USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Whately > History of the town of Whately, Mass., including a narrative of leading events from the first planting of Hatfield, 1661-1899 : with family genealogies > Part 23
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No. 5. This was occupied long before Jonathan Waite owned it. Who built it I do not know, but Nathaniel Moore and his son, John, manufactured spinning wheels and many other arti- cles here as early as 1792. As Capt. Seth Bardwell's mother was a daughter of Nathaniel Moore, and as Capt. Bardwell well knew of his grandfather's ownership, he must have written up these industries for Mr. Temple. The Moores sold out to Pliny Merrick, the clothier, 22 Jan., 1795, also a house known as the Elijah Sanderson house. In 1823, Capt. Seth Bardwell bought it and carried on cloth dressing until 1829, when he commenced manufacturing woolen cloth, with power looms, starting with four. He sold, in 1833, to the Nashes. It has long been owned by Sumner Smith and his heirs, and used for the manufacture of cabinet ware and cane. On the south side of the brook, at No. 5, Nathan Starks had a blacksmith shop, with a power trip hammer, after him James Cutter, then Solomon Graves and another, whose name I don't recall. Elijah Sanderson had wood turning, making wagon hubs, broom handles, and doing a general wheelwright business. Nathan Starks probably occu- pied his blacksmith shop here as early as 1784, or earlier. He removed to Williamsburg about 1816.
No. 6. A sawmill was built about 1765 by Edward Brown and sons. About 1792, Lieut. Noah Bardwell, Asa Sanderson and Moses Munson, Jr., bought the property and run it for the sawing of lumber. Later Rufus Sanderson owned it, then Luther Sanderson, then Charles E. Bardwell and now, I think, Arthur A. Atkins is operating it.
No. 7. Moses Munson, Jr., built a gristmill here as early as 1784, and had a shop in which he manufactured a variety of wooden implements such as vises, cheese presses, chaise springs and other materials. In 1806, Dea. James Smith bought the property, and the gristmill was run until about 1830. An addi- tion was built and the power was used in the manufacture of bits, gimlets and similar goods, for about ten years, employing ten or twelve hands. Since then his son, J. R. Smith, has put in a planing machine and used the plant for general jobbing work. In 1875, Asa T. Sanderson bought the property and C. A. Covill manufactured basket rims and, while thus occupied, the old mill was burned.
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No. 8. About twenty or twenty-five rods down the stream, Capt. Amos Pratt built a clothier's shop before 1800. The ma- chinery was moved, about 1829, up to No. 5. Since then the power has not been used. It has always been claimed that the first wool carding and rolls in town were made at this place. This was a great improvement, as every housewife spun her yarn for all her household wants. The statement that it was moved to No. 5, I have some doubts about, as I well recollect that when Justin R. Smith was married, he lived from 1831 to about 1837 in that old mill, altered into a house. It is probable that Capt. Seth Bardwell bought and moved the machinery to No. 5. It seems as though the building was wrecked at the time of a great freshet and then pulled down.
No. 9. Luther Warner, an uncle of Elliot A., built a mill, in 1824, on the line of the new road built up the brook. He probably built his house and mill about 1827. The mill was used for several years for the manufacture of carpenters' bits and augers. Then it passed into the hands of Samuel B. White. In 1849, George C. Holden hired the mill of Mr. White and made woolen yarn and satinet cloth, and then Davis Graves, a great-grandson of Dea. Nathan Graves, rented the property and made woolen cloth. It is now owned by Charles A. Covill, who runs a sawmill and makes rims for a Northampton basket factory.
No. 10. In 1833, Capt. Seth Bardwell, in company with Levi Bush, Jr., and David Wells, built a woolen mill on this privilege. It had ten looms. This was burned in 1839, and Capt. Bardwell rebuilt the factory and run twenty looms. This fell into the hands of Henry L. James, who operated it until it was burned in March, 1872, and has never been rebuilt.
No. 11. Lieut. Noah Bardwell built an oil mill, about 1780, which was used for this purpose until about 1805, when a flax dressing machine was put in. Aside from this, some iron casting was done here, probably by Charles Bardwell, a son of Lieut. Noah Bardwell, before his removal to Stafford, Conn. A new building, owned by Capt. Seth Bardwell, was built near the site of the oil mill and rented to a firm for making fine cut tobacco. They used Kentucky tobacco. Then Capt. Bardwell made wool yarn, and then fitted it up to make files and to cut over old ones. It was burned in 1877.
No. 12. Hiram Smith first occupied this privilege about 1848, where he had lathes for wood turning, then later it was
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used as a husk mill. It has been used as a cider mill, and now as a gristmill by Harvey Moore and son.
