History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. I, Part 34

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 34

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About the year 1835 great interest began to be manifested in the cultivation of the Chinese mulberry-plant, and the manu- facture of domestic silk therefrom; but, from climatic and other causes, the attempts to make it a profitable industry were within a few years abandoned.

At the annual exhibition of 1847 there was a display of three hundred head of horned cattle, many of them imported, and the fair was a marked success. At this exhibition there was also a remarkable display of fine, blooded horses, there being ninety-six entered, many of them of the justly-celebrated Justin Morgan breed. The first noted horse of this fine breed was the "Justin Morgan" which was raised in Western Massachusetts, and taken to the State of Vermont in 1798, and from whom nearly all the fine stock of the Green Moun- tain State has descended.

At the fair of 1847 were also present one hundred and seventy-two yokes of working-oxen. There was in addition

a fair display of various kinds of fruit,-apples, pears, peaches, and grapes.

In 1857 there were one hundred and fifty horses on exhibi- tion,-a greater number than ever before,-and the "show of fruit was magnificent."

From the date of its organization down to the year 1857 the annual exhibitions of the society were held on Main Street, at the head of King Street, in Northampton, and on the common near the cemetery, and the town-hall was used for the display of domestic manufactures.

In 1856 the society purchased fourteen acres and sixty square rods of land on North Street, at one hundred and seventy-five dollars per acre, which was inclosed with a sub- stantial fence, and a trotting-course, half a mile in length, laid out and made ready for use. The necessary sheds and buildings were erected and fitted up, and the whole amount expended was four thousand and four dollars and sixty-one cents.

For a number of years following the exhibitions of stock were held on this ground, while the domestic manufactures were displayed in the town-hall. In 1861 the society voted to erect a hall on the grounds, so that every part of the ex- hibition could be together ; and a suitable building, costing two thousand two hundred dollars, was completed the follow- ing year. Since that time the exhibitions have been emi- nently successful.

In the year 1872 two additional acres of land adjoining the grounds on the north were purchased; the track was lengthened and graded anew, the hall moved to a better location in the northwest corner of the lot, the cattle-sheds and pens removed and rebuilt, and everything put in excel- lent order. The cattle-sheds are sufficient to accommodate about 80 head under cover, and the grounds have been re- cently supplied with abundance of water from the town aque- duet.

In 1874 the experiment was tried of holding the fair during three consecutive days, which proved very successful, and has been continued. The premiums paid in 1875 amounted to about $1200.

The following list shows the names of those who have been presidents and secretaries of the society, and the date of their election from its formation to the present :

Presidents .- Ilon. Joseph Lyman, elected 1818; Hon. I. C. Bates, elected 1826; Hon. Mark Doolittle, elected 1830; Joseph G. Coggswell, Esq., elected 1833; Hon. Samuel La- throp, elected 1835; Ilon. I. C. Bates, elected 1840; Hon. Ed- ward Dickinson, elected 1841; Wells Lathrop, Esq., elected 1845; President Hitchcock, elected 1847; Hon. William Clark, elected 1849; Paoli Lathrop, Esq., elected 1852; llon. Elisha Edwards, elected 1857 ; T. G. Huntington, Esq., elected 1859; Ilenry S. Porter, Esq., elected 1863; Milo J. Smith, Esq., elected 1866; Elnathan Graves, Esq., elected 1870; A. P. Peck, elected 1872; A. T. Judd, elected 1873; J. H. Stebbins, elected 1874; J. II. Demond, elected 1877; H. C. Haskell, elected 1879.

Secretaries .- Jona. 11. Lyman, chosen 1818 ; Joseph Strong, 1821; Daniel Stebbins, 1823; Harvey Kirkland, 1840; S. L. Hinckley, 1847; W. O. Gorham, 1850; Benj. Barrett, 1854 ; John W. Wilson, 1855; Horace J. Hodges, 1856; H. K. Starkweather, 1859; A. Perry Peck, 1865; L. C. Ferry, 1872.

