History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. II, Part 163

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 163

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WAR RECORD.

Agawam furnished 172 men for the war of the Rebellion, which was a surplus of 10 over all demands. Four were com- missioned officers. The amount of money expended, exclu- sive of State aid, was $17,077.55, and to aid the families of vol- unteers, $6719.14. The ladies of the town formed a Soldiers' Relief Society in October, 1861. They met ouce a week during the war, and made lint, bandages, and underclothing, which was sent to the front, and also sent about $1000 in money. The following are the names of the soldiers and the regiments to which they belonged :

Edson 1I. Todd, 46th Mass.

Lewis S. Pomeroy, 46th Mass.

William H. Worthington, 31st Mass. Henry J. Worthington, 31st Mass. Rollio C. Pomeroy, 31st Mass. William C. Pomeroy, 31st Mass. William Button, 31st Mass. Stiles Edgerton, 31st Mass. Charles Prince, 46th Mass. Reynolds Austin, 46th Mass. Thomas Akins, 37th Mass. Henry T. Birge, 46th Mass.

Daniel F. Barnes, 37th Mass. Patrick O'Brien, 37th Mass. Elihu Brown, 46th Mass. Jesse D. Bowley, 46th Mass. Enoch L. Cooper, 46th Mass. John Callanan, 46th Mass. Edward McCray, 46th Mass. Charles Chace, 46th Mass. Daniel Catin, 37th Mass. Emerson Cowles, 27th Mass. Oliver B. Cooper, 27th Mass. Jeremiah Callanan, 5th N. Y. Cav.

Philander Dickinson, 31st Mass. William Dickinson, 31st Mass. Patrick Donnavan, 62d N. Y. Nelson Farrar, 46th Mass. Joseph Fisher, 46th Mass. Frank E. Frederick, 22d Conn. Godfrey Fennimore, 16th Conu. Giles A. Bailey, 37th Mass. Ransford Worthington, 31st Mass. William 11. Wolcott, 46th Mass.

Reuben Dewitt, 46th Mass.

Dexter Winter, 4Gth Mass.

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

Jolin Wood, 46th Mass.

Thomas E. Williams, 37th Mass. Lewis Wessels, 16th Conn. Herman Burguting, 16th Conn. Henry Bunker, 10th Mass. John Carsey, 10th Mass. Christian Lochester, 10th Mass. Nevins Morse, 31st Mass. William Boebe, 27th Mass. Charles L. Goodhue, 27th Muss.

Thomas Gulderway, 27th Mass.

George Rowley, 27th DInss. Francis Gillett, 46th Mass.

Charles II. Hayden, 46th Mass. Watson J. Hildreth, 46th Mass. E. Monroe Johnson, 2d Cav.

llenry Knight, 10th Mass. Edward E. Leonard, 37th Mass. Jay Leonard, 37th Mass. Seth Liswell, 27th Mass. Edward O. Manley, 46th Mass.

Dayton Morely, 381h Mass. Joel Miller, Jr., 34th Mass. George F. Nanghton, 46th Mass. ('arl Objois, 22d Mass. William Pyne, 46th Mass.

Frank E. Parker, 46th Mass.

Addison Parker, 46th Mass. Alfred Le Pouce, 37th Mass.

Edward H. Packer, 37th Mass.

Charles E. Taylor, Glst Mass.

Angustus Oliver, 61st Mass.

Edward Fitzgerald, 61st Mass.

Albert F. Roberts, 61st Mass.

Robert Davis, Glst Mass.

Charles E. Adams, 10th Mass.

Sylvanns U. Rice, 10th Mass. Regt.

James Hayes, 10th Mass, Regt.

Edward Morrisey, 10th Mass. Regt.

Charles Blakeslee, 10th Mass. Regt.

Frank Cudney, 10th Mass. Regt.

William II. Clapp, 10th Mass. Regt. Georgs C. Daniels, 10th Mass. Regt. James Hickox, 10th Mass. Regt.

Henry Dowd, killed at Laurel Hill, Va., July 12, 1864

Ichabod S. Paddock, killed Aug. 29, 1862.

Edward M. Billings, died in the service, Sept. 5, 1864.

Francis Gillett died at I'lymonth, N. C., Feb. 27, 1865.

