History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 104

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 700

USA > Massachusetts > History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I > Part 104

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The wide street was much improved in the course of time, and some ponds, especially one near the meeting-house, dis- appeared with other unsightly objects. Flocks of geese had long enjoyed the pools, and at times congregated beneath the meeting-house, even on the Lord's day, and, abusing their privileges as lay members, disturbed the services with their incoherent gabble.t The street was reduced prior to 179] to an average width of sixteen rods and a half or thereabouts. By the many floods in the river the street and some of the old home-lots at the north end have been washed away. Nearly all the land north of the lots of Chileab Smith and Thomas Coleman, as originally laid out, has disappeared, with a large part of the Smith lot, and some of the west end of

Chabhatan and Wottellosin know it, and saw it.' Chabbatan appeared, and said Tackquellawant had four quarts, as he testified, of J. W. ' I was with him, and saw it, and saw him pay a beaver-skin for it.' Nuxco testified : ' I fetched liquors from John Westcarr when the Indians wrre drunken, and my wigwam was broken and spoiled by the drunken Indians this summer. I was before the Northampton commissioners about it. I had six-and-a-half quarts of liquor of J. W., and paid him a great beaver-skin of my wife's. I also fetched three quarts more, and paid him six fadom of wampum.' Nuxco says it is a known trade among the Indians, that it's two fadom of wampum for a quart."

* "Two sons of Governor Webster lived some years in thia highway, near the east end, in small houses built by the town. The pound was near theni. One of the buildings long remained for a poor family to live in, and was called the town- house."-Judd's Hist., p. 197.

t The meeting-house and school-honse were both in the wide street, while the geese were most numerous. Mr. Judd applies to the situation the lines of Gold- smith :

" The noisy geese that gabbled o'er the poo], The playful children, just let loose from school."

But the geese did not long survive the establishment of Hopkins Academy, whose students waged against them a war of extermination.

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HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

the Coleman lot. There has been large gain in the meadow at the south end of the street. Middle Street was narrowed to its present width in 1773.

AFFAIRS-PENAL, SOCIAL, DOMESTIC, AND REGULATIVE.

In the early rude, as in the later cultured, age, there was an equilibrium of forees, a law of compensation. The present might not wish to exchange its gas and kerosene and electricity, as means for making day of night, for the fatty candle-wood and tallow-dips of the past, but would welcome a return of that social condition which enabled Richard Fellows, in 1662, to get redress in 10s. damages against Judith Varlete for " defamation, " and gave Good wife Hawk £5 judgment against Benjamin Wait for a " libelous writing." No less would it welcome more extended use of the methods by which, in 1665, Andrew Warner and the heirs of John Barnard com- posed their difficulties concerning a malt-house by arbitration. Hadley, since that day, has had little need of a resident law- yer, and for many years has had none. Justice was well pro- portioned when, in 1670, one John Garrett was visited with twenty-four stripes and a fine of £7 10s. for the paternity of a child born out of wedlock to a negro servant of Mr. Russell, while the mother received fifteen stripes. The fine was paya- ble to Mr. Russell ; but seven years later he parted with 33x. Gd., upon the judgment of a Springfieldl court, for saying that Daniel Hovey was a " man of scandalous life." There seems to have been no partiality shown in the court decisions, for it is recorded that Thomas Beaman, having received judgment against John Fisher to the amount of 40s. for saying that " Beaman's mother was a witch, and that he looked like one," was himself obliged to pay 10s. to his reviler, whom " he had fallen upon and beaten." But of all the offenders in Hadley, one Joseph Selding appears to have been the most incorrigible, and particularly distinguished for his defiance of lawful au- thority. He was one of nine young men who were variously disciplined for riotous conduct in February, 1676, in " stop- ping and hindering the execution of a sentence which was ordered by authority." This was in the troublous time of Philip's war, and was no doubt an outgrowth of the disturbed condition of affairs and the presence of many soldiers. Seld- ing's after-life was creditable, but he did not remain in Had- ley after 1700.