Addresses have been delivered at the annual cattle-show and fairs of the Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Agri- cultural Society as follows: 1818, Noah Webster, LL.D .; 1819, Hon. Joseph Lyman ; 1820, Ilon. Jonathan A. Lyman ; 1821, Hon. Epaphras Hoyt ; 1822, Hon. John Mills ; 1823, IIon. I. C. Bates ; 1824, Hon. George Grennell; 1825, Hon. W. B. Calhoun ; 1826, Hon. Mark Doolittle; 1827, President Hitchcock; 1828, Patrick Boies, Esq. ; 1829, Festus Foster, Esq. ; 1830, Hon. Samuel C. Allen ; 1831, Hon. Sam'l F. Dick- inson ; 1832, Hon. Myron Lawrence; 1833, Rev. Henry Cole-

* For accounts of several minor societies in various parts of the three coun- ties, not herein mentioned, see history of the respective towns where their grounds or headquarters are located.

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

man ; 1834, Ilon. Samuel Lathrop; 1835, Rev. John Todd ; 1836, llon. George T. Davis; 1837, Hon. Osmyn Baker ; 1838, Rev. Henry Coleman ; 1839, Hon. W. W. Bates; 1840, Rev. Henry Coleman ; 1841, Prof. W. C. Fowler; 1842, Rev. John Todd ; 1843, Hon. Charles Hudson ; 1844, Hon. JJosiah Quincy, Jr. ; 1845, President Hitchcock; 1846, John S. Skinner, Esq .; 1847, Prof. Chas. U. Shepard; 1848, Prof. John P. Norton ; 1849, Prof. John P. Norton; 1850, Dr. Daniel Lee; 1851, Dr. Daniel Lee; 1852, John S. Gould, Esq .; 1853; William S. King, Esq .; 1854, Prof. J. A. Nash ; 1855, Solon Robinson, Esq. ; 1857, Hon. A. H. Bul- lock ; 1858, George B. Loring, M.D .; 1859, IJon. Josiah Quincy, Jr. ; 1860, B. Perley Poore, Esq .; 1861, William G. Goldthwaite; 1862, Rev. F. D. Huntington; 1863, Judge Thomas Russell; 1864, llon. Darwin E. Ware; 1865, Hon. Daniel Needham; 1866, Charles L. Flint, Esq. ; 1867, Hon. Daniel Needham; 1868, Hon. Charles Delano; 1870, Rich- ard Goodman, Esq .; 1871, Prof. P. A. Chadbourne; 1872, Rev. Dr. Seelye ; 1873, Prof. Parker ; 1874, Il. M. Burt.

HAMPDEN COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

About the year 1843 the project of establishing a cattle- show or fair for the benefit of the agricultural interests of Hampden County was discussed by some of the leading farm- ers in the central portions of the county, which procedure eventuated in a petition to the Legislature for a chartered or- gaization. The petition was granted, and on the 5th of March, 1844, a charter was granted for the " Hampden County Agri- cultural Society," of which the following is a copy :

" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same,-

" Sec. I .- William B. Calhoun, Forbes Kyle, D. W. Willard, and their associates and successors, are hereby made a corporation, by the name of the Hampden County Agricultural Society, for the encouragement of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts in the County of Hampden, by premiums and other means.

" Sec. II .- And said corporation may hold and manage real estate not exceed- ing iu vatne fifteen thousand dollars, and personal estate not exceeding a like sum, for the purpose aforesaid."

The first meeting under the charter was convened at the call of the president, Hon. William B. Calhoun, on the 9th of April, 1844. It was numerously attended by people from all parts of the county. A constitution was adopted, of which the following are some of the provisions :

" Any male may become a member of this society by pay- ing into its treasury the sum of five dollars, and any female by paying the sum of two dollars and fifty cents.

" The annual meeting shall be held on the third Wednes- day in December of each year, for the election of officers, etc.

