fellows a little older, although often asso- ciating with us. Especial honor is due to those who have stuck by the ancestral hearthstones, or who have come back to them to "stay put."
A temporary list may be added of those not natives and with us but a few years : Sam. Talcott, Will Russell, Sam. Decker and Delue Stevens, Charles and Will Raymond, and Henry and Lew Haupt.
Probably some have been unintentionally omitted. A few have been named who were rather older than my own set, proper, but more or less with us. By bringing in others older, the list could be much extended. But alas ! how few there are of all these to respond to the Old Home summons.
And the Greenfield girls ! It will hardly do to call that roll. Charming children and playmates-stimulating rivals in school-cherished companions in youth ! Tender memo- ries are awakened which may only be suggested ! Some sleep now in the cemeteries, so creditably cared for by surviving friends ; some are mothers,-yes, and grandmothers ; and some are reserved for duty as the maiden aunt,-a relation often involving a service of self-sacrifice, devotion and inesti- mable value, to which I can personally bear appreciative testi- mony.
Schoolmates remind us of schools and teachers. 4 How proud we were of that square, stiff, two-room wooden struc- ture on Chapman street, which was our first High School. And we were fortunate in the early male principals of the vil- lage schools. I recall particularly, Miner, the mathematician ; Griswold, the grammarian ; Sprague, the scientist; and Par- sons, philosopher and preacher.
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