Less ereditable to our forefathers, perhaps, was their attitude toward the matrons and maids-their wives and daughters- who disregarded the distinctions created by the sumptuary laws and persisted in wearing silks and "excess of apparel," and even dared to wear them " flauntingly." A glorious liberty was won for their posterity by the martyrdoms suffered in Hadley, in the persons of Hannah (Barnard ), wife of Dr. John Westearr; Sarah (Strong), wife of Joseph Barnard, afterward Mrs. Jonathan Wells; Hannah ( Wakefield), wife of Edward Grannis ; Abigail ( Montague), wife of Mark Warner; Hep- zibah (Buell), wife of Thomas Wells, Jr .; Felix ( Lewis), wife of Thomas Selding, whose son Thomas was slain at Deer- field, in 1704; and maids Mary Broughton, Sarah Barnard, sister of Joseph ; Ruth Warner, daughter of Andrew ; Mercy Hubbard, daughter of John, and also the wife of Joseph Gay- lord ; and a daughter of Joseph Baldwin, Jr. This battle was fought between the years 1673 and 1677, and no body of select- men thereafter, though urged by the court, dared trespass upon the rights of the sisterhood. Perchanee the courage imparted hy flip, punch, and tobacco to the inner man was more than balanced by the outward weaknesses in attire,-knee-breeches, silk stockings, and royal wigs. "Perhaps," says Dr. Hunt- ington, "there was finally a compromise between the side- board and the toilet-table."

The housewives of that day, notwithstanding their love for silks, did not spurn the busy wheel wherewith was made the yarns of flax and wool and cotton, nor the loom in which these were woven into fabries for their families. The distaff

and spindle were theirs by divine right, and prouder they doubt- less were of their home-made fabries than of the silks of the Indies. Some of the cloths produced in Hadley between 1745 and 1772 were the following : tow, tow and linen, cotton# and linen, sacking, linsey-woolsey, plain and fine woolen, checked linen, checked woolen, fine eheck, checked cotton,* bod-tick, diaper, diamond table-linen, bird's-eye, fine wale, striped or streaked cloth, crape, blanketing, fine erash, and coverlets.+

Housekeepers of the present time would envy those of ancient Hadley the nearness and cheapness as well as richness of the shad and salmon. Since a century ago shad and pork have changed places, the latter losing its aristoeratie pre-emi- nence. Near the south end of West Street, in Hadley, was a famous salmon ground, prior to 1795. Forty salmon have there been caught in a single day, some of which weighed thirty pounds, and even reaching forty in rare cases. #

An act " to prevent monopoly and oppression was passed by the 'State of Massachusetts Bay,'" in 1777, fixing the maxi- mum prices at which the several articles therein enumerated should be sold, and authorizing the seleetmen and committees of the various towns to adopt corresponding or proportionate rates within their fixed limits. The following action was taken by the officials of Hadley :

