USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Ludlow > Ludlow: a century and a centennial, comprising a sketch of the history of the town of Ludlow, Hampden County, Massachusetts > Part 3
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" And that the said District shall have full right and liberty from time to time to join with the town of Springfield, in the choice of Rep- resentatives to represent them in the General Assembly, and that the said District of Ludlow shall, from time to time, be chargeable with, and pay their proportion and part of the charge and expense of such Representatives, and the free-holders and other inhabitants of the said District of Ludlow, shall be notified of the time and place of such elec- tion in like manner as the inhabitants of said Springfield, by a War- rant from the Selectmen of Springfield, directed to the Constable of said District, requiring him to warn the inhabitants thereof to meet and assemble in the meeting for that purpose, at the time and place therein appointed, and that the pay of such representatives be borne by the said District, and the towns of Springfield and Wilbraham, in such proportion as they respectively pay to the province tax.
" And be it further enacted that the said District of Ludlow and the inhabitants therof shall stand charged with the payment of their share, part and proportion of all debts and sums of money due and owing from said town of Springfield, and all grants, rates and assessments al- ready made, and that this Act shall not extend to abridge or affect the rights of the inhabitants of the town of Springfield to the timber, herbage, or stone on any lands in said District.
" And be it further enacted that the Honorable John Worthington, Esq., be empowered and directed to issue his warrant, directed to some principal inhabitant of said District, requiring him to warn the inhab-
15
ACT OF INCORPORATION.
itants of said District qualified by law to vote in town meetings, to assemble at some convenient place in said District, some time in March next, to choose all such officers as may be necessary to manage the affairs of said District, and which by law ought to be chosen, which at such meeting they are hereby required to choose.
" And be it further enacted that if the said west line of the before described tract of land, now erected into a District, should not extend so far as to include and contain the farms of Zachariah Warner, Zach- ariah Warner, Jun., Oliver Chapin, and Ezekiel Squire, that their said farms and lands, situate in said place called Stony Hill, be made part of, and annexed to, said District, to all intents and purposes, and that the same, with the inhabitants thereof, have and receive all the privi- leges, duties and burthens of the said District, in as full manner as though the same were contained within the limits and boundaries first described.
" And be it further enacted, that the said District of Ludlow and the inhabitants thereof, be, and hereby are at all times hereafter, freed, discharged and exempted from all future duties, taxes and assessments in the several parishes and precincts to which they before this Act belonged and appertained; and that they be forever after disunited and separated from all other parishes and precincts, and no longer be, continue or remain, part or parcel thereof, or in any wise connected therewith : provided, nevertheless, that they remain charged with the payment of their part and proportion of all grants, taxes and assess- ments, heretofore made by the respective parishes to which they before appertained.
" And be it further enacted, that the said District of Ludlow shall have and hold their share and proportion of all ministry and school lands lying in the outward commons, so called, on both sides of Connecticut River, in said Springfield, and of all the stock of ammu- nition, and of all sums of money in the treasury of said town, and of all debts due and owing to said town (excepting the sum of two hun- dred pounds heretofore granted and appropriated for building a bridge over Chicabee River), there to be divided, appointed and set off to them in such share and proportion as the inhabitants there paid and were as- sessed to the last Province tax in said town, and that the said District shall at all times be chargeable with the maintenance and support of the present poor of the town of Springfield, in the same proportion, and with their proportion of the maintenance and support of any person or persons heretofore belonging to said town, but now removed from thence, who shall be returned thither and become the public charge thereof."
16
HISTORY OF LUDLOW.
"February 23, 1774. This Bill, having been Read three Several Times in the House of Representatives, Passed to be Enacted.
THOMAS CUSHING, Speaker.
"February 23, 1774. This Bill, having been Read three Several Times in Counsel, Passed to be Enacted.
THOMAS FLUCKER, Sec'y.
"February 28th, 1774. By the Governor.
I consent to the Enacting of this Bill.
T. HUTCHINSON.
" A true copy. Attest, JOHN COTTON, D. Secr'y."
