USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Middlefield > History of the town of Middlefield, Massachusetts > Part 7
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It is a noteworthy fact that the first years of Middlefield's existence as a town were exactly contemporaneous with the period of unrest and reconstruction following the Revolution which has been called "the critical period in American His- tory."
Even during the war the success of the first efforts of the
-
PARTRIDGE FIELD
BROOK
JONATHAN CLARK.
SAMUEL CLARK
· JOSEPH PLUSS
TAGGART'S
HENRY
JOB ROBBINS
ISRAEL · BISSELL
JAMES NEWTON
· NATHAN MANN
DANIEL S EMMONS
DAVID TAYLOR
MATTHEW SMITH
JAMES
TAGGART
JAMES DICKSON
EMJAH
J'OSEPH'. DICKSON-
TIMOTHY MCELWAIN
DIX
GRANT
TIMOTHY
NILLIAM SKINNER
JOHN SPENCER
· DANIEL ALLEN CHAPMAN
THOMAS
WILLIAM TAYLOR
DAVID BOLTON WILLYAMI CHURCH
ELNATHAN TAYLOR
BLOSSOM
.. SAMUEL TAYLOR ..
JOHN RHOADS!
RHOADS'S MILLY
DANIEL TAYLOR JOHNDAMON
J. RIDER
JOSIAH LEONARD
3. THOMAS
AARON GODDARD
ASA BROWN
DAVID @ MACK
JOHN TAYLOR
ENOG
BLOSSOM.
AMASA GRAYES
GL
SKINNER'S
WILLIAM · RHOADS
CHAPMAN'S MILLS
-SO1.0MON INGHAM
JANNES NOONEX
BIGOT EGGLESTON
BECKET
MALACHI LOVELAND
BENJ BLISH
SAMUEL JONES
ENJ. EGGLESTON
. BARZILLAI LITTLE
JOHN
EBEMA) DAN'A BABCOCK
OLIVER & BATES
. PINNEY
BENJ. CHEESEMAN
JOSEPH CARY
RIVER
E.C.SMITH
MIDDLEFIELD
N
1783
W
NEW TOWNSHIP LINES
TRAILS
5
HIGHWAYS
JOHN TUT TLE
WORTHINGTON RIVER
WASHINGTON
JUSTICE BISSELL
JAMES I KELLEY
WORTHING TON
· GIDEON RUSSELL
PRESCOTT'S . ELIHU . CHURCH
EPHRAIM SHELDON
S.GOOLD
DANIEL : - MEEKER
DR. B WRIGHT
SHOP -
DELIAKIM WARD WELL
CHESTER
ELISHA MACKO
THOS. ROOT
JOHN THOMPSON
SH
JOHN JONES
BENAJAH .. JONES
BECKET
JOSEPH BLISH
. : LAMBERTON
63
THE NEW COMMUNITY AND CHURCH
states at self-government led many people to advocate radical theories. As early as October, 1776, the hill town of Ashfield, not far from Middlefield, announced to the world the adoption of certain "Resolves" as to the proper form of government for the country. The conclusion reads as follows: "Therefore it is voted that we take the Law of God for the foundation of the forme of our government, that it is our opinion that we Do not want any Goviner but the Goviner of the Universe, and under him a States Gineral to Consult with the wrest of the United States for the Good of the whole . .. that all acts passed by the Gineral Court of the State respecting the Seviral Towns Be Sent to the Seviral Towns for their acceptants Before they shall be in force." Under such a plan of referendum the General Court of Massachusetts would be hardly more than a clearing house for the political whims of the towns.
Such extreme ideas, however, would probably have made little impression had it not been for the distressing economic condi- tions which followed the war. Half of the people of the state were in debt. Gold and silver had disappeared from circulation and there was no suitable legal tender. Debtors were confronted on the one hand with a depreciated paper currency and on the other with the unjust laws inflicting imprisonment for failure to settle accounts. Furthermore, the General Court was unable to give prompt relief.
As this situation continued society seemed about to disin- tegrate into antagonistic classes. On the side of law and order were the men of wealth, the journalists, the clergy and professional men generally, while the opponents of existing government were the farmers and tradesmen who had no means of paying debts incurred by the war, soldiers unable or unwill- ing to settle down in their former occupations, and also dem- agogues and other turbulent spirits interested in fomenting an insurgent movement. There was, however, little organization among the forces of discontent. On the contrary, a fierce antagonism arose between debtors who had served in the war and those who had not.
