USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Holland > History of the town of Holland, Massachusetts > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
We, your humble petitioners, relying alone upon the mercy and goodness of this Honorable Court (for without it we see no remedy) have presumed to build a house for public worship for the whole district and have got the frame set up upon the spot where the committee prefixed for us to build upon, which we, your petitioners, humbly beg and pray that his Excellency and this Honorable Court would establish, and confirm the same as in your great wisdom and goodness may think fit.
We would further inform this Honorable Court that that party to strengthen themselves by their majority (as they call it) did on a sudden just before the sitting of this Court, viz. on the eighth day of this instant October grant a warrant for
(4)
50
THE HISTORY OF HOLLAND, MASS.
a town meeting to be held the next day, viz. on the ninth day at eleven o'clock in the forenoon to raise money to furnish their meeting house in the east part of said district (the people not being duly warned) the east with their new made voters with three Anabaptists voting with them at that meeting got a vote to raise one hundred pounds lawful money to finish that house withal, which meeting and votes our party entered our dissent and signifying that neither meeting nor voters were legal nor lawful, before the unjustness and unreasonableness of the money being granted for that use.
We would further inform this Court that our assessors have hurried and made an assessment upon the inhabitants of our district of money granted as aforesaid together with sixty pounds more granted before in like manner for the building and finishing the meeting house in the east part as aforesaid without any vote for the assessment, which grant and assess- ment we look upon as unjust and unreasonable and humbly pray that this Honorable Court in their wisdom would put a stop to that assessment.
Furthermore your petitioners humbly pray that his Excel- lency and this Honorable Court would be pleased to take our circumstances into your wise consideration and grant us a land tax and assess as much per acre as this Honorable Court shall think necessary for our building a meeting house withal (in case this Honorable Court confirms what we have done) for as our present situation is and the regulations in our district is in as to our town officers and the present voters they have made, we cannot get any money raised to build a meeting house withal, and so must be obliged to live without preaching for want of a convenient house, and if it please this Honorable Court to grant us a tax that your Honors would likewise appoint assessors for us, not only to make and collect said tax, but also for our district assessors to make a just valuation for us and to make our assessments thereon.
We would further inform this Honorable Court that the new set of voters have got a vote (as they call it) to have preaching held forever at the east end of the district, and in case we cannot have a just valuation and just voters made, the greatest, part of our district must suffer wrong. We further
51
GENERAL FORMATIVE HISTORY.
beg leave to inform this Honorable Court that one of those Baptists, and the senior of them all, who joined with the east party in all their voting respecting building their meeting house and granting of money for the same, we are credibly in- formed and it can be proved that he said that he would have a Baptist settled in the meeting house in the east part of the distriet within the space of two years.) All the foregoing we humbly submit to the wise consideration of this Honorable Court as in duty bound shall ever pray.
Dated South Brimfield, Oet. 22, 1764.
SIGNERS TO THE ABOVE PETITION.
Robert Andrews
William Gardner
William Bishop
Asa Fisk
John Davis
Joseph Blodgett
James Hovey
Jonathan Burk
Samuel Blodgett
Trustrum Davis
Benjamin Davis
Jacob How
Jesse Barker
Ebenezer Bishop
John Nilson (Nelson)
John Danielson
Josiah Burk
John Nilson Jr.
Solomon Burk
William Nilson
Charles Gardner
Joseph Blodgett Jr.
James Anderson
William Fenton
John Anderson
Jonathan Burk Jr.
Benjamin Blodgett
Simeon Burk
Ebenezer Bishop Jr.
Humphrey Gardner
We, who have hereafter set our names, being non-residents, have ratable estates in the district of South Brimfield enough to make us voters in case we lived in the place do sign to the within petition.
Joseph Davis, Joseph Browning, George Shaw.
The site above Bugbee tavern (Dr. Dean's) whieb was used to ereet a church upon, was selected by a major vote of the two factions.
This being done they, the east faction, proceeded to build a church in conformity to the vote.
52
THE HISTORY OF HOLLAND, MASS.
