History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Vol. II, Part 86

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 86

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"17. It is ordered that if any person whose house-lott lyes ioclosed in a gen- eral fetice, shall desire to inclose a part of it for yards, gardens, or orchard, his neighbor on each haod of him shall be compellable to make and sufficiently maintaio the one-half of the said fence from tyme to tyme, provided his share of fence amount not to ahove ten rods. provided, alsoe, that ye said fence ex- ceede not the charge of a sufficient five-foot pale, or five rayles. And in case any neighbour shall refuse to doe his share of ye said fence withio 3 months after dne notice given him of it, he shall be lyable to pay what damadge his ueigh- bour shall sustaioe through his default; aud alsoe 5s. per month sve long as he shall neglect for contempt of order.

"18 and 19. [The 18th and 19th are respecting fences, and the oversight and repair of them, and have nothing peculiar io them.]

" 20. Før tbe better carryinge on of Toune meetings, it is ordered that when- soever there shall any public notice be given to the Inhabitants by the select Tonnsmen, or any other io theyre behalfe, of soore necessary occation wherein the selectmen desire to advise with the Inhabitants, and the day, tyme, and place of meetinge be appoynted, It is expected that all the Iohabitants attend personally such meetinge soe appoynted. And, in case the tyme and honre of meetinge be come, though there be but nine of the Inhabitants assembled, it shall be lawfull for them to proceed in agitation of whatever busyness is there propounded to them, and what the major part of the Assembly there mett shall agree npon, It shall be takeo as the set of the whole toune, and binding to all.

"21. The first Tuesday in November yearly [altered afterward to February] is mintnally agreed on and appoynted to be a general toune-meetinge for the choyce of Toune officers, making, continuiog aod publishing of orders, &c., on

822

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

which day it is more especially expected that each inhabitant give his personall attendance, and if any shall be absent at the tyme of calling, or absent himself without consent of the major part, he shall be lyable to a bine of 28. 6d.

" 22. It is alsoe ordered that on the first Tuesday in November, there shall be yearly chosen by the Inhabitants two wise discreete meu, who shall by virtue of an onth imposed on them by the magistrate for that purpose, faithfully present on the Court days, all such breaches of Court or tonne orders, or any other mis- demenors as shall come to their knowledge, either by their own observation, or by credible information of others, and shall take out process for the appearance of such as are delinquents or witnesses, to appeare the sayd day : when all such presentments by the sayd partys shall be judicially heard and examined by the magistrate, and warrants for distresses granted for the levying of such fines or penaltys as are annexed to the orders violated, or which shall seem meete and reasonable to the magistrate to impose or inflict according to the nature of the offence. These to stand in this office for a year or till others be chosen in their roome.

"23. It is ordered and declared that when any man shall be fairly and clearly chosen to any office or place of service in and to the toune, if he shall refose to accept the place, or shall afterwards neglect to serve in that office to which he shall be chosen, every such person shall pay 20s. fine for refusall to the Toune Treasurer, unless he has served in that office the yeare before; no person being to be compelled to serve two years together in the same office, except selectmen, two whereof, if chosen againe, are to stand two yeares together, that so there may be always some of the old selectmen who are acquainted with the Toune affaires, joining with the new.

"24. [Relates to the regulation of swine, and is not necessary to be transcribed. An officer, unusual in later years, was chosen as a general swine-ringer, and his feee stated.]

" 25. To the end that the common llighways of the Toune may be layed out where they may be most convenient and advantagiose for the general use of the toune, it is therefore ordered that the select Tounsmen shall have full power and authority to lay out all common highways for the Toune, where and how they shall judge most convenient and useful for the Inhabitants, though it be through or at the end of men's lotts; Provided, they give them reasonable sat- isfaction according to equity ; but if the party like not thereof, then it shall be referred to the Judgment of iodifferent partye mutually chosen by the partye and the select Townsmen, and if those two indifferent partys do not agree, they shall pitch upon a 3d person to join with them and determine it.

" 26. And the Select Tounsmen are allowed liberty to set a certaine toll on carts that shall pass any highway, which shall appeare more than ordinary chargeable in the reparation of it.

