USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Palmer > History of the town of Palmer, Massachusetts, early known as the Elbow tract : including records of the plantation, district and town 1716-1889 > Part 12
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Summary. From these records of Divisions, it appears that the original proprietary grants drew as follows : A Hundred-acre lot in the First Division, 100 acres; in the Second Division, 100 acres; in the Third Division, 25 acres; in the Fourth Division, 15 acres-in all 240 acres. A Seventy-acre lot drew in all 168 acres. A sixty- acre lot drew in all 144 acres. A Fifty-acre lot drew in all 120 acres. These several draughts, added to the original grant, made the estates of the Proprietors stand, respectively, 340 acres, 238 acres, 204 acres, 170 acres. As far as amount of land is concerned, the farmers of our Plantation and town were "well off." But, in fact, few of the original Proprietors lived to draw land in the last Division. And not many of the heirs of those men held in fee sim- ple all the rights of Draughts together with the first granted Home
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HISTORY OF PALMER.
lots. A very considerable part of the homesteads and the Division lots had passed into the hands of assignees and purchasers, who stood in the place of the original Grantees.
BURYING PLACE. - "The Burying Place layed out May the 12th 1735. Began at an oak bush with a great stone roled against it standing about ten rods southeast of the Meeting House, being the Norwest corner of the Burying Place; thence S. 36° E., 12 rods to stons on the side Hill. Thence E. 36º N. 13 rods to stone against the little Hollow in Noreast corner. Thence to where we began 13 rods. Laid out by Steward Southgate, Barnard McNitt, Isaac Magoon, Jun., committee."
The Old Burying Ground at Palmer Village was set apart by the first comers before our Records commence, and the date of its first use is unknown. It is named in 1729.
PHYSICIAN .- An article in the warrant for a Plantation meet- ing, June 10, 1743, " To se if the Inhabitants will give any Incour- agement for a Doctor to settle in the place." The vote is not recorded. [Doctor John Sherman located in Brimfield in 1721; and had an extensive practice. ]
WESTERN .- In 1740, the families living in the east part of the Elbows made a move to be set off, with others of Brimfield and Brookfield, and form a new town. Their main plea was, distance from, and difficulty of reaching the meeting-house for publick worship on the Sabbath. Perhaps the pending quarrel with the minister (Rev. Mr. Harvey), and the burdensome debt, had an in- fluence in starting the movement ; and also an influence with the House of Representatives in their favor. The Elbow plantation sent a remonstrance to the General Court ; and set at work means to counteract their plan. At a plantation meeting, the question was raised, whether they would move the meeting-house, so as better to accommodate the east side people ; and some new roads were laid out to meet their wants. But the General Court readily granted their prayer, and " An Act to incorporate the Town of Western," was passed Jan. 16, 1741-2. They were granted the usual powers and privileges ; and a section provided " that nothing in this act shall be construed to hinder, alter or prejudice the rights of any person in any of the towns named (Brookfield, Brimfield and Kingstown) in the Common Lands of the same." The slice taken from the Elbows (then often called Kingstown) covered the farms of John Blair, John Patrick, and the heirs of Andrew Bailey,
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THE ELBOW TRACT-A PLANTATION, 1726-1752.
Joseph Chadwick, Abel Curtis, Nathaniel Dewey, Obadiah Cooley, Jun., Joseph Brooks, Jun., Matthew Brown and James McElwain (then in the occupancy of John and David Blair and John Patrick).
WARE RIVER PARISH .- Early in the spring of 1742, the families living in the north part of the Elbow Tract, and others in possess- ion of Read's 10,000 acres, the Hollingsworth Grant and the Marsh and Clements Grant, in all 33 house holders, sent a petition to the General Court, among other things, reciting : "The Petitioners dwell at a great distance from any place of publick worship, most of them six or seven miles, and therefore cannot enjoy that privilege in their present condition, but as their Hearts are sincerely desirous of the Publick Worship of God, they persuade themselves they shall be able cheerfully to bear the Charge that will attend it. But as some of them belong to the town at the Elbows, some to Brookfield, and the rest of them live on farms of the Province Grants, they cannot properly and lawfully Proceed to erect and maintain the Publick Worship of God among them, without the aid of this Court, and therefore pray this Honbl Court by a suitable Committee of this Court, to inquire into their state and circum- stances, and make them a separate and distinct Township or Parish."