" The Honorable John Worthington " issued his " War- rant," according to direction, and then probably sent out a Springfield citizen to see that the "inhabitants of said District " conducted themselves with due legal propriety at their first district meeting. The warrants were posted, attracting such attention as never since have like docu- ments, and the Ides of March were eagerly awaited. At an early hour came the proud yeomen. From both sides of Mineachogue, from the margin of Higher Brook and its tributaries, from the edge of Shingle Swamp northward, and Bear Swamp eastward, on foot and on horseback, came the men and their boys, until the kitchen of Abner Hitchcock was well filled. The hand of Benajah Willey traced out for the curious of later days the following rec- ord, in chirography that would bear favorable comparison with later specimens :
" The first town meeting was held at the house of Ab- ner Hitchcock, March 16th, 1774. Moses Bliss, Esq., of Springfield, was chosen moderator, Benajah Willey, clerk, Aaron Ferry, Abner Sikes, and Joseph Miller were chosen selectmen, Joshua Fuller and Jacob Kendall, wardens, Jo- seph Jones, John Hubbard, Jr., and Joseph Hitchcock, assessors, John Sikes and Jacob Cooley, constables, Joseph Miller became the treasurer, Beriah Jennings, Joel Willey and Noah Bowker were elected surveyors, James Kendall
17
ORIGIN OF NAME.
and Oliver Chapin, tithing-men, Israel Warriner and Isaac Brewer, fence viewers, Isaac Warriner and Ezra Parsons, hog-reeves, Ezekiel Squires, Aaron Colton, and Jonathan Lombard, deer-reeves"-surely a distribution of spoils.
It is a singular fact that the origin of the name of Lud- low has never been satisfactorily settled. If the result of repeated investigations had been to clear up this matter, we might be satisfied ; the fact is, however, such exami- nation has only resulted in throwing doubts upon theo- ries previously advanced. The titles of towns were de- rived from the most trivial circumstances, oftentimes. It is rumored that a provincial governor crossed the sea in a vessel named the Blandford. One of the earlier events of his official life was the incorporation of a new town west of the Great River. Assuming the prerogative of naming the town, he thought well of the ship which brought him safely over, and the town was yclept Bland- ford. This fact illustrates the difficulty encountered by inquirers of a later day in tracing the naming of town ti- tles. We find no assistance in the earlier archives. Prior to 1774, the region is called Mineachogue, Outward Com- mons, the " Cow Pasture," Stony Hill. The act of incor- poration passes, and the new district is Ludlow. We are unable to trace any connection with the geographical name as elsewhere employed, and find ourselves forced into the annals of biography for the more likely theories.1
1The other places bearing the name are as follows :
Ludlow, County Salop or Shropshire, England. A considerable town near the borders of England and Wales, of ancient origin, sending two members to parlia- ment. Governed by a mayor and aldermen. Known widely because of its famous castle just without the town, now in ruins, but for many years playing an import- ant part in the affairs of the kingdom, forming, as it did, one of the frontier outposts of England. See a very interesting letter, from the Mayor of the town, in the Appendix, C.
Ludlow, Windsor Co., Vt., a large manufacturing village on the Black River, just at the base of the Green Mountains, on the Cheshire railroad.
Ludlow, Northumberland Co., New Brunswick, on one of the branches of the Miramichi.
3
18
HISTORY OF LUDLOW.
The first theory, presented by the able speaker at the Centennial Celebration,2 points to Sir Edmund Ludlow, an ardent republican living in England at the time of the protectorate, who was one of the king's judges. Always opposed to the idea of the protectorate, he won a warm place in the esteem of all true patriots by twice standing firmly against the ruling power in the interests of repub- licanism.3 He flourished in the middle of the fifteenth century.
The other suggested origin of name is from one Roger 1 Ludlow, a prominent citizen in early New England colo- nial history. He came to Roxbury about a dozen years after the Mayflower arrived, and was ever a prominent character. Presented to the people as a candidate for the governorship of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634, he failed of an election. Deeply chagrined at his defeat, and stung by charges against his management as deputy, he left the colony, removing to Windsor, Conn. Here he became a leading man, at one time being employed to draw up for the people a code of laws, long known as Ludlow's code.4 He removed after some years, to Fair- field, whence, after an altercation with the officials of New Haven colony, he departed to Virginia, and disappeared from public sight at once and forever.5
Ludlow, Miami Co., Ohio.
Ludlow, Champaign Co., Ill.
Ludlow, Dubois Co., Ind.
Ludlow, Allamakee Co., Iowa.
Ludlow, Scott Co., Miss. Ludlow, Kenton Co., Ky.
Ludlowville, Lansing, Tompkins Co., N. Y. Ludlow, Mckean Co., Pa. 2See Address, Note I.
