History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. II, Part 117

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 896

USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. II > Part 117

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. Ely was a tanner, and the son of a tanner. By his industrions habits, and his diligent, personal

attention to all the details of his work, he honored his calling, and had a high reputation among his fellow-craftsmen. He was an amiable, courteous, and dignified gentleman of the old school. A saga- cious business man and a prudent counselor, his advice was repeatedly sought by others, and was ever deemed safe and reliable. A kind neighbor and a sympathizing friend, his ready assistance and prompt charity were proverbial.

A Christian gentleman, his life was pure and con- sistent, and his conduct proved that religion with him was no mere form, but a genuine vital prin- ciple.

He was a member of the First Church for nearly

Photo. by T. R Lewis, Holyoke.

fifty years, and an officer for nearly twenty. Having decided opinions, he was a firm adherent to the creed and government of the church with which he was connected.

Mr. Ely was always deeply interested in public affairs, and he was active in promoting all the inter- ests of his native town. His advice and influence extended over the wide field of the county and the State. He was a member of the convention that met to revise the constitution in 1853, and brought to the discharge of his duties in that body that quiet attention and solid practical judgment which had appeared in his discharge of official trusts at home. Mr. Ely descended from a long line of honorable

ancestors. He was one of three brothers who mar- ried three sisters, all neighbors, natives, and life-long residents of the same town. The names and tradi- tions of these two old families date back to the earliest settlement of Western Massachusetts, and form an interesting part of its history.

Mr. Ely lived to a good old age, and died Jan. 28, 1873, universally esteemed for his many virtues. His wife died the year previous.

Of their ten children, five only survive their par- ents : Henry G. and : Homer, Jr., of New York ; Mrs. N. P. Pierce, of Brooklyn, N. Y .; Mrs. G. Morgan Smith, of South Hadley and Mrs. J. S. McElwain, of Holyoke.

907

HISTORY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY.

DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS.

1780, Abraham Burbank, Maj. Benj. Ely : 1787, Col. Benj. Ely, Capt. John Wil- liston, James Kent, Timothy Horton, Luther Frink ; 1820, Alfred Flower ; 1853, Homer Ely.

DELEGATES TO CONVENTION AT HATFIELD FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.

1782, Col. Benj. Ely, Capt. Jno. Williston; 1783, Eleazer Pay, James Selden : 1786, Col. Benj. Kly.

CHURCHES.

THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHI.

In June, 1698, two years after the west side of the river was set off' as a separate and distinct parish, the first church was formed, and the Rev. John Woodbridge was constituted its pastor. No records of the parish were kept from the time of its organization, in 1696, until March 20, 1702, and the original contract between the parish and the Rev. Mr. Woodbridge cannot be definitely ascertained. At a meeting of the inhabi- tants, Dee. 12, 1704, it was voted " that the Present Comitey shall give to the Rev. Mr. Woodbridge a deed of the house and land which he now possesseth in the name of the ' side.' "* It was also voted that the committee, viz., Deacon Barber, Deacon Parsons, John Miller, John Day, and Benj. Leonard, form an agreement with the Rev. Mr. Woodbridge in refer- ence to his settlement.

At a meeting, Nov. 5, 1705,

It was voted " that seven men more be aded to the comitey : Eben' Jones, James Ely, John Bagg, Nath' Morgau, James Merrick, Sam'l Day, and Sam'l Ely, And that they should agree with him and bring things to a conclusion, and what they did conclude of they would stand by and perform and accomplish accordingly."

An agreement was made in which they promise to

" give the Rev. Mr. John Woodbridge annually for his salary Eighty pounds in provisions, particularly wheat at four shillings ye bushel, l'eas att three shillings ye Imshel, Rie att four shillings ye bushell, Indian Corn att two shillings ye bushell and six pence, Pork att 3 cts. per lb. ; and what any person shall doe with 1 espeet to bringeing of wood for the fier. It is all every man's libertye to doe what he shall secause, gratis; only the Comitey shall appoint a day yearly for what an Person shall secause to doe of that nature for Mr. Woodbridge his greater convenience."

