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 6
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 6
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 6
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 6
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TIMOTHY SMITH JOHN SMITH 1 Selectmen for Anno 1766."
MALCOM HENRY
The warrant was duly returned and the meeting held in pursuance thereof. The following town officers were chosen:
For town clerk, John Smith; and he was chosen treasurer also.
For selectmen and assessors, Caleb Fobes, Timothy Smith, and William Miller.
For constables, Stephen Lyman and Ebenezer Webber.
For tithingmen, Israel Rose and Gideon Matthews.
For surveyors of highways, Isaac Mixer, Peter Williams, William Moore, James Fairman, James Clark, Jonathan Hart Webber, and Samuel Ellis.
For fence viewers, Ebenezer Meacham and John Laccore.
For sealer of leather, Isaac Mixer.
For surveyor of timber and lumber, Bigott Eggleston.
For deer-reeves, Ebenezer King and Samuel Fairman.
For hog-reeves, Nathan Rose and Jonathan Hart Webber.
For wardens, John Smith and Reuben Woolworth.
No money appropriations were made at this meeting; but at a meet- ing held the 28th of June following, £20 were appropriated for
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
preaching, and £40 for ordinary town expenses. These sums were voted in addition to £20 voted in 1766, making in all £80.
John Smith, who was elected town clerk, took his oath of office before Joseph Hawley, a justice of the peace. The certificate of this oath was made by the magistrate in the record book of the town as follows:
" Hampshire ss. May 7th, 1768, John Smith of Murrayfield in said county of Hampshire, appearing to me by the usual written certificate to have been regularly chosen by the inhabitants of said Murrayfield to the office of town clerk for the said town at their meeting held on the fifth of May inst., the said John Smith on the seventh day of May above, took his oath respecting the bills of credit on the neighboring governments by law to be taken by town officers, & also the oath of office in .the form prescribed by the law of this province to be taken by persons elected to the office of town clerk. Before me
JOSEPHI HAWLEY, Justice of the Peace."
OATH CONCERNING BILLS OF CREDIT.
A law, passed by the general court of this province in December, 1748, required: "That from and after the last day of March, which shall be in the year of our Lord 1750, until the last day of March which shall be in the year 1754, every person who shall be chosen to serve in any office of the towns of this province shall, before his entrance upon said office, take the following oath, to be administered by a justice of the peace, or where no justice of the peace shall be present, by the town clerk, who is hereby impowered to administer the same, viz .: ' Yon, A. B., do in the presence of God solemnly declare that you have not, since the last day of March, 1250, wittingly or willingly, directly or indirectly, either by yourself or any one for or under you, been concerned in receiving or paying within this government any bill or bills of credit of either of the governments of Connecticut, New Hampshire, or Rhode Island. So help me God.'"
By reenactment this law was in force as late as 1768.
TOWN DEBTS.
The action of the town about this time, touching the payment of its debts, clearly indicates the straitened condition of the people as to money. Towns, like individuals, when under pecuniary embarrass- ment, will do mean things which they would scorn when in easy cir-
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
cumstances. The treatment of claims presented against the town during these years of its infancy, show either financial distress on the part of the town, or unconscionable meanness on the part of men whom the town continued to honor by reelecting them to responsible positions. The town was poor.
MARCH MEETING, 1769.
The town meeting in March, 1769, was held at the house of Jona- than Hart Webber. The December meeting in 1768 was called to be held at the new house of Jonathan Hart Webber. As the public meeting-house had been built and some meetings had been held there, it must be presumed that the house was not a comfortable place to hold town meetings in these cold months. But a meeting which was called to be held in April, 1769, was held at the meeting-house. At the April meeting a singular protest was presented to the town and was placed upon the records. Timothy Smith had a son named Thomas whose wife's name was Submit. They had several children- more, indeed, than they could comfortably provide for-in fact, chil- dren were the only things of which they had an abundance, and pov- erty was their lot. The wife and children became objects of public chargé. For some reason other than inability Timothy would not help them. The town having been put .to expense on their account threatened action against Timothy, which called forth the following protest: "We, the subscribers, do judge the proceedings of the town to be illegal in voting to come into a method to recover the costs of Timothy Smith that hath been made by Thomas Smith's wife and his family, and we do hereby enter our protest against the whole proceed- ings in that case.
MURRAYFIELD, April 13th, 1769.
John Smith, Ebenezer Webber, Samuel Matthews, Reuben Matthews, William Miller, Timothy Smith."
Notwithstanding the protest the town, at the same meeting, voted to take action against Timothy Smith on account of his son's wife and family.
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
HIGHWAYS.