" All animals, to be entitled to premiums, must have been owned or kept for three months previous to the annual ex- hibition within the county."

At the first election the following were the officers chosen : Ilon. William B. Calhoun, President; thirteen Vice-Presi- dents ; James R. Crooks, Treasurer ; D. M. Bryant, Secretary.

At a meeting held in June, 1844, it was determined to hold the first cattle-show and fair in the city of Springfield, on the 16th and 17th days of October, 1844; prorided, the citizens of Springfield should before that time contribute six hundred dollars to the society's funds.

The fair was held at the appointed time, and was considered a great success. There was a large attendance, and an attract- ive display of stock. The premiums paid at this exhibition amounted to a total of $269.

In 1852 the amount paid in premiums had risen to 8485. In 1855 the society numbered over 500 members, and had accu- mulated a permanent fund of $4860.

The society has had a total membership of about 1000, which have been distributed among the various towns of the county as follows: Agawam, 21 members; Blandford, 2; Brimfield, 1; Chicopee, 88; Chester, 5; Granville, 1; Holyoke, 16; Long- meadow, 33; East Longmeadow, 22; Ludlow, 10; Monson,

12; Montgomery, 1; Palmer, 12; Russell, 2; Springfield, 520; West Springfield, 62; Southwick, 5; Tolland, 1; Westfield, 44; Wilbraham, 28; Hampden, 18; non-residents of the county, 78.

The following-named individuals have been officers in the order of rank and service:

Presidents .- Ilon. William B. Calhoun, llon. John Mills, Hon. Josiah Hooker, Thomas J. Shepherd, Francis Brewer, Horace M. Sessions, Hon. George Bliss, Hon. Chester W. Chapin, Phincas Stedinan, William Birnie, Hon. Eliphalet Trask, George Dwight, Norman T. Leonard, Esq., William Pynchon, Charles L. Buel.

Secretaries .- D. M. Bryant, Hon. Henry Vose, Samuel Par- sons, A. A. Allen, J. Newton Bagg.

Treasurers,-James W. Crooks, James Brewer, A. A. Allen, R. E. Ladd, J. Newton Bagg, J. S. McElwain, J. E. Russell, E. S. Bachelder.

The society elects a delegate to the State Board of Agricul- ture once in three years, and an annual report is published under direction of the secretary.

HAMPDEN HARVEST CLUB.

This society was organized on the 11th of December, 1857, at the house of George M. Atwater,-" Rockrimmon Farm,"- at which time the following persons were present : from Spring- field, J. H. Demond, A. W. Stacy, George M. Atwater ; from Chicopee, Phineas Stedman, H. J. Chapin, and Benjamin H. Stedman. .

The first president was Phineas Stedman, and the first secretary George M. Atwater.

In October, 1858, the club was reorganized, with Phineas Stedman, President, and J. N. Bagg, Secretary. A lecture committee was chosen, consisting of William Birnie, George M. Atwater, and Phineas Stedman, and a series of bi-monthly meetings inaugurated, which have since been continued.

At the last-mentioned date eighteen members were admitted, as follows: William Birnie, Col. Edward Parsons, Phineas Stedman, JI. J. Chapin, George M. Atwater, W'm. Pynchon, A. L. Mckinstry, J. Il. Demond, A. W. Stacy, B. H. Sted- man, Richard Bliss, Reuben Brooks, J. N. Bagg, Justin Ely, Wilbur Wilson, Ethan C. Ely, and John Chase.

The club has had during the twenty-two years of its exist- ence over one hundred active and honorary members. In the honorary list are the names of Chief-Justice Chapman, of Springfield ; Ilon. C. L. Flint, of Boston; Prof. Levi Stock- bridge, of Amherst ; Dr. J. G. Holland, of New York ; Col. J. M. Thompson, of Springfield; Wells Lathrop, of South Hadley ; Samuel Bowles, of Springfield ; Maj. Edward Inger- soll, of the U.S.A. ; and Marvin Chapin, of Springfield, who have attended the meetings of the club and taken an active interest in its deliberations.

