USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Ashfield > History of the town of Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts from its settlement in 1742 to 1910 > Part 7
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This was the beginning of the Baptist Church in Ashfield, for Mr. Smith says, "We were led to see of Baptism that immersion was the mode and believers the subjects and this we practice." All his eight children were converted and many of his neighbors also. His oldest son, Ebenezer, was fond of reading the Bible and good books. His father says, "And now the knowledge he had received in his heart with the head knowledge he had re- ceived before, being sanctified by the grace of God was all improved in speaking of the kingdom of Christ publicly in our meetings. In the year 1761, my son, Ebenezer Smith, was chosen by the universal vote of the church and ordained to the pastoral care of the church and thus continues to this day." It may be said here that Ebenezer Smith's "head-knowledge" was not considered by his Congregational opponents as suffi- cient for "A learned Orthodox Minister."
On December 22, 1762, the Proprietors gave a call to Mr. Jacob Sherwin to settle with them in the work of the gospel
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ministry. February 22, 1763, a Congregational Chureh eon- sisting of fifteen members was formed by an eeelesiastieal council convened for the purpose and on the following day Mr. Sherwin was by the same eouneil, ordained pastor. The artieles of faith and eovenant were eonsented to and signed by the following persons: Jaeob Sherwin, Thomas Phillips, Nathan Wait, Ebenezer Belding, Joseph Mitehell. Mr. Sherwin was born in Hebron, Conneetieut, and was graduated from Yale College in 1759.
The ehurehes were now organized and ready for trouble which began at onee. Each church elaimed that their minister ought to have the land set aside in the several divisions for the first minister. The Congregationalists eould not claim that they were first on the ground, so they claimed that Ebenezer Smith was not a regular minister, but a kind of "hedge priest;" though the Baptist Association which met in Warren County, Septem- ber 24, 1769, set the seal of regularity upon him and his society. The Congregationalists were now most numerous in town and being supported by most of the non-resident Proprietors they seized upon the ministerial lands which they never gave up. They also voted to tax all the people in town, without regard to their religious belief, for the support of the Congregational Church and for the building of the Congregational Church. Chileab Smith in his pamphlet says: "The other society or- dained their minister in 1763. We endured the injustiee of paying his settlement and salary and for the building their meeting house till the year 1768; then in May, the church sent a petition to the General Court in Boston for relief. They ehose a eommittee to look into the affair and our petition appeared so reasonable to them that they blamed me for not eoming sooner for help. But finally the Court passed a resolve that I should go and notify the town and proprietor's clerk with a copy of our petition to show cause if any they had, why our prayer be not granted at the next session of this eourt, and that further eolleetion of taxes, so far as respeeted the petitioners, should be suspended in the meantime. But alas for us! ! after I was gone to do the business they told me to do, at the same
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sitting the General Court made an aet wherein they empowered our opponents to gather money of us or sell our lands for the payment of their minister and the finishing of their meeting- house-yet I went to the Court at the day they appointed but could get no hearing." This aet passed for the benefit of the Congregational society was ealled "An aet in addition to an aet for erecting the new Plantation ealled Huntstown in the county of Hampshire, into a town ealled Ashfield." By it the Pro- prietors were empowered to lay and collect such taxes as they thought necessary for the purpose of completing the Congrega- tional meetinghouse, for the settlement and support of their minister and for the maintenance of roads; and the aet provided that "the monies so raised shall be assessed upon each original right eonsisting of 250 aeres eaeh, every part of which, in whose- soever hands it may be, being subjeet to taxation." This was an unusual law even for those days, and gave the Baptists no chanee to escape taxation for the support of the Congregational Church. The great struggle of the Ashfield Baptists was to get this law repealed and no
"Village Hampden who with dauntless breast The little tyrant of his fields withstood"
ever showed more persistent courage than Chileab Smith in the long diseouraging years when he stood up for the religious free- dom of the people of Ashfield.
