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 9
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 9
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 9
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 9
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MR. BASCOM'S SALARY.
As the currency depreciated during the War of the Revolution, Mr. Bascom found his salary insufficient, and on Thanksgiving Day, 1778, he laid the matter before the congregation in a letter read from the
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pulpit, which led to the calling of a town meeting to be held Decem- ber 16th, " to give answer to Rev. Mr. Bascom's letter, which he read last Thanksgiving Day, and to see if the town will vote to raise any money or specie for the use of Rev. Mr. Bascom on account of the deficiency of our paper currency." After the meeting was opened a re- qnest was sent to Mr. Bascom to attend the meeting and have his letter read. The result of this meeting was a vote "to pay Mr. Bascom for his support for the year ensuing forty pounds in specie or labor, as labor and specie went amongst ns in the year 1724, or money enough to buy so much specie at the year's end, or by 20th of next December."
DEPRECIATED CURRENCY.
In 1779, Congress issued $140,000,000 currency, worth in coin only $7,000,000. It depreciated more rapidly than it was issued. In March, 1780, Congress decided to resume in silver at the rate of one dollar in silver to forty in paper. No wonder Mr. Bascom complained when his salary was paid in the depreciated continental currency.
CEMETERY.
The clearing of the land about the meeting house and in the ceme- tery was limited to what was absolutely necessary; and no wonder, for these people had enough to do in clearing their own farms. At the March meeting in 1774, the town voted " to clear the grave yard and around the meeting house." But time passed on and little or no improvement was made, as would appear from the following article in the warrant for a town meeting to be held in April, 1776 : "To see if the town will vote to do any work this summer on the burying yard to make it decent." That its condition was bad and that some of the people of the town were a good deal in earnest about it may fairly be inferred from the following vote : "That all the polls in this town shall work one day on the grave yard by the 20th of June next, or pay four shillings, and that the selectmen shall notify the people what work to do." At this time there were nearly one hundred polls in the town ; which would indicate that a good deal of work was needed to put the cemetery in decent condition.
In May, 1777, the town voted " to get a funeral cloth."
SCHOOLS.
The inhabitants of Murrayfield were never indifferent to the subject of education, but poverty often prevented them from appropriating
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money for schools. In the warrant for the December meeting, 17:5, there was an article " to see if the town will vote any school money and how much, and when to pay it into the treasury." But the town voted to raise no money. In March, 1777, the town voted "to raise no money either for schools or highways this year." The vote in 1778 was to raise no money for schools. But at the March meeting, 1779, the town voted "to raise some school money this present year, and to have it divided according as the committee shall divide the districts." Deacon James Hamilton, Doctor David Shepard, Samnel Jones, Lieut. James Clark, and Samuel Ellis were chosen a committee to divide the town into school districts ; and it was " voted to raise one penny half penny on the pound and as much on the poll in proportion as other taxes are laid for the support of schools this year." In May of the same year the town voted to do something with the school lands ; and Lieut. Newton Parmenter, Capt. Smith, and Capt. Enoch Shepard were chosen a committee to view the school lands, and make report to the next town meeting.
In April, 1780, the question of building school houses was brought before the town. The vote was that the town build none this year, but that permission be given to each school district to build one not exceeding the dimensions of twenty feet long, by eighteen feet wide, and one story high; and also that the districts be permitted to choose their own committees to build the houses. It was further voted not to raise any more money for schools the present year. But in June of the same year the town voted to raise four hundred pounds for the support of schools. In May, 1781, the town voted to raise for schools "thirty pounds in hard cash or paper currency equivalent," to be paid in by November 1st. In the warrant for the meeting in November, 1781, was an article " to see if the town will choose com- mittees in their several districts to see that their school money is ex- pended according to law." The town voted such committees in the several districts as follows : Ensign Stephen Lyman for the Middle District, Deacon James Hamilton for the North End District, Samuel Jones for the Eggleston District, Aaron Bell for the Abbott District, Gershom Rust for the East District, Jabez Tracy for the South District, and Robert Proctor for the West Branch.
LEASING SCHOOL LANDS.