On the 20th of December, 1858, Hon. Josiah Quincy, of Boston, delivered a lecture before the club upon the subject of milk-farming, and other lectures and addresses hy distinguished agriculturists have been given from time to time.

By a standing rule of the eluh, the presiding officer is se- lected by a standing committee at a previous meeting, and elected at each session. The secretary and committees are elected at the annual meeting, which is held on the first Tues- day of December in each year.

J. Newton Bagg, of West Springfield, the present secretary, has held the office for twenty-one years. The club holds meetings during the winter months at the residences of its members. The wives of the members are always invited, and frequently take part in the discussions.

FRANKLIN HARVEST CLUB .*

The earliest " Farmers' Club" organized in the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts was a town club in Sunderland,

* Materials from an address delivered by L. F. Mellen, Esq., Dec. 7, 1878.

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

Franklin Co., in January, 1833, with twenty-three mem- bers.

The Franklin Harvest Club was organized at the Mansion House, in Greenfield, in the year 1859. Many of the original members had previously been in the habit of meeting together for the purpose of discussing matters and questions pertaining to agriculture.

The first officers of the club were Thomas J. Field, of Northfield, President; Edward W. Stebbins, of Deerfield, Vice-President ; Ilon. James S. Grinnell, of Greenfield, Secre- tary.

The following is the preamble to the constitution : " Whereas, The experience of each of our farmers ought to inure to the benefit of all, and since free conversation in a social gathering is the best way of transmitting information to each other, and since, also, associated action is more effective than individual exertions ; we hereby, for the sole purpose of eliciting and disseminating agricultural information, agree to form an agricultural association, to be called the 'Franklin Harvest Club. ' "

Article 3 of the constitution says : " The active membership of this club shall never exceed twenty-two, and candidates shall be admitted by unanimous ballot after being proposed by a membership committee."

One of the by-laws provides that " refreshments served at the meetings of the club shall be plain and unostentatious; and the use of ardent spirits, other than those of domestic manu- facture, shall be prohibited at the meetings of the club."

The active membership of the society has for several years included many of the most prominent agriculturists of the valley, distributed through the three counties of Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden, in Massachusetts, and the coun- ties of Merrimack, in New Hampshire, and Hartford, in Con- necticut. Its transactions have been published in the agricul- tural papers throughout the country, and it has been said of it that " no agricultural organization in the State possesses more dignity, intelligence, and enterprise than the Franklin Har- vest Club."

The total membership since its organization considerably exceeds one hundred, representing stock-raisers, breeders of special lines of neat cattle,-Durhams, Devons, Jerseys, and Ayrshires,-market-gardeners, and fruit-growers.

A comparison of the productions of the county for the last thirty years shows considerable improvement, and the influ- ence of this society has very likely been more or less instru- mental in producing the change for the better. The rapid growth of the manufacturing centres in Western Massachu- setts has caused important changes in some of the chief pro- ductions, and led to the cultivation of those products which were more immediately in demand in the local markets. The best-paying farms are those situated nearest these markets ; and the production of butter, in particular, has increased re- markably since 1855, the amount now produced being nearly double what it was then.

In 1845 there were more acres of corn grown in the three counties of the valley than now, but the yield per acre has in- creased in Franklin County from thirty-two to thirty-seven and a half bushels ; in Hampshire, from twenty-nine to thirty- two bushels ; and in Hampden, from twenty-five to twenty- seven and five-eighths bushels per acre.

The Franklin Ilarvest Club elects its officers at the annual meeting, held on the first Saturday in December each year. The following are the present officers : President, S. Augustus Bates, of South Hadley ; Vice-President, Joseph P. Felton, of Greenfield ; Secretary, L. F. Mellen, of West Springfield.

FRANKLIN COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

This important agricultural organization grew out of a voluntary exhibition held at Greenfield on the 15th of deto- ber, 1849. In the course of that year subscriptions were

obtained, and the society was incorporated by the Legislature in the winter of 1849-50.