George D. Fisk, 46th Mass.

Samuel F. Siskron, 46th Mass.

Joseph Willett, 46th Mass. Francis Leonard, 37th Mass.

Bennett Pepper, 34th Mass.

James Fry, 34th Mass.

Lucins Wright, 31st Mass.

Isaac Bowe, 2d Batt.

Edwin M. Billings, 4th Cav.

James B. Durant, 4th Cav.

William W. Hitchcock, 37th Ma-s.

George N. Barnes, 37th Mass.

Jared C. Hunt, 10th Mass.

Nicholas Martin, Navy.

John D. Sullivan, Navy.

Samuel S. Buryman, 61st Mass.

John L. Daniels, GIst. Mass.

Henry I1. Prentiss, 30th Mass.

John H. Lord, 30th Mass.

Patrick Downing, 49th Mass.

Cornelius Flower, Ist Batt.

Alfred Barden, 2d Art. John S. Thompson, 7th Mass.

Henry O. Davidson, Glst Mass. James Carey, 61st Mass.

Bartholomew Donovan, Glst Mass.

Charles O. Carpenter, Navy.

George W. Flanders, Navy.

Patrick McCabe, Gth Mass.

George Wood, 6th Mass.

Charles Maguire, 6th Mass.

Thomas Poor, 58th Mass. John Scully, Gth Mass.

Henry Dowd, 6th Mass.

Engene E. Wilder, Glst Mass.

James W. Burns died at New Haven, Conn., from effects of wounds received in battle, March 8,186+.

Giles A. Bailey died at Brandy Station, Va., Dec. 20,1863.

Albert R. Clark, killed at the battle of the Wilder- ness, Va., May 9, 1864.

Alfred L. P'yne, wounded (one arm shot off) in 1865.

Thomas Williams died in the service, Feb. 1865. Albert E. Pelton died at City Point, Va., April 20, 1865.

William C. Pomeroy, killed at Plaquemine, La., Nov. 21, 1864.

David Worthington, 27th Mass. Alfred Worthington, 27th Mass. Frank Avery, 16th Mass. llam. Barnes, 16th Mass. Michael Haley, 16th Muss. Daniel llam, 16th Mass. Arthur H. Ashling, 2d Cav.

Nicholas Lee, 2dl Cav.

Davis Hart, 10th Mass. Regt. Franklin Long, 10th Mass. Regt. John Jenkins, 10th Mass. Regt. Richard Massey, 10th Mass, Regt.

Howard A. Havel, 31st Mass. Regt.

Edward P. Smith, GIst Regt.

Edward Beals, Glst Regt. Among this list of soldiers,

Richard Ryan was killed in battle, May 12, 1864, at Sportsylvania, Va.

George M. Scott, severely wounded in 1864, and discharged in 1865.

Frederick Chudney, killed in battle at Spottsylva- nia, Va., May 12, 1864.

Davis Hart died of wounds received in battle ut Spottsylvania, Va., May 12, 1864.

Russell M. Pervere was missing in battle of Spott- sylvania, Va .; died in the service at Vicks- burg, Miss., April 13, 1865.

Seth Liswell died in Andersonville, Ga., prison, in 1865.

Leander Woodworth, killed March 14, 1862, at Newbern, N. C.

Oliver B. Cooper died at Beaufort, N. C., Ang. 10, 1863.

William Beche, Jr., died at Beaufort, N. C., Oct. 11, 1862.

James Hayes died in the service, Sept. 2, 1864.

George N. Barnes, killed May 10, 1864, at Spottsyl- vania, Va.

Charles Blakesley, killed April 6, 1865, at Sailor's Creek, Va.

Wm. W. Hitchcock, severely wounded and dis- charged from service in 1864.

Byron C. Roberts, 46th Mass. John Rogers, IGth Conn. John Smith, 34tb Mass. Edward P. Smith, 10th Mass. Alexander E. Smith, 10th Mass. George M. Scott, 10th Mass.

William E. Stewart, 31st Mass. George D. Street, 32d Mass. Edward D. Taylor, 37th Mass.

Ilenry E. Woudman, 10th Mass.

Russell Powers, 10th Mass. Regt. Austin Williams, 10th Mass. Regt.