At the March meeting in 1769 several roads were accepted as laid out by the selectmen. as follows: One " from Worthington down the left bank of the Middle Branch by Wait's mill, Timothy Smith's and Mr. Fobes' to Hampton line on Westfield Road, road so-called."
One "from Northampton west line at the road, then westerly by John Kirtland's across the river at the ford-way by Mr. Fobes' and to Blandford line east of the West Branch, called IIampton road to Blandford east of Mr. Bolton's."
One beginning at the ford-way west of Timothy Smith's to the meeting-house by Ebenezer Webber's, from the meeting-house west- ward to James Brown's by McIntere's, Mann's, and Flemming's, and from James Black's to the road above named.
One from Mr. Gordon's by Mr. Laccore's to the meeting-house, from David Blair's to the road above Mr. Hamilton's.
One from William Campbell's to the meeting-house by John and Abner Smith's, from the Worthington road above Mr. Wait's mill northerly to Abner Smith's.
One from Mr. Williams' by Mr. Meacham's by Nathan Rose's by Clerk Henry's to the meeting-house in Webber's road ninety rods.
One from the meeting-house to Col. Chandler's farm where Robert Smith lives, from said Smith's to the sawmill, from said sawmill by David Bolton's to Blandford line where three roads cross, and from Bolton's westwardly east of the West Branch by Proctor's through Capt. Noble's farm, southeasterly from said farm to Blandford line, east side of the branch, from thence to the road that goes from Hamp- ton to Blandford.
One " beginning at Chesterfield line where the road meets the town line; thence southerly by Mr. Miller's to Worthington road east of Ebe- nezer Webber's." This is probably the road over Goss Hill.
One " from the ford-way at the Middle Branch against Israel Rose's up to the gristmill on the south side of the branch."
One " from Worthington road at the southeast side of Timothy Smith's field across the ford-way a little east of Capt. Geer's." See appendix for particulars of survey.
This same year £50 were raised for the repair of highways, and three shillings per day were allowed for work on the roads.
In 1740 the town voted to lay out £7 in repairing highways, and that four days' work be required of each poll, the work to be done by June 15th, and two shillings eightpence be allowed per day for work
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
for each poll, to be taken out of the £7. In March, 1772, the town appropriated £20 for repairing highways. In July, the same year, it. was voted "to raise half a day's work for each man to work on the county road by Deacon Miller's to Worthington," and that it should be done by the 5th of September. In March, 1773, the town voted to re- quire four days' work on highways for each poll at three shillings per day.
At the town meeting held April 22, 1771, the town voted adversely on propositions to build a bridge at Mr. Wait's mill, at the ford-way west of Timothy Smith's house, and at the ford-way north of Israel Rose's dwelling, all on the Middle Branch. The town also voted adversely to the proposition to " build a boat to carry men and horses over the river near Landlord Mixer's." In January of the same year the question of building a bridge over East Branch, where Norwich bridge now stands, was discussed in town meeting.
SCHOOLS.
The first action taken by the town in its corporate capacity touch- ing public schools was at a town meeting held April 13, 1769; it was voted not to raise any money for schools that year. Another subject included in the same vote is significant of the reason why they voted no money for schools, to wit: "Nor to pay any of their debts with specie." But the inhabitants were not indifferent to the importance of public education; for at a meeting held the following May, the town voted to raise four pounds for the support of schools that year, and at a meeting held the following June, eight pounds more were voted for support of schools.
In April, 1770, the town voted £12 for the support of schools that year.
At the March meeting in 1713, £12 were appropriated for the sup- port of schools, and James Hamilton, Jesse Johnson, David Scott, William Carter, and Jonathan Wait, representing different sections of the town, were chosen "a committee to examine and consider the cir- cumstances of the places where they shall think it most convenient for schools to be kept in winter for reading and writing, and in summer for women's schools and make report to the town at the next town meeting, of their judgment."
NEWCOMERS.
The valuation list taken in September, 1769, shows the following new names: John Blair, James Clark, Jr., Timothy Culver, Benjamin
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
Eggleston, Thomas Elder, Ebenezer Gordon, Ebenezer Geer, Elijah Geer, Samuel Knight, John Kirtland, Jonathan Russell, Nathan Mann, Reuben Matthews, Samnel Matthews, David Palmer, David Palmer, Jr., Samuel Pomeroy, John Rude, Robert Smith, Daniel Williams, Jr., Isaac Williams, Miles Washburn, Nathaniel Weller, Benjamin Whitney, and John Whitney. The valuation list for 1770 shows the following additional names: George Armstrong, John Elder, Samuel Gordon, John Gilmore, John Griswold, Mr. Hubbard, JJohn Harkell, Moses Hale, Daniel Kirtland, James Mulhollan, David Shepard, M.D., Edward Wright, and Edward Wright, Jr. In the meantime the fol- lowing named persons appear to have left town: Absalom Blair, Robert Blair, James Brown, Abner Pease, John Smith, Samuel Webb, and Thomas Wright.