Ile " also was to possess and enjoy the use of the ministry-land, and to have the use of two acres of land for mowing meadow, and six acres that was to be ' stubed' within twelve mouths and fitted for mowing meadow ; and, in order to further accomodate our said Rev. Minister, we doe promise to procner a certain tract of land lying ou Block Brook, of about 40 acres, belonging to Deacon Bar- ber, and also another tract of 20 acres, convenient thereto, and that we will doe something toward setting up a barn as soon as he shall secause to build tho same."

Mr. Woodbridge remained with this people, serving them acceptably, until his death, which occurred in June, 1718, at the age of forty years. " He was a man of great learning, of pleasant conversation, of a very tender spirit, very apt to communicate, one that had an excellent gift in giving advice and counsel."+ After his death the pulpit was supplied for a short time by the Rev. Mr. Hobart and Rev. Mr. Pierpont, the latter receiving an invitation from the society to become their pastor, which offer he declined.

In October, 1719, it was voted to invite the Rev. Samuel Hop- kins to preach to them on probation, and in January, 1720, he received an invitation to settle in that place as their pastor, at a salary of £100. He accepted, and was ordained and installed June 1, 1720. He remained as pastor over this society thirty- six years, and died in October, 1755, in the sixty-second year of his age.

Rev. Joseph Lathrop was ordained to the pastorate of the church Aug. 25, 1756, having graduated at Yale College two years previously. His ministry was a long one, extending to upward of sixty years, and he was one of the most remark- able divines of the Connecticut Valley. He wrote 5000 ser- mons, many of which have been published.

Ile was elected in 1792 a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 1793 was chosen Professor of Divinity in Yale College. His death occurred Dec. 31, 1820. He was succeeded by Revs. Wm. B. Sprague, Thomas E. Vermilye, John II. Hunter, A. A. Wood, HI. M. Field, T. HI. Hawks, E. B. Foster, Henry M. Grout, John M. Chapin, and Edward N. Pomeroy.

The church is now without a settled pastor. The present membership is 120. The deacons are J. N. Bagg, W. 11. Bull, and Joseph M. Smith. The superintendent of the Sab- bath-school is Dr. II. M. Miller.

The First Meeting-House .- The first action in reference to the erection of a meeting-house, of which any record is found, is in the parish register of date Dec. 8, 1702. At a meeting it was voted " to raise a rate for the carieing on the worck of the meeting-house and other charges of the sum of two hun- dred pounds."

It was voted, April 1, 1703, " that the present comity, viz., John Barber, Eben Parsons, Joseph Leonard, Benjamin Leonard, and John Miller, have the disposeing of the two hundred pounds Raised for and toward the carieing on and ereeteing the worek of the meeting-house."

At a meeting, Nov. 11, 1703, " In order to the modeling of the Meeting-House with respect to the seating of it, It was voted that the Meeting-House be seated In form acording to the moddle of the east side Meeteing-House, proportionate according to the roon."

Dee. 14, 1703, voted " that the present comitey seate the meeting-house, and that they have respect to Age, Estate, and Qualification, and haveing respect to these Rules they are to act according to their best discretion and Sound Judgment."

On Dee. 9, 1707, it was voted " to raise twenty pounds for a meeting-house bell," which was not done at that time, how- ever. At a meeting Dce. 14, 1708, it was voted "to alow John Ely twenty shillings for Drumeing on the Sabbath," a custom which was kept up for about forty years, when, in 1743, a bell was procured.

The year 1711 seems to have been the time when the church was completed, for Dec. 12, 1710, it was voted "that the pres- ent Comitey should finish the meeting-House."

The meeting-house was first occupied in 1702, and was lo- cated on the common almost in front of the present town- house. It was 42 feet square and 92 feet in height to the top of the spire. An engraving of this building is given on page 908.

