History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. II, Part 164

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 164

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Deacon Parmenter, according to Mr. Quigley, was a native of Lancaster, and came to Chester about the same date as the Abbotts, to whom he was related by marriage.

He was one of the famous teachers of the early day, ranking with Bell and Tinker, and was intimately connected with the cause of education for more than twenty years. Ile was one of the substantial men of the town, prominent in the church, and was elected as representative to the General Court at a period when the position was an honorable one, before the days of demagogues and " ring" politicians.

Deacon Stephen Lyman was a native of Northampton, from whence he removed to Southampton, and subsequently to Chester. He was descended, in the fifth generation, from Richard Lyman, the progenitor of all bearing the name in New England. Richard Lyman was born at High Ongar, Eng., in 1580, and died at Hartford, Conn., in 1640. Ile was probably one of the first settlers of that place, about 1685.

Deacon Lyman settled on a fine piece of land about one mile west of the meeting-house, and several of his sons upon their arrival at manhood settled near him, so that in time it came to be called the Lyman neighborhood. The Lyman family were among the most worthy and influential citizens in the town, both in Church and State affairs. Two of Deacon Ly- man's sons, Crispus and Chester, lived and died on farms near the homestead. A daughter, Nancy, married the Rev. Henry R. Hoisington, a missionary to Ceylon, where he and his wife labored for many years. Another daughter, Sophronia, mar- ried Dr. Lester Bell, of Williamstown. His youngest son, Samuel Lyman, remained on the farm with his father, and succeeded him in the church. There have been three deacons in this family.

Timothy Lyman, a brother of Stephen, also settled in Ches- ter, on the farm next north, at the same time as his brother. His son Timothy lived on the homestead, and a daughter mar- ried Edward Taylor, of Montgomery. Julia Taylor, who died in Huntington, and was noted for liberal bequests to religious and charitable institutions, was a granddaughter, and Dea- con Edward M. Taylor, a business-man of Saginaw, Mich., is a grandson. Timothy Lyman, a graduate of Amherst College, and a prominent minister of the Congregational Church, and Joseph B. Lyman, brother of the last named, a lawyer and able writer, recently connected with the New York Tribune, are also members of the family.

Zenas Searle, a native of Southampton, settled in Chester in 1787, about a half-mile south of the meeting-house. The greater part of his farm he cleared from the forest. He lost his life by a lamentable aceident in middle age. He was yoking a young pair of eattle, preparatory to hauling in some hay, when they became frightened and ran away, dragging him after them by the chain, which had caught him in some manner so that he could not release himself. Ilis injuries

proved fatal. His son, Zenas, remained on the farm until about 1866-67, when he moved to West Andover, Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Ilis daughter, Rachel, married Luther Edwards, of Southampton, who was the father of Rev. Henry S. Ed- wards. Another daughter married Strong Clark, also of Southampton.

Alexander Gordon, one of the early settlers, was of an an- cient Scottish family, and migrated to the North of Ireland, from whence he came to America. He married a sister of James Holland, and settled in the northern part of the town, near the line of Middlefield.

" His son, Jolin, possessed rare ability, was an excellent scholar, and filled various civil positions. In mechanical matters bis skill and ingeunity were admirable. To beguile bis leisure hours, with the commonest tools and no pre- vious instruction, he made an eight-day brass clock and presented it to his cousin, Mary Holland, afterward the wife ot Capt. Quigley. It marked time with great accuracy, and remained long in the family. Ile never married, and died in middle age."*

John Gordon once had a thrilling adventure with a pack of wolves. It was winter, and he was on his return-horse- back-from assisting a neighbor who lived near the " Den," in Middlefield, in slaughtering his hogs. He did not start on his return home until after dark, when, fastening a piece of meat upon the saddle and selecting n fire-brand, he mounted and turned his horse toward home.

He had not proceeded far when the dread howling of the gray wolves, " long, lank, and devilish,"

"With their long gallop, which can tire The hound's deep hate and hunter's fire,"

admonished him of danger in his path, and he gave free rein to his "gallant gray ;" but the snow was deep and the enemy were soon upon him, galloping with open mouths and snap- ping jaws on either side. He waved his burning brand, and, detaching his meat from the saddle, cast it upon the snow be- fore them, hoping to see them no more. But a second's wrangling and battling, and they were again upon him. Thoroughly frightened, the noble horse made the best speed possible through the deep snow. Fiercely the infuriated brutes, maddened by the morsel flung to them, now attacked horse and rider savagely from flank and rear.