In February, 1783, the town passed the following vote: "That the Selectmen and their successors in said office be a committee to hunt
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up the school lands lying in, and belonging to, the township of Mur- rayfield ; and they are hereby directed to appraise said school lands for its real value per acre cash in hand, and to lease ont said lands to any person or persons by the lot or part of a lot for any term of time not exceeding nine hundred and ninety-nine years ; the person or persons to pay the lawful interest annually on the sums which said lands shall amount to; the lease to be so framed that in case the interest shall not be paid annually, the selectmen are hereby em- powered to sue said lease or leases in such manner as the law directs ; and said lands to return to the town again to dispose of."
A specimen copy of the leases drafted under this vote will not be uninteresting.
" This agreement made this twenty-seventh day of February in the year of our Lord 1783 between William Campbell & John Blair selectmen of Murray- field & Enoch Shepard of Murrayfield, all in the County of Hampshire, gentlemen, witnesseth: that agreeably to a vote of the freeholders & other in- habitants of the town of Murrayfield, assembled in a legal town meeting on the third day of February, inst., & passed a vote to lease out their school lands, & that the selectmen and.their successors in said office should be a com- mittee for said purpose; in conformity to said vote, we, by these presents, have agreed to lease out one lot of said school land to said Enoch Shepard for the term of nine hundred and ninety-nine years from the date above. Said lot is called a fifty aere lot in the Third Division on the West Branch, be the same more or less. Bounded as follows, viz., by letter P northeasterly, by No. ? southeasterly, by No. 5 southwesterly, by No. Nonght northwesterly. The above described lot is leased out to said Enoch Shepard, his heirs & assigns for the above term of nine hundred & ninety-nine years on the follow- ing terms: Said school lot as above described is valued by our appraisment at twenty-five pounds lawful money. The interest of twenty-five pounds lawful money at six per cent. is to be paid annually by Enoch Shepard his heirs & assigns into the hands of the Selectmen of Murrayfield. And in case the interest is not paid agreeably to the above terms the Seleetmen of said town of Murrayfield are to ask & demand of said Enoch Shepard his heirs & assigns the interest as above; & if the interest is not paid within sixty days after such demand is made, the Seleetmen then in being are to inform said Enoch Shepard, his heirs & assigns that this lease with all its privileges is for- feited & to be considered as nul & void & is to be at the disposal of the town again unless in extraordinary case, viz: if said Enoch Shepard, his heirs or assigns should be absent or should be delerious or in case of decease, in such cases said Enoch Shepard, his heirs & assigns, are to make good all interest that may be due with all reasonable damages for any negleet longer than the term of eighteen months, when such extraordinaries may happen, & if such negleet exceeds the term of eighteen months then the above demand of the Selectmen to be in force. By virtue of the power & authority to us given by
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said vote of the third day of February, inst., & by these presents, to have & to hold the said premises together with all their appurtenances to him the said Enoch Shepard, his heirs & assigns as an absolute estate of inheritance for the term of time as above.
" And we, the said William Campbell & John Blair, do in our said capacity & in the name & behalf of the town, covenant & engage that said demised prem- ises to him, the said Enoch Shepard, his heirs and assigns, against the lawful claims & demands of all persons whatsoever hereafter for the term of time as above to warrant, secure, & defend by these presents.
"In witness whereof we, the said William & John, in our said capacity & in behalf of said town, have hereunto set our hands and seals this seventeenth day of February, A. D. 1783.
Signed, sealed, & delivered ) in presence of DAVID SHEPARD,
ENOCH SHEPARD & Seal.
LUCINDA SHEPARD. j JOHN BLAIR & Seal, ) Selectmen of WILLIAM CAMPBELL & Seal. \ Murrayfield."
This lease was recorded in the record book of the town of Murrayfield.
Similar leases were given of other tracts of school land after the name of the town was changed from Murrayfield to Chester.
SCHOOLHOUSES.
