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 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
In spite of the losses of the war there had been an in- crease in population, many of the soldiers from the Bay towns taking up their residence in Hatfield. The conduct of town affairs had grown more complex, requiring a division of the work among more officers than were needed at first, when almost everything was acted on by the inhab- itants in town meeting assembled or delegated to the selectmen or to special committees appointed for special purposes. At the beginning of the year 1678 these officers were chosen: Nicholas Worthington, constable; Thomas Meekins, Lieut. William Allis, Edward Church, Samuel Belden, and Daniel White, selectmen; Eleazer Frary, sur- veyor of highways; William Gull and Samuel Dickinson, fence viewers; Daniel Belden, to warn meetings; Eleazer Frary, Thomas Hastings, and Philip Russell, rate makers; John Field and John Wells, to gather the rates. Robert Poick, or Poag, was "agreed with to sweep the meeting-
102
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
house and ring the bell this year for twenty shillings. Fur- ther it was agreed that the constable shall request the county court to appoint commissioners in the town for next year."
This is the first mention of the choice of selectmen, though they are referred to as a body in the records earlier and were probably elected yearly. The election of a town clerk was not entered till 1692. County commissioners seemed to be sent or not as each town saw fit and Hatfield had not previously had them regularly. The same was true of representatives to the General Court at Boston.
Sept. 6, 1681, when the commissioners met to examine the estates in Hampshire County, Eleazer Frary was ap- pointed to consult with representatives from other towns "as to what is a proper compensation for our town with the rest to encourage a bonesetter to settle in some of the adjacent towns." It was agreed to give £10. At that period doctors were not always able to do surgical work. It is not known whether Dr. Thomas Hastings was a bone- setter or not. He had been a settler in Deerfield before King Philip's war and had a grant of a house lot and land there in 1680, but did not return. It is possible that he had gone to Watertown, where he was born, and that he was the one the county commissioners were seeking. At any rate he settled in Hatfield about 1684 and practiced medicine in most of the towns of the county, sometimes being called as far as Brookfield.
Jan. 30, 1677/8, the town "voted and agreed that those whose estates were consumed or demolished since the last list was taken August 1677 (by the common enemy) shall be freed in the ministers and town rates." They had pre- viously been assisted by the General Court, which ordered, Oct. 30, 1677, "In ansr to them of Hatfield,-that the rates of those of that toune who have bin impoverished by the late cruelty of the enemy burning downe their habitations, shall be respitted and left in their hands untill the Court shall give further order therein."
Rates were still collected very frequently and for many purposes. References in the town records to a minister's rate are frequent, as Hatfield was without a settled minister from the death of Mr. Atherton in 1677 till the call to Rev.
103
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
Nathaniel Chauncey was accepted in 1683. Various candi- dates were preaching till that year and had to be paid for their services. There were rates for town debts, herdsmen, shepherds, bridges, etc. The poverty brought by the war is shown by the fact that a settlement in full was not given Rev. Hope Atherton's widow till 1680, when Sarah Ather- ton, in consideration of the sum of £40, declared the obli- gations discharged. The settlers who had suffered the most were given assistance by the town in rebuilding their places. Those who were appointed to search for a successor to Mr. Atherton were assisted in their work while obliged to be away from home and the amount of mowing and reaping volunteered by various proprietors was made a matter of record.
In 1680, appears for the first time a record of valuation of land as a basis of taxation, £1 per acre. Each "head" was reckoned at £16, hence the polls paid a much larger proportion of the tax than at the present. All males over 16 were polled and return of the polls and estate were made to county and colony officials. From the taxes derived from this assessment of land and polls were paid the county and colony rates and the town debts. The rate makers still continued to divide among the inhabitants the amounts required for the minister's and other rates spoken of. The selectmen acted as assessors in addition to other duties. In 1687 John Hubbard was chosen to act with them "to take a list of the estates to transmit to the shire town according to the provisions of the law."
An inventory of the property of Lieut. William Allis taken Sept. 18, 1678, is of interest as showing the amount and kinds of possessions among the householders of the period. He was one of the well-to-do citizens.
In purse and apparell.
£9 13s. 0d
Arms and ammunition.
6
1
0
Beds and their furniture
9
5
0
Napkins and other linen.
2
1 0
Brass and pewter pieces
5 10
0
Iron utensils
2 11
6
Tables, pitchforks, cushions, sythe.
1
19 0
9
6
Woolen and linen yarne.
