USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Whately > History of the town of Whately, Mass., including a narrative of leading events from the first planting of Hatfield, 1660-1871 : with family genealogies > Part 7
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APPLES .- A few apples were brought from Hatfield and Had- ley as a luxury, but they did not, of course, come into general use till the trees had time to grow. The first orchards, in our limits,
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were planted by Abraham Parker, whose widow made five barrels of cider in 1771; by Joseph Belding, who made that year four barrels of cider ; by Benjamin Scott, who made three barrels, and Martin Graves, who made five barrels. Lieut. Ebenezer Bardwell probably set an orchard where he first built, on the Deerfield road ; and also another, where he built, a mile north of the meeting-house. Parson Wells set trees extensively on his land, in the centre of the town, soon after 1771. He began to sell cider and vinegar as early as 1785. The price for apples was 18. 6d. per bushel ; for vinegar, 1s. 6d. per gallon, and for cider, 5s. per barrel.
POTATOES .- Potatoes were unknown to the first settlers of Whately as an article of food. Mr. Justin Morton stated to the author, that " David Graves brought the first potatoe into town in his saddle-bags, on his return from Boston, about 1765." Ile added, "the boys loved to go over to the Straits and do chores for Mr. Graves, for he would give them a potatoe as pay, and we used to carry it home and plant it. I can remember when they did not have any potatoes on the table for dinner."*
DRINKS. - Beer, made from malt and hops, was the com- monest artificial drink used in families at the time Whately was settled. Hops grew wild in many places ; but most house- holders had a few hills in their gardens, or beside the pig-pen. Malt was made of barley, and meslin, and a poor grade of winter wheat mixed with chess. A small family would lay in
* " The culture of the potatoe, in this part of America, was first intro- duced by the Scotch who settled Nutfield, now Londonderry, N. II., in 1718-21."-Everett's Life of Stark. The same people settled Pelham, Mass., about 1740, and started the cultivation of the potatoe there. It found its way into Hadley before 1760. At first, it was regarded by our people as an unfit article of food; and the prejudice against it was slow in giving way. Many of the older folks refused to taste it till the day of their death. In some towns it was looked upon as a sort of forbidden fruit. The Rev. Jonathan Hubbard, of Sheffield, (who d. 1765,) came near being dealt with by the church for raising twenty bushels of potatoes in one year. About 1780, potatoes are mentioned in Parson Wells's account book; sold in small quantities of from one-half to one and two bushels. The price was Is. Gd. per bushel.
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eight bushels of malt for a year's supply ; larger families would lay in as many as fifteen bushels. There is no record of a malt- house in Whately. The malting for our families was done by Joshua Dickinson, of Hatfield, and, after him, by Mr. Wilkic. A strong ale was sometimes made ; but the beer for common use was weaker, and was brewed in the summer time as often as once a week. Flip was made from this weaker beer. Barley coffee was considerably used as a breakfast drink ; acorn coffee, occasionally. Tea, and foreign coffee, were rarities at the tables of the common farmers. After apples became plenty, though beer continued to be used, cider became the family drink. Milk punch and flip were the favorite drams for home use ; flip of the tavern loungers. The latter was sold by the mug. After cider took the place of beer, eider brandy largely took the place of flip.
MAPLE SUGAR .- The Indians appear to have learned the art of making syrup from the sap of the maple ; and as soon as they obtained kettles by barter with the whites, they made sugar in considerable quantities,-though of an inferior quality. They had manufactured it as early as 1750. It was made by the Chestnut plain settlers ever after they became established, though at first in small quantities. Before the Revolution, some families depended on it for their year's supply ; and, in 1784 or '85, it became to some extent an article of trade. The price at first was 6d. per pound.
CHAPTER VII.
THE TOWN INCORPORATED.
IN this chapter it is proper to give in full the Act of Incorpo- . ration as copied from the original parchment; and to insert copies of Letters, showing the origin of the name adopted, as well as other official documents, of permanent value and interest. All these papers are copied from originals in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Anno Regni Regis Georgii Tertii Undecimo.
AN Acr for erecting the northerly part of the town of Hat- field, in the County of Hampshire, into a town by the name of Whately.