Robert Pettitt, 10th Mass. Regt.

Richard Ryan, 16th Mass. Regt.

Twenty-two men that went direct from the town of Agawam into the war of the Rebellion are known to have been killed or died in the ser- vice, while many others suffered from sickness in hospitals and camps.

CHESTER.

GEOGRAPHICAL.

CHESTER is a flourishing town of Western Hampden, and occupies the extreme northwestern corner of the county. It contains an area of 20,507 acres of hill, plain, and woodland. The boundaries of Chester are Worthington and Middlefield (in Hampshire County) on the north, Blandford on the south, Huntington (in Hampshire County) on the east, and Becket (in Berkshire County) on the west. The Boston and Albany Railroad passes through the southwestern portion of the town.

NATURAL FEATURES.

Located in a region of the country noted the world over for its natural beauty, in which the hills of Hampden are im- pressively picturesque features, Chester contains much to charm the eye and arrest the attention of the lover of the beautiful. The Agawam River, at Huntington, is fed by

three branches, two of which, flowing through Chester, are called the Western and Middle Branches.

Save where the village of Chester nestles in a lovely valley, the surface of the town is generally hilly. The nature of the soil in the elevated districts is of a gravelly composition, but on the river lowlands sandy loam prevails. The well-stocked woodlands furnish a great variety of lumber, of which beech, birch, and maple are the chief products.

Minerals abound in greater variety, it is said, in Chester than in any other town in Massachusetts. Among the best known are emery-rock, miea-slate, soapstone, gneiss, quartz, magnetic-iron, and hornblende. Specimens of gold and sil- ver are said to have been found.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

On the 2d of June, 1762, the colony of Massachusetts being in straitened financial circumstances, the General Court is-

James Walker, 37th Mass.

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HISTORY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY.

sued an order for the sale of ten townships, and of these the one designated as No. 9 was sold to William Williams, for the sum of £1500. This township No. 9 embraced within its limits the present town of Chester.

Shortly after his purchase of the tract Williams transferred it to John Murray, Abijah Willard, Timothy Paine, and John Chandler, who were the original proprietors of the town.

The township included, besides the present area of Chester, a portion of what is now Huntington and a portion of what is now Middlefield, containing, in the aggregate, about 32,000 aeres, of which 7500 acres had been disposed of in grants previous to the sale of the township.

In January, 1763, there being already 19 settlers in the town, the proprietors held a meeting and agreed to admit settlers upon the land on the following conditions :

"That each, within the space of three years from the first of June last, build a dwelling-house on his land of the following dimensions, to wit: 24 ft. long, 18 ft. wide, 7 feet stud, and have 7 acres of land well tilled and fenced, and brought to English grass or ploughed, and actually settle a family on the same and con- tinve such family thereon for the space of six years, and shall also within three years from this time settle a Protestant minister of the gospel there and pay one- sixtieth part of the Charge thereof. That each settler have one hundred acres of land as an enconragement."

One hundred lots were laid out to be settled on these con- ditions, and from the records it appears that shortly afterward there were 3I settlers in the town.

The names of these settlers are as follows: Asa Noble, Thomas Noble, Jr., John Gilmore, David Bolton, John Woods, Alex. Gordon, John Hanum, John Lyman, John Scott, Jr., John Smith, Benjamin Mathers, John Lacore, John Winterer, David Scott, Ebenezer Webber, Elias Lyman, James Black, Levi Woods, Gideon Mathison, William Ken- nedy, Glass Cochran, John Crooks, Abraham Fleming, Tim- othy Fairman, David Fleming, Jno. Webber, Jno. Crawford, Thomas Kennedy, Robert Blair, James Clark, Absalom Blair, Israel Rose, Samuel Fairman, Abner Smith, David Gilmore, William English, Nathaniel Mann, John Boyes, Andrew English, William Mann, Jonathan Webber, James Brown, Thomas Moreton, Samuel Elder, William Campbell, William Moor, Thomas Winterer, Nathan Rose, Paul Kingston, Jesse Johnson, John Woods.

The original grant, be it noted, contained about 24,700 acres, and in 1763, the proprietors claiming that they had received but little return for their investments, and that a large pond in the tract occupied 500 acres, received an additional grant of 1200 acres, west of the original grant.