There was also a lack of sympathy and understanding be- tween the western and the eastern sections of the state. By the disruption of their former markets in Great Britain the inland
64
HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
agricultural people probably suffered more from the after- effects of the war than the trading and shipping people on the coast who were quick to discover the new currents of commerce. The westerners, therefore, felt a natural distrust of the east- erners who seemed to control the state government without recognizing the hard conditions of living in the hill towns. In explaining the general support given to Shays' Rebellion in the western counties it should also be borne in mind that a large number of the settlers had recently arrived from Connecticut and had not yet developed any particular loyalty to the govern- ment in the distant city of Boston.
It is inevitable that the new ideals of democracy and the economic crisis just described should affect the relations of the church to the state. Since 1692 it had been the law of the province that each town should be "constantly provided with an able, learned orthodox minister of good conversation" who should be "suitably encouraged and sufficiently supported and maintained by the inhabitants of such town." This law did not prevent the establishment of churches of denominations other than the Congregational when petitioned for by a sufficiently large number of people in a community, but it made necessary an elaborate system of certification of the sincerity of any dis- senter in order to make sure that this professed dissent was not an excuse for evading his support of the Puritan Church.
As the ranks of the dissenters grew the administration of such restrictive laws in Massachusetts and Connecticut became more difficult and distasteful. especially when they were applied by the standing order to a faction of their own denomination known as "The New Lights" who on account of divergent views en- gendered by the Great Awakening in 1740 felt it necessary to withdraw from the orthodox church and form societies of their own. Many of these Separatists eventually joined the Baptists who were the pioneers in the movement for the separa- tion of the church from the state. Even before the Revolution the latter had taken the position that the colonists could not logically demand representation in Parliament in the matter of taxation and at the same time levy clerical taxes themselves upon those whose religious convictions differed from their own. But though the power and prestige of the privileged church
65
THE NEW COMMUNITY AND CHURCH
steadily diminished after the Revolution, it remained strong enough to ward off the day of disestablishment until many years after the period now under consideration.
Under these circumstances the temporal affairs of the church were matters of town business just as much as the construction of roads and the establishment of schools, and it was in the democratic town meeting that the opposition to the standing order was in evidence. As will be seen later, the disadvantages of the dependence of the church upon the town are clearly shown in the experience of Middlefield. Although the levying of clerical taxes insured every man's interest in religious matters, whatever his sentiments toward Congregationalism might be, his voice and vote had to be taken into account also. Church problems were thus likely to become involved with other local issues. Dissenters with political influence could often obstruct the plans of the Congregationalists in ways which would have been impossible had the church been independent of the town.
The fact that frontier towns attract the restless and radical spirits of the older communities as well as those who are forced to emigrate by the economic pressure of the times made it certain that the various religious factions would be well represented in Middlefield. Even a slight study reveals the fact that the dissenters, although probably not in the majority, were never- theless strong enough to force the standing order to compromise in order to maintain control. Moreover, the protracted nature of the disagreements may have been partly due to the hopes and efforts of the dissenters to secure a sufficient number of recruits from the influx of newcomers with the hope that event- ually a church of their own faith might be established.
But added to these general causes of dissatisfaction and hard- ship in the hill towns was the peculiar handicap which Middle- field people sustained in the unorganized state of their community life. Ordinarily when new towns are formed out of older ones it is because two or more villages within a township become sufficiently equal in numbers or leadership, or are so situated geographically that a division of the territory becomes advisable for the efficient administration of local affairs. The division of Murrayfield into Chester and Huntington, and of Partridgefield into Peru and Hinsdale, are illustrations of this
66
HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
point. In such cases the new towns begin life with a community spirit already developed, and, in many cases, with a church al- ready built. Their leaders having grown up with the original township have acquired the influence and experience necessary to initiate at once a successful ordering of the civic life."
Quite different, as we have already seen, was the beginning of Middlefield. Fashioned overnight out of the remote portions of five adjoining townships, it contained no community within its borders. Prescott's Grant, the central portion which served as a nucleus of the township, was a sparsely settled private tract in which no highways or bridges had been built to give its inhabitants communication with the outside world. Upon incorporation some sixty settlers suddenly found themselves citizens of a new town. They were not only more or less un- known to each other but, in many cases, had no direct means of meeting one another, particularly if they lived on opposite sides of the Grant.