The west faction began to build a church on the site selected by the committee sent by the General Court to eentre the district. This site was approximately in the centre of figure of the district and was on the west side of South Meadow road between Grandy Hill and Rattlesnake Mt. This statement is supported also by a statement in Absalom Gardner's book on the history of Wales. We believe the site is at or near a row of stones which give evidence of being placed for a foundation, and lie between the junction of the old road by Erwin Bennett's house round the north side of Rattle- snake Mt. with South Meadow road and the junction of an old road from Wales with South Meadow road. This site would make it convenient for those coming from any of the four points of the compass.
When the southeast part petitioned to be incorporated they also petitioned to have the district centered for a church, but when the vote was taken to build there, the west faction had certain men, Jos. Belknap, Jno. Belknap and Benjamin Perrin, who had declared themselves Baptists, vote with them in order to seeure a majority. The east faction object and Sept. 26, 1764 vote to send a committee. Timothy Danielson and Nehemiah May are sent to General Court to advise non- acceptance of its committee's choice and the illegality of the vote. The General Court declared the vote illegal and ordered the constable to cease collecting the tax, one hundred sixty pounds, and refused to support the . ion of its committee. The east faction went on with their building. Tradition has it that the building by the west faction was advaneed so that they had begun to hold service in it. "It was finally taken down and removed to Westford, a village in the town of Ash- ford, Conn." says Morse's "Annals of Brimfield Church."
Miss E. M. Larned's History of Windham County, Conn., says that the precinct or district known as Westford in the town of Ashford after its citizens had secured by deed of gift
53
GENERAL FORMATIVE HISTORY.
from Capt. Ward a meeting-house green so long as they should need it for a church site, "Negotiations were then opened with certain proprietors in Brimfield and a convenient meeting house frame purchased for thirty pounds, provided the same could be taken down without damage." Voted June 2, 1767 "that the meeting house frame purchased in Brimfield should be brought to Westford by June 13."
Who the minister was, which the west faction had in view, as stated in their petition, we cannot determine. But there is strong probability that it was the Rev. Ezra Reeve, who was installed over the church above Dr. Dean's Sept. 13, 1765, three years after South Brimfield was incorporated. The seed for another division had been sown in this, which was to ripen into the formation of another district. Agitation over the questions that led to the War of the Revolution absorbed the people's energies and deferred efforts to secure that result. The Revolution had not been formally ended when agitation over the question began, which ended in a separation.
PETITION.
Mass. Archives, Vol. 14, page 402.
To his Excellency Francis Bernard Esq., Governor and Commander-in-Chief, in and over his majesty's Province of Massachusetts Bay to the Honorable, the House of Representa- tives, and the Honorable his Majesty's council.
The petition of Joseph Blodgett, Jonathan Burk and others, inhabitants of the district of South Brimfield in the County of Hampshire humbly sheweth :-
Inasmuch as this Honorable Court has, from time to time, been informed of our circumstances and contention with respect to a spot to build a house upon for public worship, we humbly conceive there is no occasion to spend time and paper, and trouble this honorable court with introducing the point we are about to insist upon, but with humble submission shall shew this honorable court our petition and request which is, that this honorable court in their wisdom and goodness, to decide and settle our controversy, would be pleased to give us your
54
THE HISTORY OF HOLLAND, MASS.
petitioners, a rehearing, or to have a reconsideration of the petition that was put into this honorable court at their last session which was in October last or thereabouts, which petition was to see if this honorable court would accept of and confirm the report of the committee which this honorable court sent to us to consider our circumstances and affix a place for us to build a meeting house upon, which we in our petition for said committee prayed-that their determination and report might be decisive.
But the honorable court was not pleased at that time to accept of and confirm said committee's report by reason of our town clerk's sending a copy that there was not a legal vote of our district for that committee, which is a very great mistake in the clerk as we can sufficiently prove to the contrary to this honorable court in case we may be favored with an opportunity. Therefore our humble prayer and petition is that this honor- able court would grant us a rehearing, or otherwise relieve us in our present situation, as in duty bound shall ever pray.
Dated South Brimfield, Jan. 23, 1765.
PETITIONERS' NAMES.
Solomon Burk
Joseph Blodgett
Ebenezer Bishop Jr.
