History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 127

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 127

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This plat or survey seems to have been made as early as 1661, for in the Hadley records it appears that a committee was appointed for that purpose January 21st of that year.

The Hill, so called, west of Mill River was not settled until after King Philip's war. But the mill is of very early date, and by the time the oath of allegiance was administered, 1678, there were doubtless some living out there.

Upon the settlement of Hatfield Street, as given above, Syl- vester Judd, in bis valuable history of Hadley, makes the following general remarks :

" The home-lots of John Hawks and Philip Russell, and all sonth of them, were granted by Hadley. Those above or north of them were grauted by Hat- field, of which some were forfeited and given to others.

"Hatfieldl regranted the lots of Goodwin, Benton, and Bull. Mr. Atherton, the first minister, lived on the Goodwin lot, as did his successor, Mr. Chauncey. Barnabas Hinsdale married the widow of Stephen Taylor and lived in her house. Thomas Meekins, Sr., removed from the street and lived near his mill.

" John Coleman, about 1678, changed his residence nud lived on the Benton lot, and Samuel Belden resided on Coleman's first lot. No one lived on the lot assigned to Thomas Bull for many years.

" The greater part of the lots were of 8 acres; some were only 4. Those on the east side were short in the upper part, the 4-acre lots being 16 rods widle. The length of the street on the west sido was 340 rods, estimated from the inter-

ASTHE OLD RESIDENCE

NORTH VIEW OF RES

RES. OF WM. HENRY DICKINSON, HATFIELD, MASS.

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HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

section of the highway to Northampton to the north end. The street formerly extended farther south than now, against the home-lots of Cowles and Fellows,

" The owning of meadow-lands in small parcels rendered the fencing of the whole in one enclosure a matter of importance, and the town of Hadley, as af- terward that of Hatfield, early made it a matter of official care.

" Great Pansett and Little Pansett were fenced in 1662, from the Connecticut at the lower end ronnd to the Connecticut cast of the village.

" In 1669 the fence of Little Pansett was ordered to be made with ditch, posts, and two or three rails on the same.

" Numerous provisions appear in the town records of Hatheld with regard to fencing, as well as the time when cattle could be turned in to feed in common after gathering crops."

In 1669 the citizens of Hadley presented to the General Court a protest against imports or eustoms duties. This was signed by twenty-eight from the west side, including most of the names already mentioned among the early proprietors. This being eight years after the first settlement shows that the number had not increased very rapidly.

In the original distribution of lands, the meadows on the west side (Hatfield) are thus described :

Ist. The "Great North" or " Upper" Meadow, including a swamp adjoining, was separated into six divisions, and each west-side proprietor had a lot in each division, and some lots were reserved.

This is still known as North Meadow, and occupies the northeast corner of the town, next the Connecticut River and the Whately line, bounded partly on the west by Great Pond, containing about 1000 acres.

2d. " Little Meadow" was situated at the north end of the street, and part of it east of North Meadow. It was in two divisions. This meadow is still known by the same name. It lies just north of the Bliss Hotel corner, but is really a part of the meadow already described.

3d. The South Meadow, or "the meadow adjoining the street" at the south end, was called Wequettayag by the In- dians, and commonly Great Pansett in the records.

It contained about 430 acres, with little or no waste land. The proprietors of Hadley (east side) had the west part, called 205 acres, and the proprietors of Hatfield (west side) had the east part, about 225 acres, including Indian Bottom. This last name was given to a tract of land adjoining the Con- necticut, on the South Meadow, north of Hadley village. When the Indian chief Umpanchala sold this meadow and other lands, June 10, 1660, he reserved the Indian planting- ground. He sold a part of this soon after, and the whole in a few years. From this reservation of Indian planting-ground, the whole has been called Indian Bottom, or Indian Hollow. Most of it is productive and valuable mowing-ground. The area of this has been considerably increased by deposits of alluvial matter through the action of the river for two hun- dred years, Hadley losing, Hatfield gaining.

Daniel Dickinson, who died in 1825, told Elijah Bardwell that he once had a 3-acre lot in Indian Hollow, which grew into 42 acres in about fifty years. The whole width of the river has been changed at that point, Hadley losing, Hatfield gaining.

4th. The Southwest Meadow, which Hadley obtained of Northampton, was called Capawonk in old times, and after- ward Amponchus, Little Pansett, Little Pontius, etc. It is separated from Great Pansett by Mill River.