The Elbow Plantation strongly opposed the dismemberment of our territory. "The Memorial of sundry of the Proprietors of the Elbow Tract in the County of Hampshire, Sheweth-That whereas we are informed that your Excellency and Honours ap- pointed a committee to view a tract of land lying between Swift River and Brookfield, petitioned for by Thomas Marsh and others ; and that sd committee have been upon the spott, to view the same : & understanding that part of sª Land is in our town bounds : and we having had no Notiss thereof only bi a few lines sent from sd com- mittee to the clerk of our town the day before sª committee viewed the same ; and so having no opportunity to know how much of sª lands petitioned for belongs to our town ; nor to offer our Reasons and objections against said petition : We pray that yor Excelly & Honrs would not proceed to act any thing on sd Com- mittee's Report concerning the same, until we have had oppor- tunity to offer our reasons to the contrary. Wm Pynchon, David Shaw, Barnard McNitt, John King, Samuel Shaw, James Braken- ridge, John Thomson.
Elbows Tract, Oct. ye 30th, 1742.
The committee reported Dec. 4, 1742 : "We are of opinion that the petitioners at present are not sufficient in order to erect a town
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HISTORY OF PALMER.
with privileges, etc. But inasmuch as they live at a very great distance from any place of publick worship, and meet with great difficulty thereby, we are further of opinion that the petitioners living northward of a line run due east from the southeast corner of the land belonging to John Read, Esq. to Western line be freed from all taxes to any other place or town during the pleasure of the Gen- eral Court, So that they may be able to provide preaching among themselves." The Report was accepted, and it was "Ordered that the land within the limits mentioned and the Inhabitants thereon be erected into a Precinct, with powers & privileges such as other Precincts do or ought to enjoy : And they be and hereby are obliged to maintain the publick worship of God among them, in the support of a learned orthodox minister." Passed in concur- rence, and consented to Dec. 7, 1742.
This took off several influential families from our Plantation, and crippled in a measure her resources. But it did not affect in any way the rights of proprietors in the Common and Undivided Lands lying on either side of the dividing line.
DARK DAYS .- Quarrel between the People and the Minister. The ordination and settlement of Rev. John Harvey, and provision for his support, have already been narrated in their proper place. And for the four or five years succeeding, the records give evidence of no unusual friction between pastor and people. But in March, 1738, the minister was presented by the grand jury for drunken- ness, and on arraignment plead guilty. After which a strong feel- ing of opposition to Mr. Harvey was developed ; parties took sides ; hard words and hard actions followed, that threatened ruin to the Plantation.
It is difficult to give a summary of the doings and undoings of the excited and angry combatants, and mete out equal justice to all parties concerned. And as the sayings and doings of these parties, which comprised practically all the inhabitants, constituted the history of those years, and gave color and spirit to all social and political, as well as religious affairs ; and the quarrel planted seeds that bore abundant fruit in years to come (the records of which cannot be understood without a knowledge of these disagree- able facts) ; it is thought best to let each party speak for itself, by giving verbatim copies of the more important official documents in the case. These papers are found in the State Archives.
Sept. 19, 1739. "THE PETITION of Steward Southgate and others Humbly Sheweth - That whereas it pleased this Honbl Court about six years ago, to grant the lands of the Elbow Planta-
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THE ELBOW TRACT-A PLANTATION, 1726-1752.
tion to your petitioners and others to the number of about 80, In- joining them as a condition of their grant, amongst other things, to build a meeting house and settle a minister within the space of two years then next coming ; and ordered their lands to be taxed (until these conditions should be fulfilled) to defray the charge thereof, and for supporting the Ministry. And in order to fulfill the said condition the said Inhabitants (being the greater part of them People from Ireland) proceeded in ye next year after the said grant to choose and call the Rev. John Harvey, a gentleman from Ireland, to be their Minister ; and altho' in said Plantation at the said time, there was no gathered church, yett they obtained not the advice of any of the Neighbouring ordained Ministers, previous to such their call and choice, according to the Direction of the Law in that case; But instead thereof Procured three of their own country ministers (of which but one of them belonged to this Province) who being mett in the plantation proceeded to the ordination of the said gentleman, calling themselves a Presbytery, and pretending to be invested with authority from the Church of Scotland held themselves exempt from any consociation with or accountableness unto the churches of this Province. And altho' almost all the English people of said Plantation were much dissat- isfied with and protested against the choice and call of sd gentle- man, exhibiting many just and weighty exceptions and allegations against him ; Notwithstanding which being overlooked, they the sª Pretended Presbytery proceeded to ordain him, not only without ye advice and concurrence of the Neighboring ordained Ministers (as aforesaid) but to their dissatisfaction who were several of them present and protested against their proceedings, alleging that the said Harvey had not had a fair and impartial trial upon those charges exhibited against him, and particular that of drunkenness. However his ordainers then promised that if ever after he was justly chargeable with that or any other crimes, upon complaint and proof thereof made to them, they would depose him ; Yett, notwithstanding their sd promise, after full five years taxing our Lands to the support of sª Minister, who had he been ever so well qualified and regularly settled, ought not to have been supported by taxing our Lands above two years, according to ye Order and (we humbly conceive) the intention of this Honbl Court .* Yet their depending upon the said promise, complaints were made to the sd Presbytery against the sd Harvey for repeated instances of the aforesaid crime of drunkenness, and other gross immoralities ; and three months afterwards renewed at their sitting in Boston ;
See ante, p. 90.