Jonathan Burk
James Hovey
Trustrum Davis
John Nilson
Jonathan Burk Jr.
Jesse Barker
John Nilson
Benjamin Blodgett
John Danielson
Samuel Blodgett
Ebenezer Bishop
Jonas Blodgett
William Bishop
Joseph Blodgett Jr.
Simeon Burk
Beriah Grandy
After deliberation by the General Court the petition was ordered dismissed Feb. 14, 1765. The General Court would not support its committee owing to report of the town clerk. One cannot help but sympathize with Mr. Blodgett and the other petitioners, but with the church situated on South Meadow Road it would have left the east end of the town
55
GENERAL FORMATIVE HISTORY.
destitute of church privileges. They would have been but little better off in that particular than when they were a part of "Old Brimfield." The east faction, who the year be- fore (1764) had erected a church above Dr. Dean's, found later that it was placed too near to the west side of the town, for those whose homes were on or near the mountain would not attend it, so that the inconvenience as well as other reasons, chief of which was the desire for a better training field led to its removal on to the plain in 1793, being placed where now is the common. Unable to defeat the church placed north of Dr. Dean's the west faction petitions to have So. Brimfield divided into two parishes.
PETITION OF JAMES LAWRENCE ETC. TO DIVIDE SO. BRIMFIELD
INTO TWO PARISHES.
Mass. Archives, Vol. 14, pages 443-446.
To his Excellency Francis Bernard Esq., Governor and Commander-in-chief, in and over his majesty's province of Massachusetts Bay; to the Honorable House of Representatives now assembled.
The petition of James Lawrence and John Moulton in behalf of the inhabitants of the district of South Brimfield in the County of Hampshire humbly sheweth :- Whereas we have been for a long time contending and quarreling about a place to ereet a meeting house upon for public worship, and have been using all means that we could think of to get a meeting house set so as the whole district might be accommodated, but cannot agree upon a place to build upon that so the whole dis- triet may be accommodated. We have called the assistance and had the advice of three committees to affix a place for us to build upon, one from the General Court and two of our own choosing, but sueh is our unhappy temper that we cannot agree to abide by none of their judgments as to any of the places that they "perfixed" for us to build upon. But such was their wisdom that they denied doing anything for us of that nature, but left us to fight it out amongst ourselves, which we have done almost to our final ruin and destruction.
56
THE HISTORY OF HOLLAND, MASS.
We would "enform" his Excellency and this honorable court as we heretofore have done that the east faction have got the frame of a meeting house set up and part covered and have set it within about one mile and a half of the east end of the district, and it was set there with a desire to accommodate a division of the place which has all along been the design and intent of a great part of the inhabitants of the place, yea, even from and before we were "set" off for a district, for before we came to this court to be set off, a great part of the inhabitants, both in the east and west parts agreed together, that they would join together and go to the General Court and get "sett" off as we now are, and then after that they would divide into two societies amongst themselves, for they thought they could do that without the General Court; and since we have been set off, a great many both in the east and west parts have all along been striving for a division and have been more than once to this honorable court to try and get it effected; but the middle part have all along opposed it, so that they could not get it accomplished.
But since things are got along to this pass and the meeting house set up in the east end of the place and a minister settled there, and we cannot get it removed, and there being a Baptist. meeting house set up in the west part and a regular Baptist minister settled there, both houses being set well to accommodate a division, and since the east party have got a majority of voters they will not let the east meeting house be moved, but insist upon all the west part coming and paying to that house unless there be a division made, and the west part knowing it to be so unjust and unreasonable for them to pay their money to build a meeting house and settle and maintain a minister to accommodate the people in the east part with a meeting house even at their own doors, and many of them in the west part must travel six or seven miles to meeting, and some, and a great part of the west part are better accommodated to go the old town (Brimfield) to meeting than to go to the east meeting house by reason of the mountains and difficulty of travelling,-and now seeing and considering all these things many of these people that live near the middle of the district who have here- tofore opposed a division do now join with all earnestness to
57
GENERAL FORMATIVE HISTORY.
have one, seeing there is no prospect of there ever being any peace in the place unless there be a division made, but we must, for aught we can see, live in a continual contention all our lives long to our utter ruin and destruction.