Obviously the prime necessity was to find the center of the town for the location of the meetinghouse and to build roads to this point from all directions. But before this could be done the settlers had to get together as best they could and elect their town officers after only a slight acquaintance with one another. These facts should not be forgotten when we seek for an ex- planation of the lack of harmony and constant change of opinion which characterize the first few years of the town's political life.
On account of its later origin Middlefield also lacked the advantages of the proprietary government under which its neighbors had been organized. In obtaining their grants the proprietors bound themselves to reserve certain lots for the support of the parish and schools. This could not be done in the case of Middlefield as all the land was already in the hands of private individuals. While the proprietors could lay out roads as they pleased in their unsettled tracts, the town leaders of Middlefield faced a more difficult problem in locating their cen- ter and highways in relation to the portions of roads which had been constructed by the towns formerly owning the ter- ritory. The proprietors were men of wealth and known to all the prominent men of the state. The Middlefield settlers, who
67
THE NEW COMMUNITY AND CHURCH
came largely from another state and were of the farming or artisan classes, were of moderate means, and entirely unknown at Boston, possessing only such influence as they had acquired through aptitude for managing local affairs. It will be well to keep these considerations in mind, therefore, in estimating the achievements of the town.
To commence the actual story of Middlefield, the first town meeting was held at the house of David Mack on April 10, 1783, the "warning" of which was given by Benjamin Eggleston in accordance with the instructions of the General Court. As might have been expected, the session was largely concerned with the election of town officers. The selectmen chosen were
Dai Mark,
Samuel Jones, who formerly held that office in Chester ; David Mack, the best known citizen of the community; and Job Rob- bins, from the northeast part of the town. Daniel Chapman was elected town treasurer and Solomon Ingham, town clerk. These two officers, and also Mr. Mack, were all from the Hebron contingent in Middlefield. In spite of the lack of acquaintance with each other the voters chose wisely, as all these officers were re-elected the following year.
At the second meeting two weeks later the town gave attention to its pressing needs. The citizens voted to raise at once thirty pounds for the support of preaching and ten pounds for the establishment of schools and appointed committees to have charge of these matters. With the intention of following the custom of other New England towns in placing the meetinghouse at the center of the township, a committee was appointed for the pur- pose of locating the desired spot. In order that a satisfactory result might be reached the town prudently selected as members men who lived in different parts of the town; and when the Becket section was left unrepresented by the death of Elisha Mack, Sr., his neighbor, Benjamin Blish was chosen in his place, and also Benajah Jones, another neighbor, "in case Benjamin Blish be absent."
In spite of all this precaution, however, the town did not accept "the place perfixed by the committee for the center," probably because the center was found to be at some inaccessible
68
HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
spot on the central ridge. Another carefully chosen committee was instructed "to find the most proper place for the meeting- house to stand". They reported October 6 that this spot was "on the main road on the line between Mr. Joseph Blish and Widow Ford's."1
With this point apparently settled, highways could now be constructed to give the citizens access thereto, and thirteen were surveyed and built during the fall and winter. The first three were laid in the isolated Prescott's Grant section. The first of these was the continuation of "the main road" from Daniel Chapman's, now (1924) the Cook farm, to the Peru line to join a road to Peru Center and Pittsfield. The second road ran west from the Center across the valley of Factory Brook and northwardly along the West Hill ridge to the Washington line, much the same as it does to-day, except that it began nearer Widow Ford's, where the church was to be erected, instead of at the Oliver Church homestead. The third road branched from this highway near Factory Brook, running north to the farm later known as the Samuel Smith place.
As the roads already existing in other sections of the town had been built without reference to any prospective center at Middlefield, a number of branch and cross roads leading toward the site for the meetinghouse were necessary. Among these were: the present road to the Alderman farm which orig- inally continued down the steep mountainside to the Root farm at the foot of Mt. Gobble; the so-called "Ridgepole Road," running north from the Den past the Chipman and Cottrell farms to the Peru line, and the cross road running east to this road from the McElwain farm which originally continued east and south toward the Den. The highway from Worthington which ended at Blossom Corner was extended to meet the main road at David Mack's. Other roads, later abandoned, were also built at this time, one from the Den to Arthur Pease's; one for the settlers in the Walnut Hill region; and even one run- ning north from the main road at the Uriah Church homestead over the steep slope of Dickson Hill.