"27. For the equall and indifferent carryinge on and hearinge the charge of makinge and repayreing such comoion highways and bridges as are or shall be thought needful to be made or repayred from tyme to tyme within this town- ship, it is ordered that every householder that hath or keepeth in his use or possession a Teame consistinge of four cattell shall, on due warninge given hiuz by the surveyor, send at every day and place appoynted his said teame, with bis cart and such necessary tooles-as the surveyor shall alowe of, and an able man therewith to doe such work as the surveyor shall appoynt him. The like is to be done by those that have but halfe teames. And it is further ordered that every other householder who hath no teame shall, by himself or some other faithful labourer, attend the worke appoynted him by the surveyors on every day that he shall be called or required soe to worke. And it is alsoe ordered that all persons inhabitinge. in the toune who are above £100 estate in other rates, aud yet have no teame, every such person shall be compellable to send one sufficient labourer to the highway worke on every day that he shall be doly warned thereunto, accordinge to his proportion with other men.

" It is alsoe further ordered that every person shall cut downe his stubbs and cleare the highway before his lott of tymber wood, standing trees (which are hereby declared to be a man's oun) or any other offensive matter that the sur- veyors shall warne hin of, within three days after notice giveu him, or else be lyable to a fine of 12d. for every defect.

"28. Whereas there are surveyors, chosen yearly, for the oversight and amend- inge of highways, bridges, and other defects of that nature, that soe the common highways of the Toune may be kept in continuall reparation. To that end, and for the regulatinge of surveyors in the discharge of their office, It is ordered yt ye surveyors for the tyme beinge shall take care, 1. That highways, bridges, wharfs, &c., belonging to theyre cale be made, repayred, and amended suffi- ciently, accordinge to theyre discretion or as they shall be directed by the select Tounsmen. 2. That all highways be kept clear from trees, Timber, wood, earth, stone, or any other offensive matter yt shall annoy the highway within a mile of any dwelling-house. 3. That if any person, upon notice given him by the surveyor, shall neglect to remove or cleare away any such annoyance to the highway, or offensive matter by him caused, longer than 3 days, then the sur- veyor shall doe it, and have double recompense for all his labor, cost, and charge from the party so neglecting, besides the 12d. which the party is to pay in way of fine for neglect, according to the order forementioned. 4. That the surveyor shall give three days' warninge to such as they call for and require to come to the highway worke, viz., the day of warning and a day more, soe that men must .come the 3d day after warping, unless the surveyors give them longer tyme. 5. That they shall require no householder to worke above 6 days in a yeare, nor more of these six days than shall in a due proportion fall to his share. 6. That the surveyors shall require no man to worke above two days in a weeke. 7. That they call for these 6 days, for es many of them as shall eerve, within the com- pass of tyme betwixt the 20th of May and 20th of June, yearly, and not at any other tyme, unless by the consent of the major part of the select Tounsmen it be agreed unto, and yet inasmuch as sometimes ways suddenly become defective, that they may not too long be neglected, it is declared that three of ye selectmen

meetinge, and any two of them agreeing, may appoynt and allow the surveigh- ours to repaire such defective ways. 8. That they duly present to the select Tounsmen all defects of persons or teames that oo lawfull warning given neglect to come to the worke appoynted, who shall give warrant to the constable for present distress of 28. fine for a man, and 68, for a man and teame, to be employed in the next worke that is to be done abont highways. 9. That they give in theyre accounts yearly to the selectmen at the general meetinge in November, when they yield up their office another yeare."

THE REVOLUTION.

As the Revolutionary period, so far as it bears upon the his- tory of this valley, is presented in full in the general history, it is only necessary in this connection to refer to the arduous struggle.

The citizens of Springfield were alive to the exigency of the times, and, July 12, 1774, held a meeting, at which a long series of resolutions were adopted as expressive of the senti- ment of the town. The following extraet is elipped from the last resolution :

" And though we should injure no man in his person or property for a diversity of opinion, yet we shall not think ourselves bound to continue our favors to any gentleman who, lost to the sentiments of gratitude and humanity, can coldly sacrifice his country's liberties to his own private emolument."