0
18
6
Several sorts of grain, flax
11
12
0
2 horses
7 0
0
3 cows, 2 steers, 2 calves, 1 heifer 20 0
0
Cart and plow irons, chains, stilliards. 7
5 0
Barrels, tubs, trays .. 3
104
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
Swine and Sheep.
10
8
0
Houses and home lot.
100
()
0)
Land in South meadow
114
0
0
Land in Great and Little meadow.
136
0
0
Land in Plain and Swamp
20
0
0
Land in Quinepaike.
28
13
0
£496
6s. 6d.
In April, 1680, the town chose attorneys to look after its interests. They were not lawyers but men taken from the body of citizens for recognized ability, "our truly and well beloved friends John Coleman and John Allis." A regular power of attorney was recorded and they were empowered to "ask, require, sue for, levy, and recover and receive of all and every person whatsoever moneys is due us or any of us from the County upon the account of the war with the heathen."
They were apparently not able to accomplish all that was desired, for in October, 1680, Samuel Partridge (then spelled Partrigg) of Hadley was appointed agent. He moved his residence to Hatfield in 1687, settling on "the Hill," and became at once the leading man in the com- munity. He was already prominent in county affairs, hav- ing been recorder of the courts in Northampton since 1676 and clerk of the writs since 1682.
Samuel Partridge was born Oct. 15, 1645, in Hartford, the son of William Partridge, a cooper, one of the first settlers of Hadley, who had held various town offices in Hartford and Hadley and was engaged in trading with the Indians till his death in 1668. Samuel learned his father's trade apparently, as there is a record of the sale of barrels by him to Colonel Pynchon. The regard in which he was held by his townspeople is shown by the fact that he was licensed to sell liquor at a time when only men of the high- est standing were allowed to engage in that business. He had a license to sell liquor in Hadley in 1678 "to the neigh- bors" and in 1681 " for the helpfulness of the neighbors," and was a wine dealer. He also dealt in ardent spirits and wine in Hatfield, as did many of his descendants.
He taught in the Hopkins Grammar School for three months, but was dismissed in 1685 for his pronounced views.
His military experience began with King Philip's war, in which he served, but did not hold a commission. In King
105
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
William's war, 1688-98, he became captain of the militia ; later was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the Hampshire regiment, in which he had been quartermaster in 1683, and served as colonel of the regiment in Queen Anne's war, 1703-13, and Father Rasle's war, 1722-26. He was appointed commissary general in 1705.
In Hadley he had been a packer of meat and fish, inspector and gauger of casks in 1679, the first on record, select- man in 1672, 1678, 1680, 1682, 1684, 1686, and representative to the General Court in 1685 and 1686.
In Hatfield he kept the town records from 1688 to 1701; was selectman in 1688, from 1690 to 1703, 1716-24 (with the exception of the years 1718, 1720, and 1723), and again in 1728; and served as representative from his first election in 1689 to 1700 with the exception of two years. While he was living in Hadley he was commissioned by Hatfield in 1680 to "attend upon the General Court."
In 1689 he was appointed a justice to hear the witchcraft trials and to his sane judgment and keen sense of humor is probably due the fact that the witchcraft delusion did not spread to any alarming proportions in Hampshire County. There were some trials, but no executions. The story is told by Pres. Timothy Dwight that when a Northampton man accused another of bewitching him, Justice Partridge quickly ordered him given ten lashes on the spot, to the discomfiture of the complainant and the amusement of the spectators.
In 1709 he became a judge of the probate court and in 1715 was appointed a justice of the court of General Ses- sions. He was a member of His Majesty's Council from 1700 to 1723. His opinion was highly valued and his in- fluence was great. The published and unpublished archives of the state of Massachusetts contain the mention of his name and acts in many places. One of the important com- missions to which he was appointed was that of surveyor of the Connecticut-Massachusetts line in 1714.
With all the duties of peace and war that fell upon his shoulders he found time to attend to the duties of citizen- ship in the town that became his final residence. He died in Hatfield, Dec. 25, 1740, at the age of ninety-five, uni- versally respected and beloved.
106
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
Among the interesting old records of the Hatfield town clerk's office is a copy in the handwriting of Samuel Par- tridge of those who took the oath of allegiance in 1679 in the towns of Northampton, Hadley, and Hatfield. There were 126 subscribers from Northampton, where all had probably to appear before the officer and be sworn and their names entered by the clerk of the court. The book also contains the first births, deaths, and marriages in Northamp- ton and Hadley up to the year 1687 and was used to record the vital statistics of Hatfield to the year 1843. The signers of the oath from Springfield, Westfield, and Suffield are entered in the county records in Northampton.
