USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Hatfield > History of Hatfield, Massachusetts, in three parts: I. An account of the development of the social and industrial life of the town from its first settlement. II. The houses and homes of Hatfield, with personal reminiscences of the men and women who have lived there during the last one hundred years; brief historical accounts of the religious societies and of Smith Academy; statistical tables, etc. III. Genealogies of the families of the first settlers > Part 20
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The fattening of cattle continued as one of the principal industries among the farmers of Hatfield. Large quantities of corn were raised in the fertile meadows, and in the fall each farmer bought as many pairs of oxen as he could find room for in his barns, 12 to 40 head. By the time of the Civil war some of the inhabitants had accommodations for even larger numbers. The Fitch brothers usually kept 100 head, J. D. Billings about 80, and Henry S. Porter 50.
Many sheep were also fattened. Some farmers had both sheep and cattle, but usually they specialized in one kind of stock. Elijah Bardwell and Reuben H. Belden used to keep as many as 1,000 through the winter and many had from 100 to 500.
Early in the nineteenth century the cultivation of broom corn on a commercial scale was begun. It had been raised in the Connecticut valley to a slight extent as early as 1780. The pioneer broom maker was Levi Dickinson of Hadley. He commenced to raise large quantities of broom corn and to make and sell brooms about 1797. The first to raise broom corn in Hatfield was Simeon Smith in 1816 or 1817. This proved a very profitable undertaking and broom corn came to be the principal cultivated crop, reaching an acreage of nearly 1,000 acres. The meadow roads were narrow lanes through the tall waving fields. The memorial poem of Edward C. Porter at the Hadley bicentennial celebration in 1859 devoted several stanzas to the praise of the "tall broom corn."
"The Broom Corn stands on the meadow lands, Like an army still and solemn,
When it holds its breath as the leaden death Pours fast from the foeman's column ; For the tall Broom Corn is a warrior born, In the stern battalions growing,
And his green leaves wave like a banner brave, When the battle winds are blowing.
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
"The yellow Maize in September days Stands ripe on hill and meadow, While brightly gleam in the slant sunbeam The ears 'mid the green leaves' shadow; But the tall Broom Corn is a warrior born, In the stern battalions growing,
And his green leaves wave like a banner brave, When the battle winds are blowing.
"The golden grain on the sunny plain Stands calm in the carly dawning, And it nods with pride on the broad hillside, In the gentle breeze of morning ; But the tall Broom Corn is a warrior born, In the stern battalions growing,
And his green leaves wave like a banner brave, 1 When the battle winds are blowing.
"His blood-red crest in the morning mist He waves o'er the close ranks proudly,
Like a soldier's plume in the battle gloom, Where the cannon thunder loudly ; For the tall Broom Corn is a warrior born, In the stern battalions growing,
And his green leaves wave like a banner brave, When the battle winds are blowing."
The cultivation of broom corn lasted till about 1860 and there were many flourishing shops in town for the manufac- ture of brooms. A device for separating the seed from the corn was invented by Elisha Wells about 1850. This so- called scraper took the place of the hetchels which had before been used. The seed was ground with corn for provender for cattle. Frost often prevented the ripening of the seed. At the height of the industry some farmers harvested $1,000 worth of broom seed.
Those who had the largest broom factories were Elijah Bardwell, Lucius G. Curtis, John D. Brown, William C. Bliss, Josiah Brown, and Otis C. Wells, all of them employing a large number of workmen. Many of the smaller farmers had little shops on their places, where they made brooms during the winter, and the industry was kept up on a small scale till several years after the Civil war. No broom corn is raised in town now, but Anthony Douglas still operates a shop.
Many French-Canadians settled in town from 1850 on. They were expert broom tyers and this occupation was the chief cause of the French immigrants becoming permanent settlers of the town. They had come in large numbers in previous years to work on the farms in summer, but had been in the habit of returning to Canada in the fall to work
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
in the woods during the winter. Among the first of the French settlers in Hatfield were Peter Balise, Anthony Bolack, James Breor, Anthony Douglas, and Edward Proulx.
Tobacco had been raised in the Connecticut valley almost from the beginning of the settlements, but only in small garden patches. In 1857 William H. Dickinson and James Morton commenced the cultivation of this crop for sale in quantity. They were successful with it and their neighbors
A TOBACCO FIELD.
immediately followed their example. Broom corn had by this time become very uncertain and unprofitable on account of competition of western growers on low-priced land and tobacco took its place. By 1860 the production of tobacco had increased to 1,780 cases. In 1909 the yield was over 7,500 cases.