The west-side inhabitants ( Hatfield) had the upper part, denominated the Plain, at two acres for one. The east side (Hadley) had all Capawonk except the plain. After being equalized, and ponds and worthless swamps rejected, the number of acres was about 157. This is still known as little Pansett.

The number of west-side proprietors who drew lots in the South Meadow was 22, and the amount of estates £2500. Twenty-three proprietors had lots in the North Meadow, and some were reserved.

After the township was divided, it was estimated that Had- ley bad two-thirds of the improvable or interval land, and

Hatfield one-third,-Hadley about 1600 acres ; Ilatfield about 800.

" So they made an end of dividing the country, as in the days of Joshua. The important business was performed harmoniously. No man claimed or received a great estate. No one had over 5016 acres of interval land. The vast extent of npland was open to all equally for wood, timber, and pasturage."

This division evidently took place from 1661 to 1663.

From the town records we take the following valuable doc- ument :

" The oath of allegiance, which by order from our Honored General Conrt was to be taken respectively in each town of this County, and was administered by the Worshipful Major Pynchon to the several inhabitants and persons within the township of Hatfield, being convened together in Hatfield, Feb. 8, 1678.

" Rev. John Wise (perhaps), Nathaniel Dickinson, John Coleman, Philip Rus- sell, John Field, Obadiah Dickinson, Nicholas Worthington, Moses Craft, Samnel Marslı, Samuel Kellogg, Benjamin Wait, James Brown, Samuel Graves, Sr., Daniel Belding, Peter Plympton, Benjamin Barrett, John Evans, Stephen Beld- ing, Simon Williams, Win, Kings, Thomas Meekins, Sr., Sammel Belding, Sr., Daniel White, Eleazer Frary, John Loomis, John Cowles, Thomas Hastings, Wm. Bartholomew, Samuel Belding, Jr., John Clary, Joseph Thomas, Samnel Field, Wm. Scott, Robert Bardwell, Samuel Foote, Ephraim Hinsdale, Wm. Armes, Samuel Graves, Jr., John Wells, Jr., Joseph Field, Wm. Gull, Edward Church, Daniel Warner, John Wells, John Allis, Samnel Dickinson, Samuel Allis, Quintan Stockwell, Walter Ilickson, John Downing, Sampson Frary, Isaac Graves, Benjamin Hastings, Stephen Gennings, Jacob Gardner, John Graves, Thomas Braiye, Samuel llarrington, Benjamin Downing, Robert Poick.

"The above-named persons, their names were here entered this Feb. 23d, 1678, by me.

" SAMUEL PARTRIGG, Recorder."

The above shows probably the names of all the male in- habitants twenty-seven years after the settlement. The early permanent settlers are thus all named, though doubtless others came and went, remaining for short periods. The family names given above are still very largely found in Hatfield at the present time,-as Billings, Graves, Wells, Dickinson, Evans, Bardwell, Coleman, and others.

The statement of the home-lots on Hatfield Street affords the means of tracing at the present time very nearly the an- cient landmarks, and locating the settlers as they lived in the old days when the Indians were thick in the forests around, and when unslumbering vigilance alone could save life and home and family.

PHYSICIANS.

In April, 1679, Thomas Hastings, of Hatfield, petitioned for license to practice physic and ehirurgery. The subject was referred to the next court. No license is found on record, but he undoubtedly was authorized to practice the next year. For many years he was the physician and surgeon for Hatfield, Hadley, Deerfield, and other towns. Sometimes his ride ex- tended to Springfield, Suffield, Westfield, Enfield, and Brook- field. Yet his time was but partially occupied with his pro- fessional business. His bills were small, and his income could not have been great. He kept the town school several years. At his death, in 1712, the amount due to his estate was only £39, and the whole was estimated at but £225.

His son, Thomas llastings, Jr., was a man of very similar employment,-practicing medicine and teaching,-his ride ex- tending over the surrounding country, like his father's. Hle died in 1728.

The large amount of other valuable material embodied in this sketch compels the omission of any extended notice of the physicians of the town. In the chapter upon the medical societies of the counties they will appear to some extent.

Dr. Daniel White was a noted physician of the present century.

MERCHANTS, STORES.

Zachariah Field was a trader in the early years. His opera- tions were extended to buying furs of the Indians. He prob- ably kept only a few goods to exchange with the Indians and supply some of the simplest wants of the settlers. Hle imitated the fashions of modern times by failing in 1664.