The town clerk was directed to transmit a copy to the town clerk at Boston. At a meeting held Jan. 3, 1775, at " ye court-house," a committee was appointed to see " that a striet observance be had to the resolves of the Continental Congress," and another committee was also appointed to receive subserip- tions for the suffering poor of Boston and Charlestown. Im- mediately after the Lexington alarm the following dispatch was received here :

" WATERTOWN, Wednesday morning .- To all the friends of American Liberty, be it known that this morning, before break of day, a brigade consisting of about 1000 or 1200 men landed at Phipps' farm, in Cambridge, and marched to Lexington, where they found a company of our colony militia in arms, upou whom they fired without any provocation nud killed six, and wounded four others. By an express this moment from Boston, we find another brigade are now on the march from Boston, supposed to be about 1000. The bearer, Mr. Isaac Bis- sell, is charged to alarm the country quite to Connecticut, and all persons are desired to furnish him with such horses as they may he needed. I have spoke with several persons who have seen the dead and wounded. Pray, let the dele- gates from this colony to Connecticut see this; they know.

"Z. PALMER, one of the Committee of Safety.

"Col. Foster is one of the delegates."

A company of Minute-Men was immediately marehed to Boston. This company consisted of sixty men, and was offi- cered as follows: Captain, Gideon Burt ; First Lieutenant, Walter Pynehon; Second Lieutenant, Aaron Steele. From this time until the elose of the war heavy drafts were made on Springfield for men and stores. At one time the male portion of the town old enough to carry a musket was so nearly de- populated that many of the men who were drafted paid their fines, being compelled to this course, or leave their families in abject poverty.

The town responded promptly to the various calls, and Nov. 14, 1775, the sum of £52 14s. 6d. was appropriated for paying the Minute-Men and providing for the soldiers.

In January, 1776, the town was called upon to furnish 12 blankets. In the following June a call for 44 men was made. These each received, as bounty, £7.

In 1778, £780 were voted for bounty to 13 men. Under the call for troops June 5th, the following were appointed a com- mittee to assist the militia officers in raising the men : Ensign P. Chapin, Capt. Thomas Stebbins, Thomas Williston, Wil- liam Pynelion, Jr., Capt. David Burt, Maj. Gideon Burt, and Luke Bliss.

Jan. 29, 1780, $2400 in " hard money," or an equivalent in paper, was raised for men.

SPRINGFIELD IN 1776.

The village of Springfield in 1776 was but a collection of about 150 honses, a court-house, school-honse, and a solitary church. Most of these were on the west side of the main street, and were on the "home-lots," reaching from the irregular main street back to the river, the rear of which was used for

823

HISTORY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY.

pasture-lands. On the east side of the main street was the town brook and the " hasseky marish." What is now State Street was known as the "causeway," from the fact that a corduroy-road was laid across the marsh. This road ran over the meadow, over Armory Hill, at that time but a pine plain, and through the woods to the Bay Path. Ferry Lane ran from the main street down to the ferry that was established in 1683. The common was a part of what is now Court Square. The court-house, built in 1722-23, stood in the middle of what is now Sanford Street and jutting out into the road, where it was occupied for many years, and about 1826, after the erec- tion of the new court-house, was transferred to the parish. There were two whipping-posts near this temple of justice, one directly in front of it, the other an elm-tree which was desecrated by that use, in front of where now stands H. & J. Brewer's drug-store. Near the court-house and a little south- east stood the school-house. Near the buildings and on the corner, where stands the savings-bank building, J. & J. Dwight had a small red house that was used for a store. On the common near the large elm stood the celebrated Parsons tavern which afterward became famous for its peripatetic changes, and now finally rests on Court Street, having out- lived its usefulness, and had the honor of sheltering Wash- ington under its roof May 21, 1789. On the southwest corner of the common stood the church, built about 1750. The main entrance was toward the east. The square, straight-backed pews, high pulpit, huge sounding-board, broad galleries, and division line between the males and females, were all there, as was customary in churches of that day. The Rev. Robert Breck, pastor of the church, occupied the parsonage, where now is situated the Fallon Block. This old building is now on Ifillman Street, between Main and Dwight, and is doing duty as a laundry. Clustered around the old Parsons tavern, and not far from it, were the tavern kept by Moses Church, where Tinkham's store now stands, and the Worthington tavern, near the corner of what is now Bridge and Main Streets, the residences of Deacon Daniel Harris, Daniel Lom- bard, on the south corner of Pynchon and Main Streets, Wm. Pynchon, Jr., where the Haynes House now stands, and John P'ynchon, across the way. The lots on which these dwell- ings were built were mostly original home-lots. Hon. George Pynchon lived on the site occupied by the Goodrich Block, and Dr. Chas. Pynchon on the corner of Main Street and Ferry Lane, in whose building an apothecary-store was kept.