Waving his blazing brand from side to side and cheering his panting steed, the race continued for two miles amidst a terrifie howling of swift-footed demons, snuffing his blood, until at last he reached his home, where his faithful horse fell, utterly exhausted, at the cabin-door. It was a terrible expe- rience, never to be forgotten.

Among the earliest manufacturers in Chester was John Stevens, who lived at North Chester, and built an oil- and grist-mill. In early times large quantities of flax were grown in the western portions of the county, and the seed and its oil became important articles of commerce.

The Stevens family was full of ingenuity, and introduced various kinds of manufacturing, including window-curtains, or shades, made from wooden splints. Hon. Thomas F. Plunkett, in his younger days, was associated with them, and learned many useful lessons, which he turned to good account in after-years. He married a daughter of Col. Tay- lor, and became so popular that he was sent as representative to the Legislature.

Jude Stevens built a factory a little below the village, but the stream burst its banks and carried it away, when, becom- ing disgusted with the hills of Massachusetts, he sold out and removed to Western Pennsylvania. Of the descendants of John Stevens were Aaron Stevens, of Worthington, and Washington Stevens, of Westfield.

The Campbell family. Three brothers, Matthew, James, and Robert Campbell, settled on the eastern slope of the high- lands overlooking the valley of the middle branch of the Agawam, or, as it was sometimes called, the East River.

* Quigley.

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

They were of the renowned clan Campbell, from the glens and rugged highlands of Argyleshire, on the western coast of Scotland. The head of their house was the great MacCallum More, duke of Argyle, and lord of Lorne, whom they con- sidered of more importance as a man than the scion of the House of Hanover, George the Second, of England. Samuel Bell married into the famity, and a double alliance was con- summated by the marriage of Matthew Campbell with Sarah Bell. Ethan Campbell removed to Manlius, Onondaga Co., N. Y., where he became a prominent and respected citizen, filling offices of honor and trust. William Campbell was elected to the Legislature, and also Hector Campbell, the latter about the year 1840. A son of the latter, William B. Campbell, removed to California, where he accumulated a fortune in the fur trade. At the earnest solicitation of the latter, his father subsequently migrated to the Pacific coast, and settled in Clackamas Co., Oregon.

James Quigley was another pioneer settler in Chester, who located near the llolland farm, and not very far from the Worthington line. He was born in Stranorlan, County Donegal, Ireland, near Londonderry, near the head of Lough Switly. The family had suffered from the dissensions of the times, and members of it had seen active service during the siege of Derry by James the Second.

The Quigley family did not long remain in Chester, the son of James selling out the homestead and removing to Oswego, N. Y. James Quigley, first mentioned, first landed at Boston, where he married Isabella Walker, whose father was in the colonial revenue service. Mr. Quigley after his marriage, which his namesake characterizes as a "runaway match," loented in Worcester, about a mile from the court-house, where he remained until well advanced in years, when, for some reason, he sold his property and removed to the rugged hills of Chester.

Mr. Samuel Quigley, in his interesting sketches, says that after the old gentleman had cleared his farm and erected his buildings, and paid for everything, he had a half-bushel measure full of Spanish milled dollars left. He was generous in his contributions to eburch and charitable purposes, and was a valuable citizen. He and his consort rest in the eeme- tery in Chester.

One of his sons, Jolin Quigley, was a member of the com- pany which, under the auspices of Gen. Rufus Putnam, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, and other prominent leaders, made the first permanent settlement in the region now covered by the flourishing State of Ohio, at Marietta, situated at the mouth of the Muskingum River, on the 7th day of April, 1788. His father-in-law, Col. Oliver, accompanied him. Here he amassed a handsome property.

Another son remained in Worcester after the removal of his father to Chester, and was among the first to enlist in the American army at the outbreak of the Revolution. At the battle of Long Island, in August, 1776, he became separated from his command, but, dodging the British troops, he reached the banks of the East River, which he finally swam with three muskets-which he had picked up on the battle-field-lashed to his back, and joined the army under Washington, and was present at the battle of White Plains, in October following. Ile served through the war, and was present at the surrender of Yorktown, Va., in October, 1781.