The glass in the windows was diamond-shaped and set in lead sash. Around the walls were fifteen square pews. The body of the house was filled with slips fronting the pulpit, with a partition running through the middle, forming two di- visions, one occupied by the men, the other by the women. The treble singers sat in the gallery on the right of the pulpit, the bass singers on the left. The wood-work of the pews, pulpit, and railing was of oak and yellow pine.

An amusing deseription of the church was related by Dr. Lathrop of a child who attended meeting there for the first time, and on returning home undertook to describe it, as fol- lows : " The men were all shut up in hog-pens, and there was a man a-hollerin' up in the chimbley, and on the roost there was a lot of gals squallin'."¿

Here in this quaint house of worship the people gathered together for a century. The last Sabbath assemblage was on June 20, 1802, when the pastor, Rev. Joseph Lathrop, preached a valedietory sermon from the ninth verse of the forty-eighth psalm. In elosing, he said : " The antiquity of this house

* Probably meaning the west "side."

+ Extract from the diary of Rev. Dr. Williams, of Longmeadow.

# During his carly ministry here he was suspected of ente. taining heterodox views. A Mr. Jonathan Worthington, of Springfield, was presented by the grand jury for making such an assertion, and was fined by court, in 1722.

¿ In abont 1739-40, when the church was undergoing repairs, several addi- tivual pews were built, and some of them seemed to cause trouble, as would appear from a vote Oct. 24, 1745,-" Voted that if there be not a Reformation Respecting the Disorders in the Pews built on the great Beam in the time of Publick Worship, that the Committee shall have power, if they see cause, to pull them down."

908

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

carries our minds back to the time of its erection, one hundred years ago. This community was then small, consisting of but 30 families ; savages dwelt among them, and a wilderness sur-

T.CHUBBUCK SPRINGFIE

THE FIRST MEETING-HOUSE.

rounded them. There are no houses here except this aneient house of God, which was built a hundred years ago. The founders of this ancient temple are gone, and their places on earth are known no more. The same in a century will be said of us. We are now about to leave this house; this is the last time that we are here to meet for God's worship; there will soon be a last time of our meeting in any place on earth. May we all meet in heaven !"

The building was used eighteen years after it was given up for worship for town and parochial meetings, and, in 1820, by a vote of the town, it was torn down, and part of the old beams and timbers were used in the construction of the town- house.

The subject of building a new meeting-house began to be discussed as early as 1769, and a committee was appointed, in January of that year, to agree upon a location. The subject was agitated at intervals until near the elose of the century. Committee after committee was appointed, and places were designated, but met with opposition repeatedly.

In the year 1799, Mr. John Ashley contributed to the par- ish, as a fund for the support of the ministry, £1300, on con- dition that the parish would ereet a spacious meeting-house on a spot designated by him. On the 6th of June, 1800, the in- habitants of the parish voted their acceptance of his generous donation, and the long-continued troubles of the society came to an end.

The new meeting-house was built on what is known as " Orthodox Hill," and was completed in 1802, and four days after the farewell sermon in the old house Dr. Lathrop and his congregation assembled in the new, and it was dedicated one hundred years from the erection of the First Church, and is still in use by the descendants of the early fathers.

The contract was let to Capt. Timothy Billings for $1400 and ten gallons of St. Croix rum, valued at about $60. The rum was not used, and the amount of money was distributed to the workmen. The parish committee who had charge of building the meeting-house were Dr. Seth Lathrop, Justin Ely, Jr., Ruggles Kent, and Moses Ashley.

THE PARK STREET CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

was organized in 1871, with 75 members, who received letters from the First Church. The handsome brick church was built in 1872, at a cost of about $40,000, including organ and land. Rev. Lyman D. Calkins, the pres- ent pastor, was installed in 1873. Present member- ship, about 140. Its officers are : Deaeons, Samuel Smith, Franklin F. Smith, and Lucius F. Mellen ; Superintendent of Sabbath-sehool, Rev. L. D. Cal- kins.