For a short time in the '30's there was a craze for raising teasels. Their sharp hooks were used for the dressing of woolen cloth. The craze quickly died out. Soon after came a craze for the growing of silkworms. Many mulberry trees were set out, Capt. Thaddeus Graves, Richard Smith, and Moses Warner each having several hundred and others smaller plantations. This industry, like the growing of teasels, was short-lived and unprofitable. Elijah Dickinson and his son Elijah were the most enthusiastic over the cul- ture of silkworms and continued it several years after 1840.
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
The lumber industry had become quite an important branch of the activities of the town. Harvey Moore oper- ated a sawmill on the site of Shattuck's gun shop, where the Meekins mill had been, and did a large business. Henry Wilkie operated a sawmill where A. L. Strong's now is, and Solomon Mosher had one at West Brook. The latter was also engaged in the manufacture of saleratus. He sold out about 1850 to Kitridge and Dutton, who in addition to their wood working also made husk mattresses. This business was continued by Andrew Dutton till after the Civil war. He was succeeded by George and Dwight Dickinson. The manufacture of mattresses gave the farmers an opportunity to dispose of what was otherwise a waste product. The corn was picked in the field and husked at the barn and the husks carefully saved and taken to the mill.
During the period under consideration flourishing settle- ments grew up at West Farms (now Bradstreet), at West Brook (or North Hatfield), and at West Hatfield. Good- sized schoolhouses were built in these villages in 1860 and 1861 to replace the small ones that served at first. Only the one at West Hatfield remains in use. The building of the brick schoolhouses is noted in Mr. Wells's reminiscences in Part II. None of them were built till after the Civil war.
Hatfield was divided into school districts in 1812 and was organized under the state law of 1826 with a committee to examine teachers. There were only three districts at first,- the Hill, South Center, and North Center. The North Cen- ter schoolhouse was on the J. D. Brown lot. A "select school" was established about 1820 for teaching the higher branches of learning to such as had mastered the "three R's." It was conducted in a schoolhouse built on the Silas Porter lot and taught by college students during their long winter vacations. Among those who taught in this school were Walter M. Howland, former treasurer of Amherst College; Rev. Judson Titsworth of Milwaukee, Wis .; and Rev. Joseph Leach of Keene, N. H. The old brick schoolhouse on Main Street was taken down in 1846 and replaced by a wooden one, which was located on the so-called "proprietors lot." It stood where the row of hitching posts is, back of the Congre- gational church, and was afterward moved to the Morton lot, where it remained till torn down by A. W. Morton in 1908.
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
The "proprietors lot" was the Israel Williams lot, bought by public-spirited citizens to be reserved for public use. The cemetery was sold to the town in 1846, the church was built in 1849 on the front part of the lot and the town hall and parsonage in 1852. The first town hall was built in 1830 on the Squire Benjamin Smith lot. Its site was where the driveway leading to the cemetery is, one part being on the corner of the Memorial Hall lot. Dr. Lyman's lot was the next to the south.
From 1830 to 1860 the lyceum system was at the height of its popularity. The meetings furnished the chief social diversion of the people as well as giving valuable training in parliamentary practice. There was a lyceum in each school district in the town, that in West Farms being kept up the longest. Whole families attended the gatherings, which were held in the schoolhouses, and the debates on public questions excited great interest. The participants were for the most part citizens of the town, though outside speakers sometimes were secured. Leaders were appointed in ad- vance, but all who wished took part in the discussions. Popular vote decided the argument.
At about the same time the singing schools were a popular feature of the social life during the winter season. A course of twelve or fourteen lessons was given and the season was closed with a grand concert. In 1852 Jenny Lind, who was then spending her honeymoon on Round Hill in Northamp- ton, sang in Hatfield under the large elm tree in front of S. F. Billings's house, which has since been known as the "Jenny Lind elm."
The church history of the period is given in Part II. The town and parish were divided in 1829. Some change from the earlier established order of a union of church and town affairs had begun as early as 1741, for when Mr. Woodbridge was called as colleague of Mr. Williams, he was chosen by a church committee and the choice was ratified by vote of the town. The same was the proceeding when Dr. Lyman was settled. He had his salary paid from the town treasury throughout his pastorate, as did his successor, Rev. Jared B. Waterbury, who was installed as colleague Jan. 10, 1827. Dr. Lyman died March 27, 1828. Rev. Levi Pratt, ordained in 1830, was not hired by the town, but by the church and parish.