No. 13. This is the best privilege on the brook, having a fall of about forty feet. A sawmill and gristmill were built here by Reuben Belden of Hatfield, as early as 1767. After his de- cease, in 1776, these mills passed into the hands of his cousin, Samuel Belden. About 1792, a company was formed, of which Col. Josiah Allis was the head man, and they bought of Samuel Belden the mills. At that time the general government was looking for a place to build an armory for the manufacture of firearms and, for a time, it was thought to be a sure thing that this privilege would be purchased, but Springfield was finally taken. Col. Allis died in April, 1794. The property was sold, about 1798, to Isaac Frary and it is thought that he run the mills awhile before he purchased. They have since been owned by Maj. Wm. Hale, Dea. David Saunders, Foster Y. Warner, then by Charles and P. M. Wells and now by Dea. Samuel Wilder and son. The mills were wrecked by a freshet about 1875.
No. 14. This is the site of a gristmill built by Charles Wells and Justin Waite. Mr. Waite sold out his share to P. M. Wells and the Wells brothers carried on an extensive busi- ness of from $20,000 to over $30,000 per year. Wells brothers sold to Dea. Samuel Wilder and son about 1885.
No. 15. This site has had a great number of owners and many kinds of business has been carried on here. Stephen Orcutt had a clothier's shop here about 1805. Then Hannum & Taylor had a shop for cloth dressing and wool carding, in 1810. Mr. Fairman was in the same business from 1820 to '26. Mr. Cowan continued the business and was here for several years. In 1832, a new factory was built and used as a pocket comb factory. This was commenced by Col. R. B. Harwood, Wright Boyden and Josiah Allis. After a few years they sold out and it was used for the manufacture of woolen goods by Buf- fum & Harding, and afterwards owned by Justin Brown, a Mr. Sykes and Justus Starks. It was burned about 1840. It was afterwards bought by Justin Waite, who built the present plan- ing mill. He was succeeded by his son, Frank J. Waite, and it is now owned by Luman S. Crafts who runs a planing mill, a general repair shop and builds new wagons and sleds, with needed blacksmith work, and makes about 1500 to 2000 barrels of cider a year.
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No. 16. This was the place used by Reuben Belden of Hatfield for his iron works, and it stood about where Charles Potter's barn was built. This was quite a large establishment. He not only used iron ore and smelted it here, but did a large and profitable business by pounding scrap iron into bar iron. When he died, in 1776, the iron works were appraised at £240, while his gristmill and sawmill, on No. 13, were inventoried at £102. "In 1789, the town laid a road beginning at Hatfield line at West brook bridge, running north from said bridge one rod, then west two and one-half degrees, north fifteen rods, then west thirty-one degrees, north seven rods to the northeast cor- ner of the mill, then north five rods to the top of the hill for the convenient turning of teams." The mill here alluded to was the building used for grinding the grain used for making rye gin. This was carried on for some years by a company formed for that purpose, consisting of Gen. Seth Murray, Gen. Dickin- son, Seth Bardwell, Samuel Belden, Aaron Dickinson and one other. They sent to Providence, R. I., and obtained a compe- tent foreman, Mr. Abial Harding, formerly of Whately, for that purpose. This was said to be the first gin distillery in Massachusetts. It was here that Abial Harding's son, Ches- ter Harding, commenced sketching the profiles of parties bring- ing loads of rye, upon the sides of the mill. He was, in after years, a renowned portrait painter. I have heard my father, who was intimately acquainted with Mr. Harding, speak of these offhand portraits, drawn on the rough boards of the mill, as being neatly done.
After these industries had been given up, Stephen Orcutt carried on a pottery on the same premises, grinding his clay by water power. The water was brought several rods in board troughs about fifteen inches wide and deep, and elevated ten or twelve feet on trusses. These were in use as late as 1830 by the Waites, who succeeded Orcutt.
Isaac Frary's bark mill was what we used to call the lower mill on No. 13 that could only run while the upper mill was in use, as it used over the water that ran the upper mill. It was built for grinding bark for the tanneries. William Wing at one time ran Orcutt's clothier's or carding mill on shares.
Hopewell brook. The only valuable privilege on this brook, or combination of streams flowing from springs all along under Hopewell Hill, was the site of the Belden mill. About 100 years ago, in 1798, Joshua Belden started in a rude way a saw-
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mill. This was not used many years. In 1850, Charles D. Stockbridge started here a factory for making paste blacking and also, at a later time, a factory for making stockings and employed at least ten or fifteen girls, perhaps more. After this, Elihu Belden used this factory for the preparation of colors for fresco painting, and had ovens for baking the umber and sienna, as this changed the colors.