" The Selectmen and Committee of the town of Hadley, by the authority given them by the late act of this State for preventing Monopoly and Oppression, do affix the prices of the goods and articles in this list eunmerated as they are to be sold in the town of Hadley : the price of a day's labor, mowing, reaping, and pulling flax, shall not exceed 0. 38. 0; and other farming labor in the spinner season shall not exceed 2s. Sd. by the day ; and from the first of Novem- ber to the first of March, 2s. a day. And that the labor of tradesmen and me- chanics and other labor be in the same proportion, according to former customs and usages. The highest price for good wheat (except seed-wheat) shall be Gs. pr. bush. ; good merchantable rye, 4x. do .; Indian corn, 3s. do. ; barley or malt, 4%, do. ; oats, 28, do. ; prase and beans, each Gs. do .; flour manufactured in this state, 188. pr. cwt. ; sheep's wool, good, at 24. pr. pound; pork, the best sort, fresh, at 4.2. pr. Ib. ; salt pork, clear of bone, &d .; beef, best grass-fed, at 21/2 d. (other in proportion) ; best stall-fed bref, at 4d. ; raw-hides, 3d. ; calfe-skius, at 6d. ; salt, at 20%. pr. bush .; chocolate, at 24. pr. lb .; cheese, 6d. ; butter, at &d. ; men's stockings, good, 6s. a pair ; men's shoes, made of neat's leather, of the best com- mon sort, at &s. a pair, and others in that proportion, according to their size and quality ; cotton wool, at 3s. 10d. pr. 1b. ; flax, well dressed and good, Is. ; coffee, at 1x. &d. ; tried tallow, &d. ; rough do., 3d. ; good tow cloth, yard wide, 28. 3d. pr. yıl .; other coarse linen in the same proportion according to their widths and qualities ; flannel, yard wide, checked or striped, 38. 6d., and others in the same promunition ; good oak wood at 78. pr. cord (in ordinary seasons) ; tauned hides, manufactured in Hadley, 18. 3d. pr. Ib., and curried leather in the usual propor- tion to it ; veal and grass-fed mutton, 21/2d. ; stall-fed mutton, 3d. ; turkeys, fowls, and ducks, at 4d .; English hay, good, at 2s. pr. cwt., and other bay in propor- tion ; horse-keeping, a night or 24 hours, 18. ; keeping a yoke of oxen, a night or 24 hours, 1x. &d .; for a ming of Flip, made of West India rum, Is. ; do. of N. England rum, 10d. ; a common meal of victuals, Iod. ; if a roastd dish be added, 1s. ; white-pine boards, of best kind, 40s. m .; yellow-pine, do., 30s. m .; sawing do., 158. 1. Hadley, Feb. 24, 1777. Signed by order of the selectmen and Com- mittee. ELEAZT l'ORTER, Chairman."

SLAVES.

The first three ministers of Hadley owned slaves, as did others of her worthy people. Mr. Russell had a servant, Margaret (who fell from grace), and perhaps owned others .¿ Mr. Chauncey owned Arthur Prutt and his wife, Joan, to whom were born seven children. Mr. Williams disposed of a negro woman, Phillis, by will, in 1753, who was probably the " Phillis Smith" who married Ralph Way, Jr., in 1765, and had four children.

Joshua Boston, son of " Boston," was a noted negro in Hadley. Both father and son were the property of Col. Eleazer Porter, who died in 1757. Joshua was a negro of

* This is certainly an error, for cotton was not cultivated in the United States until about 1785, and the cotton-gin was not invented until 1792.

+ Much of the weaving was done by professional weavers.

# At one time, in the last century, it was disreputable, because an indication of poverty, to cat shad. But anecdotes are told of persons of wealth who sur- reptitiously partook of that dainty, though taboved, article of diet. Dr. Hun- tington tells a family anecdote of one of the Porters, who ordered his negro to watch hisopportunity on the river-bank, and stealthily slip a shad under his frock. ¿ The inventory of his estate included "three negroes,-a man, woman, and chill."

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

striking figure, dignified, and withal a true gentleman, and was even said to " bear a resemblance to Gen. Washington." He could read and write, was a member of the church, and had served as a soldier in the Revolution. His death occurred in December, 1819, at or about the age of seventy-nine.

The returns state that there were 18 slaves in Hadley over sixteen years of age, in 1755, and 20 ten years later. In 1771 there were 4 between fourteen and forty-five who were slaves for life, one each owned by Charles Phelps, Jonathan Warner, Dr. Kellogg, and Oliver Warner, and others under fourteen and over forty-five.

Among the last of the slaves owned in the town was " Jim," the property of Gen. Moses Porter. He lived to an extreme old age, was finally freed, but chose to remain with the family of his former master. Ile was tenderly cared for in his old age.

THE HADLEY WITCH.