As may be imagined, the dwellings of the pioneers were primitive in construction, and devoid of many conveniences known to a later period, but they were comfortable and sub- stantial. Some of the houses were built of logs, but a majority of them were framed, according. to the pattern required by the town proprietors. Few of them were ceiled, and, as to heating, the means were supplied by old-fashioned fireplaces, while cooking was effected on the bearthstone coals, or in large stone or brick ovens. Tallow-candles or pine-knots furnished the household light, the walls were devoid of paper, floors bare of carpets, while the absence of matches made it necessary to keep the fires constantly alive, for, should they go out, a relighting involved a journey to a neighbor for the aid of a burning brand. The garments and bedding of the house- hold were all homespun, the good housewife being spinner and weaver as well.

Journeys to church were performed on horseback, and in some cases the family horse, mounted with a pillion, carried the goodman, his wife, and perhaps a child or two.

Committees were chosen early in 1763 to lay out highways, and to agree with some person to build a mill, but this mill was probably not built until 1766. The proprietors held their early meetings in Northampton, Rutland, Worcester, Boston, and Lancaster, until as late as 1765. The settlers upon the tract between the middle and east branches of Agawam River

early in 1764 were Abijah Willard, John Chandler, John Murray, Timothy Paine, and Jas. Otis. The proprietors' record> indicate that in this year the inhabitants were involved in legal controversies, and that the settlement became some- what disorganized in consequence. The proprietors addressed the people a letter counseling them to harmony and peace, but what was the original cause of the trouble does not appear. An early record states that the population of Chester was 119 in 1790 (probably 119 families), and that in ten years it ad- vanced to 1542. This statement would seem to indicate a wonderfully rapid growth for those days.

PROMINENT SETTLERS.

The Bell family were originally from Dumfriesshire, Scot- land, and were staunch followers of John Knox. When the legions of Cromwell had cleared the rebellious Irish from Ulster, and the country became open to immigration, a branch of the Bell family migrated thither.

In 1723, James Bell, the grandfather of Samuel Bell, emi- grated from Ballygauley, County Tyrone, Ireland, to America, and settled in Oakham, then a part of Rutland, Mass. An- otlier branch of the family settled in Londonderry, N. H., and a descendant, IIon. Samuel Bell, represented that State, during Gen. Jackson's administration, in the United States Senate, and, at a later period, James Bell held the same posi- tion. Hon. Samuel D. Bell, one of the chief-justices of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, was also a member of the family.

Among the early settlers of Chester were Samuel Bell, Sr., and his brothers, William and Aaron, who removed from Oakham and settled in the northwest part of the town. The country was then a wilderness, and abounded in wild animals, among which wolves were the most troublesome and danger- ous. Samuel Bell passed nearly a year alone in the new location, preparing his land for cultivation and erecting a dwelling. He had many thrilling adventures with the wolves, and encountered severe hardships, but he triumphed over every obstacle, and eventually found himself the possessor of a valuable and productive farm. Hle made regular trips to Boston or Hartford every year to dispose of his fat cattle and the products of bis dairy, and became one of the prominent men of the town, taking active part in the local politics of the region. He died at an advanced age, full of years and honors, and mourned by all the people.

Samuel Bell, his eldest son, first mentioned, was born in Chester, in 1786, twenty-one years after the incorporation of the town. Ile was educated at the Westfield Academy, and adopted the profession of a land-surveyor, in which he was very proficient. He held many prominent positions in the town, and was for forty years a teacher of established reputa- tion, continuing in that voeation until he was upward of sixty years of age. Ile was a devoted and efficient member of the Congregational Church.

His eldest son, Benjamin F. Bell, graduated at the Wes- leyan University, and died in the prime of life, while offici- ating as principal of the Rhinebeck Academy, in Dutchess Co., N. Y. His second son has been a leading citizen of Middle- field, Hampshire Co. His grandson, Charles M., is also a prominent citizen of his native town.

Among the distinguished men of the Bell family may be mentioned Hon. James Bell, of Skowhegan, Me. ; Dr. Reuben Bell, of Hadley, Mass. ; Dr. William C. Bell, of Middletown, Conn. ; Dr. Lester Bell, of Williamstown, Mass. ; Dr. Cyrus Bell, of Agawam; Dr. Artemas Bell, of Southampton ; and Dr. William O. Bell, of Westfield.