QUALIFIED VOTERS, 1770.
Of the persons whose names appear on the list for 1770, only the following persons were by property qualification elegible to vote:
David Bolton, James Clark, Thomas Crow, Samuel Elder, Caleb Fobes, William Fobes, Abraham Flemming, James Fairman, Zebulon Fuller, Ebenezer Gordon, Capt. Ebenezer Geer, James Hamilton, Malcom Henry, Jesse Johnson, John McIntire, Thomas Kennedy, James McKnight, John Kirtland, Ebenezer King, John Laccore, Lemuel Laccore, Stephen Lyman, Timothy Lyman, William Mann, Nathan Mann, Ebenezer Meacham, Isaac Mixer, Samuel Matthews, Gideon Matthews, Jonathan Miller, William Miller. William Moore, David Palmer, Samuel Pomeroy, Robert Proctor, Israel Rose, Nathan Rose, John Rude, Robert Smith, Timothy Smith,. David Scott, Abner Smith, James Taggart, Ebenezer Webber, Jonathan Wait, Peter Williams, Reuben Woolworth, Daniel Kirtland, and Edward Wright. These persons were valued at £20 and more. Only eleven were rated as high as £50. The highest was £94.
DR. SHEPARD CHOSEN TOWN CLERK.
At the annual meeting in 1771, Dr. David Shepard was chosen town clerk; and he was continued in the office for many years. His residence was in the vicinity of the meeting-house; and in extremely cold weather the town meetings, after the choice of moderator, some- times adjourned to his house and there finished their business. He was the first town clerk of Murrayfield, who was really competent to fill the place.
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
At this same meeting the town voted to let swine run at large the whole year without yokes or rings.
Between September, 1770, and September, 1771, the following named persons came and settled in the town: William Carter, Asa Carter, William Bell, Samuel Belknap, Archelus Anderson, Solomon Holyday, Solomon Holyday, Jr., Josiah Holyday, Gershom Rust, and Jabez Torry.
The record of the annual meeting in 1771 shows that the selectmen had become liable to suit for failure to make return of the valuation of the town to the Assembly. The town voted "to defend the select- men from all harm on that account, provided they make it out and deliver the same to one of the proprietors to have them send it in."
It appears that Isaac Mixer, either as constable or tax collector, had got into a suit with Ebenezer Meacham in consequence of having sold Meacham's cart for taxes. From the fact that the town refused to help Mixer, it may be inferred that he had exceeded his authority.
VALUATION LIST, 1772.
The valuation which was taken in September, 1772, shows the fol- lowing new names: Capt. Zebulon Jones, Samuel Buck, John Tif- fany, a Mr. Taylor, and Samuel Wheat.
The total valuation of the town amounted to £2,991 and 4 shillings. Abner Smith was rated at £111, Caleb Fobes at £115, and Isaac Mixer at £91. They were the wealthiest men in town. Dr. David Shepard appears to have prospered so well that from nothing in 1769 he was rated, in 1772, at £26 and 4 shillings.
At the annual meeting in March, 1773, the last board of selectmen and assessors for the undivided original town of Murrayfield were chosen. They were, Malcom Henry, John Kirtland, Dr. David Shepard, David Scott, and Abner Smith.
TOWN LINES.
In November, 1768, the line between Blandford and Murrayfield was perambulated; the record of which is as follows: " Blandford, Nov. 7th, A. D., 1768. John Noble and Isaac Gibbs were appointed by the selectmen of Blandford to perambulate between Blandford and Murrayfield. Also Caleb Fobes, selectman of Murrayfield, and Ebe- nezer Meacham met us the 7th day, and David Bolton went with us two
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hours the 7th day and all the 8th day. First, we set out at the north- east * corner at Rock House mountain at a yellow pine tree marked with stones about it; from thence west 17º north seven miles to a beech tree with stones about." This line, as run by Edward Taylor and Charles Baker, who surveyed for the original proprietors, was put down as West 20º north. The line as subsequently established by the General Court is given as beginning at a beech tree with stones about it in the northwest corner of Blandford and thence east 17º south to Rock House corner, but the act expressly states that the purpose is not to change the line, but to establish it. The proprie- tors' surveyors no doubt made an erroneous record.