WHEREAS the inhabitants of the northerly part of the town of Ilatfield, in the County of Hampshire, have made application to this Court, that the northerly part of said town may be incor- porated into a distinct and separate Town,
Be it enacted by the Governor, Council, and House of Rep- resentatives,
That the northerly part of the said town of Hatfield, which is contained within the lines and limits following, That is to say, Beginning at the northeast corner of the General Field, there called the North Meadow and Farms, thence in the north line of the said General Field to the northwest corner thereof, from the said northwest corner of that Field the said line to run in a direct course to the southeast corner of the Mill Swamp, which belongs to Moses Dickinson ; thence in the south line of the said Mill Swamp to the southwest corner thereof, adjoining there to the east side of that way called the Chestnut-Plain road ; thence
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south on the east side of the said way to a point where a line at right angles with the east line of said way and one rod south of the bridge there, called the West Brook bridge would intersect the aforesaid east line of the said way : from the said point of intersection to continue such right angular line as aforesaid to the west side of the said way : thence to the northeast corner of the lot laid out to Samuel Kellog in the Third Division of Com- mons : thence west in the north line of the said lot to a point at which a line parallel to and half a mile distant from the east line of the Three Mile Additional Grant, so called, would intersect the said north line of the lot last mentioned ; thence in such parallel line last mentioned to the District of Con- way ; thence in the line dividing between Hatfield and the town of Deerfield and District of Conway to the Connecticut River : thence on the west side of the said River to the station first mentioned :- be, and hereby is, erected into a separate Town by the name of Whately: And that the inhabitants of the said town be, and are hereby invested with all the powers, privileges, and immunities that towns in this Province enjoy by law, that of sending a Representative to the General Court only excepted : and that the said town of Whately shall have full right and liberty from time to time, to join with the town of Hatfield in the choice of Representative, to be chosen of the towns of Hatfield or the said town of Whately indifferently, to represent them in the General Assembly : and that the said town of Whately shall from time to time bear their proportion of the expense of such Representatives with the said town of Hatfield, according to their respective proportion of the Prov- ince tax : and the frecholders and other inhabitants of the said town of Whately shall be notified of the time and place of elec- tion, by a warrant from the seleetmen of Hatfield directed to the constable or constables of the said town of Whately, requiring such constable or constables to warn the freeholders and other inhabitants of the said Whately qualified to vote in the choice of a Representative, to meet at the time and place of election, which warrant shall be returned by such constable or constables, with certificate of his or their doings thereon, to the selectmen of the town of Hatfield, before the time for holding every such . meeting.
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PROVIDED nevertheless, and be it enacted, That the inhabi- tants of the said town of Whately shall pay their proportion of such Province, County and Town Taxes as are already set on them by the Town of Hatfield, in like manner as though this Act had not been made ; and the constables chosen by the town of Hatfield, at their annual meeting in March, anno domini one thousand seven hundred and seventy, are hereby fully authorized and impowered to levy and collect all such taxes assessed upon the inhabitants and lands in the said town of Whately, and are directed to pay in the same in the same manner they would and ought by law to have done, had not this Act been made.
PROVIDED nevertheless, and be it further enacted, That the treasurer of the town of Hatfield be, and he is hereby impow- ered and directed to pay the town treasurer of the said town of Whately, and for the use of the said town, such a proportion of the sum of Thirty Pounds, which was raised by the town of Hatfield at their meeting on the first Monday in December last, for providing Preaching in the said town of Hatfield in the year then next ensuing, as has been assessed upon the inhabitants and lands within the limits of the said town of Whately, agreeable to the List last taken by the assessors of Hatfield; and the treasurer of the said town of Whately is hereby fully authorized and impowered to demand and receive of the treasurer of Hat- field such proportion of the said Thirty Pounds as aforesaid.
And be it further enacted, That William Williams, Esq., be, and hereby is impowered and directed to issue his warrant to some principal inhabitant of the said town of Whately, requiring him to warn the inhabitants of the said Whately, qualified as hereinafter mentioned, to meet at some suitable time and place in said town, to choose such officers as towns in this Province are impowered and enjoined by law to choose in the month of March annually, which they are hereby impowered to choose at such meeting.
And be it further enacted, That the inhabitants of the said town of Whately, who in the last tax in the town of Hatfield were rated one-half part so much for their Estates and Faculties as for a single Poll, shall be allowed to vote in their first meet- ing, and such other meetings as may be called in the said town
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of Whately, until a valuation of Estates shall be made by assessors there.
And be it further enacted, That no person happening to reside or be within the limits of the said town of Whately, at the end of the present session of this Court, who would not then have become an inhabitant of Hatfiekl had not this Act been made, shall become an inhabitant of the said town of Whately, or have legal claim or right to any of the privileges of an inhabitant there, anything herein before contained to the contrary notwith- standing.
