History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 119

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 119

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"Thomas had four sons, none of whom nre in town. Jonathan had four sons, among whom were Jacob and Foster. Jacob's son, John P., living here. Dwight Foster, living here, son of Foster. Judah had five sons. James Sullivan is now living in town. Joel's son, Joel S., is now living in Springfield. Judah Marsh died May 7, 1801, aged eighty-nine.

"Samnel Sherman, one of the first board of selectmen, came from Rochester, and settled at first upon the farm now owned by Anson Bassett ; he afterward lived south of Asa Brakenridge's. He married, for a second wife, Jerusha Davis, by whom he inherited the farm Dow owned by Samuel Morse. He had by his first wife two sons, Thomas and Prince, and by his second, Reuben, Samnel, and Ebenezer. Reuben is dead, but has a grandson, Thomas F., living in town.

" Ebenezer died in Ohio; had two daughters, who became the wives of Down- ing Gonll and Edward Pope.

" Samnel Sherman died Feb, 5, 1811, aged eighty-eight.

" Deacon Thomas Jenkins lived where Charles Howe now lives. He was a deacon indeed it seems, for the mild and serious rebuke he gave to the son of a neighbor who incautiously said 'I row,' in his presence, was never forgotten. He was one of the delegates to the Provincial Congress with Capt. Brakenridge. Hle has no descendants in town.

" Deacon Maverick Smith lived where Andrew Harwood now lives. He has no descendants in town.

"Joseph Foster lived between the village and Joseph A. Cummings'. He had a family of eight children, and was a man of character and influence, and one of the first delegates to the Provincial Congress, in 1775. No descendants of his live in town.

" Samuel Dunsmore was a native of Ireland, and settled where Edwin Barlow now lives. His daughter Miriam married James Lamberton, and was the mother of Samuel D. Lamberton, of Brookfield, and of Bnfus Thrasher's wife, both of whom are deadl.

"James Leminon came from Ireland when four years of age, and settled on the farm afterward owned by his grandson, Samuel Lemmon, in the southwest part of the town. His mother was a sister of James Brakenridge, who settled in Palmer. His son James lived where Miriam Lemmon afterward resided. Ile was the only hishman, it seems, that settled upon the manor. They usually sought the low meadow-lands.

"Juhn Downing came from Springfield, bought of Timothy Brown in 1752, and kept a tavern on the old road, west of Muddy brook, on land now owned by Wallace C. Sheldon. He had one son who was drowned June 10, 1771, wbile attempting to rescue Benben Davis, who was also drowned. One daughter mar- ried Isaac Magoon, another David Gould.

" Deacon Daniel Gould came from Sharon in 1773, and settled on the Miner & Yale farm. He was the first representative elected under the Constitution, and had much to do with town business. He had sons, Daniel, Lewis, Aaron, and Seth. He died July 10, 1834.

" David and Ebenezer, his brothers, came soon after. David married Lovisa, daughter of John Downing, in 1780, and lived near where Joseph A. Cummings now lives. He has grandsons, George, John, and James, now living in town. His daughters became the wives of Thomas Sherman, Joel Rice, and William S. Brakenridge. He died August 22, 1817, aged sixty-seven.

" Ebenezer Gould, married Mille, danghter of William Coney, in 1782, and had sons, Leonard, who is dead, and Ebenezer, who lives in Illinois. Wm. O Gould, his son, is the only descendant of the family in town.

"Deacon William Paige came from Hardwick in 1777, and lived where Ste- phen Bonney now lives, formerly occupied by Rev. Ezra Thayer. He had a son William, who died without issue, and eight daughters. One married Dr. Rufus

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

King; one Benjamin Cummings; one Simeon Cummings; and one Azel Wash- Imrn. Ile died June 23, 1826.

" Phille Morse came from Sharon soon after the town was incorporated. lle married a daughter of William Coney, and lived upon the farm now owned by bis grandson Samuel. Another son, Braddish, died young. A daughter mar- ried Prince Audrews; one, Calvin Ward ;# and the youngest, David Lewis.

" William Coney came from Sharon during the Revolution, and built his hali- tation among the rocks, as coneys are wont to do, and where his grandson, Thes. A., now lives. It was then in Brookfield; being colliers, they seem to have sought the wood rather than the land. llis sou, Capt. Oliver Coney, came earlier, and owned the farm where the widow of George Rich now lives. He died Dec. 13, 1830, aged eighty-one.