Another son, Ilugh Quigley, married Mary, the daughter of James Holland, and from him are descended the Quigleys of Chester.

An amusing incident, illustrating the character of Capt. Quigley,* is related by Samuel Quigley, which we give in his own words :

" It so happened that two ladies from the west side came to

his house on a visit. Visits in those times were not confined to a few hours, but sometimes extended to days, and this par- ticular visit, by the occurrence of a violent storm, was pro- tracted to unusual length. The rain raised the water in the river, the foot-bridge was swept away, and, unless some means could be devised to enable them to cross, they would be under the necessity of remaining until the subsidence of the flood.

"After various plans had been considered and rejected, it was suggested that Capt. Quigley should ford the stream, carrying them in his arms. This was received with great favor by the ladies, who were impatient to return home, but the captain was averse to the proposal ; he by no means relished the task, the water being deep and the current strong. Finally he con- sented to make the attempt ; and, taking the smallest of the two in his arms, he succeeded in placing her in safety on the other side. The other was, in the vocabulary of the sport- ing fraternity, a 'heavy-weight,'-a widow of mature age. Lifting her with great apparent exertion, he staggered under the burden to the middle of the stream, when he informed her that he really believed he should have to take a new hold, a perceptible ship accompanying the remark. The lady was alarmed ; she remonstrated ; she entreated, but to no purpose. ' God help me, madam !' exclaimed the captain,-his peculiar expression in moments of excitement or anxiety,-'don't you see you are slipping from my grasp ?' And slip she did, to the bottom, giving, at the same instant, a shrill and terrific seream. After sufficient purification, he took a new hold of the portly dowager, raised her from the cleansing element, and, without further mishap, landed her on the right bank. The ease with which the last part of the task was performed, but especially the sly twinkle of his eye when the subject was mentioned in his presence, authorized the grave suspicion that the washing of the widow in the pure waters of the West- field River was not altogether involuntary or premeditated."

Among the most prominent men who have made Chester their home was Forbes Kyle, who came from New Haven, or vicinity, to take charge of a large tannery owned by bis father-in-law, Benjamin Prescott, a wealthy citizen of New IJaven. Mr. Kyle soon became a prominent man in his adopted town; and he was honored with official positions for many years, until at length he was chosen to represent the community in the State Senate,-a position which he had the distinguished honor of filling alone of all the citizens of the town. Ile had the office of local magistrate, and, in addition to his other duties, kept a country grocery-store. He was a mild-mannered and well-bred man, courteous and upright in all his dealings. One of his sons succeeded him upon the homestead.

Zadoc Ingell is supposed to have been the first person of the Methodist denomination who settled in Chester. IFe was a prosperous farmer, and his piety was so sincere and unosten- tations that he received the sobriquet of " Bishop." IFis son William removed to Oswego County, N. Y., and became a prominent citizen. The youngest son lived and died on the homestead.

Jesse Johnson was another estimable and valued citizen, and a deaeon of the church. One of his descendants, Arte- mas B. Johnson, is quite a prominent attorney of llardin Co., Ohio. Another is Dr. Eldridge M. Johnson, of Williams- burg, Hampshire Co. The Ingell and Johnson families re-" sided in the northwest part of the town.

Lieut. John Hamilton was from Worcester. He married Catherine, daughter of James Quigley. His oldest son, John Hamilton, Jr., removed some years since to Schenectady Co., N. Y. Another son, Samuel Hamilton, removed to Hartford, Conn., where he accumulated a large property.

Twosons of John Hamilton, Jr.,-John A and Henry HI.,- were graduates of Amherst College, and entered the ministry. A daughter married Rev. Francis Warriner, who was some time pastor of the church in Chester.

* Mr. Quigley leaves the reader altogether in the dark as to whether the Capt. Quigley here mentioned was the original James Quigley or Hugh Quigley.

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HISTORY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY.