Rufus Tinker, commonly known as " Master Tinker," was a famous teacher from about 1770 to 1790, and the first, or among the first, in the town. He was a noted pedagogue, and remarkable for his elegant penmanship as well as his peculiar method of maintaining order and discipline in his school,

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

which he did with a long elastic rod, with which he was wont to take the boys all in a row at a single sweep.

Ilis son, Rev. Reuben Tinker, graduated at Amherst, and was one of the earliest missionaries to the Sandwich Islands. He subsequently returned to the United States and was set- tled over a church in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., where he died. Another son, Deacon Rufus Tinker, lived and died on the old homestead.

Sylvester Bemis, a native of Lancaster, Worcester Co., was an early settler in Chester. He came in the spring, bringing his provisions on his shoulder, and worked through the sum- mer preparing his land for cultivation, and at the approach of autumn had cleared and prepared 6 acres for planting, which was seeded with wheat, brought also on his back, and worked into the ground with a hoe. Hle also erected a log house the same season, and in the succeeding spring removed with his new bride to his home in the mountain wilderness.

In the course of years he became one of the substantial farmers and prominent men of the town, though he stead- fastly declined official position. His son, Capt. Bemis, suc- ceeded him in the occupancy of the homestead.

James Holland was a native of Ballygauley, County Ty- rone, Ireland, who emigrated to America and settled in Oak- ham, where he married into the Bell family, and came with his brothers-in-law and settled in Chester, at what is called the " North End," on land since owned by George W. Hol- comb. He was a man of strong and vigorous opinions, im- patient of restraint or innovations, and a fast friend of civil and religious liberty, as then understood in New England. Ile was possessed of indomitable courage and perseverance, as the following incident, related by Mr. Quigley, well illus- trates :

" It is stated that while residing in Oakham he resolved one day, while salting his sheep, to visit a noted rattlesnake den which existed on one corner of his farm, and exterminate the reptiles With characteristic intrepidity he stripped off his shoes and stockings, and, being dressed in the customary short clothes of the period, the lower portion of his limbs was consequently left entirely naked. Grasping a stout stick, he resolutely commenced the attack, and was soon busily employed. But, while giving vigorous battle in front, he was stealthily assailed in the rear. A rattler of enormous size fixed his fangs deeply in the calf of his leg. Only waiting long enough to take vengeance on his crafty assailant, he quickly tied a cord around the limb between the wound and the knee, and with his knife exsected the bitten flesh, filled the cavity with salt, on which he placed a quantity of tobacco, and, closely binding his handkerchief over all, leisurely proceeded homeward. No inconvenience resulted from the bite, and he ever afterward entertained the opinion that rattlesnakes were but little account, any way." -

On one occasion he attended a Methodist meeting, then a curiosity among the staid Orthodox people, at which a Mr. Thrasher was the principal manager and speaker. His peeu- liar style and noisy manner disturbed the old gentleman's ideas of religious propriety, and greatly offended him. Listen- ing for a time quietly, he at length arose and said, in words full of meaning, " Thrasher, you have said enough ; sit down ! If you don't, I'll sit ye down !" Thrasher sat down.

One of Mr. Holland's daughters married a merchant of Chester village,-Daniel Falley,-who afterward removed to Oswego, N. Y., of which he was an early settler. Thither Mr. Holland accompanied him, and was living with him at the time the British attacked the place, May 5, 1814. He was then nearly ninety years of age, but the martial spirit was kindled, and he became so uneasy that a strict watch was kept over him; but he managed to elude the vigilance of his son-in-law's family, and at the close of the day was found in the rinks with a musket in his hands, bravely doing his best toward defending the place. He was possessed of wonderful vitality, and it is said that at the time of his death his hair retained its original color, which was a jet black.