We would inform his Excellency and this honorable court that our contention has all along been so warm that in the year 1763 there was almost a universal agreement made and a great majority of a vote upon the agreement for a division; and in the year 1764 another for the same division; and again in the year 1765 another vote for the same division all which votes stand good and have never been revoked, or discontinued as this honorable court may see by the copy of the record of said votes. It may be this honorable court may think we are too small or too poor to maintain the gospel with maintaining two ministers, but we humbly conceive that it is easier for us to maintain two ministers in peace than to maintain such a con- tention as we live in and are likely to live in all our days unless we can get divided.
We would further inform his Excellency and this honorable court that the Baptist minister that is settled in the west part of our district is a good, regular preacher; that the "Congre- gationals" that live in that part of the district and will be included in the proposed west division have almost all of them signed an agreement that they will in general attend meeting with the Baptist minister till such time as they can have a min- ister of their own persuasion or be provided for elsewhere.
And now upon a consideration of all these things together with a consideration of the benefit of having peace amongst the people in the district and quarrelling and contention and strife might cease that so we might live together in love as a good neighborhood ought to do, together with many other pleas, reasons and good arguments that your humble petitioners are ready to offer in case this honorable court will be pleased to favor us with an opportunity, we, your poor petitioners, hum- bly pray that his Excellency and this honorable court will in your great wisdom and goodness divide the district of South Brimfield into two districts or societies as in your wisdom shall think best, viz. by a division made by the road called the South Meadow Road, beginning at the colony line where said road
58
THE HISTORY OF HOLLAND, MASS.
crosses said line and to extend northward in said road to the north line of said district, or, to Brimfield south line, including and taking into the west division Joseph Blodgett and Joseph Blodgett Jr. and their home lots, they living on the east side of said road. We further humbly pray that each society or division bear their own charges of building their own meeting house and settling and maintaining their own ministers, and not to pay anything to that division where they do not belong, which is according to former agreement and votes, that were made by the inhabitants of said district for said division, mean- ing only meeting house and ministerial charges, in case we only divided into parishes or societies.
And now upon the whole with what we have further to offer, may we be favored with an opportunity, we, your humble petitioners earnestly and humbly pray, and pray that we may not be denied as ever that we live at peace amongst ourselves, that the above petition might be granted-as in duty bound shall ever pray.
Dated South Brimfield January 23, 1766. James Lawrence ) John Moulton (Committee.
Read in the House of Representatives and ordered that Capt. Thayer, Capt. Brown, and Mr. Taylor of Westfield and others be a committee to consider and report. Their report was favorable and liberty was given to bring in a bill for the pur- pose therein mentioned.
January 31, 1766.
A bill was presented which was passed dividing South Brimfield into two parishes. The following is a copy of the act :
Mass. Archives, Chap. 31, Acts of 1765-1766.
Whereas the dividing the district of South Brimfield in the County of Hampshire into two parishes would serve very much to remove many difficulties and inconveniences which the inhabitants of said district at present labor under.
Sect. 1. That the district of South Brimfield aforesaid be divided into two separate parishes, in manner following, viz .- the dividing line shall be by the road ealled South Meadow Road
59
GENERAL FORMATIVE HISTORY.
beginning at the colony line where said road crosses said line and to extend northward in said road to north line of said dis- trict, or Brimfield south line (including and taking into the west division Joseph Blodgett and Joseph Blodgett Jr. and their home lots, they living on the east side of the road; and that the lands lying in said district of So. Brimfield westward of the above dividing line be and hereby are made a parish, by name of west parish in the district of So. Brimfield aforesaid; and that the inhabitants westward of the said dividing line above described, be and hereby are invested with all the powers and privileges, and subjected to all the duties, that parishes in this province by law are invested with, and subjected to: and lands eastward of said line, etc. [Then follows a similar bound- ing of the east parish which we omit as unnecessary being easily understood.]
Sect. 2. Inhabitants of the west parish shall not be liable for taxes for the new meeting house in the east parish.
Scct. 3. That the annual March meetings to be held in said district for the future, shall be alternately held in the said east and west parishes. Dated Feb. 21, 1766.