ACTION OF THE TOWN ABOUT PREACHING.
The questions which engrossed the attention of the town more than any other one matter of public concern were those pertaining to pro- viding for preaching, but especially as to the places of meeting for religious worship. This subject was to some extent provided for, as we have already seen, in the conditions of settlement, and, before that, in the conditions of purchase imposed by the government upon the proprietors themselves. No action appears to have been taken by the town until the year 1768, after it was reorganized. At the first meeting called by the newly elected board of selectmen to be holden at the public meeting-house on the 28th day of June, the third article was, " For the town to vote, if they think it proper, a suitable sum of money for them to pay for preaching, and also to choose a minister for supplying the pulpit." Another article was, " To see if the town will vote a place or places for to meet at for public worship."
At this meeting the town voted to raise £20 for preaching that year ; and chose Isaac Mixer, Abner Smith and Stephen Lyman a committee to " supply the town with preaching this present year." A vote was taken " that the preaching this year should not be all at the meeting-house," which vote was immediately reconsidered, and a vote then taken " that the preaching this year shall be all at the pub- lic meeting-house," and then the town voted " that the committee for preaching should apply themselves to the Revd. Mr. Tud, Mr. Hooker at South and Northampton, and the Revd. Mr. Ballentine of Westfield for advice."
In a warrant for a meeting to be holden October 14, 1268, there was an article " to see if the town will vote to give Mr. Asahel Hart a call
* Northeast corner of Blandford.
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
to settle in the gospel ministry in said town ; also to see if the town will appoint a place or places to meet at for public worship." No action appears to have been taken with reference to giving Mr. Hart a call ; but the town voted " that the preaching for the winter shall be one-half of the time at Mr. Reuben Woolworth's, or Jonathan Web- ber's ; " and "that the other half of the preaching for the winter ensuing shall be at Mr. John Laccore's." Jonathan Hart Webber's house was on Middle Branch.
FIXING UPON PLACES WHERE PREACHING SHOULD BE HELD.
At a town meeting held December 14th, 1768, " at the new house of Jonathan Hart Webber," the town voted "that the vote passed the fourteenth day of October last, to have preaching one-half of the time at Mr. John Laccore's and the other half at Mr. Jonathan Hart Webber's shall be revoked or disannulled." The town then voted " that the first six Sabbaths of preaching in Murrayfield shall be at the dwelling house of Israel Rose ; and that there shall be three Sab- baths of preaching at the dwelling house of Israel Rose out of seven for and through the year ensning."
£3 and 12 shillings were voted to be paid to Mr. Simeon Miller, it being the sum due him for preaching.
At a town meeting held April 13th, 1769, £25 were appropriated for preaching during the year, and James Hamilton, Jesse Johnson, and Gideon Matthews were chosen " a committee to supply the town with preaching according to the agreement drawn from Mr. Baldwin's advice on the 6th of March, 1769."
At a meeting held in May it was voted " that one-half of the preach- ing during the present year should be at Ebenezer Webber's barn, and the other half at the meeting-house."
ARBITRATION AGREED TO.
At a town meeting held in June of the same year, which was called to be held, and was held, at the house of Reuben Woolworth, " to see if the town will vote to submit the difference subsisting between the people at the river and the people on the hill. so-called, to the judg- ment of indifferent men of any other town or towns to judge and determine how big a part of the preaching shall be at the meeting- house, and how big a part at some place to be by them appointed for the benefit of the people at the river."
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
Another subject named in the warrant was stated in language following : " To see if the town will discover how they approve of the performances of Mr. Bascom while he has been in town." The record states that the town " voted that they like the performances of Mr. Bascom well."
REPORT OF THE ARBITRATORS.
The town voted " To submit the difference about the place where the preaching shall be held to indifferent men." The men selected were, Capt. Nathan Leonard of Worthington, Lieut. Nathaniel Kingsley of Becket, and Deacon Benjamin Tupper of Chesterfield. And it was voted that preaching should be held at the places so designated by the arbitration, for the next three years. The report of these referees was as follows :
" We, the subscribers, being appointed a committee by the inhabitants of Murrayfield to settle the dispute subsisting among the inhabitants of said town respecting the place or places for meeting for public worship for three years next ensuing, & having viewed the different parts of said town, have agreed to report as follows, viz .: Two-thirds of the time at the meeting-house in said town, & one third of the time at Mr. Isaac Mixer's in said town; that is to say, two Sabbaths at the meeting-house & one Sabbath at said Mixer's successively for three years next ensuing the date hereof. Dated at Murrayfield this 9th day of July, 1769.