The Holland family have been noted for years in Western Massachusetts, and especially in the medical profession. Nearly all the sons of the first-named Holland entered that profession. His son James located in Westfield, and became

celebrated ; William, another son, practiced medicine in Bel- chertown, afterward in the Mamakating Valley, N. Y., and finally settled on the shores of the beautiful and romantic Canandaigua Lake, where he remained until his death ; Dr. James Holland, of Westfield, is a well-known and skillful physician and surgeon, and a leading member of the pro- fession in Western Massachusetts; Virgil Holland was a col- lege graduate and an excellent scholar, but died young ; Dr. Ilomer Ilolland was a noted scientist of his day, and died in North Carolina; Abram, George, and Aaron, sons of the elder James Holland, all entered the medical profession, and two of them settled in Weston, Middlesex Co., Mass. All three died young. Another son, Simon, became a merchant in Albany, N. Y.

Eugene Holland, sou of Dr. Homer Holland, is a resident of Colorado. Henry Holland, a noted antiquarian and student of history, is a prominent druggist in Westfield.

Dr. Charles J. Holland, a grandson of James Holland, of Chester, died some years ago in Huntington, Hampshire Co.

Samuel Otis settled on the west bank of the west branch of the Agawam* River, about a mile below the line of Middle- field, and under the shadow of " Gobble Mountain." He was a deacon in the Baptist Church, a steady, sober citizen, and re- markable for his inoffensive and quiet life. His landed property was not extensive, and he often eked out a scanty subsistence by manufacturing shingles for market, in which mechanical employment he was unusually expert. Politically, lie was a steadfast Democrat of the Jefferson school, " without variableness or shadow of turning." Party spirit in those days ran high, even among the quiet valleys of the Western mountains, and the good people of Chester did not escape the contagion. On one occasion, at the annual town-meeting, the river was at its spring flood and almost impassable, and, there being no bridge near, the deacon concluded for once to forego the privilege of the franchise rather than attempt to ford the swollen stream. But upon the first ballot the Fed- eralists elected the moderator by one majority, which was a sinister omen for the Democracy, and forth with Deacon Gam- well, another staunch Democrat, mounted his borse and rode after the recreant voter. Reaching the bank of the river op- posite the dwelling of Deacon Otis, he made his business known, and urged his immediate attendance at the polls. But there was no bridge, and the deacon was not easily per- suaded to venture into the swollen torrent. Deacon Gam well insisted, and told him to strip himself and hold his clothing over his head and come on, and he accordingly did as he was commanded, and, reaching the other bank in safety, donned his clothes and saved his party.

The two political parties were very evenly balanced, and the winning of the moderator was considered almost equivalent to a victory. On one occasion there was great excitement. The place of meeting was at the meeting-house on the hill. The Federalists suceceded in electing their moderator, William Shepard, an able and popular man, and also, as clerk, Capt. Otis Taylor, another equally popular man, by a very small majority. But then they halted, and could make no further progress, and the day passed away without the election of the other town officers. At sundown the meeting adjourned over to the succeeding day.

Now began the grand strategy of the campaign. In the evening two Federalists were enticed into Whipple's tavern and made merry with copious libations of " flip" such as only Landlord Whipple could produce, " the secret of which, dying with him, has become one of the lost arts." When the luck- Jess Federalists were well under the influence of the potent spirit they were placed in a retired room, and the door care- fully fastened upon them. In the morning, upon mustering

* This stream and its branches are often called the Westfield River, but there would he the same propriety in calling it Russell or Chester River, or in calling the Connecticut Springfield River. It should ever retain its Indian name.

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HISTORY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY.

their forces, the Federalists discovered the absence of the two voters, and at onee suspected its cause. To establish an equi- librium, Samuel Hamilton and llugh Quigley, Jr., inveigled a couple of unterrified Democrats into a room in 'Squire Em- mons' house and turned the key in the lock, while, to afford a reasonable solace in their imprisonment, the 'squire generously supplied them with Jamaica rum. This satisfied them, and they were quiet through the day. When it became known that two reliable Democrats were missing from the ranks there was a terrible outery, and hot denunciations were poured upon the heads of the Federalists. In the mean time the balloting progressed, and each time ended in a tie, and so it kept on until about three o'clock P.M., when old Mr. Warfield, who carried the mail between Chester and Northampton, and who had been kept under guard by his friends, declared that he could remain no longer ; that he was a day behind with his mail and must attend to his business, politics or no polities, and, breaking away, he left the Federalists in a hopeless minority of one, and the Democrats swept the field.

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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 163

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