THE SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

was organized in 1850, and is located at the village of Mittencague. Its present pastor is Rev. John E. Hurlbut ; membership, about 90. Officers : Deacons, Luke Bliss, H. A. Crowe, and George C. Buel ; Su- perintendent of Sunday-school, Ilenry A. Goodman.

THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH,

on Main Street, was built in 1872, at a cost of $4500. It was a mission of the State Street Baptist Church of Springfield until 1874, when it was organized into an independent church, and ealled Rev. Oscar D. Thomas to the pastorate. Ile resigned in November, 1878, and the church is now without a pastor. It has a membership of 105, and Sabbath-school of about 100. The officers are: Deacons, Alexander Grant, Plumer J. Prescott, Emerson A. Todd, and Edwin Richardson ; Superintendent of Sunday- school, J. D. Parsons.

The Methodists eommeneed holding meetings in the town- hall in West Springfield in 1841, and continued to use it until a church was built, in 1843, on Elm Street. In 1852 the church was removed to Mitteneague village, and is now, after being remodeled, the Second Congregational Church. Its pastors have been the Rev. Henry Powers, Rev. Perkins K. Clark, Rev. H. M. Holden, and the Rev. John E. Hurlbut .*

In 1872 a mission of Trinity Methodist Church of Spring- field was established in the southern part of the town, meet- ing at first in the school-house on School Street, and afterward in Centennial Hall. In 1876 a church was organized, and Rev. W. E. Knox placed in charge, who is the present pastor. In 1878 a church edifiee was ereeted on Main Street, and through the efficient efforts of Rev. Mr. Knox the money was raised by subscriptions to free the church from debt previous to dedication. The building is 55 by 38 feet ; the audience- room is the full size of the building, with a seating capacity for 275 persons. In the lower rooms are a vestry, two elass- rooms, and pastor's study. There is a large Sunday-school connected with this ehureh, of which Solomon E. Reed is superintendent.

THIE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD (EPISCOPAL),

on Main Street, was built in 1870, at a cost of about $10,000, mostly a gift from Chas. Ely. It is a very handsome, unique edifiee. It has had several pastors, but is supplied mostly from Christ Church, Springfield. An efficient Sunday-school is conducted by E. P. Kendrick.

ST. THOMAS' CHURCH (CATHOLIC),

located at Mitteneague, was built in 1870, eost $15,000, and has a seating capacity of 650. It was a mission church of St. Michael's Cathedral, Springfield, under the direction of Very Rev. P. Healy until 1877, when it was placed in charge of Rev. P. B. Phelon. It has a total membership of 950, in- cluding many who attend from Agawam, and a Sabbath- school of 180.

* The church builling was destroyed by fire Feb. 22, 1879, and is now being rebuilt on the old site at a cost of $1000.

909

HISTORY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY.

THE CHURCHI OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION,

on Main Street, was built in 1878, at a cost of $4500, including the organ. It has a seating capacity of 320, and its interior is very tastefully embellished with designs peculiar to that church. Father Phelon is also in charge of this church, and of the parishes of West Springfield and Agawam as a distinct district.

SOCIETIES.

The organized societies of this town, aside from the churches, are but few. They are the " Father Mathew Temperance So- ciety," "St. Thomas Temperance Society," " Oaken Bucket Division of the Sons of Temperance," and the " Women's Christian Temperance Union."

BURIAL-PLACES.

"Since the time when the stones and relics of the original Springfield burying- ground were removed to the new cemetery, on the hill, the old graveyard in West Springfield has been the most venerable landmark of the sort in this vicinity. Westfield, or perhaps even Longmeadow, may possess motmments more ancient, although I am under the impression that Northampton is the nearest town that boasts of such a one.