At a town meeting held April 7th, 1783, the town "voted that the Middle School District have liberty to set a school house on the town's land the west side of the highway west of the burying yard." This was the west side of the road leading to the East Branch, and on the spot where the present schoolhouse stands at Chester Center, and is within the eight acres laid out for a meeting-house place, and burial place, and a training field in 1763.
TOWN POUND.
At the annual town meeting, 1774, the town voted for the first time to build a pound, and appropriated for this purpose the sum of twelve pounds. This was equal to the sum which the undivided town appropriated for schools the previous year.
In July, 1778, the town voted " that the rams must be shut up from September 20th to November 20th on penalty of forfeiture of the ram to the person finding it." In March, 1782, the town voted "that hogs should not run at large during any part of the year."
The progress attained in cattle raising, as late as 1776, may be judged by an article which was in a town meeting called in June, 1776:
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" To see if the town will vote to hire a bull for the service of the town." The town voted against the article.
WOLVES.
At a meeting held as late as 1781, one item of business was, " To see if the town will vote to give a bounty for wolves' heads," and the town voted " to give twelve shillings for a wolf head if it is killed by any of the inhabitants of this town in this or in the neighboring towns." This was the first action taken by the town in any town meeting upon this subject; and down to the spring of 1783 no action appears to have been taken by the town touching wolves, other than the vote above named.
FIRST JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.
In the warrant calling the December town meeting in 1275, was the following article : " To see if the town will vote to have a justice of the peace in this town and also nominate one." The vote taken under this article is recorded as follows : " Voted that it is the mind of the town if there is established to confess judgment for debts it is best to have a justice of the peace in town, also nominated Lieut. Enoch Shepard."
FORM OF CAPTION OF TOWN WARRANTS.
Prior to 1775 town meetings were called by warrants issued "in his majesty's name;" but in this year the warrants were directed to the constable, requiring him, "in the name and by the direction of the Continental Provincial Congress," to warn, etc.
TOWN POOR.
The question of supporting the poor in the town came up in town meeting for the first time in June, 1778, in the form of a propo- sition "to see if the town would choose a committee to take care of the poor in town." The town refused to choose a committee. It does not appear whether the town had in any way provided for the poor; neither does it appear that there had been poor persons in the town needing public charity, except as it may be inferred from the fact of bringing the question before the town.
SMALL-POX AND INOCULATION.
The action of the town at a town meeting held in April, 1778, touch- ing inoculation as a protection against small-pox is interesting as giv-
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ing some idea of how this was managed before the world was in posses- sion of Jenner's discovery, which was made about this time. At this meeting the town voted that " Capt. Shepard may have his family inoculated in his house if he will give good obligations for his good behavior," and that he " may let others of this town as long as the first day of May and no longer, if there is room for them." In May following the town voted " that any person may have liberty to have the small-pox by inoculation in the fall at proper places as the town shall judge best." The process of inoculation was as follows: "If the matter of a variolous (or small-pox) pustule, taken after the com- mencement of the eighth day, be inserted in or beneath the skin of a person who has not previously suffered from small-pox, the following phenomena are induced: 1. Local inflammation is set up; 2. At the end of six days there is fever similar to that of small-pox; and 3. After the lapse of three more days, there is a more or less abundant eruption of pustules. This process is termed inoculation, and the disease thus produced is denominated inoculated small-pox. The disease produced in this artificial manner is much simpler and less dangerous than ordinary small-pox; and as this was an almost certain means of pre- venting a subsequent attack of the ordinary disease, inoculation was much practiced until the discovery (about 1796) of the anti-variolous power of vaccination." See Chamber's Encyclopaedia.
In the spring of 1720 small-pox broke out again in Massachusetts after an interval of about twenty years, and "out of five thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine persons who were attacked in Boston," says Barry, " eight hundred and forty-four died." In view of this fact it is strange that any intelligent person should question the import- ance of vaccination, or the wisdom of the law requiring it. Barry adds: " The practice of inoculation had been recently introduced into Europe, and Cotton Mather, one of the ministers of Boston, hav- ing read in the Transactions of the Royal Society of England, of which he was a member, letters from Constantinople and Smyrna giving an account of its practice and its success, interested himself to introduce it into America; but his application to the physicians of the town was at first unsuccessful." For a time it met with bitter opposition, based upon all sorts of grounds, moral, religions and political; and violence was indulged in, both by words and acts.