"The Oath of Alleagence wch by Order from our Honored Genl Court was to bee taken by all Persons from 16 years old and upward within this county and accordinglie was administered Febr 8th, 1678 By ye Worshipfull Majr Pynchon & by them was taken viz: by the Inhabitants & others as aforesaid in Hadley whose names are hereafter Written."
[List of 92 names from Hadley.]
"Here followeth likewise the names of ye Persons yt took ye oath of aleagence as above in Hatfield Febr 8th 78.
Mr. John Wise
Tho. Meakins Sene Wm Gull
Nathll Dickinson
Samll Belding Sene
Edw Church
Jno Coleman
Danll White
Danll Werner
Phillip Russell
Elez Frary
Jno Wells
Jno Field Jno Lomas
Jno Allice
Obadiah Dickenson
Jno Cowles
Samll Dickinson
Nick Worthington
Tho. Hastings
Samuel Allice
Moses Crofts
Wm Bartholemew Quintan Stockwell
Samll Marsh
Samll Belding Jue
Walter Hickson
Samll Kellogg
Jno Clary
Jno Downing
Benj. Waite
Jos Thomas
Stephen Gennings
James Brown
Samll Field
Jacob Gardner
Samll Graves Sene
Wm Scott
Jno Graves
Danll Belding
Robt Bardal
Tho Bracye Sampson Frary
Benj Barret
Ephraim Hinsdall
Samll Harrington
Jno Evans
Wm Armes
Isack Graves
Stephen Belding
Samll Graves Jue
Benj. Downenge
Simon Williams
Jno Wells June
Benj Hastings
Wm Kinge
Jos. Field
Robt Poick
Peter Plympton
Samuel Foote
"The abovesd Persons yr names were here entered this Febr 23d 1678 By me Samll Partrigg Recorder."
There were fifty houses in Hatfield in the year 1675. The population in 1678 was probably between 300 and 350, judging by the number of polls. The number of houses is given in Trumbull's "History of Northampton" from a paper discovered in the British Museum. Hadley and Northampton had 100 each and Deerfield 30.
107
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
In 1683 Rev. Nathaniel Chauncey of Scituate, a graduate of Harvard in 1661, son of Rev. Charles Chauncey, presi- dent of Harvard College, became the pastor of the church. He had preached in Hatfield before, apparently from Dec. 12, 1679, to March 12, 1681. Then he left for a time and returned in 1682.
Before that an attempt had been made to settle Rev. John Wise of Ipswich, a gifted graduate of Harvard. He was of humble birth, the son of a serving man, but apparently eagerly desired on account of his commanding presence and elo- quence, for to many unreasonable demands in the way of giv- ing up to his use some of the best land in town the inhabitants readily yielded. He was in Hatfield for a season as shown by the fact of his signing the oath of allegiance in 1678 and by the collection of rates for his salary, but not con- tinuously. The pulpit was supplied during his absence by John Younglove, a preacher, but not an ordained minister, who was teaching in the Hopkins Grammar School in Had- ley, and by a Mr. Mather, probably Warham Mather, son of Rev. Eleazer Mather of Northampton. Mr. Wise did not accept the call extended to him and in 1680 he became the first pastor of the second church at Jebacco, afterward Essex, serving there for forty years. For his opposition to Governor Andros in 1687 he was imprisoned for two years and on release obtained damages for unlawful detention. He distinguished himself for bravery and endurance in the expedition against Canada in 1690. Tyler's "History of American Literature" says he was "the one American who, upon the whole, was the most powerful and brilliant prose writer produced in the county during the colonial time." The following vote was passed Nov. 10, 1679 :-
"The town hath manifest that they are desirous Mr. Chansy shall have a call to come and preach amongst us for the term of a year or less (as he and the town shall agree) in order to settlement if it shall please God to incline the heart of Mr. Chancy and the hearts of the inhabitants to close with each other; and farther that the town will allow him as his temporal maintenance sixty pounds per year and the use of the town house and allotment; and they have chosen and improved Thomas Meekins, Edward Church, Samuel Belden Senr. and Daniel White to acquaint Mr. Chancy with the town's desire."
On Feb. 24, 1679/80, a unanimous call was extended him, he was allowed £60 a year and firewood, and given the Goodwin house that he was then in, which had been occu-
108
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
pied by Mr. Atherton, whose surviving relatives had moved to Deerfield. The wood was reckoned equal to £9 in value, "fifty cords delivered corded, appraised according to the law at 3s. 6d. per cord."
