USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Middlefield > History of the town of Middlefield, Massachusetts > Part 5
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Joyrah Leonard
In Becket, Leonard's petition received favorable considera- tion,-probably because the proposed section of road gave Mack and Leonard a good connection with the outside world through Murrayfield,-thus avoiding the necessity of building them a long road to Becket Center. But in Worthington the town had already been to considerable expense the previous year to build a road from Samuel Taylor's house across the valley to Worth- ington Center, and this fact probably accounts for the rejection of Taylor's petition. The proposed new piece of road no doubt seemed to the town fathers on the distant Worthington ridge as likely to benefit outsiders rather than the town as a whole.
The next few years saw the arrival in the Becket section of settlers who branched out into the level land west of the Mur-
36
HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
rayfield road, making use of Meeker's road to take them as far possible into the forests which covered their lots. A number of these men from Hebron settled in the Johnnycake Hill region, and may have worked together in clearing paths to their house sites prior to building and bringing their families. The fact that John Taylor is styled "Landlord" in an early road survey before the days of through travel would suggest that he made a business of boarding pioneers while they were establishing their homes.
The first of this group from Hebron was Elisha Mack, the father of David, who located a half mile south of Meeker's house on the east slope of Johnnycake Hill.12 On the adjoining lot to the west near the top of the hill was the house of John Ford.13 Malachi Loveland settled west of the hill. After a year or two Ford sold his lot to Benjamin Blish, of Bolton, Connecticut, and penetrated west of Loveland into the valley of Taggart's Brook, building the first sawmill and gristmill on this stream. Solomon Ingham chose a lot north of Johnnycake Hill, a half mile west of Meeker's. Asa Brown settled a half mile west of David Mack,14 and in 1779 Aaron Goddard, of Simsbury, Connecticut, pushed on beyond him to Taggart's Brook, becoming the first settler in what was later Factory Village.15
That there was need of a connecting link from Murrayfield to Partridgefield for through as well as local travel is indicated by a petition of Murrayfield citizens to the General Court in 1779 for a bridge across the Westfield River at Norwich, in which it was stated that on the roads which met at the ford where the bridge was desired "there was much travilling to and from the state of Connecticut from the upper towns and also from the state of Vermont as well as from this state."
The difficulty of getting a road across Prescott's Grant which had held up previous attempts to construct a through road along the central ridge, was avoided by laying a road around it. Murrayfield built a road from Landlord John Taylor's to the
12 Where Charles Combs lived.
13 The abandoned homestead on this lot was probably built by Captain Elisha Mack who purchased land from Blish.
1+ Near the Dolman farm now occupied by W. J. Adams. (1924)
15 Lived somewhere on the meadow near the present schoolhouse.
37
THE PIONEERS AND THEIR TRAILS
northwest corner of the township; Partridgefield built one to its southeast corner, while Worthington built the connecting link across its corner. A roundabout route to Pittsfield and Albany was thus effected by 1779.
The present highway running north on the eastern side of the central ridge16 follows substantially the route of this first through road. Unlike the previous roads, this one was put through territory where there was no one living, and hence was not the result of any local demand. Its construction was im- portant, however, as it opened up the Worthington section for settlement.
But this road did not satisfy the need of a road to Hartwood and Pittsfield along the western side of the ridge where most of the settlers lived. Josiah Leonard and others accordingly peti- . tioned the county for such a road, utilizing the existing high- ways in Murrayfield and across the corner of Becket, and constructing a new stretch of road from the Becket line across the corner of Worthington to the Prescott's Grant line,-in the location of the present highway through Middlefield Center. The petition quaintly brings to light a neighborhood contro- versy over the location of this road, when it states that this way was "considerably used and found very convenient, excepting a small part of said way in Worthington has been altogether stopped and fenced up by Persons living thereon so as they and all Travellers are altogether shut out from any public road."
"The Persons living thereon" were none other than Robert Cochran and his family, and their object in blocking up this short cut across their land was evidently to compel the squatters and other travelers to use the original trail, which, as already stated, ran east and north of where the Cattleshow Grounds are now, passing Samuel Taylor's house. This is made clear by a rival petition of Samuel Taylor and others that the county road be laid in this location. But Leonard's petition was acted upon favorably before Taylor's could be considered, and the County Road was established where it is at the present day.