This law may be found in Vol. 4 of the Provinee Laws, Chap. 5, Page 1015. Many documents eonneeted with the ease are also printed and on page 1035, in speaking of this aet it is said, "The importance of the subjeet which the passage of this aet brought into diseussion in the Province and before the Privy Couneil seems to warrant the printing of the following papers which though eumulative and repetitious and generally written by illiterate persons in humble life, form a signifieant part of the series of efforts to seeure that religious liberty which today is the boast of our commonwealth." The following is a copy of one of the many petitions sent to the General Court by the Bap- tists. Their Church Records say: "Under our oppression we sent 8 times to the General Court at Boston for relief, but got none." The petition says, (Page 1036 Vol. 4, Provinee Laws) :
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An Acct. of yc sufferings of ye B'p't's in Ashficld. 1. Con- stituted June 27, 1761. 2. Minister ordained Aug 20, 1761 by Elder Noah Alden, Vitman Jacob, with two private brethren from Sturbridge. 3. Number of Communicants in 1769, 30. 4. Our society who have agreed in ye choice and ordination of our Elder were by far ye major part of ye inhabitants of ye town at yt time; and we werc ab't building a Meeting house, but were forced to desist by reason of therc coming into town a number of men of a contrary persuasion who by help of ye non- resident proprietors over powered in voting so yt they have raised large sums of money for another meeting house and have settled another minister and given him a large settlement and salary, and have built their meeting-house and altho ye Gencral Court had granted a considerable tract of land to ye first min- ister yt sho be settled in this town, yet ye above party have seized upon ye land and put their minister (though not ye first) into possession of it, and we have been forced to pay at several vendues ye sum of ten pounds lawful money upon each right, chiefly for their minister and meeting house, and have since raised a tax of 150 pounds for yt use and have this year 1769 voted a tax of 507 pounds lawful money wholly for yt use and have posted our lands for sale to force us to pay our equal pro- portion thereof, yet not one penny allowed us for our meeting- housc. Thus it appears that our oppression is very great in this regard for ye appearance of things are such at present yt we see nothing but yt our lands will be sold and we be disinherited for ye maintainance of a society to which we do not belong. For altho we have sent two petitions to ye Gencral Court for help, as yet we have had none, thus far
Chileab Smith Ebenczer Smith
Their cause was also taken up by the Baptist Committee of Grievances acting in the name and by the appointment of the Baptist churches met in association in Bellington, this province, the 11th, 12th and 13th days of September, 1769. (see Province Laws Vol. 4, page 1038.)
The answer of the Proprietors is very long. I will give a few extracts from it. Speaking of the Baptist petition they say :
Your respondents are sure your excellencies and honors cannot rightly judge unless the real character and true springs of action of the people professing themselves Baptists in this part of the country, (we profess not to be acquainted with
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others) are fairly laid before you, and here the truth obliges us to declare that those people with and about us who have now assumed the name of Baptists were originally Separatists, as they were vulgarly called from the established church without other name or appellation than Separatists. The causes and springs of whose separation have been such as these: to wit, with some it was an unconquerable desire of being teachers, a privilege or indulgence which could in no other wise be issued to them but by a disorderly separation from the churches to which they belong and setting up a meeting of their own. Some have left the churches and gone to these people because they have been guilty of such offences as justly exposed them to a kind of discipline to which they could not fcel themselves willing to sub- mit and some have had the effrontery to say that the standing ministry is corrupt. Ministers themselves unconverted. The churches impure and unholy. Admitting unconverted and un- sanctified persons to their communion &c.
These charges it will be seen refer mostly to Chileab Smith's troubles with the church in Hadley. They also say :
In a word these meetings or churches or whatever else they may be called as well since as before they took their present denomination have been a kind of receptacle for scandalous and disorderly Christians, and may with some degree of propriety be considered as a sink for some of the filth of Christianity in this part of the country. *
* Thus pride, vanity, prejudice, impurity and uncharitablencss seem to have originated and also much to have supported a sect so pure that they cannot hold communion with ordinary Christians. The legislature we humbly conceive cannot with any propriety inter- pose in matters of religion further than to secure good and prevent ill effects of it to the state. Whenever then any religion or profession bears an ill aspect to the state it becomes a proper object of attention to the legislature. Of this kind most evi- dently is that religion which rejects men of learning for its teachers and altogether chooses such as are illiterate and men of ordinary ability and this is the religion of ye people wc have been describing.