Amos Taylor is believed to have been from Hadley. He settled on the East River, a little above the village of North Chester. The Taylor family were among the most prominent and highly esteemed of the many estimable families who set- tled in the town. Amos, a son of the preceding, studied medicine and settled in Warwick ; another son, Col. William Taylor, succeeded his father on the homestead. He married, for his first wife, a daughter of John Stevens, and for his sec- ond the widow of Dr. Abram Holland. Col. Taylor was highly esteemed. One of his daughters, Hannah, married the Ilon. Thomas F. Plunkett, and another, Nancy, married the Hon. Charles H. Plunkett, of Hinsdale. Col. Taylor's son, Capt. Otis Taylor, was one of the prominent men of the town, and took a very active part in all political matters. He held various official positions, and was a member of the Legisla- ture. His sons are enterprising business-men of New York and Massachusetts. John Taylor, son of Amos Taylor, lived in what was called the Kinney Brook neighborhood, in the eastern part of the town. Of his sons, Horace was long engaged in manufacturing in Huntington ; William studied for the ministry, became a Methodist preacher, and settled in Ohio. Both represented the old town of Norwich in the General Court. Alfred Taylor, a son of Horace, became a lawyer, and located in the city of New York.

Any sketch of the early inhabitants of Chester would mani- festly be incomplete without some account of Capt. William Toogood, who had been in early life an officer of the British army, but who appears to have been living in America at the commencement of the Revolution, for it seems that his knowl- edge of military affairs was utilized by the American govern- ment, who employed him as an officer of instruction to drill and prepare recruits for the aetive duties of the field, which position he filled with ability and credit. On the conclusion of peace he abandoned the profession of arms and betook him- self to the cultivation of the soil, purchasing a farm and set- tling down to peaceful pursuits a mile north of the meeting- house in Chester. The standing of his family in England and the time and place of his birth have not been preserved, but he evidently belonged to a good stock, as the fact of his holding a commission in the British army is of itself sufficient evidence.

He was a great favorite among the people, who admired him for his cultivation and courtesy, as well as for his great fund of witticisins and pleasantries.

Great deference was always shown him in military matters; and, when in after-years, a military company was formed in the town, he was complimented upon muster-days with a temporary command, which he understood and fully appre- ciated.

On one occasion the company, under the command of Capt. Blackman, had a parade near the farm of Zenas Searle. After the drilling and general business of the day were over, the offi- cers sat down to a bountiful repast, and Capt. Toogood, who was present, was assigned the post of honor. By degrees the company became unusually mellow, and the venerable cap- tain, in particular, was wonderfully elated. At length, lean- ing back in his ehair, his feelings found vent in words. " Gentlemen," said he, "no lord in his palace feels as happy as I do to-day, sitting in this log cabin, with its sheep-skin windows." Glass had not at that time come into general use in Western Massachusetts.

Capt. Toogood was a devout Christian and a member of the Methodist Church, which denomination had an organization, but no house for public worship, and their meetings were held in private dwellings. Habits formed in military life are not easily laid aside, and on one occasion the captain was com- plained of by some of his over-zealous brethren for an infrac- tion of some portion of the discipline of the church ; in short, rumor said that the doughty captain had ventured into too close proximity to a cask of cider-brandy of such stalwart age

that he was worsted in the encounter. Here was a dilemma. The discipline of the church must be enforced, but the delin- quent was one of its pillars, a man of property, and of marked influence. After due consideration it was resolved to choose a committee to wait upon him, receive his explanation, and report to the church. The names of only two of the com- mittee have been preserved,-Woodruff and Smith. The gentlemen composing the "investigating committee" took hold of the matter with extreme delicacy and no small de- gree of taet and discretion. Procuring a bottle of the best brandy, they waited upon the captain, who received them with the greatest cordiality and hospitality, and entertained them so royally that tradition has forgotten whether they ever broached the subject upon which they came to consult. At the appointed time they reported that there was not the slight- est foundation for the charge, which report was gladly re- ceived by the authorities, who congratulated themselves upon so lucky an escape from a troublesome difficulty.

Up to this time the accused had kept silent ; but conscious that his honor and Christian character and standing had been in jeopardy, and feeling that the moment had come to justify himself before the world, he rose and questioned his fellow- members: " Brethren, is my moral and Christian character in your estimation as fair and spotless as it was before this charge was made against me ?" He was assured that it was. . " Is my standing in the church as good as it ever was ?" They assured him it was. " Well, then," said he, " please to erase my name from your books." He had made his point, and withdrew from the organization with an untarnished reputa- tion, leaving his brethren astonished at the abruptness of his leave-taking, and possibly a little chagrined at his successful manœuvre.