" As the present towns of Holyoke and Agawam were formerly included in West Springfieldl's limits, and as their numerous cemeteries now existing are of comparatively recent date, nearly all the dwellers on the west bank of the river -from the mountain range below Northampton to the boundary line of Con- necticut-were brought to this place for burial. Tradition, indeed, says that the yard became so over-crowded as to be 'planted two or three deep with bodies.' Accepting as true this story that the ancient dwellers in the country, where land was so cheap, should sanction a practice observed by the moderns only in cities (like Paris), where land is very dear, I take the explanation of it to be this:

" The yard was the common property of 'the l'arish,' which, in those early days of universal church-going, was only technically distinguishable from 'the town,' without private ownership or 'family lots' of any sort. Spaces for burial were indicated to applicants by the parish officers, and when several members of a given family chanced to be buried in proximity, and stones were erected to in- dicate their resting-places, the representatives of that family acquired a sort of presumptive right to the vacaut spaces in the immediate vicinity. But many people in those days were too poor or too careless to erect enduring monuments of any sort, and so the mounds unmarked by stones were soon leveled, and in course of years the localities of the graves were forgotten, and the parish officers pointed them out as vacant spaces for new applicants.

" Probably no existing record or living man remains to tell when the first in- terment was made there. The earliest date that has been deciphered is Nov. 7, 1711, on the stone belonging to 'Nathaniel Dwite;' but it is more than likely that the ground had been used before the close of the seventeenth cen- tury. Few if any intermeuts have been made since the present century opened, for the earliest monument in the town-house yard is dated 1787, and several other burial-places in remoter sections of the town were dedicated not many years later.

" Up to about 1850 the old yard was kept in tolerable condition, partly by indi- vidual attentions to particular portions of it, partly by general oversight of some one member of the parish, who was allowed to pasture his sheep there, or carry off the hay in return for his trouble.

The mounds of all the comparatively recent graves were well defined; the pathways were kept cleared, and the spot was a not unpleasant one to wander through. Then came the project, in which Mr. Sewall White was the chief mover, for erecting a monument to the first clergyman settled in the town, build- ing a fence, and planting some evergreen trees, which project was carried out by the voluntary contributions of money and services from individual parishioners and citizens. As no stone of any sort remained to indicate the locality of the grave of even so important a man as the first minister, it was decided to place the monument in the centre of the yard. It is a plain sandstone shaft, perhaps 12 feet high, bearing on its south and north sides, respectively, the following in- scriptions :

"" Rev. John Woodbridge, first minister of West Springfield, after serving bis generation faithfully, fell asleep June 10, 1718.'

"' The righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance.'

". Erected by the descendants of his parishioners, 1852.'

" Among the first settlers and the earliest families of the town are found the names of Asbley, Bagg, Barber, Bedurtha, Cooper, Day, Dumbleton, Ely, Fowler, Jones, Leonard, Merrick, Miller, Petty, Rogers, Parsons, Smith, Vanhorn, and Foster, who gave this ancient burial-grouod to the first parish of West Spring- field."*

"The Rev. Samuel Hopkins is also buried in this burying-ground, and his monument bears the following inscription : 'Here rests ye Body of ye Revd Mr. Sam' Hopkins, In whome sound Judgment, solid Learning, Candour, Piety, Sincerity, Constancy, and universal Benevolence combined to form an excellent Minister, a kind Husband, Parent, and Friend, who deceased October the 6th, A.D. 1755, in the 62d year of his age, and 36th year of his Ministry.'

"In about 1770 the Paucatuck Cemetery was opened. The first burial of which any record is obtained is on the monument of Jonathan Smith, as follows:

" In memory of Mr. Jon Smith, The virtuous Father of a numerous offspring, to whom he gave an example of Piety and Prudence; Who died Feb. 9tli, A.D. 1772, In the 75th year of his age.

"' How blest are they Who in Christ's bosom sleep ! Cease, then, dear friends, To mourn, lament, or weep.'"