Of Elder Ebenezer Smith they say "That there is such a man as Ebenezer Smith is true. That this same Ebenezer Smith is a regularly ordained minister in a legal or scriptural or any other commonly received sense of ye words is as notoriously not true."
In refreshing contrast to the spirit of this paper is the follow- ing put in by the Baptists as a part of their case: "We whose
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names arc undersigned have no objection against the Anabaptist socicty being set frec from paying to the maintainance of the other society which they do not belong unto." Dated Ashfield, June ye 9th 1768. Signed Jonathan Spraguc Jun. Isaac Crit- tenden Jun. John Ellis, Simeon Wood, Nehemiah Washburn, Aaron Fuller, Zebulon Bryant, Jonathan Taylor, Azariah Selden, John Wilkie, John Brigs, Jacob Washburn.
At a time when men let their prejudice in favor of their own sect overthrow, every other consideration, these men, none of whom were Baptists, were willing that other people of a different creed should have a square deal, and they ought to have credit for it. The legislative committee to which the Baptist petition and the Proprietors' answer was referred reported:
That there never was a law relating either to Churchmen, Baptists or Quakers, exempting them from paying taxes con- sidered as Proprietors or Grantees in a new Plantation. * * * The laws relative to them respect only such rates as are assessed by towns, district, or parish. Your committee finds that in the sale of these lands there was no unfairness, but every thing quite fair, quite neighborly and quite legal. Upon the whole, your committee though desirous that everything might be done that can be desired for persons of every denomination of Chris- tians, whereby they may worship God in their own way and according to the dictates of their own consciences without any let or molestation whatsoever, yet for the reasons above men- tioned and many more that might be offered it is our opinion that said petition be dismissed. W. Brattle by order.
The Council voted that the petition be dismissed. The House of Representatives non-concurred and "voted that Mr. Denny, Col. Bowers and Mr. Ingersoll of Great Barrington with such as the Hon ble board shall join to be a committee to bring in a bill repealing the act," but the Council non-concurred and the Baptist petition was denied and the Baptists were beaten in their long fight. I cannot help having a feeling of satisfaction that the House was willing to do the square thing by the Bap- tists. In a letter written long after, Elder Ebenezer Smith said, "This looked like a dark day, but I had this for my support that there is a God in heaven that governs the affairs of men." Elder Smith soon had reason to know that his support was sure, for
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in Backus' History of the Baptists, 2nd Edition, Vol. 2, page 160, it is said that "When such a noise was made in Boston about the Ashfield affair, Gov. Hutchinson happened to look and find that the word support was not in the original grant of those lands, and perhaps he might hope that by relieving the Baptists he should draw them to his side of the controversy betwixt America and Britain. Be that as it may, he privately sent word to one of the committee and advised him to send the Ashfield law to a friend in London who might present it to the King in council, and he promised to write to Gov. Bernard, who passed it, to use his influence to have it repealed. This was done and its repeal was effected, then their oppressors had their turn of waiting upon one assembly after another unsuccessfully, for though several acts were framed for them, yet the consent of the governor could not be obtained till they found out what his mind was and conformed to it."
The friend in London to whom the Baptists turned for help was Dr. Samuel Stennett, pastor of the church in Little Wild Street. He was a Baptist minister who was in favor with George the Third. Dr. Stennett received his degree from Aberdeen University in 1763. He was the author of many hymns, among others. "On Jordan's stormy banks I stand," and "Majestic sweetness sits enthroned upon the Saviour's brow." His peti- tion is in part as follows:
To the Right Hon ble the Lords Commissioners of Trade & Plantations. The humble petition of Samuel Stennett on behalf of the Baptists in Ashfield in the County of Hampshire New England sheweth that by a Grant from the General Assembly in 1765 the Plantation of Huntstown in the County of Hamp- shire was erected into a township by the name of Ashfield with a condition that the settlers should build a meeting place and support an Indipendent minister that 17 families were settled in Ashfield of which 12 being Baptists a Baptist church was im- mediately established there that the Indipendents also estab- lished a church requiring the Baptists to support their minister. Agreeable indeed to the terms of the grant, but contrary to a general law freeing Baptists and Quakers from taxation towards the support of other churches. That the Baptists therefore refused to pay towards the support of the Ashfield Indipendent
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minister; that in May or June 1768, an act passed in addition to the aforesaid act of 1765 which confirmed the grievance complained of; that the Baptists still refusing to comply, their effects were distrained for payment. That they have since petitioned the Assembly for a repeal of the Ashfield law passed in 1768, and that not having obtained such repeal, your peti- tioner prays on behalf of said Baptists that his Majesty will graciously be pleased to disallow the said Ashfield act, and as speedily as may be judged convenient, as the time limited for the King's disallowing it is now very nearly expiring.