Nathaniel Brewer lived down Ferry Lane, on the bank of the river. The men whose names are here given are found prominently mentioned in the early legislation of the town, and connected with the important and statesmanlike views that were uttered and issued at the agitation of the Revolu- tionary war. A copy of the action of the several committees, as taken from the Springfield town records of that date, will be found in the general history.

Above these residences, along the line of the street, on the west side, were situated the dwellings of Joseph Moores and Thomas Stebbins, the latter of whom had a pottery opposite his place.

Jonathan Dwight lived where Homer Foote & Co.'s block stands; next stood the Collins' homestead and the " Old Gaol" tavern, and the Moses Bliss place, and Josiah Dwight's house, with his distillery across the way.

Luke Bliss lived in a dwelling opposite the Dwight store, where the Webber drug-store stands. Scattered along the river-side toward Mill River lived the Elys, Warners, Burts, Ferrys, Cooleys, and Jedediah Bliss and others.

The village at this time had but six streets, the plan of which is shown below. Leading westerly from Main Street were three narrow lanes,-Ferry Lane (Cypress Street), Meet- ing-House Lane (Elm Street), and the Lower Landing, or York Street. Leading easterly from Main, there was but one street,-State. This was laid out early, across what was known

as "hasseky marish," and was made passable by corduroy bridges. It was a toll road. In addition to these there was the beginning of Maple Street, or what was then known as the " road to Charles Brewer's."

BAY ROAD

MARISH

HASSEKY MARISH

MAPLE SE

MAIN SI

MAIN SL

CHURCH

YORK SA

CONNECTICUT RIVER

MAP OF SPRINGFIELD, 1776.

WASHINGTON'S VISIT TO SPRINGFIELD.

The following are extracts from Washington's diary, refer- ring to his visit to this town and its neighborhood in the fall of 1789 :

" Wednesday, Oct. 2I .- By promise, I was to have breakfasted at Mr. Ells- worth's, at Windsor, on my way to Springfield, but the morning proving very wet, and the rain not ceasing till past 10 o'clock, I did not set out till half-after that hour. I called, however, on Mr. Ellsworth, and stayed there near an hour; reached Springfield by 4 o'clock, and while dinner was getting examined the Continental stores at this place, which I found in very good order at the build- ings (on the hill above the town), which belong to the United States.

"The barracks (also public property) are going fast to destruction, and jo a little time will be no more, without repair.

"The laboratory, which seems to be a good building, is in tolerably good re- pair, and the powder-magazine, which is of brick, seenis to he io excellent order, and the powder in it very dry.

" A Col. Worthington, Col. Williams, Adjt .- Gen'l of the State of Massachu- setts, Gen. Shepherd, Mr. Lyman, and many other gentlemen, sat an hour or two with me in the evening at Parson's tavern, whero I lodged, and which is a good house.

"About six miles before I came to Springfield I left the State of Connecticut and entered that of Massachusetts. The distance from Hartford to Springfield is 28 miles. At the latter the river is crossed in scows set over with poles, aod is about 80 rods wide. Between the two places is a fall, and others above that, again,-nothwithstanding which, much use is made of the navigation for trans- portation in flats of about five tons' burden. Seven miles on this side Hartford is Windsor, a tolerably pleasant but not a large village. Between Windsor and Suffield you pass through a level, barren, uncultivated plain for several miles.

" Suffield stands high and pleasant; the land good. From hence you descend into another plain, where the lands-being good-are onich better cultivated. The whole road from Hartford to Springfield is level and good, except being too sandy io places,-and the fields inclosed with posts and rails generally, there not being much stone. The crops of corn, except on the interval lands on the river, are more indifferent (though not bad) in the eastero than we found in the western part of the State of Connecticut.

" There is a great equality in the people of this State. Few or no opulent me, and no poor. Great similitude in their buildings, the general fashion of which is a chimney (always of brick or stone), and door in the middle, with a staircase fronting the latter, running up by the side of the former; two flush stories, with a very good show of sash and glass-windows; the size generally from 30 to 50 feet in length, and from 20 to 30 in width, exclusive of a back shed, which seems to be added as the family increases.