And the said town of Whately shall be, and hereby is fully impowered to proceed with all such persons residing there, who at the end of the said present session of this Court, would not have been inhabitants of Hatfield, in the same manner the town of Hatfield then, or at any time before, might have proceeded with them tonehing their removal. Consented to by the Gov- ernor, April 24, [as appears from the Journal, not actually signed till April 26,] 1771.
AN ACT to set off Thomas Sanderson and others, from Deer- field, and annex them to Whately.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by authority of the same, That from and after the passage of this Act, Thomas Sanderson, Ebenezer Barnard, and Justin Morton, with their polls and estates, together with the lands and the inhabitants thereon, within the limits hereafter described-that is to say, Beginning at the south-west corner of Thomas Sanderson's land in the north line of Whately, thence running northerly on a line parallel with the original cast line of Conway to the north line of Lot Num- ber Sixteen in Long-hill, west Division, so called, thenee run- ning castwardly on the north line of said Lot No. 16 to the cast end of Justin Morton's land, thence southerly on the east line of Justin Morton's land, to the south line of William Tryon's land, thence eastwardly on the south line of William Tryon's land, to the east side of the County road leading from Deerfield to Whately, thence southwardly on the east line of said County road, to the north line of Whately, including all lands within the said running line and the north line of Whately,-be, and
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they hereby are set off from the town of Deerfield, and annexed to the town of Whately.
Passed March 5, 1810.
THE NAME OF THE TOWN .- It is a singular fact that the ori- gin of the name, WHATELY, has been hitherto wholly unknown. No tradition, or conjecture, has existed in relation to it. The memory of a single individual, in 1848, furnished the writer with the following hint. Mr. Oliver Graves (born 1761) said, "I was ten years old when Mr. Salmon White came to our house and read the warrant for the first town meeting. My father asked him why it was called Whately ? IIe answered, 'It is the name of a man.'" The inference from this incident, as well as from the absence of any tradition, is, that the name was not suggested by the inhabitants of the territory. An examination of the Records and files of the General Court for 1771, renders it pretty certain that no Petition for an Act of incorporation, signed by residents, was sent in. The wording of the Preamble seems to imply that there was no such petition-" have made application to this Court "-probably through Israel Williams, Esq., the representative from Hatfield for that year. And the original draft of the Act of incorporation discloses the singular fact, that the bill passed through its several readings in the lower House, and received the concurrence of the Council, with the name left in blank. The inference is, that the name was not selected by the House of Representatives, nor by the Council. And further examination shows that the name was not inserted on the parchment by the engrossing Clerk, but was inserted by the Governor, in his customary hand writing, when it was pre- sented to him for his official signature. This gives the clew to the man for whom the town received its name.
From letters preserved in the State Archives, it appears that a gentleman of the name of . Thomas Whately was at this time connected with the British Government ; that he took a special interest in, and was thoroughly conversant with the affairs of the Massachusetts Colony ; and was an intimate friend, and trusted adviser of Governor Hutchinson. There is hardly room for doubt that the Governor inserted the name Whately in the Act of incor- poration, out of compliment to his London friend.
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The letter above alluded to is here inserted, partly for its his- torie value, as throwing light on the British view of our political affairs, and partly as a memorial of a man of whom nothing has hitherto been known by us, and in whom every citizen of the town must feel a personal interest.
LONDON, 11th February, 1769.
Sir :- I have deferred answering your favors of 17 October and 10 December, till the consideration of American affairs was over : I am sorry to say how little has been done; I am afraid no more is intended. I will therefore give you a full, tho' I doubt not a satisfactory account of our proceedings, as I appre- hend for yo winter.
The manner in which Mr. Danforth's petition was received appears in the votes of 23 January. The manner in which it had been obtained was known to ye Ministry, and stated to the House ; but their great desire to admit some American petition induced them to receive it, entering it only as a petition of indi- viduals, not of the Council : to some, however, the implied assertion of the Right, was an insuperable objection : the Min- isters overlooked it, and yet the next day insisted on rejecting a petition of Mr. Bollan, tho' perfectly innocent, and tho', because it was so, Mr. Grenville with many more strongly pressed to have it received.