HIGHWAYS.
As we have already seen, building and repairing of highways were always important items of expense to the town. The roads over the
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highlands were not only difficult to travel, but often difficult to make and keep in repair in places where the grade is steep, rendering them liable to be washed badly by heavy rains, and in the spring by the rapid thawing of snow. But in places where the grade is light or the ground level, the roads when once made need but little attention to keep them in reasonably good condition. This would be the fact on all the roads along the river banks, except in places-and they are numerous-where the interval lands are but little elevated above the river in high water, exposing them to the gradual encroachment of the river which tends to crowd toward one side or the other of the valley, often washing away several feet in times of great freshets, and often overflowing the roadbed and washing out the material of which it is made, so that between this kind of damage and the maintaining of bridges, the river roads-so called-are far more expensive than those upon the higher lands. In March, 1774, the town voted to raise eighty pounds for the repair of highways, twelve shillings on the poll and the remainder on the estates, and voted to allow three shillings per day for work on the highway. At this meeting the town voted to build a " highway from William Henry's down to the dugway at David Scott's land," and at the same time it was voted not to discontinue the "old road from Lieut. James Clark's house down Moose Hill to dugway in David Scott's land." From a point near the old cellar-place which marks the spot where Absolom Blair's house stood, is an old road leading off from the older road in the direction of the house formerly known as the " Raymond place," but better known to-day as the " Woodruff place." This road would have let both Clark and Blair out into the new road from " Henry's down to the dugway," but it would have been less convenient for them. Many new roads were laid out from time to time as necessity required, and their locations were fully de- scribed in the records of the town. In 1777 ninety pounds were raised for repair of highways that year, and at the same meeting the town voted that " the selectmen lay out a road, if they judge best, with the consent of Deac. Johnson and the Wrights that own the land, across from Deac. Johnson's, kitter-cornering across Wright's land into the old road near the corner of said Wright's lot, or across the corner of Major Taylor's." At the March meeting in 1778 the town appropri- ated one hundred pounds for the repair of highways, and voted to pay nine shillings per day until the last of June for work on the highways." There was pressing need for bridges. An article "To see if the town will assist Norwich in building a bridge across the river near Mr. Way's mill"-that is to say, near where Norwich bridge now stands-
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was inserted in the warrant for the November meeting in 1778, but the town voted no. But when the proposition took the form of ask- ing the General Court to require the original proprietors to build the bridge, the town, at a meeting held February 8th, 1779, voted " to bear its proportional cost with Norwich to procure the building of a bridge near Way's mill." The joint action of the town of Norwich and Murrayfield resulted, as has been related before, in the building of the bridge at the expense of the proprietors, and in the sale of lands belonging to Timothy Paine to pay the expense.
In March, 1779, the town voted to lay a road " from Landlord Tay- lor's for Partridgefield "-now Middlefield. Five dollars was allowed this year per day for work on the highways, and the town voted "to raise four hundred pounds for the repair of high ways the present year."
It sometimes happens that heavy rains come in the latter part of summer, causing freshets, which do great damage to the roads. That this happened in 1779 would appear from the fact that a town meeting was held August 18th, at which the town passed the following vote: " If any man will do a good, faithful day's work on the highways this summer or fall, it shall be allowed in the next year's highway rate." In May, 1781, the town voted to raise sixty pounds in hard cash to re- pair highways, and that four shillings in hard cash should be paid for a day's work. In 1780 it was voted "to give twenty dollars per day for highway work." In April, 1782, the town voted to raise sixty pounds for the repair of highways, and to allow three shillings for a day's work. And in March, 1783, eighty pounds were appropriated to the repair of highways, and three shillings allowed for a day's work.
REPRESENTATIVES TO THE GENERAL COURT.
