USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Middlefield > History of the town of Murrayfield : earlier known as Township No. 9, and comprising the present towns of Chester and Huntington, the northern part of Montgomery, and the southeast corner of Middlefield : 1760-1763 > Part 13
USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Huntington > History of the town of Murrayfield : earlier known as Township No. 9, and comprising the present towns of Chester and Huntington, the northern part of Montgomery, and the southeast corner of Middlefield : 1760-1763 > Part 13
USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Chester > History of the town of Murrayfield : earlier known as Township No. 9, and comprising the present towns of Chester and Huntington, the northern part of Montgomery, and the southeast corner of Middlefield : 1760-1763 > Part 13
USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Montgomery > History of the town of Murrayfield : earlier known as Township No. 9, and comprising the present towns of Chester and Huntington, the northern part of Montgomery, and the southeast corner of Middlefield : 1760-1763 > Part 13
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"As the issues increased, as it became evident to all that no provision was made to keep the promises, and as Burgoine was prosperously ad- vancing from Canada towards New York, the middle of 1947 saw a general fall of the notes, not the same in all the States at the same time, and not at all in strict ratio with the increase of the notes. At the close of 1777, the average depreciation from silver was not far from three to one; at the close of 1778, it was not far from six to one; at the end of 1779, it was about twenty-eight to one; the press then rested, after Congress had put out nominally $200,000,000; but actually about $40,000,000 more than that, though the ceasing of issue did not arrest the cascade of discredit. Early in 1780, Congress advised the States to repeal their laws making the bills a legal tender for debts, and devise the scheme of 'new tenor,' by which the old
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bills might be taken up in a new paper bearing interest at six per cent. in a ratio of forty to one, to which the old bills had now sunk in com- parison with silver, and $88,000,000 of the old paper were thus re- deemed, New York and Massachusetts and Rhode Island taking up their entire quota in this way; but the 'new tenor' money never came into much circulation, and old and new alike dropped out altogether in the spring of 1781, when the old notes, if passed at all, were pass- ing at about three hundred to one. The Continental army in camp at Newburgh, combined to refuse to receive them on any terms; and President Reed gives a pleasing picture of the way in which they passed out in Pennsylvania:
"'At once, as if by that force which in days of ignorance would be ascribed to enchantment, all dealings in paper ceased; necessity brought out the gold and silver, a fortunate trade opened at the same time to the Havana for flour, all restrictions were taken off, and the Mexican dollars flowed in by thousands; this supported the sinking spirits of those who would have been discontented and uneasy, and in a few days specie became the universal medium and so continues.'
" The country found no more lack of silver for money than Massa- chusetts had found in 1749. Assuming that only $200,000,000 Con- tinental had been issued, Jefferson estimated that the nation realized from them $36,367,720 in specie value, or eighteen per cent. of the nominal value. Ill effects of every kind canre in the wake of this poor money. Rising prices are ever the gauge of a falling money; rising prices then as ever gave birth to rash speculations; committees of safety undertook angrily to punish, under the names of 'forestal- lers' and 'engrossers' the speculators who bought commodities for a further rise; there was the confusion of contracts usual under varia- ble money, gains for the artful and unscrupulous, and envy and suffer- ings for the poor. Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts, in 1786, was a national outgrowth of this fearful injustice; debtors availed themselves of the legal tender quality of the bills to pay only one-twentieth or one-fortieth of what was due; the morals of all classes of the people became corrupted through constantly calling things that were not as though they were; peculations pervaded society; Congress itself used wretched sophistries in resolving that the money 'ought to pass cur- rent in all payments, trade and dealings, and be deemed equal in value to the same nominal sums in Spanish dollars,' and in lauding the papers as the only kind of money 'which cannot take to itself wings and fly away ! It remains with us, it will not forsake us, it is always ready at hand for the purposes of convenience, and every industrious
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man can find it.' John Jay, and many others who knew better, helped to make current such nonsense as this; and then, a little later, swallowing all its brave words, Congress repudiated for its part, and advised in effect the States to repudiate, all obligations to redeem these bills. Their volume had been swelled both by native and by British counterfeiters, and there was almost no erime to which their issue and depreciation did not contribute. Noah Webster, a clear headed essay- ist of the time, said of this paper money: 'We have suffered more from this cause than from every other cause or calamity. It has killed more men, corrupted the choicest interests of our country more, and done more injustice, than even the arms and artifices of our enemy.'