At the Court of St. James the 31st of July 1771, present the King's most excellent Majesty in Council"-The report of this meeting of the Council says in part: "The said Lords of the Committee did this day report as their opinion to his Majesty that the said act ought to be disallowed. His Majesty, taking the same into consideration, was pleased, with the advice of his privy Council to declare his disallowance of the said act and to order that the said act be, and it hereby is disallowed and rejected. Whereof the Governor, Lieut. Governor, or Com- mander in Chief of His Majesties Province of Massachusetts Bay for the time being, and all others Whom it may concern are to take notice and govern themselves accordingly.
So the long fight was won and the wrong done by the sectarian quarrel among a few rude farmers in the little backwoods settle- ment was righted by His Most Excellent Majesty sitting in Council at the splendid Court of St. James. It was a great victory, not only for Baptists but for all religious denominations in this commonwealth; for none of them should thereafter be taxed "for the maintainance of another society which they do not belong unto." Great was the joy in Baptist Corner, and great was the confusion of the opposition, for this decision of the King was entirely unexpected by them and they were overtaken and thrown down by it in the midst of their high handed career. Ebenezer Smith says that there were only three persons in America who knew that the Baptists had appealed to the King. (See letter in Ellis Book, page 342.) The records of the Baptist Church contain this extremely brief account of the matter, "In Oct. 1771, We were set at liberty by the King of Great Britain and our lands restored. "]
(This entire paper may be found published in the V. Vol. of the Transactions of the P. V. M. A.)
CHAPTER IV
RUNNING RECORDS AND EVENTS TO 1812
February 10, 1765, Nathaniel Kellogg and others put in a Petition to the General Court that Huntstown was not able to pay the taxes levied by the Province, therefore it was ordered that a list of the Polls and Estates be taken and returned to the Court at the May Session. The tax of Huntstown was remitted for three years by a vote in June, 1765, but the valuation list given here is recorded in the town book as for 1766 instead of 1765.
The records of the first town meetings as stated by Mr. Shepard were very imperfect, being only on scraps of paper, but Mr. Ranney in 1857 copied what could be deciphered into a book for preservation. It seems by these, that before its incorporation Huntstown assumed the duties of a town. It met as a town in 1762-3-4, choosing town officers and passing other votes. Among the officers chosen were deerreeves and hogreeves and it was usually voted that "hoggs shall run from the first of April."
After the incorporation of the town agreeable to the Act, Thomas Williams of Deerfield issucd a warrant to Samuel Beld- ing to notify the Voters of Ashficld to assemble at the house of Joseph Mitchell, innholder, the 6th day of January, 1766, to elect necessary officers, etc. This was for Ashfield's first legal town meeting and this is the list of officers recorded as elected: Samuel Belding, Timothy Lewis, Ebenezer Belding, Thomas Phillips, Selectmen; and Joseph Mitchell, Constable.
After this, meetings were held annually, officers chosen and some votes passed.
In the warrant of 1768 is an article "to see if the town will Concur with a Vot past in Boston the 28 day of Oct. 1767 con- cerning Keeping Superfluities out of the Country. Voted £12 for the use of the Schol and other necsay town charges also to pay 2 shillings a day for labor for the town."
In 1769 three hogreeves, one clerk of the market and threc tithing men were chosen. The clerk of the market was an office
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similar to our sealer of weights and measures. The office of the tithing man on Sundays is thus deseribed by a historian: "The tithing man was the person who distracted the congregation by trying to prevent misehievous boys and girls from making a disturbanee. He tapped the whispering urehin on the head, jogged the snoring deaeon, tortured the ear of the somnolent female, or if the eulprit was too distant, rapped sharply on the pew rail, pointing his blaek rod at the offender." Another des- eription reads, "A sort of Sunday eonstable, to quiet the rest- lessness of youth, and to disturb the slumbers of age."