Mary Reeve, in 1670, became the wife of William Webster, of Hladley. For a time they lived in reduced circumstances on the middle highway leading to the burying-ground, occu- pying a part of the present lot of Mr. John S. Bell. Poverty did not sweeten her native bitterness of temper, the free exer- eise of which, aided by the credulity and infatuation of her accusers, brought upon her the charge of witchcraft. Tradi- tion alleges that she performed astounding feats,-bewitched cattle and horses, regardless of the chastisements inflicted therefor by their drivers, upset loads of hay, and then reversed the operation, raised an infant from its cradle to the ceiling sundry times without touching it, and did other and divers evil things that only a witch could do.

She was tried before the worshipful Mr. Tilton, of Hadley, and bound to appear at the court at Northampton, whose grave assemblage of judges ordered her case, "with all the evidences," to be presented to the Court of Assistants, at Boston, and poor Molly's person consigned to Boston jail. The following is the record of the latter court for May 22, 1683, when Governor Bradstreet, Deputy-Governor Danforth, and nine assistants were present :

" Mary Webster, wife to William Webster, of Hadley, being sent down upon suspicion of witchcraft, and committed to prison, in order to her trial, was brought to the bar. The grand-jury being impannelled, they, on perusal of the evidence, returned that they did indict Mary Webster, wife to William Webster, of Hadley, for that she, not having the fear of God before her eyes, and being instigated by the tlevil, hath entered into covenant and bad familiarity with him in the shape of a worraneage,* and had his imps sucking ber, and teats or marks found on her, as in and by several testimonies may appear, contrary to the peace of our sovereign lord, the king, his crown and dignity, the laws of God and of this jurisdiction. The court, on their serious consideration of the testimonies, did leave her to further trial."

At this further trial, September 4th, the sensible jury found her " not guilty."

She was subsequently charged with occasioning the death of Mr. Philip Smith, a man of virtue and renown in Hadley, who, Mather says, was "murdered with an hideous witch- craft." It seems her baneful influence was exerted while receiving charity at his hands. Ile began, in January, 1684, to be very " valetudinarious," and showed " weanedness from and weariness of the world." Existence was impossible with such an array of disorders, and yet Molly would not let him die in peace ; caused his medicines to be emptied, his bed to shake, flame to appear in it, and invisible moving animals, and gave him a lively countenance after he was pronounced dead. At last, however, Philip succeeded in his effort to de- part, but probably not before some " brisk lads" had dispelled the enchantment by taking forcible possession of Molly and administering summary punishment. They "dragged her out of her house, hung her up until she was near dead, let her down, rolled her some time in the snow, and at last buried her in it, and there left her." She survived the rough treat-

ment, lived eleven years longer in comparative peace, she and HIadley witchcraft dying together in 1696.

MURDER OF RICHARD CHURCH.

Only one murder has ever occurred in Hadley of which any account survives, and that was perpetrated by Indians. The victim was Richard Church, a tailor, residing in Hadley, who had gone hunting in the vicinity of Mount Warner with Sam- uel Barnard and Ebenezer Smith, from whom he became sepa- rated. His companions heard two shots fired, followed by a shout. Search was made by large parties of the inhabitants in various directions, and the body of Church found robbed of his clothes and gun, scalped, and with an arrow in his side and a bullet-shot in his head.

The guilty parties were four " Albany Indians" from Hat- field, where a number of families of that tribe resided. They had been ordered not to hunt east of the river, and from re- venge or fear of exposure made way with Church. Mowe- nas and Moquolas were convicted as principals in the murder, and sentenced to be shot. They were executed at Northamp- ton, Oct. 23, 1696, eighteen days after the murder. Wenepuek and Pameconeset were indieted as accessories, but were not sentenced. Samuel Porter was then sheriff of Hampshire County. The murdered man was a son of Samuel Church, and a grandson of Richard Church, one of the first settlers.

BI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.