During the succeeding hundred years there is very little to be obtained concerning the stores. The Partridges, Dick- insons, Smiths, and Allises being merchants in part, at least,

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

it is understood the earlier members of those families were also. Samuel Partridge's store of 1790, and for twenty or thirty years, stood where John A. Billings now resides.

The old Dickinson store was on or near the site of the present residence of W. II. Dickinson.

Nathaniel Dickinson was the first to bring in modern crockery, perhaps one hundred and thirty years ago. Trench- ers for plates had been used before that time. Mrs. Bardwell having bought a set of the new plates, her husband, not ap- proving of the extravagance, and having a chance to set the table for the slaves without the assistance of his better half, took down those choice new plates and had the slaves eat from them first, as a practical joke at the expense of his good wife. " Landlord Allis" had a store probably in the Revolution and later at the place next north of the present residence of W. Il. Dickinson. The store was managed largely by one of the Waits.

Eurotas Hastings was a merchant for a series of years. Elijah Bardwell, to whom we are indebted for many of these items, relates an anecdote showing the use of liquors in olden times. Goods were largely brought by the river from Hart- ford. Of course, navigation closed at the setting in of winter, and merchants intended to have full supplies in store by that time. In March, 1821, or 1822, Mr. Bardwell was in the store, and Mr. Hastings inquired about teams to go to Hartford for goods, saying he bad seren hogsheads of rum when the winter set in, but it was all gone !

John Hart's store was at the south end of the village.

TAVERNS.

In the times of the Revolution and for some years after, the public-house of " Landlord Allis," alluded to in connection with his store, was a noted resort and a favorite with the trav- eling public. A cousin of the proprietor (perhaps he was), coming there one day pretty full of New England rum or . something stronger, and hearing of a rather pleasant room given to a negro, and somewhat disgusted at such practical evidence of equality, is said to have actually led his horse up the stairs to see the room. The horse walked up, but wouldn't walk down, and it was necessary to throw the animal and drag him down.

There was a tavern, between the Revolution and 1800, where David Billings now lives.

Ebenezer White kept tavern, and his father before him. This was at the site of the present place of John T. Fitch. It was continued by the widow of Ebenezer for a short time.

At this old tavern there was a famous celebration upon the receipt of the news of peace, in 1816.

Ebenezer Dwight had a tavern for a few years (1815 to 1820, perhaps) where Alfred Graves now lives.

Dr. White kept a public-house thirty-five or forty years where Daniel W. Wells now resides, commencing 1800 or earlier ; the present building is the same.

John B. Morton kept a tavern, 1820 to 1830, in what is now a tenement-house, next south of the residence of W. H. Dick- inson. Aaron Dickinson had a public-house for many years at North Hatfield; continued until business was destroyed by the opening of the railroads.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Ilatfield may have had 30 families in 1670. The persons taxed in 1678, after the Indian war, were 48, and in 1682, 57. The number of families in 1682 may have been 48 or 50. They had five selectmen and other town-officers as in Ihadley. The herdmen and shepherds were employed, and also men to burn the woods in the spring.

In 1692, Hatfield began a contest with Hadley, demanding that the river should be the boundary between them, and attained her object in 1733.

The attempt of Hatfield to carry her south line into territory

long in the possession of Northampton failed, in 1720, after a dispute of twenty-six years.

Col. Samuel Partrigg, or Partridge, was powerful in Hat- field, and was for many years a very prominent man in the Connecticut Valley.

Landlord Allis is said to have had the first carpeted room in town.

It is a traditional anecdote that Roger Dickinson, who had a family of girls and desired to have them educated, in the early days when there were no "Smith's Female Colleges," went to Elijah Dickinson to secure his assistance in urging the matter before the town. The latter himself approved of educating the girls, but was doubtful of success in securing an appropriation. Said he, " Roger, it is all right, but do you suppose they will vote any money to teach the shes ?"

The Bliss fulling-mill was at the site of the pistol-factory, in a room under the old grist-mill.

There were several families at North Farms in early times, where there are now no buildings, but the plowshare often turns up bricks and other relics of settlement. Here were the Fields, Bardwells, Gulls, Arms, and others. Elijah Bard- well, to whom we are indebted for many of these items, sup- poses that the buildings burnt by the Indians "outside the fortifications" were located there.

There were Indian burials near North Farms, and the bones coming to the surface in cultivating the ground have often been taken away as relics.