In 1770, it was voted to purehase one aere and a half of land of Samuel Lillie for a burial ground near the meetinghouse, priee 30 shillings. Also in 1772, voted to purchase a burial plaee of Chileab Smith for 12s. 6d.
From the year 1774 on, the records are tolerably full and eom- plete-a book for that purpose being purchased in 1776 which was used until its last page was reached in 1814.
The Revolutionary War records we will reserve for another chapter, and give running extraets from the other reeords to show the progress the town was making.
In 1777, the town ealls on the authorities to do all they ean to restrain "viee and profanity among us." In 1778, five hog eon- stables are ehosen. Also the same year, voted "that the artiele for raising money for sehools be dropped." This, of course, on account of the distress oeeasioned by the war. 1779, voted to sell the pew ground at publie vendue, and lay out the money in repairing and finishing the meetinghouse and a committee was ehosen for that purpose. Nine highway surveyors were ehosen that year and £2000 raised for highways. Voted to pay £3 a day for a man's labor, the unfaithful to be paid aeeordingly. 30s. a day for a yoke of oxen, the same for a plow. This was in the old continental eurreney. The depreciation of this eaused much trouble and embarrassment. The rate of depreciation is stated by authorities to be something like this: January, 1777, one hundred dollars in gold or silver was equal to $105 in eon- tinental eurreney, in 1778 to $325, in 1779 to $742 and in 1780 -
to $4000. In other words, it took $40 in the continental money
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to buy one silver dollar. It has been told by an old resident of Ashfield that the Indians in the employ of the whites about this time thought so little of the money that when paid off they would use it as wadding for their muskets, then shoot it off, saying, "Away goes Continenty."
In the earlier stages of the war, the town had borrowed money in silver or its equal and now ereditors were making inquiries as to how they were to be recompensed. Quite a share of the able bodied men of the town were in the war and much money had been spent in providing for the support of these men and their families. A tax of about £20,000 had been levied by the State, which was to be paid in 1780. Even the estates of the men in the war were to be taxed, unless they had enlisted for three years, or for the war. The people could pay their highway tax beeause that could be "worked out, " but they had little or no money to pay their other taxes. In 1779, voted that we raise £40 as an allowance to those who lent money the last year on account of the sink of money. They also vote to choose a committee of seven to consider town debts and make a report of the same. Later it was voted to allow the state tax now in the hands of colleetors to remain uneolleeted. There were evidently quite a number of eolleetors located in different parts of the town. July 16, 1781, voted "that the Seleetmen direet the eonstables not to take any money for town taxes until further orders." That year, £6,000 was voted for highways, also to pay $30 per day for men's labor, $15 for a team and same for a plow. Voted to sell more pew ground, and that Nathan Fuller take care of the meetinghouse, and that Mr. Warren Green be appointed chorister to assist other choristers in singing the Psalms in the Congregation.
In 1782, voted "that the Straglin Quarkers be ordered to leave town within 24 hours or Expect trouble." More in regard to this later.
They had now evidently gotten baek upon a silver basis, for they raise this year only £80 for highways and pay 3 shillings per day for labor.
February 26, 1783, "Voted that we will Not pay the five and 1
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twenty shillings State Tax on the poll nor no other State or County Tax or Taxes which may be Assessed upon the town of Ashfield, until we are informed by General Court or some other Authority the particular use the Said money is Designed for. Voted to set up the collection of taxes at public vendue. Bid off by Capt. Thomas Warner at 5s. on a £, which was a trifle less than 2 per eent. Voted to sell out the Pew Ground all round the Gallery of the Meeting House to the Highest Bidder and Lay out the money in Building Seats and Glassing the house."
This town shared in the general discontent throughout this portion of the state and with the feeling against the state government. There was little money, but many debts. The law at that time is said to have favored the creditor, and there were many executions and also imprisonments for debts. It was claimed that these actions were urged on by the lawyers and officers for the fees they were able to get out of it. In this town some were imprisoned for debt, as votes later show that money was raised by the town to help the prisoners after they were released.
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