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HISTORY OF PALMER.
But no hearing or trial could be had thereon untill the beginning of June last-Three young ministers, his countrymen (who were not his ordainers but were since ordained) came into ye said Plan- tation and one lay elder with them, who formed themselves into what they called a Presbytery and proceeded to a hearing of some of the complaints exhibited against ye sd Harvey ; and after unrea- sonably rejecting ye most material witnesses, upon frivolous pre- tences of their being disqualified, they drew up and published what they called a final and decisive Judgment. In which, altho' they found and declared him guilty of some of the enormities charged upon him, for which they only slightly rebuked and admon- ished, and so continued him in ye Ministry. But the aforesaid crime of drunkenness of which he had been found guilty in one of the particular instances by ye Grand Jury of the County of Hamp- shire, and by them presented to the Court of General Sessions of ye Peace held at Northampton on ye first Tuesday of March 1738, and afterwards convicted thereof by his own voluntary confession before one of the justices of the said Court, of which record was made, and copies thereof produced to ye sd Presbytery at ye så trial ; Yett that notwithstanding they clearly acquitted him of sª crime against clear and manifest evidence, deposed before a Magistrate, and personally examined by them at the time of trial ; as well as against an authentick record of his own confession of ye fact attested by the Justice that took it and made the record thereof. And further, notwithstanding the aforesaid trial was made by but four single persons, two of them belonging to the town of Worcester (and of none of ye best character), and were all entertained before and at the time of trial by sª Harvey at his house and by his adherents ; and one of them under accusation of ye same crimes, to have his trial ye next week after by this new acquitted member amongst ye rest. Yett nevertheless, your poor petitioners, under the greatest grounds of dissatisfaction at such partial proceedings, are bound down to ye aforesaid judgment in matters of ye utmost importance to their souls and ye souls of their children, without any liberty of appeal, review or re-hearing, or any means of relief under heaven, without fleeing and leaving all as in ye case of persecution-Unless by ye goodness & wisdom of this Hond Court, it may be obtained ; for ye sd Harvey and his ad- herents utterly refuse to join with the aggrieved in calling a Coun- cil of Churches for a re-hearing and more important trial of their complaints; and without his or their concurrence in calling them, or some order from authority they cannot be obtained, or if they should would not be likely to be effectual to our Relief.
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THE ELBOW TRACT-A PLANTATION, 1726-1752.
"And further, your Petitioners humbly conceive that it was never ye intention of this Court in ordering the Lands in sª Planta- tion to be taxed for ye support of the Ministry therein, that such a minister should be supported therewith as should not be settled and otherwise qualified according to ye Laws of this Province ; much less that one wholly disqualified for ye gospel ministry accord- ing to ye word of God and ye Laws of the Land should be main- tained and supported by ye authority of this Court upon ye estates of such as conscientiously dissent from such a Minister, and thereby are exposed and actually suffer many great hardships and difficul- ties. Yett, nevertheless the lands of yor petitioners in sª Planta- tion by colour of authority from this Court has been constantly taxed for six years together for ye support and maintenance of the aforesaid minister ; and upon non-payment thereof has been posted and exposed to sale and still liable to ye same for the future, unless redressed by this Court.
" The Inhabitants of sª Plantation not being invested with town Privileges are more immediately under the power, care and Inspec- tion of this Honbl Court. Upon whom therefore yr poor petition- ers with greater confidence in yr wonted Goodness would humbly repose themselves for Relief and Protection.