Roaring brook. Saw and gristmills were early built on this stream by Adonijah Taylor, George Sheldon says, "before 1766." This was a great accommodation to those living in the north part of Whately which, when those were built, was in Deerfield. There was at first a gristmill some ways up the stream, while the sawmill was near his house, and now the saw and gristmill are contiguous, near the house of George E. San- derson. Eli Sanderson had a cloth dressing and wool carding shop still further down the stream.
Poplar Hill brook. Joel Munson, usually called "Silver Joel," to designate him from Joel, the son of Reuben, built on this brook a shop in which he and his father worked a portion of their time, in making cider mill screws of wood, and also the blocks, or nuts, that crushed the apples. These screws were - about four and a half feet long, and six or eight inches in diam- eter. Also the beams, some eighteen to twenty inches or more square, made of hard maple. They also made coffins and many other things, as plows, ox yokes, etc., etc.
TANNERIES were generally built where there was a small stream or brook. Paul Belden, before the organization of the town, had built on the road leading from Samuel Wells' house to the Baptist meeting-house, a tannery, and used it until his removal, about 1795, to Brookfield, Vt. After he left, I think George Rogers used it. Dea. Thomas Sanderson built a tannery on the east side of Canterbury road, and also carried on an extensive shoemaking business during the Revolutionary war, or until his removal to Indian Hill in 1803. He was suc- ceeded by his son, Maj. Thomas, and he by his son, John Sanderson. Solomon Atkins, Jr., built a tannery on Gutter Hill brook, just westof the bridge, and used it many years. He was succeeded by Stalham Allis, both in the tannery and shoe business, and Mr. Allis was followed by Dexter Frary, who carried on the business on a larger scale than his predecessors. Asa Sanderson was a tanner and shoe- maker and, as he bought the Noah Field property in 1783, he
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probably started a tannery soon after his removal to the west part. I well recollect his tanyard and shoe shop as early as 1825. Graves Crafts had a small tannery in connection with his shoemaking business. Capt. Eleazer Frary carried on a tannery near where he built the house now owned by Lincoln B. San- derson. Phineas Graves lived where C. R. Chaffee does now and was a tanner and shoemaker, his tannery being west of Mr. Chaffee's barn. Stephen Orcutt was a tanner and shoemaker and was always doing something at it, but not as a regular business.
BLACKSMITHS. John Lamson, in 1773 or '74, had a shop near the Samuel Lesure place and continued it until 1791. About the same time a blacksmith shop was built at the Straits, but by whom occupied I have never learned. Jehu Dickinson built, near his house, a large shop and here his son, Eurotus, David Graves and several others learned the trade, about 1798 to 1803. He started in business as early as 1782. David Cook had a shop, I think in the Straits about 1792, and was in town about four years. Oliver Morton, Jr., built a nice, commodious shop near his house in 1798. Among his apprentices was Levi Gunn, who removed to Conway. The Morton shop has had many occupants, the most prominent being Leander Clark and Horace B. Fox, the latter carrying on the business there a good many years. Isaac Chapman had a shop near his residence on the Easter road. Roswell Train had a shop near his house on Poplar Hill road, about 1807. James Cutter, in 1804, probably succeeded Nathan Starks, who had a blacksmith shop at (the city) West Whately, with trip hammer, and used the West brook for his power. This shop was bought by Reuben Jenney Jr., Mr. Cutter selling to him and removing to Hatfield, about 1818 or '20. Israel Scott, who was born in 1766 and lived on the Capt. Fay place, had his shop near his house, between that and the house of Benjamin Cooley. Justin Smith had a shop in the Straits. S. W. Fox run a shop at the Straits some years ; Michael Kennedy, several years. At Claverick, Chester Wells opened a shop south of Perez Wells' house, about 1803, and Benjamin Larrabee continued it until after 1816. Mr. Wells removed to Chestnut Plain street, bought the William Cahill place and carried on an extensive business with Leander Clark, his brother-in-law. Later a syndicate of citizens built a shop, in the rear of the Town house, which has been
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run by several different parties, among them we will name Henry D. Smith, son of Col. Oliver, who, after his service in the army, came here and occupied that shop. Herbert L. Bates succeeded him, and later Fred L. Graves. Arthur L. Atkins opened a shop in Christian Lane, and later H. L. Bates run it for several years. Now owned by Fred L. Graves. This does not include all of the trade, as it is well known that S. W. Fox had a shop on Lover's Lane. Several of the Barnards were blacksmiths, as was probably Luther Warner.