NATHAN LEONARD. NATHANIEL KINGSLEY. BENJA. TUPPER."
THE REV. AARON BASCOM CALLED.
This arrangement was carried out for the time agreed upon.
At a town meeting held July 17th, the town passed the following vote : " Voted to give Mr. Aaron Bascom a call to settle amongst us in the work of the ministry, and "according to the agreement drawn by Mr. Baldwin on the 29th of April, 1768." The offer was " to give Mr. Aaron Bascom for a settlement seventy pounds, one half to be paid in money and the other half to be paid in work." To give him " forty pounds salary for three years, and then raise five pounds per year to sixty pounds : and then sixty pounds per year whilst he is our minister."
Jesse Johnson, Stephen Lyman, and JJohn Kirtland were chosen to be a committee " to make report to Mr. Bascom what the town hath
.
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
done for his encouragement, and to make report of his answer to the town at their next meeting." Apparently Mr. Bascom's answer was not given until after he had carefully considered the offer and negotiated somewhat with the "committee concerning his salary; and that it resulted in calling a town meeting which was held at Mixer's Inn, September 13th, 1769, when the town voted to give Mr. Bascom his firewood during his ministry. At the same meeting James Hamil- ton and Jesse Johnson were chosen "a committee to send to the Pres- bytery to see if the Presbytery will grant that platform that was voted by this town of Murrayfield the 17th of July, 1769, for church discipline for Murrayfield." The town then voted to raise 10 pounds for preaching.
On the 7th of October, 1769, Abner Smith and John Hamilton, two of the selectmen, issued a warrant for a town meeting to be held at the public meeting-honse on the 12th, "to see if the town will choose a committee to send for such ministers as Mr. Bascom and the town shall agree upon in order to assist in embodying a church and ordaining Mr. Bascom." It also proposed the 8th of November as the time. The meeting was held ; but adjourned to November 2d ; at which time it was voted not to act upon the foregoing article. On the 6th of November, another meeting was called to be held on the 14th, at Mixer's Inn, and it was voted to reconsider the vote passed July 17th, to settle Mr. Bascom according to the agreement drawn by Mr. Baldwin. Another meeting was called November 9th, to be holden November 25th, at the public meeting-house ; at which time it was " voted to give Mr. Aaron Bascom a call to settle in the work of ministry among us according to an agreement made and consented to by the inhabitants of Murrayfield on the 14th inst." The town also voted to give him " the same encouragement that we did before: that is to say, to give him £70 for settlement, one half to be paid in money and the other half in work; and to give him £40 salary for three years ; and then raise £5 a year to £60, and then pay him £60 while he shall remain, also his firewood." The ordination was fixed to take place December 20th, and Jesse Johnson, John Kirtland, David Palmer and Samuel Matthews were chosen a committee to arrange for the ordination.
Mr. Bascom's acceptance of the call was worded as follows:
"To the inhabitants of the town of Murrayfield. Whereas you have in- vited me to settle with you in the work of the Gospel Ministry, & voted to give me seventy pounds as a settlement, and forty pounds for a salary per year during three years, then raise five pounds per year till it comes to sixty
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A HISTORY OF MURRAYFIELD.
pounds, then to continue at sixty pounds per year so long as I shall be your minister, & also to provide me with firewood annually for the time above men- tioned, I, having fully considered the matter & taken advice of my friends & of my Rev. fathers in the ministry, am inclined to think it my duty & hereby express my sincere willingness to settle with you in the work of the Gospel.
AARON BASCOM."
TOWNS REQUIRED TO SUPPORT PREACHING.
At this point it may be well to explain that it was a law of the province " that the inhabitants of each town within this province shall take dne care, from time to time, to be constantly provided of an able, learned, orthodox minister or ministers of good conversation, to dis- pense the word of God to them, which minister or ministers shall be suitably encouraged and sufficiently supported and maintained by the inhabitants of such town." It was made the duty of the court of quarter sessions to compel towns to comply with this law; and the court was empowered to make such necessary orders as would insure maintenance of the preaching of the Gospel in every town. Churches were permitted to choose their own ministers, but were required to sub- mit their choice for the approval or disapproval of the inhabitants of the town; and if the town, by a majority of its votes, denied its approba- tion, the church could call in the help of a council consisting of the elders and messengers of three or five neighboring churches, which council had power to hear, examine and consider the exceptions and allegations made against the church's election; and if the council also disapproved, then the church had to make a new election, but if the council sustained the election of the church, their elected minister, upon accepting and settling with them, should be the minister of the town, and be supported and maintamed the same as though he had been chosen by the town.
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