" Jeremiah Anderson was a native of Ireland, and came here soon after the Precinct was established, lived where Ebenezer Barlow afterward lived, in the N. E. corner of the town, and had a family of eleven children. His son William was born Aug. 18, 1749, and lived near the centre of the town.

" William's son, Amasa, was horn November 6, 1776, and married Thankful Brakenridge in 1802. Nathaniel was born June 15, 1783, and married Salome Snell, in 1813, both of whom have descendants living in town. Samuel D. was another son, who inherited Samuel Dunsmore's farm for his name.

"Thomas Andrews was here quite early. John Aaron and Prince were his sons, and have descendants in town. Aaron married Betsey, daughter of Simeon Cummings. Prince married Clarissa Morse.

"James Lamberton was one of the original settlers in Palmer. He came from Ireland, and lived where Charles R. Shaw afterward did. He had sons, John, who was a bachelor, like his uncle John before him, James, Seth, and David. James married a daughter of Samuel Dunsmore for his first wife, and lived on the farm now nerupied by B. Mcclintock. He afterward lived where Alfred and Gideon do, who are his sons by a second wife.

"Seth married Elizabeth Eddy, of Brookfield, and lived where his son Jose- phus recently did.

" Dr. Edward Demond came here from Reading, and was, probably, the first physician here. The record of the births of his children begins in 1735, but some of them were probably born befure he came to this town. Ile lived where Geo. W. Wetherell recently did, and had sons, Edward, Thomas, Abraham, and Stephen, and five danghters. A daughter married Elijah, son of Judah Marsh, in 1759.

" William Bowdoin, Esq., came here in infancy, abont 1762. He is supposed to have been a natural son of a brother of Governor Bowdoin, whose name he bore. He was raised in the family of Solomon Bush, near Marsh's Mills, re- ceived his education in the common schools, and, having a taste for reading and a tact for business, he acquired a character and influence no other man ever gained in this town. Ile was chosen town clerk in 1789, and held the office for twenty-two years in succession. Ile was again elected in 1830, and held the office until his death, Sept. 23, 1831. lle represented the town eleven years in the Legislature, being the only one chosen from 1795 to 1812, and was a delegate to the convention for revising the constitution in 1820. In 1801 he was elected a justice of the peace, and did most of the business of that nature in this town for nearly thirty years. lle wrote a very plain, legible hand, and the perfect state of the town records is owing very much to his care. He transcribed the records of the births, deaths, and marriages, by vote of the town, in 1789, which are very complete of some of the earlier families. He was twice married, and had fourteen children. His son, Hon. William Bowdoin, of South Iladley, became a member of the Senate from Hampshire County ; James was a repre- sentative from New Braintree; John, from Ware; and Walter II., from Spring- field.

"Jabez E. Bowdoin, a grandson, lives in town, and is the only descendant here."

TAVERNS.

It is probable that houses of public resort have been kept in the town since the earliest time.

The first regular tavern was kept by John Downing, on the old road west of Muddy Brook, on land now owned by Wallace C. Sheldon, as early as the year 1752. The first tavern kept in the southwest part of the town was by Timothy Babcock, about the year 1815. Another was kept near the same period at Ware Centre. In 1814, Alpheus Demond built the "old yellow tavern-house," next to Dr. Yale's drug-store, and it was kept as a public-house for many years. The Ware Hotel was built in 1825, and was a handsome structure for the period. It was kept for many years by various proprietors, and was destroyed by fire in December, 1864.

The Hampshire House was erected by Capt. Joseph Hart- well, at the close of the war of the Rebellion. It was first kept by Sawyer & Rodman, followed by P. C. Sawyer, George Osgood, Mills & Crosby, Mills & Barber, then the latter alone, and since April 1, 1872, by Reuben Snow.

The Delavan House, standing on the site of the Ware Ifo- tel, has been kept by a number of persons. The present proprietor is E. N. Adams.

STORES.

The inhabitants of the town traded at the towns of New Braintree and West Brookfield for a long time, and the estab- lishment of regular home enterprises of a mercantile charac- ter was of a comparatively recent date. Small stores were first kept in the West Parish by different persons. Lot Dean prob- ably had the first, about a mile west of the present village, prior to the year 1820. Eli Snow had one about the same period, near the church, at Ware Centre.

The principal stores of the town were established after the growth of Ware village began, in the year 1824. The first was kept by the Ware Manufacturing Company. It stood on the corner near Dr. Miner's drug-store. The same com- pany built a brick store, now occupied by the counting-room of the Otis Company, and kept it as a store and counting-room for a long time. The first post-office was also kept there. Joel Rice & Co. succeeded in the proprietorship of this store, and George W. Porter became the proprietor of the one first erected. Mays & Freeman had a store about the same time, where Calvin Hitchcock now trades.