The first formal meeting of the society was held, for the election of officers, at Greenfield, on the 13th day of June, 1850, when the following were elected to serve for the year : President, Henry W. Clapp, of Greenfield ; Vice-Presidents, Win. Bardwell, of Shelburne; Moses Stebbins, of Deerfield ; HIon. II. W. Cushman, of Bernardston; James White, of Northfield ; R. B. Hubbard, of Sunderland ; Secretary, W. T. Davis, of Greenfield ; Treasurer, A. G. Hammond.

The amount of subscriptions received at the time of organi- zation was about as follows, by townships: Ashfield, $24; Bernardston, 872; Buckland, $5; Deerfield, $101; Coleraine, $10; Greenfield, $711; Gill, $10; Northfield, $64; Rowe, $18; Shelburne, $159; Sunderland, $45; Warwick, $12; Wendell, $13; Charlemont, $10; Montague, $5; Orange, $100; a total of $1362.

The first annual cattle-show and fair was held on the 25th of September, 1850, and was a very successful one. The an- nual meeting was held on the 2d of January, 1851, when Ilenry W. Cushman was elected president. The total receipts for 1850, as reported by the treasurer, amounted to $1809.54. Annual fairs have been held without intermission at Green- field since the year of organization.

The society, in common with others throughout the State, has received annually from the State the sum of $600.

The first purchase of grounds for permanent occupation was made in 1860, when five acres of land were bought of Hon. Almon Brainerd for $2000. In 1862 an additional five and a half acres were purchased of the same party for $3000, making a total of ten and a half acres, at a total cost of $5000. These grounds were situated on the Green River meadow, near the middle turnpike bridge, and, though small, answered fairly for a number of years.

A trotting-track was laid out, about one-third of a mile in circuit, open seats and cattle-pens were constructed, and a few cheap buildings erected ; but it became apparent, with the growing interest soon manifested in the annual gatherings, that more spacious grounds were a necessity, and after several years of agitation, and the occupation of a portion of the land by the new line of the Troy and Greenfield Railway, the property was finally sold at auction in 1876 to John Oster- hout for $7200, who, in turn, sold to Newell Snow, who disposed of about one-third subsequently to the railroad company.

The committee appointed at the annual meeting in Janu- ary, 1876, to dispose of the old and purchase new grounds, consisted of Imla K. Brown, T. J. Field, G. P. Carpenter, Newell Snow, Christopher Stebbins, Carlos Batchelder, and N. Austin Smith.

This committee, after considerable negotiation, finally pur- chased in 1876 of various individuals about thirty-three and a half acres of finely-situated land in what is known as " Petty's Plain," a half-mile southwest of the railway station, and on the southwest side of Green River. The location is every way unexceptionable, and overlooks the Deerfield Valley and the village of Greenfield. The original cost of the land was $2571.70. The grounds contain a beautiful grove of about five acres, and are finely and most conveniently fitted up with all modern appliances, including excellent water furnished from the Greenfield water-works, and one of the best half-mile tracks in the State. The track was fitted up at an expense of $1650. The total outlay for all purposes has been between $9000 and $10,000.

The whole number of members in 1851 was, according to the statement of IIon. Henry W. Cushman, about 220.

The life-membership at the present time (1879) exceeds 2500, and it is believed to be the largest of any county society in the State.

The amount of premiums paid at the last annual fair, in

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

1878, amounted to a total of $663.25 on sixteen different classes of exhibits. Of this sum Shelburne carried off the largest amount of any one town, 8242.75; and Greenfield came next, with $124.75. Upon neat stock, Shelburne received $134, and Deerfield came next, with $39.

The value of the property now owned by the association is about $10,000, and its liabilities, in the shape of indebtedness. amount to $1780.82.

OFFICERS.