" Washington, himself as a creditor the victim of that form of social robbery involved in a depreciated legal tender, unfortunately did not understand the mysteries or rather the simplicities of paper money, and thus vented his wrath towards the wrong objeets: ' It gives me sincere pleasure to find that the Assembly is so well disposed to second your endeavors to bring those murderers of our cause, the monopoliers, forestallers, and engrossers, to condign punishment. It is much to be lamented that each State, long ere this, has not hunted them down as pests to society, and the greatest enemies we have to the happiness of America. I would to God that some one of the more atrocious in each State was hung on gibbets upon a gallows five times as high as the one prepared for Human! No punishment, in my opinion, is too serere for the man who can build his greatness upon his country's ruin! "
COUNTY CONVENTION TO FIX PRICES FOR NECESSARIES OF LIFE.
A county convention was held at Northampton in September, 1779, for fixing the prices of the necessaries of life. The town sent Timothy Lyman as a delegate to this convention, and at the town meeting held October 18th, voted to abide by the doings of the convention, and chose Deacon Samuel Matthews, Lieutenant William Moore, and Ensign Stephen Lyman a committee "to see that the doings of the convention are not violated."
CONTROVERSY WITH OTHER TOWNS CONCERNING QUOTAS.
At the March meeting 1779, Deacon Samnel Matthews, Ensign Stephen Lyman, and Lieutenant William Moore were chosen to be the committee of safety. One article in the warrant was, " To see what method the town will take in order to defend themselves against the unreasonable claims of other towns respecting the Continental soldiers
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which the town has hired into the service, and to pass such vote re- specting the article above mentioned as they shall judge best." What these "unreasonable claims of other towns" were does not appear. Perhaps Murrayfield had hired men who were residents of other towns to help fill its own quota. This would naturally lead to con- troversy. Ensign Stephen Lyman was chosen to go to Northampton " to defend the town against the unjust claims of other towns con- cerning the Continental soldiers. "'
The nature of this controversy is made more clear from the follow- ing entry upon the record book of the town: "Murrayfield, April 13th, 1779. Then the town of Murrayfield met upon the desire of the selectmen and consulted what method the town shall take in order to make a new return of the Continental men. Voted there shall be a return made of all the men that have been enlisted from the town, and likewise of all those that have been hired from other towns into the continental service, and that all the light that can be given shall be put in." In this connection the following from a muster roll of this year will not be uninteresting. The roll contained the following memoranda of men put in by Murrayfield:
"Francis Thompson, age 17, height, 5 feet 6 inches; complection brown. Ebenezer Smith, age 18, height, 5 feet 7 inches; complection dark."
They were in Captain Black's company in the regiment of Colonel Mosley. On the back of the muster roll was the following endorsement:
"Springfield, 31st July, 1779. Received of Justin Ely, Esq., commissioner for the State of Massachusetts Bay, the men mentioned in the within list to serve for nine months in the Continental Army agreeable to a resolution of General Court of said State of June 8. THEOPHALUS CLARK."
PROPOSED NEW CONSTITUTION.
A town meeting was held May 17, at which the town was called upon to consider " whether they choose at this time to have a new Constitution or Form of Government made, and whether they will give their Representatives power to do anything to make one;" Thirty-four voted in favor and none against. This was in response to the resolve passed by the General Assembly of the State, as follows:
"In the House of Representatives, Feb. 19, 1779.
Whereas, The Constitution or Form of Civil Government, which was pro- posed by the late Convention of this State to the People thereof, hath been disapproved by a majority of the inhabitants of said State .-
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And Whereas, It is doubtful from the Representations made to this Court, what are the sentiments of the major part of the good People of this State, as to the expedieney of now proceeding to form a new Constitution of Goy- ernment. -
Therefore Resolrel, That the Selectmen of the several towns within this State canse the Freeholders and other Inhabitants in their respective towns, duly qualified to vote for Representatives, to be lawfully warned to meet together in some convenient place therein, on or before the last Wednesday of May next, to consider of, and determine upon the following questions :-
First .- Whether they choose, at this time, to have a New Constitution or Form of Government made.