An elm of immense proportions stood till within a few years in front of the present church. It was a monarch of the an- cient forest. Oliver Wendell Holmes, who often admired it, pronounced it the largest tree in New England, and the "antocrat of the breakfast-table" is good authority. It was broken badly by the wind a few years ago, and safety com- pelled its removal.

A peculiar family item appears in the lists of early settlers, -that middle names were very rare until quite a recent period. A petition of a hundred years ago, with 40 or 50 signers, shows no middle names. A list of voters of 1825 has only 7 such, and very many old people now living have only one prefix to the family surname. Junior and senior were more frequent in old times than now.

The barn of Elijah Bardwell is the old meeting-house of 1750, and the sills are still sound. In this building are tim- bers taken to build this from the house of 1668, and Mr. Bardwell has two timbers from that earliest house in his well- room.

The old difficulties of "seating the meeting-house" are alluded to elsewhere. On one occasion, when there was con- siderable dissatisfaction, and some audible expression of it, Thomas Banks, who had been assigned what was deemed the poorest seat in the house, rose amid the other speech-makers and said, "I am thankful for a seat anywhere in the house of God."

The old Murray place was the present place of Samuel F. Billings. A daughter of Mr. Murray was the wife of Brig .- Gen. Maltby, who commanded the Hampshire County men in the campaign for the defense of Boston, war of 1812.

The first school-house, and the place of all the schools for a hundred years, or most of them, stood in the street a short distance south of the meeting-house. The second school- house, mentioned often in the records as the place of town- meetings, was built of brick, much or all of the material being taken from the old fortified houses of the early settle- ment. It appears that palisades were not the only protection resorted to. Some of these fortified houses had brick walls a foot or more in thickness, and perbaps that accounts for the ill success of the Indians in some of their attempts at slaughter.

The list of lot-owners and their location, already given, sug- gests many interesting facts of the early times. The house

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HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

of Benjamin Wait stood on the present place of J. Morton, west side, near the north end of the street. From there were taken the wife and the children, to rescue whom he made the trip to Canada.

Rev. Hope Atherton, the first minister, lived on the present place of Erastus Billings.

Elijah Bardwell gives the tradition that one man, wounded almost to death at Bloody Brook, actually worked his way on his hands and knees to Hatfield, reaching there some days after the battle, was taken in, cared for, and his life saved.

The names of the prominent publie men of the town in early times are very largely shown in the lists of publie offi- cers and representatives to the General Court, and many others are mentioned in lists of committees upon churches, schools, and burial-places.

Eminent men, natives of this town, are numerous, but it seems difficult to procure a full list. There may be mentioned, Jonathan Dickinson (1688 to 1747) ; was an ahle clergyman and author; Elisha Williams (1694 to 1755), president of Yale College from 1726 to 1739; Oliver Partridge (1712 to 1792), often a member of public bodies ; Oliver Smith, founder of the famous Smith charities ; and still others.

Mr. S. G. Hubbard states that the Meekins House, now owned by H. S. Hubbard, and known as the Roswell Hubbard place, was fortified in the old times. The building is very likely the oldest in town. It is stated that the chimney was laid up with clay mortar.

The earliest three marriages recorded appear to be Daniel Belding to Elizabeth Foote, Nov. 10, 1670; Joseph Leonard to Mary Fellows, March 24, 1672; John Graves to Mary Brunson, July 20, 1671.

The earliest three births recorded are Hannah, daughter of .John and Deborah Cowles, born Nov. 24, 1668; John, son of Richard and Ruth Morton, born Jan. 21, 1670; Jonathan, son of John and Deborah Cowles, born Jan. 26, 1670.

The earliest three deaths : 1Iannah, daughter of Samuel and Hannah Gillet, " sorely burnt," and died February, 1670; John, son of Rachel and Ruth Morton, April 26, 1670; John, son of John and Martha Hawkes, July 6, 1671.

REMINISCENCES OF MR. MOSES MORTON.

He was born in 1790. His father was Josiah. Ilis grand- father, Moses. His great-grandfather, Abraham, and Abra- ham was the son of Richard, the pioneer. The children of Josiah, besides Moses, were Rodolphus, Leander, and two daughters, Abigail and Sally. Josiah was in the Revolution- ary war, and participated in the battle of Saratoga. Moses was one of the defenders of Boston, in 1814. He relates with much glee what a pleasant time they had down there; never enjoyed himself better in all his life. Ile says: " For those valiant services they gave me two land-warrants, and at last a pension ; curious idea, wa'n't it, after seventy years to give me a pension for just that nice little parade down to Boston ? I was a quartermaster under Col. Voluntine. I was a sergeant in the home company. They called on Hatfield for a detail of fourteen men, among them a captain and a lieutenant; but they two whined and took on so dreadfully the officers let them off' and took two sergeants, Jonathan Porter and me. That is the way I got into the excursion."