The two-hundreth anniversary of the settlement of Hadley was celebrated with fitting ceremonies on the 8th day of June, 1859. On that occasion an address was delivered by Prof. Frederick D. Huntington, D.D., of Cambridge, and a poem read by Edward Clarke Porter. Both orator and poet were natives of Hadley. The latter, a son of Mr. James B. Porter, had then recently graduated from Yale College, bearing fresh

laurels as poet of his class (1858). He became a clergyman of the Broad Church ( Protestant Episcopal), and before the first congress of that denomination, at Chicago, delivered the ad- dress, October, 1874. Ile died in January, 1876, honored and heloved. Sweetly did he welcome Hadley's wandering chil- dren to their glad reunion, and quite as sweetly does his memory linger among them amid the scenes he loved and of which he sung :

" And thus the peaceful Valley lay, And watched the River's ceaseless flow, All blooming with the showers of May, Or decked with Autumn's garlands gay, Two hundred years ago. * * * *

* " And thins the noble River flowed, And watched the Summer come and go, As on the mossy banks she strowed Her flowers and garlands through the wood, Two hundred years ago."

PROMINENT MEN.

Among the sons of Hadley are many who have held promi- nent positions. Charles P. Phelps, graduate of Harvard, 1791, Giles C. Kellogg, and Moses Porter cach served several years in the Legislature. Mr. Kellogg, a graduate of Yale, was admitted to the Bar in 1804, was instructor in Hopkins Academy a number of years, and became register of deeds for Hampshire County in 1833, and remained in office twelve or thirteen years. John Porter, son of William, graduate of Williams College, 1810, has served in both branches of the New York Legislature, and has held the office of surrogate. Joseph Smith was Senator, 1853-54. Worthington Smith, D.D., late president of Burlington University, who died Feb, 30, 1856; Parsons Cooke, D.D., graduate of Williams College, 1822, founder of the New England Puritan; Rev. Jeremiah Porter; Gen. Joseph Hooker, distinguished in the Mexican war and in the late war of the Rebellion; William Porter ; Charles P. Huntington; and Rev. Frederick Dan Hunting-

* Corruption of an Indian word signifying a wild black cat or a black wild- cut.

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IHISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

ton, sons of Rev. Dan Huntington,-all, many years since, went forth from Hadley, their native town, and have not failed to do her honor.

The old home-lot of Samuel Porter yet remains the property of his descendants, many of whom reside in Hadley. The line of descent to these contains many names of distinetion, and is as follows :

Samuel Porter (1),* one of the first settlers in Hadley, mar- ried Hannah Stanley, of Hartford, and had eleven children, of whom Hon. Samuel (2), the first male ebild born in Hadley, April 6, 1660, became judge of Hampshire County, and died in 1722, "leaving an immense estate of over £10,000." IIe married twice; by his first wife, Joanna, daughter of Capt. Aaron Cooke, having fourteen children, of whom Eleazar (3) married Sarah Pitkin, was long in a judicial position, and died 1757. Ile had twelve children, of whom Eleazar and Elisha (4) have descendants in Hadley at the present time (1879).

HIon. Eleazar (4), born June 27, 1728, graduated at Yale, 1748; was justice of the peace and judge of Probate; died 1797. He married, first, his cousin, Anne Pitkin, and had three daughters ; second, Susanna, daughter of Rev. Jonathan Ed- wards, of Northampton, and had six children, of whom Wil- liam (5), a physician, died 1847. He married, first, Lois East- man, and had three children ; second, Charlotte Williams, and had seven children, of whom one, James Bayard (6), resides in Hadley.

Moses (5), another son of Hon. Eleazar (4), married, August, 1791, Amy, daughter of Benjamin Colt, of Hadley, and had thirteen children, of whom one, Eleazar (6), resides in Hadley.