These were all the material events previous to the considera- tion of the Resolution and Address sent down by the Lords. The Commons have agreed to them, with some amendments in point of accuracy. I cannot pretend to state to you all that passed in two days' debate upon them ; tho' inefficacy and the locality of the plan proposed were much insisted on : Lord Rockingham's and Lord Shelbourne's friends objected to the whole ; Mr. Grenville, tho' he ridiculed and disapproved of such plan for such a crisis as much as any body, and particularly urged the absurdity of exasperating a deluded people with angry words, while the Tameness of the measure would encourage them, yet as the facts had been stated by the Lords, he would not, by a negative to the Resolutions, give any reason to suppose that he countenanced the transactions therein condemned : nor, on the other hand, by assenting to the Address, shew any appro-
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bation of a measure so inadequate to the occasion. You will easily see what must have been suggested on these topics. I will not trouble you with arguments which so obviously occur; but confine myself to what was said on the Statute of Henry the Eighth. They who opposed the whole plan, generally, not uni- versally, disputed the application of the Act to the Colonies : it was passed before they existed : the Title and the preamble pre- vent such an application, unless upon admission that ye Colonies are not within the King's dominions. Some doubted whether it was an existing law ; but that point was given up. Mr. Gren- ville declared that he, upon the words of the preamble and title had been inclined to think the Statute not applicable, and won- dered the Ministers had not rather rested on the Statute of Edward the Sixth, which was less doubtful ; but said that the precedents and authorities cited by the Attorney General had convinced him that the Act did extend to every part of the King's dominions. Those authorities were many. In O'rooke's Case, reported in Anderson, the twelve Judges were unanimously of opinion that the Act extended to treasons committed in Ire- land, tho' there is a separate Parliament, and every species of Jurisdiction for constituting and trying any offences. Lord Hale in many passages maintains that treasons committed in Ireland, and Guernsey, and in the Remains of the Duchy of Normandy are triable under that Statute in England : Even a Peer of Ire- land, tho' amenable there only before the House of Lords, may be and often has been tried here by a common Jury. At the latter end of Queen Anne's reign, one Kirby was bro't from Antigua to be tried on that statute here, for a treason committed there. The proceeding was on an opinion of Northey, Attorney General, and Raymond, Solicitor General, and passed ye Coun- cil, when Lord Chancellor Harcourt, and Lord Chancellor J. Parker, afterwards Lord Chancellor Macclesfield, were present : he was indicted and pleaded, as appears from ye Record of King's Bench, but afterwards broke prison. Not one Lawyer in the House supported a doctrine contrary to such authorities : as I cite them from memory, you will pardon any little inaccuracies : In y® material points I am exact, and I thought you would wish to be furnished with them, as after debate upon the subject here, I conelude it will be matter of controversy with you.
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I do not hear of any design to bring in a bill to explain or amend y" Mutiny Act, though I have not been wanting to signify thro' proper channels ye difficulties which you have informed me occur in ye execution of it : but perhaps they stay till further experience has shown ye whole extent of what may be necessary to alter. I fear all parliamentary proceedings relative to America are at end for the present, and that this, with the long letter I wrote you on the 14 Nov ' is the whole History of yo session. As to ye Ministerial measures, tho' when Parliament was called upon to approve of them, ye Ministers were in return called upon to declare, whether they meant to abide by them, especially ye suspension of ye Assemblies, no answer could be obtained ; but there has not appeared the least idea of withdrawing y" Troops from Boston, nor will the last Revenue Law be repealed, or I believe altered, whilst the Right to impose duties is questioned. The opinion without doors on the claims of the Colonies, and the behaviour of ye Bostonians seem to me the same as they have been for some time past, and the concurrence of ye other Colonies in the Principles of Boston only confirm those opinions.
I have the honour to be, with great respect, Your most obedient, humble serv
Thomas Mhotely
To The
HIonble Lieut. Gov. HUTCHINSON.
Since these pages were prepared for the press, the following letter has been discovered among some old papers in the State Department. It explains itself.
BOSTON, 14 May, 1771.
Dr. Sir :- Permit me to congratulate you upon the honour done you in your late appointment. It is what I have long wished for, and I hope the junction of so many of Mr. Grenville's friends
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will strengthen Government, and render the present Administra- tion of long continuance. A durable Ministry, and a few exam- ples in England of punishment for the seditious principles and practices so prevalent there, would discourage the disturbers of the peace here. They triumph when their correspondents write that you are in danger of a great convulsion : as soon as their hopes of it are over, they are depressed and hide their heads.
Among the Acts passed in the late session of the General Court, you will see one for incorporating a Township by the name of Whately. This is but a poor mark of respect. I wish it may be in my power to give you further proof of my being, with very great regard and esteem,
Sir, Your most humble and most obedient servant, T. HUTCHINSON.
THOMAS WHATELY.