Each householder was required to cut and deliver his proportion of the wood or suffer a fine and it was customary for the deacons and selectmen to appoint a day at some con- venient season when all could go to the woods together to perform the work, usually in November.
Samuel Foote '98
Nathaniel Foote
'98
Samuel Marsh '98
Thomas King '89
1 Ichabod Porter
'99
Martin Kellogg
'89
John Graves
'83
John Amsden
'89
Nicholas Worthington
'83
Samuel Gailer
'85
Daniel Warner
'86
Samuel Foote
'82
Goodwife Belden
'83
Samuel Partridge
'87
Thomas Hastings '84
Edward Church
'77
John Hubbard '83
Burying Ground
CHART SHOWING ASSIGNMENT OF LOTS ON "THE HILL," OR ELM STREET, UP TO 1700.
"The Hill," the present Elm Street, was built upon quite rapidly after 1683. On April 3 of that year it was ordered that two rows of house lots each 16 rods wide should be laid out on the Northampton road on or near the cart way and lots were granted to be built upon within a specified time, or the lots reverted to the town. In the case of sons of residents a very short time was allowed generally, but to some from other places who were contemplating a change of residence two years or more were given. Edward Church of Hadley had been granted a lot on the highway to Northampton in August, 1677, and he probably built soon
109
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
after. This lot was the one now owned by Dea. James Porter. John Hubbard came from Hadley in 1683 and built across the street from Church, next to the burying ground. The place has remained in the hands of descendants to the present, but all the other lots have undergone many changes in ownership. Church and Hubbard were followed by several others. The chart on the opposite page shows how the lots were assigned up to 1700, the dates being the time when the grants were made. Not all the lots were occu- pied in the seventeenth century. When two names are given it means that the lots were regranted because the proprietors did not comply with the requirements of the vote of April 3, 1683. The highway was to be 10 rods wide, later changed to 8 rods.
In 1684 an attempt was made to build up the lane that is now called School Street, but probably very few houses were built there till several years later. A house lot 16 rods wide and 80 rods long on the north side of "the highway to the Mill" against the rear of the house lots in the upper end of the west side of the street was granted to Martin Kel- logg, but he sold the property to Richard Morton in 1691. He took up his residence on "the Hill" about 1694. Grants of the same area were made to Hezekiah Dickinson, next to Kellogg, and to Stephen Jennings. On the south side of the lane grants were made to Robert Bardwell and Sam- uel Gunn, but they became settlers of the Denison farm. Jennings moved to Brookfield.
Oct. 21, 1684, the town voted to "divide the Commons in the town except what is reserved for home lots, sheep pas- tures, etc., to every inhabitant, according to his present valuation of estates; and the said Commons shall be laid out in Four Divisions,-the first to begin upon the plain behind the Mill, and end at the northerly line of the upper- most lot laid out in Mill river Swamp: The second to begin at the north side of the uppermost lot in the Mill river Swamp, and end at the north side of the town bounds : The Third Division to begin at the northwest side of the highway that goeth towards Northampton, and from the hill commonly called Sandy Hill, and end at the rising up of the side of the hill called the Chestnut Mountain :
,
110
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
The Fourth Division to begin where the Third division endeth, and to end at the outside of the town bounds."
It was stipulated that lots not fenced should still be con- sidered common and it is probable that few were fenced at that time or for more than a quarter of a century. The divisions were surveyed again in 1716, some changes were made because of dissatisfaction over the first allotment, and the lots were recorded as staked out. The grants were reconfirmed in 1735. The second and fourth divisions and part of the third were in the present town of Whately. Division was made to 69 proprietors whose names and the location and width of whose lots are given in the Appendix, Note 7.
Much of the power of the men and women of New Eng- land can be traced to the education received in the public school system for which the region has long been noted, but the public school system has been a gradual develop- ment and the schoolhouse does not date from the beginning in any of the pioneer towns. The idea of an educated ministry as leaders of thought was always of importance and colleges were established at a very early date, Har- vard in 1636 and Yale about 1700. Next came the grammar schools. The training of the young was left to the home. Nothing beyond a very rudimentary education was thought necessary for the majority of the people. It was soon feared, however, that the people of the scattered hamlets would revert to barbarism, so the General Court of Massachusetts in 1642 passed a law requiring parents and masters to teach the children and apprentices to read un- der penalty of a fine of 20 shillings. Selectmen of towns were to see that the provisions of the law were complied with. The books in use were the Horn-book, Primer, Psalter, Testament, and Bible. The Catechism, usually printed in the primers, formed a part of the regular course of instruc- tion. The Horn-books contained the alphabet and a few easy sentences printed on only one side of the page and covered with transparent horn to keep them from being soiled. They were superseded about 1700 by the introduc- tion of Dillworth's Spelling Book. Arithmetic was taught, but not by the use of books.