TOWN-HOUSE CEMETERY.

The first burial in these grounds was that of Solomon Lathrop, son of the Rev. Joseph Lathrop, whose epitaph is as follows :

" In memory of Mr. Solomon Lathrop, who, in hope of a blessed immortality, calmly fell asleep April 27, 1787, in the 28th year of his age.

" A coffin, sheet, and grave is all my earthly store, 'Tis all I want, and kings will have uo more."

The Rev. Joseph Lathrop lies buried in this yard, and the lines that perpetuate his memory are as follows :

" To the memory of the Rev. Joseph Lathrop, D.D., third Pastor of the first church in West Springfield, who died Dec. 31, 1820, aged LXXXIX years aud 2 months, and in the LXV year of his ministry."

MEETING-HOUSE HILL CEMETERY.

" These grounds are owned by the First Parish io West Springfield, and were purchased previous to the erection of the church in 1800, of Landlord Benjamin Stebbins. A place was set apart where persons of color were interred, but no monument has as yet been erected to mark the spot. Ira Fletcher, a celebrated violin player, and his wife are laid here. The first person buried in this yard wna Mrs. Eleanor, consort of Mr. Joseph Ashley, who died Apl. 14, 1803, in the 8th year of her age. Entering the yard, she lies at the left side of the gate- way."+

The remains of three ministers are buried within this inclos- ure,-the Rev. D. T. Bagg, died Jan. 15, 1848; Rev. Moody Harrington, dicd July 22, 1865; Rev. Pliny Butts, died July 6, 1869.

In this cemetery also is erected the soldiers' monument, a brownstone shaft about 20 feet high, bearing the following inscription :

This monument is erected to the memory of those members of Co. I, 10th Mass. Regiment, who fell in the service of their country during the Great Rebel- lion at Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Glendale, Malvern, 1st Fredericksburg, Mary's Ileights, Salem, 2d Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Rappahannock Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg.

DIED OF WOUNDS RECEIVED IN ACTION.

Lieut. William A. Ashley, May 5, 1864. Sergt. Amos Pettis, Jr., May 3, 1863. Sergt. Osmyn B. Panll, May 18, 1864. Sergt. Jolın R. Walker, Aug. 27, 1864. Corp. Hibbard K. Bean, May 31, 1862. Corp. James Baldwin, June 13, 1864. Private W'm. H. Estes, May 31, 1862.

= Daniel D. Shea, May 31, 1862.

Robert G. Stewart, May 31, 1862.

Wm. H. Atkins, Aug. 12, 1862.

ני John Barry, May 3, 1863.

IInbert J. Boyington, May 3, 1863.

Anthony Cain, May 15, 1863.

Charles E. Hovey, May 3, 1863.

Simeon P. Smith, Nov. 7, 1863.

LE Joseph Nugurer, Dec. 10, 1864.

John E. Casey, May 5, 1864.

Daniel Cronan, Sept. 19, 1864.

DIED OF DISEASE.

Corp. Robert Best, Jr., Sept. 2, 1864. Private Jerry Sullivan, Sept. 2, 1861.

James W. Burr, Sept. 10, 1861.

John G. Squires, Sept. 13, 1861.

John Falvey, May 1, 1862.

Cassander Frisbie, July 12, 1862.

: Charles S. Ilarris, Jr., Sept. 17, 1862.

Otis Hl. Littlejohn, Feb. 5, 1863.

Abner D. Otis, Sept. 16, 1863.

ASIILEYVILLE CEMETERY.

This burial-place is in the north part of the town, and con- tains several handsome monuments; among others, that of

* The above paragraphs are taken from an article contributed to the Spring- field Republican of Dec. 12, 1872, by hyman H. Bagg, and as they contain much of interest connected with the old cemetery we quote them.

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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. II, Part 117

Author: L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts Number of Pages: 896

Author: L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Louis H. Everts
Number of Pages: 896