When the east part of Murrayfield was set off into a separate district, it was invested with all the privileges of other towns, with the excep- tion that it was not permitted to choose a separate representative to the General Court; but for that purpose it was still to act with Murray- field. In July, 1775, Murrayfield " voted to send one representative to the General Court." And it was also " voted that the representative be paid in work or grain for his own time and horses." Lieut. Enoch Shepard was the first representative chosen by the town of Murrayfield to the General Court. The town also " chose for a committee to give instructions to the representative, Deac. John Kirtland, Lieut. David Scott, Ensign Stephen Lyman, Deac. Samuel Matthews, and Capt. Abner Smith." One of the articles in the warrant for the December meeting was " To see if the town will reconsider the vote respecting
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paying the representative, and pass such votes as the town shall judge best respecting the same." The vote under this article, as recorded is: " Voted to reconsider the vote respecting paying the representative." It would seem that Shepard was continued in the office of representa- tive for several years; for in May, 1729, the town passed the following vote: " Voted that the town will be obliged to pay Capt. Enoch Shep- ard his expenses for his travel and attendance on the General Court, he giving his time and allowing the town his fees." In May, 1780, Timothy Lyman was chosen representative to the General Court, and Capt. John Kelso, Capt. Enoch Shepard, Deac. James Hamilton, Alexander Gordon, and Timothy Smith were chosen a committee " to instruct the representative and order him when to go to Boston." In May, 1782, Deac. Johnson was chosen representative, and the town passed the following vote: " Voted to choose a committee of five to give Deac. Johnson instructions how to conduct at Boston with regard to the business of the town and when to go, and not to tarry upon other public business. Chose Dr. David Shepard, Capt. Enoch Shepard, Deac. Matthews, and Capt. Abner Smith committee."
RELATIONS WITH NORWICHI.
At the March meeting in 1774, the claim of Norwich to its share of the seals and measures came up for action; the justice of which was conceded, and the constable instructed to procure such other meas- ures as should be necessary.
The following petition to the selectmen was duly brought before the town at a meeting held July 5th, 1779:
" To the Honorable Selectmen of the town of Murrayfield, namely, Timothy Lyman & John Blair: We, who are undernamed, do humbly desire you would warn a town meeting in order to set us off from the town of Murrayfield to the town of Norwich, that we may know the minds of the town & have their vote for being set off. Our grievances are so heavy that we can not lie still under them; which grievances we shall declare to the meeting when the meeting is, we looking to ourselves to be the humble servants at so far a distance that we can not enjoy the privileges of the town which causes us to make this address to select gentlemen of the town; & in hopes of your granting our weak request we take the boldness, with love & pleasure to subscribe ourselves your well-meaning, though aggrieved friends & very humble servants so long as we are. Dated at Murrayfield, May 13th, 1779.
ABEL PARTRIDGE, ALLYN GREEN, EBENEZER FREEMAN, EUNICE GEER, JOHN MORSE, EMANUEL NORTHROP, JOSEPH NORTHROP, DAVID TWADWELL "
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The article in the warrant was as follows: "To see if the town will vote off the east part of this town to Norwich about as far as the house where Silsbury Geer formerly lived." But the town rejected the prop- osition. This, however, did not settle the question, as we see by the action of the town in May, 1780, in choosing Dr. David Shepard, Mr. Timothy Lyman and Mr. Timothy Smith, "a committee to meet the court's committee appointed to straighten the line between Murray- field and Norwich," and the committee was instructed to " object against Norwich having a straight line." This subject came before the town again at a meeting held December 25th, 1780. That the in- habitants of Murrayfield were a good deal excited about the question may fairly be inferred from the following votes: " Voted to choose a committee of five to wait on the court's committee appointed to view the situation and circumstances of straightening the line between the towns of Murrayfield and Norwich, and chose Dr. David Shepard, Mr. Timothy Smith, Mr. Timothy Lyman, Capt. Abner Smith, Ensign Stephen Lyman. Also voted that the committee use their utmost in- fluence to hinder the town of Norwich from obtaining one inch more than the line already fixed." Also voted "that if the court's com- mittee should think best to straighten the line between Murrayfield and Norwich that the town will petition the General Court to incor- porate both towns together."
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