"The prayer of the Petition therefore is, that yr Excellency & Honours would be pleased to extend your compassionate Regards to yr poor suffering petitioners, and in order to our full and ample Relief, would be pleased to inquire into ye truth and certainty of the complaints and grievances herein represented, either by your- selves, a committee or a council of ministers, or any other way as in yr great wisdom shall seem meet. "And that you would please to order that in the mean time no further taxes shall be laid upon our Lands in sª Plantation for the maintainance of the aforesaid minister ; nor that our Lands shall be sold and alienated from us for any such taxes aleady assessed. And that ye Inhabitants of the aforesaid Plantation may receive from this Hond Court no investi- ture of town privileges untill the aforesaid complaints and griev- ances by order and authority of this Court shall be fully inquired into, and effectually remedied. And yr Petrs shall ever pray, &c.
Steward Southgate Thomas Jennings Joseph Wright Thomas Chapin James Shearer John Shearer William Scott
Samuel ffrost
John Moor
John King
Samuel Lenox
John King, Jun.
Joseph Flemond
Benjamin Parsons
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HISTORY OF PALMER.
John Applin
James Moor
Jonathan Chapin
James McClelan
Thomas ffrost
Daniel Fuller
Joseph Chadwick
Samuel Kilborn
Samuel Dumbleton
Ebenezer Mirick
Joseph Brooks
Noah Cooley
Joseph Flemond, Jun.
Iasac Magoon
Dec. 14, 1739. "THE ANSWER of Several the Inhabitants of the Plantation called the Elbows, to the Petition of Steward South- gate & others.
" And yr respondents in behalf of themselves & the far greater part of the Church of Christ and the Christian Inhabitants of the place aforesaid answer and say
" That in conformity to the Province law the Rev. Mr. John Harvey was chosen and called by a full majority of the Christian Inhabitants of that place in their town meeting, with the advice of three neigboring ordained Ministers ; } and the said Steward South- gate was a principal agent in bringing it to effect. And particu- larly Nov. 28, 1733, he and Samuel Shaw as a committee of Town report what treaty they had with Mr. Harvey, and had him, Mr. Harvey, thereupon chosen their Minister, he having been before recommended to them by the Association of the Ministers of Hamp- shire County, Oct. 9, 1733.
" March 20, 1733-4. The Congregation being met, agreed and voted he should be ordained on the first of June following, as a Presbyterian Minister ; and Mr. Southgate and others there named to send for the neighboring ministers to perform the office.
"1734. Mr. Southgate sent to the Church of Christ in North- ampton, to the Rev. Mr. Stephen Williams of Longmeadow Spring- field, to the Rev. Mr. Isaac Chauncey of Hadley, and several others, five of them came whereof the Rev. Mr. Chauncey was one, and by their advice and office he was accordingly ordained at the time designed. So that there remains no objection as to his being or- dained, but national, that it was performed for the most part by pious and orthodox ministers of another nation.
"We are very sensible that as the petitioners proceed to shew, Mr. Southgate and some few others have since that ordination set themselves against the Rev. Mr. Harvey, seeking by all possible means to blast his reputation and hinder the effects of his pious labours amongst us, that occasioned those that were of another temper and spirit to subscribe a declaration of their satisfaction in
* Mass. State Archives, XII, 65.
+ See ante, p 86.
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THE ELBOW TRACT-A PLANTATION, 1726-1752.
his life and doctrine as orthodox and becoming a minister, in March, 1737-8, to the number of 51, to present to the Justices of his Majesty's Court of General Sessions of ye Peace in Northampton .*
"As to the Council of Ministers or Presbytery in June last, that would not allow Mr. Southgate's wife and mother and sisters to be sworn of stories nine years old. We produce their definitive sen- tence, and submit it to the judgment of this Honbl Court, humbly conceiving it must carry in the face of it more weight than all the hard and indecent language of ye petitioners against it ; and fur- ther declare that Mr. Southgate then consented to it and professed a reconciliation with Mr. Harvey in these terms, forgiving him all his trespasses as he hoped for forgiveness with God. This truly was his duty, Mr. Harvey having made a publick & penitent confession of his fault, and done every thing that a Christian man and min- ister of ye gospel ought to do.
"And yet, notwithstanding Mr. Southgate hath by his unwearied diligence in this affair procured 24 (28) subscribers to join with him in his calumnious petition ; some that have before signed to their approbation of him in 1737-8; some that have no interest or es- tate in the place, some that live in other towns, and particularly Thomas Jennings that lives in Willington in Connecticut, and one that hath since recanted it under his hand.