Secondly .- Whether they will empower their Representatives for the next year to vote for the calling a State Convention, for the sole purpose of forming a New Constitution; provided it shall appear to them, on examination, that a major part of the People present and voting at the meetings, called in the manner and for the purpose aforesaid, shall have answered the first question in the affirmative.
And in order that the sense of the People may be known thereon .-
Be it further Resolved, That the Seleetmen of each town be and hereby are directed to return into the Secretary's Office, on or before the first Wednes- day of June next, the doings of their respective towns, on the first ques- tion above mentioned, certifying the numbers voting in the affirmative, and the numbers voting in the negative, on said question."
A majority of the people in the state voted in favor of calling the convention, and in accordance with the advice of the General Court, precepts were issued for the choice of delegates to meet at Cambridge in the month of September. The result of this convention was the drafting of a constitution and a declaration of rights which the people, by more than a two-thirds vote, approved. The town meeting held in Murrayfield to act upon the constitution was appointed to be held May 2d, 1780. The first action taken by the town was choosing a committee of three from each school district to consider the proposed Constitution and declaration of rights and report at an adjourned meeting. This committee consisted of the following persons: Samuel Jones, John Jones, Benjamin Eggleston, Deacon James Hamilton, Lieutenant William Moore, Deacon Jesse Johnson, Doctor David Shepard, Ensign Stephen Lyman, Deacon Samuel Matthews, William Bell, Lieutenant John Newton Parmenter, Aaron Bell, Ebenezer Stowe, Lieutenant James Clark, Captain James Black, Jonathan Webber, Gershom Rust, Renben Woolworth, Benjamin Converse, Robert Proctor, and Daniel Twadwell. The meeting then adjourned to May 16th, at which eight voted for and the remainder against the proposed constitution. But another meeting was called and hell May
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26th, to further consider and vote upon the proposed constitution, with the following results:
"On the second article of the Constitution, Section one, Chapter two, page 17, objected against by fifteen." A proposed "alteration that the governor instead of being of the Christian Religion it should be inserted that he shall be of the Christian & Protestant Religion, voted by fifteen."
" Article ten, page 32 objected against as it stands now by twelve votes." The provision objected to was as follows: "The Captains and subalterns of the militia shall be elected by the written votes of the train-band & alarm list of their respective companies, of twenty-one years of age & upwards;" &c. The town " voted for the alteration following, viz .: 'That all persons that are in the train-band & alarm list above the age of sixteen shall have liberty to vote for their captains & subalters,'" by a vote of thirteen.
"Part second, Chapter one, Section one, Article four was voted for by ten, objected against by two." The reason offered was "that those articles that have duties & excises laid on them will come dearer to the purchaser." This article defined the power and authority of the General Court. The part of it particularly objected to reads as follows: " And also to impose, & levy reasonable duties & excises, upon any produce, goods, wares, merchandize, & commodities whatsoever, brought into, produced, manufactured, or being within the same."
"Chapter six, voted for a revision of the Constitution in ten years if the people have a mind for it."
" Voted that all the other articles in the Constitution shall stand as they be, or that we are willing that they should stand without any alteration."
June 16th, 1780, the Constitutional Convention passed a resolve that the first General Court under the new constitution should be holden on the last Wednesday in October. "And in order thereto, there shall be a meeting of the Inhabitants of each Town & Plantation in the several Counties within this State, legally warned & held, on the first Monday of September next, for the purpose of electing a Governor, Lieut. Governor, & persons for Councillors & Senators." A meeting was also required to be held in October following for the choice of representatives to the General Court. In pursuance of this resolve the Seleetmen of Murrayfield called a meeting for September 4th. Twenty-seven votes were cast for John Hancock for Governor. At the October meeting David Shepard was elected to represent the town in the General Court.
A town meeting was held in Murrayfield, January 31st, 1780. John Newton Parmenter was chosen moderator, and the meeting then ad- journed to Landlord White's and finished its business. This adjourn- ment was probably in consequence of the weather being too cold to
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hold the meeting in the meeting-house. At this meeting the town voted "to give those who furnished wool &c for soldiers' blankets twenty-four fold from the year 1274 for what they furnished."
At the March meeting Ensign Stephen Lyman, Deacon Samuel Matthews, and Ebenezer Stowe were chosen to be the committee of safety. The election of committees of safety was now required by law.