"The farois, by the contiguity of the houses, are small, not averaging more than 100 acres. They are worked chiefly by oxen (which have no other feed than hay), with a horse, and sometimes two, before them, both in plow and cart. Ia their light laods and in their sleighis they work horses, Lut find them much more expensive than oxen.

" Springfield is on the east side of Connecticut River, before you come to which a large branch of it, called Agawam, is crossed by a bridge. It stands uoder the hill on the interval land, aod has only one meeting-house."

EARLY RESIDENTS.

In addition to William Pynchon and his son John, Henry Smith, the Rev. Mr. Moxon, and others mentioned on a pre- vions page, there were several other early residents, though at a later day than those noted above, who are entitled to espe- cial mention.

824

HISTORY OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY.

Prominent among the number who figured conspicuously in the affairs of this section of the State at the beginning of the Revolution was Hon. John Worthington. Ile was a graduate of Yale College, and was bred to the Bar, was a member of the Governor's council, colonel in the militia, and a magis- trate of distinction and ability. Ile was a wealthy man, and is said to have been of a haughty and imperious nature, and was called one of the gods of the Connecticut Valley. Ilis sway seemed to be complete over this town, and Joseph Ferre once exclaimed, " John Worthington rules this town with a rod of iron !" It is said that at the breaking out of the Revolution his sympathies were with Great Britain, but whether this was true or not, certain it is that when questioned by the town committee in regard to his politics, he explained his position in so satisfactory a manner that the committee, by Nathaniel Brewer, its chairman, "recommended him to the favorable opinion of the public, and to the treatment and respect due to a friend of his country." "This town, having heard him on the same matters, voted themselves also satisfied therewith."

Col. Worthington owned the first umbrella in the town, -not, however, for use in rain, but as a sunshade. Of his daughters, one married Jonathan Bliss, one Col. Thomas Dwight, another the celebrated Fisher Ames, while the youngest became the wife of a Mr. Williams, of Wethers- field, Conn. lle died in April, 1800.

A prominent representative of " ye olden time," and about the last of the " silk-stocking, short-breeches, and silver-shoe- buckle gentry," was Jonathan Dwight. He was a native of Dedham, Mass., although he came here from Halifax, Nova Scotia, at about the age of ten years. As mentioned on a previous page, he was one of the firm of J. & J. Dwight, whose store was located on the site now occupied by the savings- bank building. " lle was of small stature," says Dr. Alfred Booth, in his sketches of Springfield, "active habits, nervous temperament, a great smoker, lighting his pipe in summer with a burning-glass, and described by many who remember him as often crossing the street in such a cloud of smoke as to be nearly invisible." After speaking of his custom of wearing short breeches and silk stockings, Dr. Booth adds: " Rather seant clothing, the boys thought, who knew of his practice of going out to fodder the cows before daylight or breakfast, cold winter mornings, with his stockings down about his heels, and rubbing his legs when he came in to get up a circulation, as he said." He was the chief mover in the organization of the Unitarian Church, and built the church edifice and pre- sented it to the society. Ile died in 1831, aged eighty-eight years. He was grandfather of George Dwight and Mrs. Homer Foot, both of whom are residents of this city. An- other grandchild, now deceased, was the wife of IIon. George Bancroft, United States Minister to Prussia, who at one time was a resident of Springfield. The other member of the old- time house of J. &. J. Dwight was Josiah Dwight, a cousin of Jonathan, through whose influence the latter came to this place. 1Ie was here in the mercantile business as early as 1753.

One of the ablest lawyers prior to the Revolution was Jon- athan Bliss, who studied his profession with Col. John Worth- ington. He represented the town at Boston several times, and in 1768 was stigmatized as one of the famous " rescinders." It seems that a measure which was regarded as revolutionary in its character had been passed by the General Court, and when the king and council called for the reseinding of the action, 17 voted aye,-Bliss being among the number,-to 90 in the negative. This course rendered him somewhat unpop- ular, and he went to England, and subsequently located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where he was chosen king's attorney, afterward chief-justice of the Court of King's Bench. He married a daughter of Col. Worthington, in 1791. One of his sons became a lawyer in London ; another, chief-justice of the Court of Queen's Bench in Nova Scotia.

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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 86

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