It was in this same year of 1779 that the project of forming a new township from the adjacent corners of Becket, Murrayfield and Worthington began to take shape. This movement would
16 North from the A. D. Pease farm passing the cemetery to the Peru line.
38
HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
also have included Prescott's Grant had it not been that only one or two of the purchasers of lots had arrived on the ground at this date. The initiative, therefore, came from the people in the northeast corner of Becket for whom no roads had as yet been built to connect them with their own center. The leader was David Mack, who, having gained a thorough knowledge of the country as a hunter, was competent to map the boundaries of the proposed new town. Calling a meeting of all his neighbors, including those living across the line in Worthington and Mur- rayfield, he received hearty support for his project, with the result that petitions were presented for action at the three March meetings, requesting that their sections be set off to form a new township.
The petition of the seven citizens of Murrayfield, headed by Samuel Jones, voiced the general sentiment in its statement that "living so remote from the middle of the town makes it very tedious attending any town business, especially the preaching of the gospel." Unfortunately just at this time the hill towns were being drained of their resources in support of the Revolu- tion, and favorable action on these requests meant a diminution in the amount of real estate and personal property available for taxation. It is not strange, therefore, that the movement came to naught.
The condition of the people in the Murrayfield corner was im- proved, however, by the establishment of school districts through- out the town. This section was called the "Eggleston District" after the first settlers, and the log schoolhouse built in 1780 near the junction of the County Road and the road to the "Den" was probably located on their land. This was the first schoolhouse built on Middlefield territory. Samuel Jones, who represented the Eggleston District on school committees, must have done some good work for the town, as he became one of the selectmen in 1781.
In Becket the proposition for ceding the northeast corner to form a new township received some serious consideration, prob- ably because the town had spent very little money to give the settlers the roads which the other sections of the Middlefield Ridge had been given. The committee appointed did not report until November, but they did recommend that all the land east of
39
THIE PIONEERS AND THEIR TRAILS
Taggart's Brook and north of the Westfield River be contributed. The ill success of the project in the other towns no doubt caused the matter to be tabled indefinitely.
The agitation of the "Northeast Corner" citizens, however, had the beneficial effect of rousing the town to its duty of build- ing roads which would connect them with their center. More- over, with their gradual increase in numbers they had acquired enough political influence in town matters to secure these ad- vantages, as is indicated by their representation among the town officers in 1780. Elisha Mack was one of the selectmen, David Mack, a surveyor, while Daniel Meeker and John Ford were chosen deer reeve and hog reeve respectively for the district.
During this year three roads were laid out in the northeast corner of Becket. The most important of these was the high- way from Becket Center which crossed the Westfield River some distance north of where the Middlefield railroad station now stands. The abutments of the old bridge can still be seen. Con- tinuing northeast over the West Hill Ridge, it crossed Factory Brook at Ford's Mills and wound up and over the steep slope of Johnnycake Hill to Elisha Mack's farm, doubtless following the trail that the settlers had made down to Ford's Mills. From here the road was continued across lots in a northeast direction to meet "Meeker's Road" by which a connection was made with the County Road and the Partridgefield Road.
This highway not only gave the northeast corner people a direct road to Becket Center, but by joining the other roads at John Taylor's gave Becket its first direct connection with Worth- ington and Partridgefield, setting in motion new currents of travel in all directions. This meeting place of roads began to grow rapidly in importance. It had no doubt been considered as the center of the proposed new town which had been planned for the previous year. With the rapid increase of settlers after 1780, this neighborhood seemed to have a future, and it began to as- sume the characteristics of a village.