The law also required towns to provide for the support of soldiers' families, and the town, in 1780, raised six hundred pounds for that purpose.
SUPPORT OF SOLDIERS' FAMILIES AND CLOTHING FOR SOLDIERS.
Clothing the soldiers and furnishing them transportation was put upon the towns. At the March meeting, 1781, the town voted " that those persons that found the clothing for the soldiers the year past shall have the money allowed for the same by the General Court."
PAY OF SOLDIERS.
A committee was chosen "to procure money for the soldiers that had, & were about to enlist; & that the committee borrow one hun- dred & fifty dollars silver & one half of it in paper according to the exchange;" also " to raise twelve hundred silver dollars in order to hire or pay the men that have inlisted or may inlist into the Conti- nental Army for three years, & that the said sum of money be assessed immediately & that the whole be paid into the town treasury by the first of May next." But a part of this action was reconsidered at a meeting held April 2d; and the town then voted "to raise six hun- dred hard dollars & six hundred hard dollars more or an equivolent in paper money or specie according to the exchange." Also voted that said sum " be paid into the treasury by the ?th of April inst."
RAISING ADDITIONAL MEN FOR THE ARMY.
At a meeting held July 25th, the town voted " to raise five men for three months' service to go into the Continental Army;" and " to give them fifty hard dollars each, and paying each man ten hard dollars before he marched, & the town to draw their wages." Stephen Lyman was chosen "a committee to buy & sell cattle enough to pur- chase the money to pay the soldiers their ten dollars a man."
In April, 1782, the town chose a committee to procure two more Con- tinental men recently called for; and in June the town voted " to raise fifty pounds to pay for two Continental men, & to borrow the money
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for a few days;" and Edward Wright, Jr., was appointed "a com- mittee " to try to borrow the money. At a meeting held February 3d, 1783, the town voted "that the selectmen provide two shirts for Samuel Brewer now in the Continental Army."
BEEF FOR THE ARMY.
In 1780 a requisition was made by the General Court upon the town of Murrayfield to furnish a certain quantity of beef for the army. At a meeting held October 16th of that year the town voted "to purchase 3,840 weight of beef, and to raise five thousand pounds for the above use;" and Captain Joel Seaward, Timothy Lyman and Captain James Black were chosen a committee to make the purchase. In December the General Court called for more beef for the army; and a town meeting was called and held January 9th, 1781, in the meeting-house; but it was so cold that as soon as a moderator was chosen the meeting adjourned to the house of Doctor Shepard, and then voted " to raise eight thousand pounds to purchase this town's proportion of beef; and that the money should be paid in by the 20th of February next." A committee of three was then chosen to purchase " the beef & grain that is sent for by the General Court as reasonable as they can, & deliver the same at the place appointed by the County's Committee, & all their reasonable costs shall be allowed them." Later on other requisitions for beef were made: July 10th, 1781, the town voted " to raise a sum of money sufficient to purchase 3,044 pounds of beef, to be assessed upon the inhabitants, non-residents, and absentees of Mur- rayfield at the current price that the superintendent shall say the price is through the county, & that the assessors be directed to assess the same as soon as they can or shall receive the amount from the superintendent;" and on the 30th of July, " seventy pounds in silver money," were raised to pay for the beef.
POVERTY OF THE TOWN.
Finally, at a meeting held August 26th, 1782, more beef having been called for, the town decided that it could not purchase "any beef for Mr. Phelps or the Army." The town had become very poor; its aggregate valuation was but three thousand and six pounds. It may be an interesting fact to the reader, that at a town meeting held July 5th, 1781, the town instructed the constables-who were also the tax collectors at that time-" not to take any more paper money towards what they were indebted to the town at present for taxes."
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RAISING MEN FOR THE ARMY.
Inasmuch as many of the men who went into the army, either vol- unteered or were raised by the payment of bounty through the efforts of private individuals actuated either by pure patriotism, or, which was more frequently the case, by a desire to escape personal service in the army, the records of the town give very little light as to who went, how they were induced to serve, when they went, or where they served. But toward the last of the war, as might be expected, the records of the town show some action by the town in its corporate capacity. In December, 1780, the General Court called upon Murrayfield to furnish some more men for the Continental Army. At a meeting held January 30th, 1:81, the town voted " to raise six men for the army for three years or during the war;" and " Capt. Abner Smith, Lieut. William Campbell, Ebenezer Stowe, Lient. James Clark, Capt. John Kelso, & Abner Smith, Jr., were chosen a committee to hire six men, & their reasonable charges shall be allowed."