Some time after, Azon Maynor erected a store where Dr. Miner's drug-store is, and John L. Gallond traded soon after where Dr. Yale now has a drug-store.

There are now twenty stores in Ware village, besides two drug-stores. Most of these have sprung up since 1839, at which date the south side of Main Street, now occupied by a row of stores, was an open common. Those who have been longest in trade are Addison Sandford, since 1844, and Calvin Ilitchcock, who came in the spring of 1858. They have also been the largest dealers in town. Joseph R. Lawton has been in the clothing trade for upward of twenty years.

PHYSICIANS.

There have been a large number of physicians who prae- ticed in Ware. Dr. Edward Demond is mentioned in the town-records in 1760, and Shubal Winslow in 1776. Dr. Bil- lings practiced in 1779. Dr. Elias Bolton came from Mendon about 1780. After him was Dr. Walker, who came from Windham, Scotland Parish, Conn. Ile lived near the old Durant place, and remained about six years. Dr. Lethridge is mentioned in the town-records in 1785, and Dr. Howe the year following. Dr. Rufus King came from Brookfield in 1789, and practiced for a great many years, dying in the town at an advanced age. His son Jonathan still lives in town.

Drs. Ilorace Goodrich and Anson Moody, natives of South Iladley and college classmates, both settled about 1826, and engaged in practice at first in partnership. Dr. Moody removed to North Haven afterward, and died there. Dr. Goodrich remained until about 1853, when he removed to East Windsor, Conn.

In 1843, Dr. Ebenezer C. Richardson came from Watertown, where his father was a physician, and established himself in Ware, and is now the oldest physician in the town.

Dr. David W. Miner studied with Dr. T. II. Brown, of Worthington, and Drs. J. M. Brewster and HI. H. Child, of Pittsfield, and located in Ware in the year 1845. He prae- ticed for a number of years with Dr. Goodrich, then succeeded him, and has been in regular practice since.

Dr. John Yale studied with Dr. Goodrich, and engaged in practice at New Hartford, his native place. Ile returned in 1846, and has been regularly in practice since.

LAWYERS.

The first lawyer of note in Ware was Homer Bartlett, who came from Williamstown in 1825, and remained until 1832, being also cashier of the bank. In 1832 he became the agent of the Hampshire Manufacturing Company, and continued for a number of years. In 1841 he removed to Lowell, and passed the closing years of his life in Boston, where he died recently at an advanced age.

* Calvin Ward died a few years ago in St. Charles, Illinois.

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HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

Henry Starkweather came from Williamstown about 1828, and studied with his brother-in-law, Homer Bartlett. After his admission he practiced in partnership with Mr. Bartlett, and was also cashier of the bank. He removed to New York in 1834.

Hon. Reuben A. Chapman# removed from Monson to Ware in 1832, and after two years formed a copartnership with Hon. George Ashmun, of Springfield, in 1834, and removed to that city.

In 1831, Barlow Freeman settled in Ware, and remained until 1835, when he removed to Jacksonville, Ill., and soon after died there.

Francis P. Stebbins came from Brimfield in 1835, practiced about two years, and removed to Oswego, N. Y., where he died in 1845.

Samuel T. Spaulding came in 1846, and after practicing for a number of years removed in the year 1858 to Northampton. He was judge of Probate, and died recently while an incum- bent of that office.

Arthur L. Devens, brother of the United States Attorney- General Chas. Devens, came from Northfield in 1846, and en- gaged in practice in Ware. He subsequently became agent for the Otis Company, and served in that capacity from 1852 to 1859. He closed his life in the city of Boston.

W. S. B. Hopkins came from Northampton about 1860, and engaged in practice in Ware. He served in the war of the Rebellion as colonel, and at the close of the war practiced law first at Greenfield, and since at Worcester.t

William P. Strickland came from Sandisfield about 1862, and removed to Northampton in 1865. He is now clerk of courts of Hampshire County.

The only attorneys now in practice in Ware are Franklin D. Richards, who came from Belchertown about 1862, and Henry C. Davis, a native of the town, who has been in prac- tice for a number of years.

STAGE-ROUTES, ROADS, BRIDGES, AND POST-OFFICES.

When stages first passed through Ware from Brookfield to Northampton they passed along the southern border of the town, crossing the river near Gideon Lamberton's.