The most significant development was the building of a tavern in the angle between the County Road and the Partridgefield Road between 1780 and 1784, probably by Enos Blossom, a na- tive of Barnstable, Massachusetts. 17 Eliakim Wardwell, a shoe-
17 Now owned by A. D. Pease. (1924)
ENOS BLOSSOM'S TAVERN OLIVER BLUSH'S TAVERN
41
THE PIONEERS AND THEIR TRAILS
maker and saddler, located a short distance south.18 Bezaleel Wright, the first physician, lived a little further south on the County Road. On the Partridgefield Road, John Taylor's place was purchased by Ephraim Sheldon, of Enfield, Connecticut. A quarter mile further north was Elijah White, a cooper by trade.19 Eli Skinner set up a blacksmith shop opposite the
tavern somewhere on the Becket Road which he operated for a few years. Thomas Root, of Enfield, settled a little west of Blossom near Meeker's Brook, and may have been the originator of the tanning industry later carried on by his son-in-law, John Metcalf, at this place.20 James Nooney, also of Enfield, an active buyer and seller of lots in this region, lived south of Blossom.21
The new Becket road brought more settlers into the Johnny- cake Hill region. Benajah and Elkanah Jones of Hebron, John Pinney of Windsor, and David Carrier settled on the south edge of the hill overlooking Mt. Gobble and the Westfield River Val- ley. To the west were Joseph Cary, of Williamsburg, Oliver Bates of Hebron, and several families of Cheeseman, in the vi- cinity of Walnut Hill, the south slope of which was early known as "Cheeseman's Hollow." Further north was Barzillai Little,
Perzela Lite
of Bolton, Connecticut, who was, with exception of Elisha Mack, Jr., perhaps longest a resident in this section. North of the Becket Road was Amasa Graves, of Williamsburg, the ancestor of many families of this name in Middlefield.22
It should be borne in mind that by 1780 the corners of Mur- rayfield and Becket were fairly well populated before the Worth- ington and Prescott's Grant regions had really begun to be settled. The chief reason for this was that continuous roads had to be built through the former sections to make the latter acces- sible. Shortly after the building of the Partridgefield road on
18 The Metcalf house now owned by Mrs. Pearson. (1924)
1º The Elbert Pease house where Mr. Pierce lives. (1924)
20 Near the Dyer house on road to Chester. (1924)
21 Perhaps near H. S. Pease's house. (1924)
2ª Built the house now owned by Harry E. Pease. (1924)
HOUSE OF WILLIAM TAYLOR HOUSE OF AMASA GRAVES
43
THE PIONEERS AND THEIR TRAILS
the east side of the central ridge, a group of pioneers, mostly from East Windsor and Windsor, Connecticut, began taking up the land thus made available, and this road was for some years known as "Windsor Street."
Nearest the Murrayfield line on this road were Simeon Booth and John Damon.23 A short distance further north lived Cap- tain Timothy Allen.24 On the neighboring lot was one of the most prominent of this group, Captain Timothy McElwain, whose large, square homestead, built some years later, is now occupied by descendants of the fourth and fifth generation. Matthew Smith, of East Haddam, purchased the land adjoining, and his well built house, which has sheltered several large fam- ilies of dèscendants, is likewise owned by a great-grandson. Further north lived three more Windsorites, Justus and Israel Bissell, and last, but by no means least,-Ithamer Pelton, a com- petent builder of churches and houses, whose own residence until within a few years bore testimony to his skillful workmanship.25 Across the Worthington line in Partridgefield settled Job Rob- bins, of Ashford, Connecticut, and Joseph Russ on land later ceded to form Middlefield.
On the eastern ridge between the Den Stream and the Middle Branch of the Westfield the only residents prior to the incorpora- tion of this land into Middlefield were living along the old road to Worthington running northeast over the ridge. These were Elijah Dix, James Kelley and Samuel Woods.26 After the in- corporation of Middlefield came the establishment of "Ridgepole Road," running north and south along the crest of this ridge. Among the more prominent families which settled here about 1788 were those of Israel Pease, Erastus Ingham, and Calvin Smith,27 all of them progenitors of many of these names in Mid- dlefield. It was ten years later that Captain Nathan Wright, of Chester, the first of that name, purchased the meadows in "The Den" where his descendants have lived ever since.
After the County Road from Murrayfield to the Prescott's
23 Lived near the Sweeney place.
24 On the site of the Babson Cottage.
"" Last occupied by the Chamberlain family.
Dix near Lester Root place. Kelley near Cottrell.
" Israel Pease at Harvey Root place now owned by Frank Chipman.
(1924) Erastus Ingham just north. Calvin Smith at Cottrell Place.