HATTERS. A hatter named Amasa Smith, came to Whately not far from 1785 and worked at his trade here six or seven years. In 1799, Benjamin and Joseph Mather had a shop at the southeast corner of the C. R. Chaffee lot, on Chestnut Plain street. Joel, Benjamin and Osee Munson had a shop south of the southwest schoolhouse as long ago as I can remem- ber. It was an old building and has been gone more than sixty years. It was a two-story building and, if I recollect aright, was painted red. Jerry Allis learned his trade there about 1798 to 1803. Then it was common to carry all the furs to this shop and they made the hats on shares or bought the furs, as one chose.
BRICK MAKING. In 1778, the town voted, "That John Locke have liberty to make brick in the road near the house of Capt. Henry Stiles." Daniel Morton and Lewis Stiles carried on the business from 1782 to about 1795, and then Daniel Mor- ton and Capt. Henry Stiles were in company in 1799. After this Daniel Morton continued the business until 1827. Thomas Crafts and John White made brick together and built two schoolhouses of brick in 1810, one for each of the center dis- tricts. Justus Crafts and Chester Wells were probably in com- pany with Capt. Luke Wells, on Capt. Wells' land, near Mill swamp. Oliver Dickinson made brick on the West side of Chestnut Plain road, below the Whites, for several years. About 1832, Levi Bush, Jr., made brick on the south side of the crossroad, I think, about two years, each year a kiln of about 200,000. His foreman was Jehiel Barber. Since then a smaller quantity has been made at the Drain Tile works on James M. Crafts' place, east of the Connecticut River road.
POTTERY WARE. In 1797, Stephen Orcutt commenced the manufacture of common brown earthenware. Prior to his com-
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mencing this business Jonathan Pierce had a shop just south of the line in Hatfield. Orcutt built the place since known as the Lem. Waite place. It was here where the first pottery was established. This was carried on for many years by the sons of Mr. Waite. About 1802 Thomas Crafts commenced in the pot- tery business near where Lyman A. Crafts now resides, but removed it to Claverack in 1806, and was interested as owner or in company with others until 1847, manufacturing common brown earthenware until 1821. From then until 1832, he kept six or eight hands at work making black teapots to the value of some $4000 per annum. He remodeled his shops and commenced, in 1833, the manufacture of stoneware, continuing fifteen years; then James M. Crafts and brother continued the business some years. They were followed by E. A. Crafts in company with D. D. and I. N. Wells, and they by Martin Crafts, and it was closed out entirely about 1860. Quartus Graves had a pottery where Fred L. Graves now owns, for about ten years. A pot- tery was built on the Quinn place-who built or started it I never knew-but Heman Swift was the last occupant. Mr. Orcutt, in company with Obadiah and Luke Waite, started a stoneware pottery south of the McClelan place, on land now owned by Samuel Wilder. This was never successful for rea- sons which I need not relate. Sanford S. Perry & Co. built a pottery and made black teapots, not far from 1820. This too, was not run on strictly business principles and only continued about three years. The shop was bought by Simeon Reed, moved from the lot now owned by Mrs. M. W. Jewett and used by him for a wheelwright shop. It is now owned by David Cal- lahan. A small pottery was built on the Israel Wells place, then owned by Thomas Crafts, and occupied first by Justus Crafts, about 1825, and afterwards by Rufus Crafts. About 1831, Justus Crafts built a house on Claverack, north of the Allen Belden place, and used one end of it for a pottery. Ralph E. Crafts built a small pottery on land of Thomas Crafts, which was used for making flower pots, burned in 1843, and he re- built, in 1844, on his own land. This was afterwards used for a broom shop. At that time the pottery business added much to the town, giving employment to a good many men, there being twenty-one native born potters in town, aside from many journeymen, but now there is not a single one of that occupation here.