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
About 1845 began the immigration of numbers of Irish and German settlers. The Irish exodus from "the old sod" was caused primarily by the failure of the potato crop in Ireland, and between 1845 and 1847 its inhabitants came in great numbers to the shores of America. Some of them found employment in building the Connecticut river railway, which was finished as far as Northampton in 1845. Between 1845 and 1848 the line between Northampton and Greenfield was under construction. The Irish, who were at home farm laborers, settled as permanent residents in all the Connecti- cut valley towns, where many of them soon acquired farms of their own .. The Irish residents of Hatfield who settled in town between 1845 and 1860 were William, Patrick, and Thomas Boyle, Joseph and Michael Clancy, Michael Day, John and Maurice Fitzgibbons, Michael Hade, James Leary, John McHugh, Matthew Nolan, Nicholas and Edmund Pow- ers, John and James Ryan, John B. Ryan, and Daniel and Michael Whalen.
The chief cause of the Germans leaving their fatherland was the failure of the revolution in Germany in 1848. The first settlers of German birth in Hatfield were Christian Carl, with his grown sons, Philip, Frederick, and Jacob, Peter Saffer, Adam Doppman, George Vollinger, Frank Newman, George Chandler, Gottlieb Decker, Joseph Stoddard, Peter Stoddard, and Frank Steele. Many of the German families settled in West Hatfield along the Pantry road, which had not before been built upon to a very large extent.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE CIVIL WAR.
" When a deed is done for Freedom, through the broad earth's aching breast, Runs a thrill of joy prophetic, trembling on from east to west."
Hatfield's Civil war pastor .- The selectmen .- The first enlistments .- Rallies of the year 1662 .- Work of the women .- Farewell to the members of the 52d .- The roll of honor .- The drafts of 1663.
As was the case in the Revolutionary war, so when the struggle between the North and the South came on, Hatfield had an eloquent, ardent, and patriotic minister. Rev. John M. Greene was ordained as pastor of the church Oct. 20, 1857. His able sermons roused the people to the full per- formance of their duty and his services were in demand at rallies. Filled with ardor for the cause of the Union he desired to serve as chaplain of a regiment, but did not receive an appointment.
The selectmen, who served as recruiting officers, were strong and able men. William H. Dickinson, Reuben H. Belden, and John T. Fitch were the selectmen from 1862 to 1868, put in as young men to replace the former board of older citizens. In addition to caring for the interests of the town they were tireless in the work of filling the town's quota at each call for more men and in looking after any families who needed aid while the men were at the front.
The news of the firing on Fort Sumter aroused great excitement in the town. A high flagstaff was raised in front of the Hill schoolhouse and a new flag spread to the breeze from its top in a great public demonstration. By an unfor- tunate accident Erastus F. Billings lost a leg. A cannon burst from being charged too heavily and one of the frag- ments struck him.
It was not long before troops were being hurried south. The Hatfield volunteers in the 10th Massachusetts regi- ment, that followed close on the heels of the famous 6th in 1861, were James H. Abbott, Charles L. Bardwell, Charles W.
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
N
REUBEN H. BELDEN
WILLIAM H.DICKINSON
JOHN T. FITCH
WILLIAM D. BILLINGS
TOWN OFFICERS DURING THE CIVIL WAR. W. H. DICKINSON, R. H. BELDEN, and J. T. FITCH, Selectmen. W. D. BILLINGS, Town Clerk.
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
Evans, Judson W. Harris, Dwight Morton, George Warner, and Jonathan D. Warner. The names of the other soldiers with the commands in which they served are given in the table at the end of the chapter. The 21st, 24th, 25th, 27th, 30th, and 31st Massachusetts regiments each took Hatfield men.
By 1862 it was seen that the suppression of the rebellion was not to be the easy task supposed at first and there was talk of the necessity of a draft. The Massachusetts towns were loyally filling the quotas of new men called for, how- ever. Hatfield's quota for the 37th regiment was 16 men. A rousing public meeting was held in the town hall July 14, 1862, at which nearly all the voters were present. It was unanimously voted to raise a bounty fund of $100 for each volunteer called for from the town. Eight men came forward and pledged themselves to be responsible for $100 each in case the town should decide not to raise the whole amount by taxation. They were Elijah Bardwell, Joseph D. Billings, David Billings, Charles M. Billings, Dex- ter Allis, William H. Dickinson, George W. Hubbard, and Marshall N. Hubbard. Spirited addresses were made by Rev. J. M. Greene, Rev. J. L. Morton, George W. Hubbard, and Edwin Graves.