44
HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
Grant east line had been established, the prospects for settlement within this tract became brighter. Most of the lots had been sold to residents of East Haddam, Connecticut, prior to the Revo- lution, but that struggle had delayed their coming. Then, too, the lack of a town government and the uncertainty regarding the establishment of roads and a church therein must have deterred some from emigrating.
The first settler on the Grant who was a purchaser of a lot was David Bolton, a large land owner of Murrayfield, who pur- chased several lots of the East Haddam owners. About 1777 he built a house near the brow of the hill west of the Center, north of the present highway to "Blush Hollow," giving the region the name of "Shady Grove." This detail seems to classify him as a real estate operator, moving from town to town and buying and selling lots during the boom periods. Bolton was not de- terred by the fact that his home lot lay within the land claimed by William Mann, and later events justified his action.
Bolton had an advantage over the East Haddam purchasers in that he had an opportunity to make a thorough inspection of the properties before buying. The lots were apparently laid out by Arnold on the map to contain approximately fifty acres each regardless of the topography of the country. While they all looked alike on the plat, some were apt to be practically worthless. Bolton purchased one of these on the highest table land in the county between Robbins and Dickson Hills, situated at least two miles from the end of the County Road and reached only by a steep climb. An early purchaser was found in Henry Lamberton, of Palmer, who located there in 1779. This site proved so inconvenient, however, that in spite of later town as- sistance in establishing a road to it, Lamberton and subsequent owners gave up the attempt to make a living there, and both site and road were abandoned at an early date.
General settlement began in the Grant about 1780, coincident with that in the Worthington section. As in the other localities, clearings were first made along the paths already cut. On the Partridgefield trail continuing the County Road settled James Dickson, the first of the East Haddam Colony to arrive. He built his house28 on a sightly lot a half mile northwest of the
28 The Orrin Pease place owned by Judge Birnie. (1924)
45
THE PIONEERS AND THEIR TRAILS
present Center. A year or two later his son-in-law, Uriah Church,29 located a short distance farther north, and north of him, John Newton,30 of Colchester, Connecticut. Many of the descendants of these three pioneers were Middlefield residents. Still further north lived Captain Alexander Dickson, a son of James.31 Another son, John, the great-grandfather of the noted educator and diplomat, Andrew Dickson White, located on the east side of the central ridge near the Partridgefield line.
Jahr Dichson
Other East Haddam people settled on what seems to have been a trail to Hartwood leading directly west of where the Center now is, the location of which has been followed generally by the present highway to the West Hill. On the south side of this trail at the brow of the hill, located William Church, a brother of Uriah, and a builder of repute. The lot adjoining on the south was purchased by Enoch Crowell,32 of Yarmouth. Continuing west on this trail, John Smith33 located in the valley near Tag- gart's Brook. On the level land on the top of West Hill were John Spencer and Elihu Church. Further south on the ridge and away from the trail lived William Taylor, son of Samuel of the Worthington section, whose house34 is probably the oldest of those now standing on the Grant.
On the original trail to Hartwood leading northwest across the meadows, the presence of the Taggarts discouraged settle- ment. Nevertheless Joseph Dickson, a third son of James, settled at the south end of their possessions, and Daniel Spencer Emmons near the north end. The Taggart's right to the premises was sustained in the courts, but they finally sold out to the owners of the lots and removed from town.
The other squatters were not so fortunate. William Mann was sued first by the Prescotts and later by James Dickson, backed
" The Gardner house. (1923)
Where the Sternagle family lives. (1924)
The Wanzer place.
32 Where Ralph Pease lives. (1924)
" The Jesse Pelkey house. (1924)
34 Where Mr. Eden lives. (1924)
-
HOUSE OF DANIEL LEACII
HOUSE OF JOHN SMITHI
47
THE PIONEERS AND THEIR TRAILS
by David Bolton and William Church, but he was able to defer action by obtaining a survey showing that there was an excess of land in the grant over that shown in the original survey of the Prescotts. Mann put in a claim for this excess, but as he left the Grant within a short time, he appears to have been dispos- sessed. Miles Washburn, on West Hill, was similarly sued by John Spencer, the purchaser of land from Arnold. Washburn won the first decision but lost in the appeal and departed for New York State.