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CARRIAGES AND WAGONS. Two-wheeled carriages, or chaises, came in use before those with four wheels, but they were not made in Whately. Rev. Rufus Wells owned the first chaise in town as early as 1784; Dea. Thomas Sanderson had one very soon after. Prior to this, the only mode of travel was either on foot or horseback, the roads not being worked to per- init any other method of travel, except on routes from one large town to another. It is said that in the old Hampshire county, as late as 1753, there were only two private carriages, the county then including Hampden and Franklin counties. These were owned by Col. Israel Williams of Hatfield and Moses Por- ter of Hadley. Horse sleds, or sleighs, were simply a box with a seat set on runners used for winter travel. When Moses Mun- son came from Farmington, Conn., in 1784, all his household goods, his wife and children came upon a one-horse sled, these being in use before carriages on wheels. Lieut. Perez Bardwell had what was called a pung of extra finish, in 1773, and Salah Graves had one in 1782, Col. Allis had a pung that was painted in 1776, Dr. Dickinson had a sleigh in 1790 and Dr. Francis Harwood had one about the same time, though I never saw Dr. Harwood on his rounds visiting his patients except astride his faithful horse and in his old age he sat so firm that he seemed really a part of the horse, with his saddle bags con- taining his medicines. Jacob Rosefield had a shop opposite Bartlett's corner, where he made cart wheels, about 1790. Coming down to a later date, about 1808 or '09, Elijah Sander- son came from Conway and he, soon after, had a shop on the south side of the brook, on privilege No. 5, where he turned hubs for wheels and commenced manufacturing one-horse pleas- ure wagons, and about the same time Charles Bardwell, who lived where George W. Moore does now, commenced making wagons. In 1812, Thomas Crafts had several hands at the work. Simeon Graves in Christian Lane, Sylvester Morton, Chester Wells and his brother Luther, and perhaps others were engaged in making and selling these vehicles, and salesmen were sent all over the territory where they could dispose of their goods. One horse would draw about four of them over our poor roadways. In 1807, there were eleven carriages and wagons assessed to the following persons: Lieut. John Brown, one, Isaiah Brown, one, Lieut. Noah Bardwell, one, Charles Bardwell, one, Reuben and Aaron Belden, one, Capt. Seth Frary, one, Maj. Phineas Frary, one, Martin Graves, one, Maj.
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Thomas Sanderson, one, David Stockbridge, one, Capt. Salmon White, one. These wagons were built strong and were inno- cent of any kind of springs, except the seat, which had a slight spring.
But it was a long time before the horse block could be dispensed with, as people as late as 1824, went to meeting Sun- days husband and wife on the same horse, the man on the sad- dle, the wife on the pillion, perhaps with a baby in her arms, and thus they traveled. When Erastus Crafts and Maria Lam- son were married 4 Nov., 1817, Uncle Erastus related the incident to me; he said that Uncle Graves Crafts made a string of verses about them. They rode horseback, his bride seated upon the pillion. The horse was known as old "White eye," and he had borrowed old Doctor Harwood's loaded whip for the occasion and instead of going to Europe or some great city they went to Rowe. I have one stanza which runs as follows :
"There's Erastus and Mrs. Maria They both can have their heart's desire ;
The Doctor's whip will make "White eye" go And they will gallop straight for Rowe."
I mention this incident to show conditions as they then existed as a sort of an exhibit in contrast to the present fashion of managing such marriage trips now-a-days. Erastus Crafts was a highly respected citizen, as well informed as men in general, and his wife was one the best of women. They lived together as husband and wife over fifty-four years.
In 1803 or '04, there were no chaises or wagons taxed in town, though Rev .. Rufus Wells had a chaise, he was not taxed for any of his property. Dea. Thomas Sanderson then lived on Indian Hill, in Deerfield, which has since been annexed to Whately.
SALTPETER was made at the part of the town on the road leading from the Straits to the Frank D. Belden place, on land formerly owned by James Whalen, on a small flat piece of ground partly down Hopewell Hill. Another site for this busi- ness was some twenty rods north of the Giles Dickinson place, just across the bridge over Roaring brook, and the hill there has long been known as "Pete Hill." These places seem to have been selected for boiling the lye. This was procured by leach-
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ing soil from underneath buildings and similar sources. Then the high price for such commodities doubtless served as the incentive, as well as its need for the manufacture of powder.
NAIL MAKING. Spencer Graves, when in his ninetieth year, told me that he well recollected when a boy, of going to the mill on Indian Hill and seeing Amos Marsh and his son, Thomas, who not only attended the mill, but also engaged in making nails, and he had often seen a Mr. Hicks, who succeeded the Marshes, at work with the machine cutting nails. The iron was in strips of sufficient width to slice off a nail of the size to be made, then these were headed by hand. The machine, he thought, was worked by lever power. This was the way in which Asa Marsh, "the aged," made nails, about 1804 or '05.
TAR KILNS. There were two or three of these kilns, one being owned by Graves Crafts and was a little north of the north center schoolhouse on the east side of the road ; another by Dea. Thomas Sanderson, and we learn from his account book that he employed Nathaniel Sartwell at his tar kiln, in 1778. Where they disposed of the tar, or the amount produced, I do not know, but in the east part of the town there was a heavy growth of yellow, or pitch pine, and as they cut off the forests the stumps and roots that were charged with pitch were used for its manufacture.
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