Another meeting was called for the 18th. The Hamp- shire Gazette of July 22, gives this account of it :-
"The greatest event that transpired during the past week was the great mass meeting which occurred at the town hall Friday evening. * * * Rev. Mr. Greene * came forward, filled to overflowing with patri- otism, and offered his services as chaplain, and said he would shoulder a musket if necessary. Mr. Greene spoke for about an hour and was fre- quently applauded. He showed himself a patriot, a true American. Mr. Edwin Graves was called for, and after making a few remarks presented a United States enlistment roll and amid the most deafening applause signed his name thereto. He then called upon others to. follow his example, and before 12 o'clock the call was responded to by sixteen good men and true- the town's entire quota. * *
* Three cheers were given each man as they signed the roll, and hearty cheers they were, too. Thus did old Hatfield raise her quota, and noble men they are, and God bless them, is all we can utter. The music for this occasion was furnished by the Hatfield cornet band."
From the Gazette of July 29 :-
"HATFIELD .- You have doubtless been informed of the result of the meet- ing of last Friday evening for enlisting the quota of sixteen men, which were rapidly obtained, and twelve more. were ready to go had the quota required. The Sabbath morning following Rev. Mr. Greene announced that he would preach in the afternoon, with particular reference to those who
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
had enlisted, and it is to be regretted that the weather prevented many from being there. The appropriate hymn for such an occasion, 'America,' was sung by the congregation, followed by a most earnest prayer in behalf of our rulers, our officers and men in the army, and particularly for those about to leave their homes and its influence for camp life with its trials, hardships and dangers; the carnestness and feeling with which they were borne to the throne of grace caused many a moist eye in the house. The sermon was from the text, 'Be strong and of good courage, and I will be
REV. JOHN M. GREENE, D.D., Pastor of the Church, 1857-68.
with thee.' * * Slavery was briefly but pointedly alluded to as being the prime cause of the rebellion, which has been undermining the very foundation of our government, suffering the best interests of the nation, and tending to destroy public institutions of learning, and to do away with civil liberty and freedom, and those who go to do battle for our country, right and liberty, should have in mind that their work is but partly finished unless this blighting curse of our nation is crushed and destroyed.
* * His closing remarks to those who had enlisted were earnest and touching. Seldom do we listen to a sermon of such deep earnestness, combined with such tender feeling."
Hatfield had other citizens of pronounced anti-slavery views, one of the most prominent of whom was Charles
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
Morris Billings. His house was one of the stations of the "underground railway" before the war, and fugitive slaves were harbored by him till they could be sent on to their destinations.
A letter in another part of the Gazette of July 29, 1862, says :-
"The patriotic ladies of Hatfield have sent the following articles to Washington: 128 sheets, 82 shirts, 24 burial sheets, 153 pillowcases, 154 towels, 20 handkerchiefs, 15 bedticks, 43 pillows, 1 bed quilt, 2 pairs socks and bundles of cotton and linen pieces."
Within a month came a call for the enlistment of another regiment for service for nine months, in addition to the volunteers who had previously gone singing, "We are com- ing, Father Abraham, with three hundred thousand more." For this regiment, the 52d, Hatfield furnished twenty-four men.
A letter signed by "Rally" in the Gazette of August 26, tells of the enlistment of men for the 52d regiment :-
"HATFIELD .- At a mass meeting held in the Town Hall last Thursday evening old Hatfield once more showed her patriotism by filling her last quota of men before any other town in old Hampshire, and she stands ready to do it again. The following resolutions were passed :-
" 'Resolved, that in the opinion of this meeting it is the duty of our government and the army to faithfully carry out the spirit and letters of the confiscation and emancipation acts.
" 'Resolved, that we appreciate the kindness of the Rev. J. M. Greene, our pastor, in offering his services as Chaplain and that we as citizens and volunteers of Hatfield will use our influence in procuring his appointment as Chaplain in whatever regiment our volunteers shall be assigned to.'
"Short speeches were made by Geo. W. Hubbard, Geo. W. Waite and Wm. B. Coleman. Mr. C. in closing his remarks invited all who would respond to the next call to take a position upon the stage. In response to this challenge twenty men stepped beside Mr. Coleman and pledged them- selves to go at the next call. Hatfield sees no draft, and she never will, until the militia roll is entirely exhausted."