" No roads appear to have been laid out previous to the incorporation of the town. The inhabitants made use of such as nature had provided, with very small improvements. It appears that the road from Brookfield to Hadley passed through this town over the summit of Coy's hill (a high bridge between this town and Brookfield and Warren), down by the Coneys, and crossed the river at the old bridge place, nearly a mile above the village, passing down the west side of the pond near the village. crossing Muddy Brook at the present bridge between the parishes, then by the old Downing place, on Wallace C. Sheldon's land, and nearly by the present road to the Swift River bridge, and the old Babcock tavern. This was probably used in 1660, when the first settlements were made at Brook- field."

The road from Swift River to New Braintree was the im- portant road, passing through the centre of the town, and over the hill by the old Durant place, crossing Muddy Brook at the present bridge, between the parishes, and passing north of the Lothrop farm. A portion of it has been discontinued.

The first bridge across the river in the village was nearly opposite the large stone factory. Timbers were laid across the rocks near the upper stone bridge for foot passengers, but no permanent bridge was erected there until after the factories were built. At that time the only road to Brookfield was over the Coney Hill. It cost $20 per ton for transportation of goods from Boston, and it was a hard week's work for a conveyance to go and return.

POST-OFFICES.

The first post-office was established in 1815, at the house now occupied by Daniel Griffin. Timothy Babcock was the first postmaster. In 1824 the office was removed to the vil- lage, and Joseph Cummings was appointed postmaster. He

was succeeded by Joel Rice in 1832. In 1840, Lewis Babcock was appointed, and was succeeded by Ansel Phelps, Jr., in 1843. Addison Sandford was appointed in 1845, and filled the office for twenty-one years. John W. Cummings, the present incumbent, was appointed Feb. 15, 1866.

The first pound was built in 1762; was of stone, round in form, three rods in diameter, and stood near the meeting-house. Joseph Foster built it at a cost of £3 10s. In 1747, Isaac Magoon's barn served as a pound. The second pound was erected in 1788, by Abraham Joslyn, for £5 10s. ; was 36 feet square, and stood on the site of the old one.

PROMINENT MEN.

Deacon Joseph Cummings was born in Ware, March 5, 1784, and always occupied the farm which was the possession of his great-grandfather, Jacob Cummings, one of the earliest settlers of the town, in 1730. Jacob Cummings was the most active man in the establishment of religious worship, the erec- tion of a meeting-house, and the organization of a church, and was the first deacon of the church organized in 1751. Joseph Cummings, with only the advantages of the common schools, acquired a good education, and was employed as a teacher for many years, having taught seven winters in New Braintree, at wages much above the ordinary standard of those days. He was a skillful surveyor, and for many years did the most of that business as well as that of conveyancing in the town and vicinity. A man of excellent judgment, and modest and winning manners, he gained the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. He was always the man for counsel. He represented the town in the Legislatures of 1816, 1817, and 1822, and in the constitutional convention of 1853. He was a member of the State Senate in 1831 and 1832. In 1835 he was elected a commissioner for Hampshire County, and held that office for eighteen years.

When quite young he united with the First Congregational Church, and was chosen a deacon in 1815, when thirty years of age. Ile held that office until the organization of the church at the village, in 1826, when he was elected first dea- con, and stood as a pillar of that church until he was seventy. Ile died April 3, 1860, at the age of seventy-six.

Alpheus Demond was born in Paxton, Worcester Co., Mass., Aug. 15, 1779. In early life he was a successful merchant in Spencer. In April, 1813, in connection with Col. Thomas Denny, of Leicester, he located in Ware, and began the manu- facturing enterprises that are elsewhere referred to. The death of his partner, Col. Denny, in December, 1814, and the close of the war with Great Britain arrested their manufacturing enterprise for a time; but when it was revived by other parties in 1821, Mr. Demond was employed to superintend much of the work, and was identified with the interests of the place until increase of years compelled him to retire from active business. He was the patriarch of the village, and a pioneer of manufacturing in that part of the State. He filled many town offices with great acceptance, and represented the town in the Legislatures of 1826 and 1833.

Soon after he came to Ware he united with the Congrega- tional Church in the centre of the town, by profession, and became one of its active and efficient members. In 1826 he took a prominent part in the establishment of the Congre- gational Church, and was an active and earnest member until his death, Aug. 27, 1859, at the age of eighty. He left behind him a widow and seven children.