Mr. Morton married into the Dr. Lyman family. 1le has used tobacco all his life, and relates how Rev. Dr. Trask, the great apostle of the Anti-Tobacco movement, came to expostu- late with him, and if possible convert him. "Tobacco will hurt you,-shorten your life," said Trask. " Will it ?" replied Mr. Morton. "Now, look here, Trask ! I married into a min- ister's family, and I have seen lots of ministers' meetings at the old Lyman homestead, and they all smoked, and 1 can give you the names of twelve that lived to a green old age and almost died in their pulpits." Mr. Trask gave him up as a hard case.

Mr. Morton says the old militia-trainings were great affairs when he was a boy. The troops used to parade in the Main Street, in front of Dr. White's tavern, and also deploy and go through their drill on the wide common in front of the present post-office.

Jonathan Lyman, who studied law and settled in Hatfield, procured the establishment of the post-office, and Dr. Daniel White was the first postmaster. Dr. White kept it at his tavern, where Elisha Wells now lives. Dr. Lyman's home- stead was on a lot now owned by Marcus Morton ; the build- ings gone.

The old church stood opposite in the street.

The school-house was farther sonth, opposite Dr. White's tavern. Dr. John Hastings, like his ancestors, was a teacher for some years. Mr. Morton well remembers when he was promoted up-stairs to the higher school. He recalls other teachers as Ephraim Ilastings, Levi Field, and Mr. Hunt- ington.

Mr. Morton says when he was ten years old there was not a buggy nor a cutter in town. There were no draw-chains for horses, and no leather tugs. The tugs were ropes, the lines were ropes. The people had double sleighs, and rode to meet- ing in them during the winter ; in the summer went on foot.

The first chaise in town was assessed for taxation at $60, but by accident was written down $600, and the owner paid the tax all the same without grumbling. He says he used to read Addison and Goldsmith when young, and not such trash as the young people have at the present time.

From old files of the Hampshire Gazette :

"I, Curson, Teacher of the Proprietors' School, Northampton, begs leave to inform the public that he intends to open a Subscription School at Hatfield the 1st day of January next, where youths will be carefully and expeditionsly in- structed in varions branches of useful Literature. For terms and other particu lars gentlemen are desired to apply to Col. Chapin, of Hatfield.

" DEC. 16, 1786."

Nov. 27, 1792,-" Oliver Smith advertises a brown Heifer, two years old past with a bob-tail, lost in the Hatfield woods. Note .- This Heifer was a part of the wealth now blessing so many through the 'Smith charities.1"

1792 .- " Benjamin Smith and Oliver Smith dissolve partnership by mutnal consent."

The Smith store was on the ground of the present church.

Trades' unions were not unknown eighty years ago. An adjourned meeting of house-joiners and cabinet-makers of Hampshire County was held at the house of Landlord Billings, in Ilatfield, the first Wednesday of March, 1796.

June 25, 1804 .- " Saddles exchanged at an ordination. Adna Smith complains that he lost 'an almost new suldle, seat of neat's leather, round tuft nails, and pad faced with red plush,' was taken, and one 'poorer, much poorer,' left in its place."

ORGANIZATION.

The inhabitants of Hadley who settled upon the west side of the Connecticut suffered so many inconveniences by reason of the broad stream which separated them from those upon the east that they were obliged immediately to have some- thing of a separate organization. Accordingly, " west-side meetings" were held the very first year of settlement ; and there is still preserved in the town-elerk's office of Hatfield an early book of records dating back to 1660,-a venerable relie which the town-fathers might well order printed entire at the public expense. They were perhaps first kept on loose sheets of paper, and afterward written out in their present form by the first town-clerk, John Allis, about 1670. This, with the two small volumes of town-records that follow, constitutes some of the earliest and most valuable manuscripts extant in this valley. Northampton was only settled seven years before these records commence. Indeed, the earliest births, deaths, and marriages of Northampton are in this old HIatfield office, dating back to 1655.

These " west-side meetings" transacted a variety of business with reference to divisions of lands, laying out roads, building fences in common, making police regulations, and establishing publie worship. Mr. Hope Atherton, the first minister, was

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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 127

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