In the region of the later Center there was no particular de- velopment until after the incorporation of the town. It was, in fact, one of the most sparsely settled portions of the Middlefield territory. East of the ridge Thomas Blossom settled near Samuel Taylor as late at 1787. The fork in the road near the site of his house is still known as "Blossom Corner." About the same time Bissell Phelps, of Hebron, Connecticut, settled half a mile north- east on the Worthington roadª" where he was succeeded in a few years by Dr. William Coleman. West of the ridge Daniel Chap- man, who was the original owner of the Charles Wright farm, was the only new-comer not already mentioned.
Curiously enough, the Joseph Blush and Lewis Taylor farms, which together covered most of the land on which the Center was later built up, have remained practically intact to the pres- ent day in spite of the strip of small lots on either side of the main street ; for over a hundred years both farms were, and one of them still is, in the possession of their descendants or blood relatives. Blush built his new house on the County Road just south of the point where it was met by the Squatters' Trail from the southeast and by the trail coming up the slope from the west. As will be seen later, its location made it play a prominent part in Middlefield history.
As the number of settlers on the Grant increased, it became evident that some step must soon be taken to give them a town government. Surrounded by the unsettled sections of other townships, these hardy pioneers had to traverse the hills and dales of their own tract before reaching the rough roads to the various centers. If a citizen in the Eggleston District of Mur-
35 Where Ralph Bell now lives. (1924)
48
HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
rayfield complained of the distance from their Center, which averaged four miles, we can imagine the opinions of the Pres- cott's Grant inhabitants who lived at twice that distance from the same village, which was their natural connection with civilization.
This situation presented a new and more favorable oppor- tunity to push the project of a new town, the plan now being to use Prescott's Grant as a nucleus to which would be added the adjacent sections of the neighboring townships. To accomplish this, state action was required, and David Mack offered to go to Boston to present the case to the General Court, and to pay the entire expense of the trip in case he were unsuccessful. This proposition received hearty support from practically the whole population, sixty names being signed to the Petition for Incor- poration, which was entitled, "Petition of Prescott's Grant and Others,"36 and was dated September 22, 1781. The petition set forth that :
"All the persons who are settled on said lands live at a distance of five miles and some at much greater distance from the meeting house in their respective towns on which account many of your petitioners have for several years been obliged either to carry these families the distance above mentioned in rough roads or to educate them without any of the advantages of public institutions, except in some few cases in which they have been able to procure preaching among themselves the many disadvantages arising from the Roughness of the Roads Steep Hills and Rapid Rivers that are in the way to their respective towns are more than many of your Honours would think of that those of your petitioners that live in the tract of land called Prescotts Grant not being annexed to no towns have no Privilidges as other towns have nor ever can have till that August Body the general Assembly of the Commonwealth Incorporates them and allows them the Privilidges of other towns . . . . "
As a result of Mr. Mack's efforts the General Court appointed a committee of three to repair to Prescott's Grant and environs, to meet committees appointed by the towns concerned, and to re- port at the next session. The committee arrived in December, 1781, and reported favorably on the matter the following Febru- ary, but the General Court voted that it "lie till next session."
On March 12, 1783, the Act of Incorporation37 was finally passed, declaring that the inhabitants of the southwest corner
36 See Appendix B.
# See Appendix B.
nimi
CAPT. ALEXANDER DICKSON'S TAVERN ASA SMITHI'S TAVERN
50
HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
of Worthington, of the northwest corner of Murrayfield, the northeast corner of Becket, the south side of Partridgefield and a part of Washington, and Prescott's Grant were thereby incor- porated into a town called Middlefield, which was to be annexed to Hampshire County. Instructions were given to John Kirt- land, Esq., of Norwich, to choose "some principle inhabitant to warn the new citizens to assemble and elect officers and transact the necessary business for starting the town's new life. Kirtland fittingly chose Benjamin Eggleston, of the Eggleston District for this honor, as he was the first settler on Middlefield to acquire his land by purchase.
A new era thus dawned, full of much promise for the future prosperity of the dwellers in the Middlefield hills and valleys. While one set of problems had been solved, it was gradually realized that the artificial creation of a town presented a whole series of questions to be considered, which could be handled suc- cessfully only by the hearty co-operation of all the citizens. How these scattered settlers, laboring under many difficulties, finally built up a community life of their own, will be told in the follow- ing pages.
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