On the 22d of September about 200 of the townspeople gathered to give these volunteers a farewell supper. Fol- lowing the supper was a presentation of a sword, sash, belt, and pistol to Lieut. H. P. Billings by Rev. J. L. Morton, in the following words :-
"Lieutenant Billings, I am detailed by a few of your friends to perform a most pleasing military duty. I have for an hour to-night, laid aside the inky implement of my profession, for it is only in 'piping times of peace' that 'the pen is mightier than the sword,' and this is the day of the sword's supremacy.
"You and your twenty-two compatriots, the prime and pride of the manhood of our town, have enrolled yourselves among the 'three hundred
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
thousand more' whom your blended voices have just now-as often before, in the still evening air of our quiet village-told 'Father Abraham' he might soon expect along.
"Your comrades in arms have chosen that you should bear before them this symbol of honor and authority. A few of your friends desire-ere you depart from scenes made delightful by a thousand associations-to express their confidence in your valor and their appreciation of your worth, beg you to accept as a slight token of the same this sword and the equipment pertaining to it.
"They believe you as true as this blade, and that like it your heart is steel against the cries of the traitors you go to fight; that like it, too, your sympathies will bend to the sufferings of the noble boys who go with you.
"Take the sword, Lieutenant, and never let it be dishonored; bear it always in the front rank of danger, and tarnish its brightness only with rebel blood. If you ever come home, be sure and bring it with you, that you may transmit it, an honored relic of some well fought field, to pos- terity. * * *
"May God bless you, Lieutenant, and the brave fellows who go with you.
* * Be mindful of the prayers-aye, fervent and tearful prayers, which every morning and evening will ascend for you from these fireside altars, and from many lonely and loving hearts."
The regiment was in camp at Camp Miller at Greenfield about two months and was visited frequently by the friends and relatives from the near-by towns. A letter from the camp to the Gazette says :-
"The Hatfield boys still abound in good things. They have a large table which they set at meal time in front of their tent and it is daily loaded with articles which plainly indicate the quality of their good mothers at home, while the many elegant bouquets which adorn the interior of their tent, attest the still glowing affection of 'the girl I left behind me.'"
Under date of Oct. 28, 1862, the Gazette said :-
"Old Hatfield is bound to be ahead in whatever she undertakes, whether it be fattening cattle or raising men for the purpose of crushing out the rebellion. Her first men are in the gallant 10th, whose name will forever shine upon the pages of history. She has also sons in many of the regi- ments formed in the eastern as well as in every regiment raised in west part of state. The number of 3 years men raised is 54; the number of 9 months men is 24; making a grand total of 78 men sent from a little village whose enrolled militia numbers but 150 including exempts. She has also raised about $8,000 for their support, $5,000 of which was paid as a bounty to the volunteers, and the remainder was for the relief of the sick and wounded."
The first Hatfield man to lay down his life for the cause was Elbridge D. Clifford, a member of Co. I, 21st Regiment, who was wounded in the neck at the time of Pope's defeat in Virginia, in August, 1862. He walked fifteen miles to overtake his regiment, but became exhausted and was placed in a hospital, where he died.
It is no part of the scope of this history to give details of the four years' conflict. The campaigns in which the Hatfield soldiers took part are fully described in the "Regi-
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HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
mental" and "Corps" histories, of which several excellent ones have been published, and in other books upon the war.
In spite of the prediction of the letter given above, the dreaded drafts did come. In the summer of 1863 two were made, in June and July. The drafts were extremely unpop- ular, especially among the foreign born population and, after the New York and Boston riots, an outbreak was feared in Hatfield. No demonstration was made, however, but it was an anxious time for the town officials. A large number of special deputies were sworn in who patrolled portions of the town. Several men who were drafted secured substitutes and the town offered high bounties, in some cases as much as $1,000, for soldiers to take the places of those who were drafted for service.
HATFIELD'S MILITARY QUOTA SERVING IN THE CIVIL WAR, 1861-1865.
Killed in Battle.
Abbott, James H., Sergeant, Waite, William R.,
Co. C, 10th Mass. Inf., Spottsylvania.
Co. B, 30th Mass. Inf., Petersburg.
Field, John W., Sergeant,
Co. F, 37th Mass. Inf., Battle of the Wilderness.
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