.
"Such being the truth of the case, yr respondents who have not only the same regard to the welfare of their souls as Mr. Southgate professes to have of his, but also a tender regard to Christian peace, love, and good order, humbly submit themselves to the wise direc- tions of this Honbl Court to make us and our learned and pious minister better than we are in all respects : Assuring yr Excelly & Honrs that we shall diligently strive to approve ourselves orderly, peaceable and obedient to ye utmost of our ability.
Nicholas Blancher
Samuel Shaw, Jun.
Andrew Farrand
James Shaw
Nathaniel Wilson
John McClenathan
Timothy McElwain
Samuel Nevins
James McMaster
Samuel Nevins, Jun.
Robert Farrel David Blair
David Spear
Hugh McMaster
Seth Shaw
James Lamont John Patrick
Robert Bratten
James Breakenridge
Robert Hunter
James Barry
Andrew Rutherford
Thomas Little
David Nevins
* On his indictment and trial for drunkenness, to which he plead "guilty."
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HISTORY OF PALMER.
John Thomson
Samuel Ferguson
David Shaw
Dunken Quintin
James Smith
Barnard McNitt
Patrick Smith
Robert Rogers Alexander Tackels
Thomas Farrand
John Blair
William Tackels John Glasford
John McMaster
Mathew Brown
William Sloan
Thomas McClenathan Wm McClenathan Samuel Shaw
James Breakenridge, Jun.
James Lamberton*
The above petition and remonstrance were referred to a com- mittee, who reported Dec. 22, 1739, that "in their opinion the complaints in the petition of Southgate and others are groundless, and therefore the petition ought to be dismist."
There are numerous other papers in the State Archives relating to this unhappy affair. But the two already quoted, show the animus of the controversy, and supply the material facts, as seen from the different standpoints, and interpreted by the parties con- cerned.
The large majority of the voters sustained the minister, and voted to raise 100 pounds to reimburse his friends their expenses in defending him before the General Court. But his pastoral life appears not to have been agreeable to himself, for in the fall of 1744 he notified the people that he should quit work for them in December. In a Warrant for a Plantation meeting held Dec. 17, 1744, was an article, " To chuse a committee to provide a supply for the pulpit, since Mr. Harvey hath fulfilled the time he deter- mined, and hath bidden us provide for ourselves." The article was negatived. But the 20 pounds additional to his salary was " continued " for the current year, and 20 pounds old tenor was voted for the supply of his firewood.
In 1746 a new scandal arose in which Mr. Harvey was implicated. And this time it was his former friends and supporters that took up the sword against him. It seems that he had escorted Mrs. Agnes Little, the wife of Thomas Little, to and from Boston, and a story got afloat, charging them with unchaste conduct on the journey. The matter was brought before a meeting of the Inhab- itants, and two separate committees were appointed to carry the case before the Presbytery for advice and investigation. It does not appear that the Presbytery took it up. June 11, 1747, Barnard McNitt, Seth Shaw and Andrew Rutherford were appointed a com-
* Mass. State Archives, xii. 71.
John McMaster
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THE ELBOW TRACT-A PLANTATION, 1726-1752.
mittee " with full power in our behalf for the prosecution of that affair concerning the scandalous reports raised on the Rev. Mr. Harvey, that the same may be prosecuted to effect ; and said com- mittee shall have full power to prosecute the sª affair either in this County or any other, employing one or more attorneys under them, if need be." Oct. 12, at a legal meeting of the Proprietors & Grantees, the aforesaid committee were instructed "to go onward in the prosecution of ye affair against Mr. Harvey, at the cost and charge of the Proprietors and Grantees ; " and "100 pounds old tenor was granted to carry on the case against Mr. Harvey."
The next entry in the plantation records implies that Mr. Harvey had resigned. Nov. 23, 1747. "Article second. To chuse a man to go after a minister to supply the pulpit, seeing the Rev. Mr. Harvey has given up his right thereto." Capt. Shaw was appointed and instructed to provide a supply for the pulpit till the second Tuesday in March next. Dec. 14, 1747, a legal meeting was warned, " To see if they will call ye Presbytery to get Mr. Harvey dismissed orderly."
The records furnish no evidence that the suit against Mr. Har- vey was pressed, and the probable inference is, that his resignation virtually ended the affair.
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