Capt. Toogood possessed a handsome estate, and he was ever considered one of the best citizens of the great mountain town where he so long made his home. His son, William O. Too- good, inherited his father's property and his good qualities, and, like him, possessed the respect and esteem of his fellow- townsmen. He married a daughter of Deacon Stephen Lyman.

William Moore settled on the hill in the north part of the town at an early period, and married a sister of Deacon Elder. He had a large and well-cultivated grazing-farm, and turned his attention principally to stock-raising. He reared a numer- ous family, and both he and his wife lived to a good old age. His son William remained upon the farm, and continued to cultivate the broad acres left him by his father. He was a man of the strictest integrity, and a most excellent neighbor and citizen. He was the first person to introduce the Devon cattle into Chester. He finally left his homestead to his eldest son, William E., and, purchasing the Daniel Smith place at the centre, removed thither and resided until his death, about 1867. Mr. Moore and his estimable wife lived together over sixty years in the greatest harmony, both being about ninety years old at the time of their deaths, which occurred only a week apart.

Appended will be found brief reference to the descendants of some of the early settlers :

Dr. Martin Phelps, prominent as a Democrat in the early political controversies of Chester, represented the town in the Legislature, stood high in the community as a medical prac- titioner, and, after a long life of usefulness, died in Chester in 1838, aged eighty-two years. He left a number of children, of whom were Sheriff Samuel Phelps, of Ware, and Mrs. Martha Mann, of Troy, N. Y., the latter widely known for her literary attainments. His son Martin, Jr., was for years sheriff of Chester, and died a few years ago. Martin, Jr.'s daughter, Mary, is now the wife of Dr. T. K. De Wolf, of Chester Centre.

Of the family of Rev. Mr. Bascom, three sons, Samuel Ashley, John, and Reynolds, graduated at Williams College. Samuel Ashley taught school in the South for some years, was

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HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

afterward in the book trade in New York, and subsequently removed to Ohio, where he died in 1880, aged fifty. John followed the ministry, settled in the State of New York, and died there in 1828, at the age of forty-three. John, a son of the latter, was appointed tutor in Williams College in 1852, and Mary, his daughter, was some years ago principal of the Girls' Iligh School in Northampton. Reynolds likewise fol- lowed the ministry, and died in the Sonth in 1828.

Asahel Wright, an early settler, married one of Mr. Bas- com's daughters, and, after a life spent in the legal profession at Chester Centre, died there in 1830. His son Henry, a graduate of Yale, was a professor in Knoxville College, Ten- nessee, for many years.

Dr. Anson Boies, a native of Blandford, married two daughters of Mr. Bascom in succession, and was the physi- cian of Chester for many years. Dle died in 1820. Dr. T. K. De Wolf, a native of Otis, removed to Chester in 1832, and for forty-seven consecutive years has practiced his profession in Chester Centre.

Rev. Timothy Lyman, a grandson of Timothy Lyman, one of the first settlers, graduated at Amherst in 1844, and subse- quently removed to Iowa. Joseph, his younger brother, graduated at Yale in 1850, and afterward practiced law in Wisconsin. Hon. James Bell, of Monson, Me., Dr. William O. Bell, of North Becket, Dr. William R. Elder, a graduate of Berkshire Medical College, and Dr. Joseph C. Abbott, of the Castleton Medical School, Vermont, were all descendants of the early settlers of those names.

Joseph Abbott, who removed with his four sons, Abial, Ebenezer, Joseph, and John, from Andover to Chester, in the early days, located about a mile north of what is now Chester Centre, where (on the old farm now occupied by Abial K. Abbott, the great-grandson of Joseph, whose son, Abial, was the grandfather of the present Abial K.) a brother of the latter, Charles B., is the only other direct descendant of the Abbotts living in Chester. Other descendants are living in New York State and in the West. A dwelling-house and barn, erected by the Abbotts when they located in Chester more than a hundred years ago, are still standing in a good state of preservation.

The only descendants now living in Chester of the Quigleys and Elders are " Unele Jim" Quigley and John Elder, both of whom live on farms north of Chester Centre.

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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 164

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