So much labor was expended on these roads that the farmers called for an abatement of a portion of the highway tax stating
1 Near the Baptist parsonage, now owned by Mr. Griffin. (1924)
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THE NEW COMMUNITY AND CHURCH
that they could not carry on their farms and also complete the highway work planned for the year of 1784. When we of to-day wonder why the roads were often built perpendicularly up and down even the steepest hillsides, we should keep in mind the amount of labor needed to make a smooth path through a rugged and wooded region. As horseback riders and ox-team drivers could negotiate readily grades which tax the strength of horse teams and automobiles to-day, any means was employed which shortened the mileage.
While the first few years showed steady progress in the establishment of roads and schools, the religious welfare of the citizens was a matter requiring the constant consideration of the town leaders for nearly a decade. The site for the meeting- house having been chosen, the next question was the settlement of a minister under whose guidance a church society might be built up and the meetinghouse erected. But it was just at this point that the greatest difficulty arose, due, to some extent, to the presence of factions representing various kinds of relig- jous belief.
The Congregational Society, organized in November, 1783, had sixteen members, seven of which-the Macks, Browns, Chap- mans and Oliver Bates-coming from the orthodox parish of Gilead in Hebron, Connecticut, were stout maintainers of the faith of their fathers. Other prominent members were Joseph Blush and Landlord John Taylor and his wife who died within a few years. „As no new members were added until the installa- tion of Mr. Nash while a number of the others moved away, the society did not have a flourishing existence during this decade. The interesting point to note is that not one of the East Haddam Colony in the northwest part of the town nor of the large En- field contingent in the southeast was a member of the society in its early days. The fact that James Dickson and Samuel Jones, the leaders of these respective sections, were frequently united in opposition to David Mack in religious matters sug- gests that there may have been some dissatisfaction at the control exercised by the Hebronites in both church and town matters, aside from the disagreements caused by the difference of religious belief. .
It was but natural that the members of the Congregational So-
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HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
ciety should take the lead in attempting to secure a preacher, and the names of Chapman, Mack and Blush appear for three years on the committees chosen for this purpose. A Mr. Smith preached for a few Sundays in 1783 and a Mr. Griswold in the early part of 1784. During the summer and fall Rev. Timothy Woodbridge preached on probation and a move was made to give him a call to settle. The committee which waited on Mr. Woodbridge was composed of three Hebronites, two East Had- damites, and one Enfield man. Although the town records do not disclose the exact source of the failure of the negotia- tions, the second article of the warrant for the December meeting indicates the general result : "to see if the town will take some method which may be thought proper according to the rules of the gospel to heal the divisions that seem to prevail in this town respecting our different sentiment in the matter of relig- ion. "
The prestige of the standing order was not impared by this setback, however, for the town in the spring of 1785 again chose Blush, Mack and Chapman as a committee to find a preacher. An appparently favorable reception was given to the Reverend Mr. Thompson who preached during the summer and fall, but when the town voted to give him a call, there was a vigorous protest against the settlement on the part of thirteen citizens, headed by Samuel Jones and James Dickson. Again the exact reason for the remonstrance is not made clear in the petition, but judging from the fact that the signers were mostly Scotch- Irish or members of the Babcock family, it seems likely that Mr. Thompson was not sufficiently tolerant of the beliefs of Presby- terians and Baptists to make him acceptable. With two of the town leaders in opposition the attempt to settle Mr. Thompson was abandoned, and once more the committee sought to find a candidate who would give better satisfaction to all. Until the erection of the meetinghouse, town meetings and religious services were held either at the Mack or Blush Tavern or at private houses.
In 1786 the situation became more complicated. The commit- tee's candidate, Rev. Joseph Strong, like his predecessors, failed to receive a call at the end of his summer ministrations. "The unhappy differences" of religious opinion are again mentioned
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THE NEW COMMUNITY AND CHURCH
in the town records for this year. One reason for this was that the Scotch-Irish element was exhibiting some activity of its own regarding procuring a preacher. In May James Dickson had appeared at the meeting of the Presbytery at Coleraine to ask that Middlefield and Chester be taken under the care of that body and that a preacher be furnished them. As a considerable colony of Ulsterites lived just across the southern border in Chester, Dickson apparently believed it possible to establish a Presbyterian Church in Middlefield.