Hatfield as a town made its first provision for the edu-
111
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
cation of children in 1679. All those born in the first score of years had been taught at home, for there is no mention of any public or private school previous to Jan. 13, 1678/79, when it is recorded that :-
"The town hath agreed to give Thomas Hastings twenty pound per year to teach all such children in the town that should be sent to him (to school) to read and write, such as are capable, to wit, according as their parents and masters shall see cause, and the money to be raised upon boys that are between 6 and 12 years old and upon such girls as shall be sent to school, and if at 3d. per week by the head there arise not sufficient to make the twenty pound the remainder shall be raised as other rates in the town are raised."
Dec. 19 he was "freed from this time" and paid for the 36 weeks of instruction he had given.
In 1681 £30 was allowed the schoolmaster, a fourth part in wheat, a fourth in peas, a fourth in corn, and the remain- der in pork, at current prices. The parents of boys between the ages specified were assessed 12s. per year for readers and 16s. for those who were to be "improved in writing" and for others of whatever sex a sum proportional and depending on the length of time they attended school. Most of the girls were taught to read, but writing was not thought so essential for them, or even for the boys, appar- ently, for there were fewer writers than readers. There is no hint that the other branch of the "three R's" that later became so famous received any attention at first in the school. The school probably was conducted at Dr. Hast- ings's house till a schoolhouse was built in 1681. In 1688 repairs on it were ordered. It stood in the street near the meetinghouse.
Dec. 7, 1685, the town voted that Peter Buckly should not teach school any longer, but a week later it was decided to retain him for another quarter. In October of the next year the town decided not to hire a schoolmaster for the winter, but in August, 1687, it was voted to "hire a good able schoolmaster on the same terms as before."
"May 31, 1688-Voted that the Rev. Pastor of the church be desired to see out for a schoolmaster suitable to be discharged and maintained; one third part of the charge by the town in general, by rate or otherwise, and two thirds by the schools, viz: male children from six years old to twelve years of age, excepting poor men that may have sons to be educated, as the selectmen shall judge meet; the sum in all to be 30 pounds."
A Mr. Stephens was secured by Rev. William Williams, the pastor, but he objected to one part of the provision pay, as Indian corn was low in price and it was necessary in
112
HISTORY OF HATFIELD.
order to satisfy him to exchange part of his pay for wheat, which some public spirited citizens were found willing to do.
Those who were to be educated beyond the art of reading and writing could attend the Hopkins Grammar School in Hadley. Preparation for college was made with the assist- ance of the pastor, the only one in town who was able to give the necessary training.
The death of Rev. Nathaniel Chauncey, Nov. 4, 1685, left the people again without a pastor. The town voted to defray his funeral expenses. This time only a year elapsed before another minister was secured.
The coming of Rev. William Williams in 1686 for a pastorate of 55 years, with the arrival of Samuel Partridge at about the same time, marked an epoch in the history of the town. For nearly a century the members of these two families were to exert a commanding influence and bring Hatfield to a high rank in the growing common- wealth. The age of powerful leaders was beginning. Neither Mr. Atherton nor Mr. Chauncey had been men who possessed the fighting qualities so advantageous to leaders in such a stormy period and both their pastorates were of short duration.
Mr. Williams was called Dec. 6, 1686, and settled at once as pastor. He had preached in town previously, but left for some reason. Early in 1686 a committee was sent to the Bay to ask him to return, which he did, and he contin- ued in the work in Hatfield until his death, Aug. 29, 1741. He was born in Newton in 1665 or 1666, the son of Capt. Isaac Williams, of a wealthy and aristocratic family. He graduated from Harvard in 1683 in a class of three, one being his cousin, John Williams, who began to preach in Deerfield in 1686. The third was Samuel Danforth, who entered the ministry the same year in Taunton. Sheldon says in his "History of Deerfield": "Graduates were ranked in the catalogue then, not by merit, but according to station in society, and Danforth, son and grandson of a minister, of course stood first. John came next, we may suppose by virtue of his father being a deacon, while the father of William was only a captain and representative to the Gen- eral Court."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.