Col. Elisha (4), born January, 1742, brother of Hon. Elea- zar (4), graduated at Harvard College, 1761 ; became sheriff of Hampshire County ; was appointed captain of foot in Col. Israel Williams' regiment of militia, Jan. 18, 1773, and Jan. 22, 1776, received a commission as " colonel of a regiment ordered to be raised to join the American forces now acting in Canada, under command of Maj .- Gen. Schuyler," and July 1, 1781, received a commission as colonel of the 4th Hamp- shire Regiment. He married, first, Sarah, daughter of Rev. David Jewett, of Rowley, and had six children ; second, Abigail, daughter of Ilon. John Phillips, of Boston. Of his children, Gen. Samuel (5), born April 15, 1765, held suc- cessively the military positions of cornet of horse, 1787; cap- tain of cavalry in 4th Division of militia, 1790; major in tst Battalion of cavalry in 4th Division, 1792; lieutenant-colonel of cavalry, same division, 1793; and general of militia still later. He was State Senator, 1817, was Representative fifteen years, and long held the position of justice of the peace. He married, October, 1786, Lucy Hubbard, and had six children, -Margaret, Abigail, Lucy, Elisha, Polly, and Pamelia. Mar- garet (6) married, 1810, Rev. Seth Smith, of Genoa, N. Y., and had nine children, of whom one, Abigail (7), resides in Hadley ; Pamelia (6) married Dudley Smith, and had nine children, of whom four, Sarah Hillhouse, Abby Phillips, Lucy and Samuel Dudley (7), are residents of lladley ; Cla- rissa married - Cooley, of Hartford.

Stephen Terry, an original settler, had a daughter Mary, who married, 1659, Richard Goodman, also an original settler, and had Thomas, 1673, who married Grace, daughter of Samuel Marsh, of Hatfield, and had Nathan, 1713, and Eunice (5), who married Joseph Smith, and died in 1838. He died in 1830. Their son, Joseph Smith (6), born 1796, State Senator, 1853-54, owns and occupies a major part of the home-lot of his ancestor, Mr. Terry.

NOTED LANDMARKS.

Besides the residences of the early ministers, Mr. Russell and Dr. Hopkins, referred to in connection with the history of the First Church, are others worthy of mention. One of these, on

the east side of the broad street, was erected in 1714, by Eleazar Porter, grandson of Samuel, one of the first settlers, and is now owned and oeeupied by his descendants of the fifth generation. The house is double, with an entrance of double-doors, and with steep roof, sloping toward the street. The south west eor- ner room-where Gen. Burgoyne was entertained after his sur- render, and where his sword, together with interesting family relics of the olden time, is studiously preserved-remains as in the days of the Revolution. From the broad porch on the south side, the venerable minister, Dr. Hopkins, one time ad- dressed a motley and excited assembly during the Shays rebellion.

Another house, next north of the one described, is similar in style, is one year older, and was built, probably, by Eleazar, a son of the Hon. Samuel Porter, and great-grandfather of James B. Porter, a resident of Hadley. The two houses are on the old home-lot of the first Samuel Porter.

Opposite, and a little north from the last-described mansion, is a modest dwelling, low and weather-worn, with semi- octagonal roof, but renowned as the place of birth of Maj .- Gen. Joseph Ilooker, in 1815. It seems not to be known by whom the house was erected, though it doubtless stood in the days of the Revolution ; an elin of near a century's growth guards the entrance. Joseph Hooker, the father of Gen. Ilooker, removed from Hadley with his family to Watertown, N. Y. E. and C. M. Thayer, brothers, are the present owners of the property.

On the old home-lot of Stephen Terry stands a house erected in 1802 by Joseph Smith, who married a great-granddaughter of Mr. Terry. Mr. Smith's son Joseph, now eighty-three years of age, owns and occupies the homestead.

Jonathan White, a descendant of John, a first settler, oecu- pies the original home-lot of the latter, and descendants of Richard Montague now own, and recently occupied, their ancestors' home-lot.

INDIAN LAND-TITLES.

That portion of the Connecticut Valley lying on either side of Mount Holyoke for a considerable distance was known to the Indians and early settlers as Nolwotogg, or Nonotuck,- the name having many orthographies.t

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History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 104

Author: L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts Number of Pages: 700

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 700