Joseph Blodgett and Joseph Blodgett, Jr., had got them- selves incorporated into the West Parish but it did not end their troubles. When he discovered that his petition had been overruled by the General Court, he neglects to pay his minis- terial tax to the west parish, and is distreined of goods by the assessors for minister tax for 1766. This was for the sup- port of Rev. James Mellen according to an agreement which he had signed.
James Lawrence's petition states that the "Congrega- tionalists" in the west part had signed an agreement" that they will in general attend meeting with the Baptist mimster till such time as they can have a minister of their own per- suasion, or be provided for elsewhere." From State Archives Vol. 27, pages 336, 337, Joseph Blodgett and thirteen others signed agreement to support the Baptist church, South Brim- field, and paid one year's church tax to support Rev. Jas.
60
THE HISTORY OF HOLLAND, MASS.
Mellen (1765), but refusing the second year were distreined and then brought suit against the assessors. James Lawrence petitions as agent for the west parish. He prays for explana- tion* of jurisdiction by the west parish, also that action be stayed pending action by the General Court. Col. Edson, Col. Marcy, Mr. Nash, Col. Milliken and Capt. John Brown, also Nathaniel Sparhawk, Thomas Flueker, Royal Tyler and Samuel Dexter were added as a committee to consider the matter. Joseph Blodgett had also petitioned the General Court for re- lief. Both the Blodgett and Lawrence petitions were dis- missed June 21, 1768. This left Joseph Blodgett without re- lief from paying the church tax, according to agreement which he had signed.
PETITION OF
Edward Webber acting as agent for the east parish petitions the General Court for an explanation of the act dividing the district So. Brimfield into parishes and sets forth, that there are large tracts of land in the east parish which have been advanced in value by means of their building a meeting house and setting up a minister, toward which said land has paid no tax, and asking for a tax of (3d) three pence per aere for three years on all lands in said east parish. Date June 21, 1768.
The agitation over the Stamp Act was now raging.
The period of the Revolutionary War was a period when the all absorbing topic was the progress and success of the war. Local rivalries and feeling abated under the stress of that contest, nor have we been able to get hold of much material in way of records for the period of that war. That South Brimfield did her duty in that war is shown in her muster roll of which East Parish (Holland) sent the major part.
*By act of the General Court it was ordered that the inhabitants of the west parish are not freed from any charges that arose in said dis- triet by hiring preaching previous to dividing said district into sepa- rate parishes and previous to the settling of a minister in that part of said district.
61
GENERAL FORMATIVE HISTORY.
By permission of Major John Anderson of Belchertown, Mass., one of Holland's boys and a lineal descendant of the David Anderson mentioned in the following document we are able to give a copy of a tax warrant issued by the Hon. Harri- son Gray Esq., Treasurer and Receiver-General for His Ma- jesty's said Province Massachusetts Bay.
The Hon. Harrison Gray, Esq., Treasurer and Receiver- General for His Majesty's said Province.
To David Anderson, Constable or Collector of South Brim- field, Greeting :
Whereas the Great and General Court or Assembly of this Province did in their Session in October One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy grant unto His Most Excellent Majesty a tax of Twenty-seven Thousand five Hundred Pounds to be levied on Polls and Estates both real and personal within this Province ! And Whereas the Great and General Court or Assem- bly at their session in May, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-two, did not agree to levy and apportion a Tax of Twenty-seven Thousand five Hundred Pounds, which by the Act aforesaid they were empowered to do; and Whereas in Obedience to the Act aforesaid made and passed in October, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy, I issued out my Warrants directed to the Selectmen or Assessors of the several towns and districts within this Province, to assess the Sums laid upon them respectively as their Proportion of the said Sum of Twenty-seven Thousand five Hundred Pounds.
These are in His Majesty's Name to will and require you to collect all and every the Sums of Money mentioned in the List or Lists of the Tax or Assessments of your Town, District, Parish or other Place, made by the Assessors or Selectmen of the said Town, District, Parish or other Place and committed to you to collect : amounting in the Whole to the Sum of Twen- ty-three pounds Sixteen shillings and Four Pence.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.