There is a natural desire to know who lived in Whately, who owned houses here, and what were their pecuniary circum- stances, when the town first started. And as a full, accurate and reliable account of the condition of affairs at this date, the following List of the Polls and Estates of the inhabitants of the Town is here subjoined. Though the month is not given, it was evidently made out in May, 1771. It will be seen that some early settlers are not included in the list. Lieut. Ebenezer Bardwell was at this date a resident of Deerfield. Adonijah Taylor and Gideon Dickinson were living north of the line, in what was afterwards annexed to the town from Deerfield. Noah Wells had probably removed, temporarily, to the Equivalent Lands, afterwards Hawley. Joel Dickinson had removed to Conway. Capt. Lucius Allis had removed to Conway.
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Polls and Estates, Whately, 1771.
Polls.
Dwelling Houses.
Horses. Cows.
Oxen.
Bushels
No. nores Grain. Tillage Land.
Daniel Morton .
2
1
1
3
2
159
12
Oliver Graves
21
1
1
2
130
13
David Graves
1
1
2
80
12
Elisha Belding
1
1
2
60
11
John Crafts
1
1
2
15
3
Joseph Crafts
1
1
15
3
Israel Graves
1
1
1
2
2
33
53
Simeon Wait
2
1
2
1
2
6.4
4
Oliver Morton .
1
1
1
2
4
85
8}
Benj. Smith, Jr.
1
1
1
48
8
Moses Crafts
1
3 sheep
2
45
5
Edward Brown
3
1
3
6
2
26
4
Abraham Turner
2
1
3
2
24
4
Benoni Crafts
1
1
1
2
1
35
5
Paul Belding
1
1
1
2
2
16
2
Hosea Curtis
1
1
2
Joseph Kellogg
1
1
Joseph Belding, Jr.
1
1
2
3
2
150
23
Nathaniel Sartle
1
1
1
2
60
12
Thomas Sanderson
2
1
1
3
2
164
24
Nathaniel Coleman
1
1
Abel Parker
1
1
2
140
20
Jonathan Smith
2
1
1
2
39
6
Elisha Frary
1
1
1
3
2
30
5
Lemuel Wells
1
1
2
John Wait
2
1
1
1
1
132
22
Joseph Scott
3
1
1
1
84
14
Seth Wait
1
1
1
3
4
140
20
Thomas Crafts .
1
1
2
2
80
8
Philip Smith
1
1
1
2
86
16
David Scott
3
1
2
·2
4
88
11
Noah Bardwell
1
1
1
4
4
48
6
Paul Smith .
1
1
1
1
32
Nathan Graves
2
1
1
2
2
56
S
Wid. Lois Parker
1
1
1
3
4
35
7
John Wait, Jr.
1
2
1
21
3
Joshua Beldin .
I
1
1
3
140
20
1
1
Peter Train
1
1
1
3
Ezra Turner
1
1
2
200
20
Henry Stiles
88
Polls.
Dwelling Houses.
Horses.
Cows.
Oxen.
Bushels Grain. 140
No. acres Tillage Land.
Benjamin Scott
2
1
2
3
23
Benj. Scott, Jr.
1
1
1
1
2
119
17
Elisha Smith
2
1
1
2
80
10
Martin Graves .
1
1
1
1
71
10
Salmon White .
1
1
1
3
2
88
11
Perez Bardwell
1
1
2
1
56
8
Samuel Carley .
1
1
1 1
66
11
Thomas Allen .
1
1
1
12
2
William Kellog
1
1
John Graves
1
Elihu Graves
1
David Scott, Jr.
1
1
Non Residents.
Elisha Allis .
1
40
5
Nathaniel Ilawks
1
Aeres English Mowing.
Acres Pasturage.
Acres English Mowing.
Acres Pasturage.
Daniel Morton
12
20
Jona. Smith
6
7
Oliver Graves .
6
12
Elisha Frary
7
12
David Graves .
3
5
Moses Frary
6
Elisha Belding
2
4
John Wait .
7
2
John Crafts
10
Joseph Scott
2
5
Israel Graves .
4
26
Seth Wait .
16
Simeon Wait
13
20
Thomas Crafts .
9
8
Henry Stiles
6
8
Philip Smith
6
6
Oliver Morton .
11
25
David Scott
18
12
Benj. Smith, Jr.
9
Noah Bardwell
6
30
Peter Train
6
20
Paul Smith
3
20
Edward Brown
6
20
Benj. Scott
7
Abraham Turner
16
4
Elisha Smith
3
Benoni Crafts .
6
Martin Graves
5
3
Paul Belding .
6
12
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