AVERAGING AND EQUALIZING THE WAR BURDEN.
Some disagreements arose among the inhabitants of Murrayfield as to the equal sharing of the burdens of the war. This was perfectly natural in a struggle like our war for independence. It was not a war carried on by an established government for its own aggrandizement, but it was the struggle of a people to establish a government of their own which it was fondly believed would shower equal blessings upon all; and it was expected and justly demanded that each individual should do his proportionate share of the common duties, and bear his proportionate share of the common burdens, as he expected to enjoy his share of the common blessings which would be the reward of success.
At a town meeting held July 5th, 1780, it was voted, "that the town will come into an average of what they have done before with respect to the service done in the war if the town will pass the following vote, viz. :
"1st. That every month's service that a person has done in the present war shall be estimated alike in every year. 2d. That those persons that are be- hind in the service, estimating it by polls & estates, shall be obliged to hire or go into the service until they are on an equality with those that have done the most according as they stand in the town valuation."
The town also passed the following votes:
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" Voted to choose a committee to adjust the service of each man in the present war.
" Voted to choose five to join with the officers. Chose Doct. David Shepard, Mr. Ebenezer Stowe, Timothy Lyman, Lieut. Newton Parmenter & Samuel Bell."
When the committee came to the work of adjusting and equalizing the service, they found difficulties growing out of the claims and demands of individuals touching the services they claimed to have rendered. So at a meeting held on the 4th of September, the town voted to sub- mit these differences to a committee of three persons not residents of the town, and selected for this committee, Col. Timothy Roberts, Maj. Warham Parks, and Capt. David Mosely of Westfield. Ebenezer Stowe, Lieut. John Newton Parmenter, and Doct. Shepard were chosen to represent the town before the committee. There were several persons with whom these differences had arisen; but En- sign Stephen Lyman was one whose name appeared in the records of the town.
At a meeting held April 2d, 1781, the town voted that "every month's service should be estimated equally alike from the beginning of the war until this day;" and also voted that Sergeant John Blair, Sergeant John McIntire, and Lieut. William Campbell be a committee to make the average, and they were given a month's time to do it and make their report to the town. But the differences were not settled to the satisfaction of all concerned; and a meeting was called for Sep- tember 7th, " To hear the petition of Timothy Smith & others respect- ing the average sum the court allowed them." Also, " To see if the town will come into any method that there may be an average made of past services in the war." But the town voted, "not to give those persons that hired the six & three months' men the average sum ordered by the General Court." The town then voted to choose a committee consisting of five: Capt. James Black, Doct. David Shepard, Lient. William Campbell, Ensign Stephen Lyman, and Thomas Elder, "to make an average of past services in the present war;" and also voted, " that every month's service be estimated at forty shillings per month, that has been done in the present war."
Another meeting was held September 17th, for the purpose of try- ing to adjust the differences between Timothy Smith and others on the one hand and the town on the other, withont going to court; and it was voted that, "the town will come to an average of all past ser- vices as near as may be in the present war by the last of November next upon the rules of justice and equity and leave it to a committee
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of one man out of town for a chairman and two men that the town shall pitch upon in the town; and said committee shall lay the same before the town as soon as completed, & if the town agrees to the aver- age it shall be binding, saving that if any individual thinks himself aggrieved he or they shall have liberty of an appeal to indifferent men out of town, he or they paying the cost if they are not injured, and if the committee out of town finds him or them injured by the first. average the town shall pay the cost. Chose Col. Timothy Robertson, chairman of the committee, & Doct. David Shepard & Mr. Timothy Lyman for the committee." This committee made a report to the town at a meeting held June 10th, 1782; and the town voted, "to accept the average that Capt. Shepard read." The town then chose a committee consisting of Capt. Sloper of Blandford, Deae. Brewster of Worthington, and Deac. Wares of Norwich, "to settle with the aggrieved party." But what this settlement was, or whether it was to the satisfaction of the aggrieved party, does not appear. It probably ended the controversy; and this was of more consequence to all con- cerned than that it should be settled to the exact line of equity.
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