The following are the names of the presidents and seeretaries from 1850 to 1879, inclusive :

Presidents .- 1850, Henry W. Clapp, of Greenfield ; 1851-56, Hon. Henry W. Cushman, of Bernardston; 1857, Josiah Fogg, of Deerfield ; 1858-59, Z. L. Raymond, of Greenfield ; 1860-61, Henry W. Clapp; 1862-63, Hon. Ilenry W. Cush- man; 1864-65, Edward W. Stebbins, of Deerfield; 1866, Joseph Anderson, of Shelburne ; 1867-68, Thomas J. Field, of Northfiekl ; 1869, Henry Wells, of Shelburne; 1870-71, Wm. Keith, of Greenfield ; 1872-73, James M. Crafts, of Whately ; 1874-75, Imla K. Brown, of Bernardston: 1876-77, D. Or- lando Fisk, of Shelburne ; 1878, James S. Grinnell, of Green- field ; 1879, James S. Grinnell, of Greenfield.

The secretaries have been : 1850-52, W. T. Davis, of Green- fied ; 1853-54, Hon. H. G. Parker, of Greenfield ; 1855, Ed- ward F. Raymond, Esq., of Greenfield; 1856-62, James S. Grinnell,* of Greenfield ; 1863-65, Austin De Wolf, of Green- field; 1866-68, Edward E. Lyman, of Greenfield; 1869-72, Samuel J. Lyons, of Greenfield ; 1873-76, Francis M. Thomp- son, of Greenfield ; 1877-78, John A. Aiken ; 1879, Henry G. Nims, of Greenfield.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE BAR OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.+

HON. GEORGE BLISS, in his address to the members of the Bar of Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Counties, de- livered at Northampton, Sept. 26, 1826, divides its history into four periods, viz. : the first, extending from the first set- tlement of the Connecticut River colony in Massachusetts, in 1636, to 1691, in which latter year the province charter was granted ; the second, from that date to the year 1743; the third, from 1743 to 1774, when the courts were suspended by the troubles between the mother-country and the colony ; and the fourth period from 1774 down to 1826, and in which may also be properly included whatever is worthy of record to the present time.

In his preliminary remarks Mr. Bliss makes the following observations : "The first settlers of the colony of Massachu- setts were by no means destitute either of natural endow- ments or literary acquirements. Some of them were distin- guished in our profession. The first governor, Winthrop, was a lawyer, and the son of a lawyer. His grandfather, also, had been an eminent counselor. His posterity in Con- ncetieut and Massachusetts were much distinguished. But the spirit of the times in which they lived, the special objeet of their emigration, and the business in which they were inces- santly engaged after they came to this country, prevented the first settlers from devoting much attention to the forms of legal proceedings. The practice of law in England, as ex- hibited in some of its departments, in the time of James the

First and the elder Charles, had no charms for the Puritans in general, or the emigrants to this country in particular.

" An extensive examination of the earliest records of the colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts has induced me to believe that our ancestors were not so ignorant of the princi- ples upon which justice had been administered in the mother- country as some have asserted. But it has also abundantly satisfied me that they were either in a great degree ignorant of the forms of legal proceedings, or considered them of very little importance.

" During our first period but little can be said of the repu- tation of the lawyers or of their practice."

The first administrator of justice, and the first person who had any knowledge of the law in the Agawam colony, was its first magistrate and principal business-man, William Pynchon. Mr. Pynchon was one of the original patentees of the Massachusetts colony, and also a magistrate ; and when the General Court granted him and his associates permission to emigrate to the Connecticut Valley, it also constituted him the magistrate of the new colony.#

Early in the year 1639, at a " full town-meeting" held at Agawam, a voluntary association was formed, and the people gave Mr. Pynchon formal authority to continue until the General Court should provide for them. This movement was in consequence of the establishment of the line between Mas- sachusetts and Connecticut in 1638, which left the Hartford colony within the jurisdiction of the latter State. The legis- lative proceedings of the Connecticut Valley had been for a number of years held at Hartford, and Agawam was repre- sented in that court.

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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 34

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