Hon. Orrin Sage was the youngest son of William and Bathsheba (Hollister) Sage, born in Middletown, Conn., Jan. 17, 1791. His mother died when he was seven months old. At the age of thirteen he went into the family of an older brother, a merchant in Middletown, and obtained his educa- tion in the common schools and in the store of his brother. In 1811 he commenced trade in the town of Blandford, Hamp- den Co., and remained there until 1848. He represented the

* See chapter on the Bar.

t See history of 3Ist Massachusetts Infantry.

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

town of Blandford in the Legislatures of 1831, '32, and '34, and was Senator from Hampden County in 1836-37. Mr. Sage removed to Ware in 1848, where he passed the remainder of a long, honorable, and useful life. 1Ie was president of the bank, and held the office until it became a national insti- tution in 1865, and was a director and vice-president until his death. Hle united with the Congregational Church in Bland- ford in 1822, and took a leading part in the erection of a new church building, the support of the gospel, and in various benevolent objects. When he left Blandford he gave a fund of $1000 to the church, and afterward presented them a par- sonage. Ile also presented the town of Ware a beautiful lot of 25 acres for a cemetery, in which his remains now rest. To Williams College he gave a scholarship of $1000, and more recently endowed the professorship of history and politi- cal economy with a fund of $30,000. To the town of Osage, the county-seat of Mitchell Co., Iowa, of which he was one of the founders, and which was named for him, he gave nearly 700 acres of land to establish a public library, and erected a handsome brick building for its use. His other donations and charitable enterprises have been numerous.

He was twice married. One of his daughters is the wife of lIon. William Hyde, President of the Ware National Bank. Mr. Sage died at Ware, June 23, 1875, at the age of eighty- four. By his last will he made the following bequests : To the Congregational Society of Blandford, Mass., for minis- terial fund, $5000; to the town of Ware for care of cemetery, $3000; to the East Congregational Society of Ware, for par- sonage, $5000; to Foreign Missions, $10,000; to the American Home Missionary Society, $5000; to the American Missionary Association, $5000; to Hampton Institute, $1000; to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, $1000; and to Williams College, $20,000, making his gifts to the college $51,000, the largest donor it has had.

IIon. George H. Gilbert came from North Andover, in the year 1841, and established himself in the manufacturing busi- ness in Ware, the particulars of which are elsewhere noticed. His business-life was remarkably successful. He was a man of strict integrity, self-reliance, and perseverance. Ile established the now flourishing village of Gilbertville, in the town of Ilardwick. He was a devoted member of the Congregational Church, gave liberally and without ostentation to various benevolent enterprises, and served two terms in the State Senate, acting as chairman of the committee on manufactures. He died May 6, 1869, at the age of sixty-three years, leaving an ample fortune and a flourishing business.

Hon. Charles A. Stevens came to Ware from North An- dover, Mass., with Mr. Gilbert, and has been successfully en- gaged in the manufacturing business. He was a member of Governor Bullock's council in 1866 and 1867, and a represen- tative in the National Congress in 1875, being elected to fill the unexpired term of llon. Alvah Crocker, of Fitchburg.

Joel Rice came very early from Spencer, and passed his life in Ware-a prominent business-man, and enjoying the confi- dence of the people to a remarkable extent.

Emerson Davis, D.D., was a son of Deacon Enos Davis, and a native of Ware. He graduated at Williams College in 1821, was a teacher in Westfield Academy, a tutor in Williams College, pastor of the church at Westfield for upward of thirty years, and a prominent member of the Massachusetts Board of Education. Ile received the degree of D.D. from Williams College, and was a trustee and vice-president of that institu- tion for many years.

Hon. William Bowdoin, late of South Hladley, was a native of Ware, and a son of Wm. Bowdoin, Esq. lle practiced the profession of the law for many years in South Hadley, and represented the county of Hampshire in the State Senate in 1840 and 1841. The honorary degree of A. M. was conferred upon him by Williams College in 1832.

Hon. James Brakenridge was a son of Wm. Brakenridge,

and was born in Ware. Ile afterward removed to Benning- ton, Vt., and went as minister to England. Ilis grand-nephew, W'm. S. Brakenridge, was born in Ware, and has served two terms in the State Senate.

Rev. Loranus Crowell, also a native of the town, gradu- ated at Middletown, Conn., in 1840, has been a presiding elder of the Methodist Church, and is now preaching at Lynn, Mass.

Other men of prominence have been Hon. William Hyde, the president of the Ware National Bank, who, besides filling various offices of responsibility in church and town, served in the State Senate in 1851; Hon. Francis De Witt, for one year a member of the State Senate, and Secretary of State for two years; and Lewis N. Gilbert, nephew of George 1I. Gilbert, who has served two years in the State Senate.

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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 119

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