Very wisely the town took measures to harmonize the dif- ferences between the Congregationalists and the Scotch-Irish. On September 4 the citizens ratified four "articles upon which the church can consistently agree to receive members to their watch and fellowship": (1) To receive into membership all persons who had owned the Covenant and brought letters of recommendation; (2) To permit the baptism of children whose parents by reason of doubts and scruples could not see their way clear to come to the ordinance of the supper; (3) To receive under the care of the church all baptized persons; and (4) To receive "those persons that call themselves Prebeterians upon the same footing they were when they went from us, and all persons in the town of Middlefield that think the prebeterian rule of admission of members to be according to devine appoint- ment, they making a profession of their faith and being free from ignorance and scandall, shall be admitted to ordinance and be disciplined according to the Presbeterian rules of church government."
Under this tolerant policy persons of different faiths could become affiliated with the church, and such was the ultimate result. It would seem, however, that the Presbyterians had al- ready withdrawn from fellowship with the Congregationalists and that they did not return immediately, as the Presbytery on September 27 made preparation to ordain elders at Middle- field and Chester with the instructions that "they are to find a sound preacher, if they can, and when obtained he and they are to be admitted under the care of Presbytery."
Besides this positive move toward the formation of a rival church, there was also the rising tide of political insurgency to strengthen the opposition to the Congregationalists. As a
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HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
result, James Dickson, Samuel Jones and Bissel Phelps were authorized by the town in November to apply to the Reverend John Robinson for preaching and he accepted. To the further
Bupece Phelps
detriment of domestic harmony came the turbulence of Shays' Rebellion in which Middlefield citizens were actively engaged on both sides. As the dissenting element in church affairs coincided with the insurgent faction in the state, the opposing factions of the town continued their local struggle with sword and gun and military display at the same time that they were hindering or helping the settlement of the wider political issues of the state. To these exciting but bloodless incidents we must now give attention.
To assist the state in remedying the distressing economic conditions described at the beginning of the chapter, Hampshire County, following the example of other counties, held conven- tions at Hatfield in May and August, 1786. Lieutenant Malachi Loveland, a conservative, represented Middlefield in the May assembly, but by August insurgent sentiment had so increased that Samuel Jones and James Dickson were chosen delegates to the later meeting. Such radical views were uttered at this gathering that shortly after a mob prevented the sitting of the court at Northampton. Encouraged by this success, Daniel Shays and a following of one thousand attempted in the latter part of September to break up the session of the court at Spring- field, but were prevented from doing so by General Shepard and the militia who were guarding the Springfield Armory.
Nothing shows more clearly the strong insurgent sentiment of the hill towns than the experience of Middlefield in raising its quota of militia. Besides being a stout defender of the faith, David Mack stood for law and order in the state and was captain of the militia. Upon receipt of this order from General Shepard Captain Mack immediately made a draft of his men, ordering them to be in readiness to march to Springfield the next day. That evening, however, the company met without its captain, voted to support Shays, and chose as their new officers Samuel Jones, Eliakim Wardwell and John Meacham.
HOUSE OF DAVID MACK HOUSE OF SAMUEL JONES
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HISTORY OF MIDDLEFIELD
The next morning the insurgent band surrounded the Mack house, making the captain their prisoner. Resistance being useless, Mack did his utmost to point out to his friends and neighbors the seriousness of their action, but without result. Finally with genuine yankee resourcefulness he requested a furlough of three days, which the newly elected officers grant- ed, signing the parole without apparent concern for the conse- quences. With the paper in his pocket the deposed captain hurried to Springfield and made known to General Shepard the reason for the absence of his company. The General replied : "Well, Captain Mack, as you have no men to fight with you, you may go home. We shall immediately attend to the men who have signed this paper." A short time afterwards Jones and his fellow officers received a surprise similar to that which they had given to Captain Mack, when General Shepard's men captured them at Jones's house and took them to the Northamp- ton jail. In their plight these Middlefield rebels now sought Captain Mack's assistance in gaining pardon, and with the speedy collapse of the Rebellion he generously aided them in securing their release.
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