3The theory suggested relative to the association of Ludlow and Hampden, per- sons and names, seems hardly probable, as there was an interval of thirty-eight years between the christenings. Would a tory like Hutchinson have honored the memory of Ludlow ?
4This code bears the date 1694. Among its provisions, were a fine of 5 shillings for non-attendance at church, and one of 10 shillings for swearing. Tobacco was not to be used by any under twenty, except on recommendation of a physician. A fine of 6d. was to be levied for the use of the weed in public.
5For the etymology of the word and the Milton theory, see the letter from Mayor John Adney of Ludlow, England, in the Appendix, C.
19
ECCLESIASTICAL DEMANDS.
Of these two suggested sources of the name, so nearly contemporary, the reader must choose, until additional light can be thrown upon the subject. An objection against both sources is the remoteness of the characters, a full century intervening between them and their sup- posed namesake.6
The provision made in the charter for the incorporation of certain farms within the limits of the district, probably accounts for the angles in the western line of the town, evidently made so as to include those lands belonging to the proprietors named. The original boundary was evi- dently very similar to the present.
The first meeting is past, the new district is named, and all preparations are made for corporate existence. But nothing has been done to bring about that state of things so desirable to the settlers. They must have a church and the ordinances of the sanctuary.
The world may smile at the earlier annals of New Eng- land history, but while smiling, may still read and ponder. There was little in the rugged commons which foretold a town. There was little in the appearance of these hus- bandmen that prophesied the Ludlow yeomen of to-day. If you would learn of the principle that gave to these seem- ingly inchoate elements their unity and combined strength, read of their religious longings. They desired a place for convenient worship, and so those worshiping westward turned from their ecclesiastical home to find another east- ward ; those whose heart-strings had entwined about the Wilbraham sanctuary, loosened the tendrils and trained them about the remoter center northward. When will the lesson be remembered, that our nobler institutions had
6In speaking of names, it is worthy of remark that while the name of Stony Hill, formerly given to Ludlow, has been appropriated by a section of Wilbraham, our town preserves in its most prominent landmark, Mt. Mineachogue, the title once given by the aborigines to all the outward commons.
20
HISTORY OF LUDLOW.
their bases planted on the stone once rejected, but now " the Head of the Corner ?"
Tracing the records of the time, we soon discover the people gathering again in district meeting, at Abner Hitchcock's, April 22d, about a month after the other, and voting " to hire Mr. Pelatiah Chapin. " Explanations in later records show that Mr. Chapin was desired to preach. With an eye to order, as well as sanctuary privi- leges, they, in the next breath, " voted that Swine Should · run at large yokª and with a Ring in their Nose as the law Directs." Resuming the former theme, a committee, John Hubbard, Abner Sikes and Joseph Jones were chosen " for to agree with Mr. Chapin." At an adjourned meet- ing, "June 1th," Abner Sikes, Edmond Demon and Jona- than Bartlett were chosen to find the center of the dis- trict, that a location for a meeting-house could be fixed. Still later, in October, the committee named, having har- vested a crop planted since their appointment, reported that they had seen Mr. Chapin, and secured his services. The district ratified their action, and authorized them to continue in their official relation. The other com- mittee failed to secure as much favor, for they were dis- charged, but Sikes and Demon were again employed for the same purpose, together with Samuel Ackley and Oliver Chapin.
It was at this meeting that there occurred the first offi- cial measure bearing upon the coming struggle with the mother country. The call to a meeting of all the prov- ince had gone out to every town and district, asking for the appointment of one or more delegates from each cor- porate body, to a Provincial Congress to be held at Con- cord. Joseph Miller was appointed to go, and went, not only to this but to the succeeding session at Salem, held a little later, and also to still another like gathering at Cam- bridge, and another at Watertown the next May. A lit-
21
THE REVOLUTION.
tle idea of the expense of these journeys may be obtained from the item recorded later :
" Voted that Joseph Miller be allowed his bill for attending the Several Congresses, which is £11 13s 2d, likewise voted that the said Capt. Joseph Miller have Two Shillings pr. Day for Thirty Two Days Service attending the Several Congresses."
It may be as well here to trace the town record through this fearful struggle, comprising the birth-throes of a nation. Ludlow has no occasion to be ashamed of her history in this respect. One in seven of her inhabitants left for a longer or briefer time their homes and loves to engage in the fray. In the defences at home, in the con- flicts at the capital,7 in the battles on the frontier, at the carnage of Trenton, were found the representatives of the little district in the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
A glance at the names of the men who went from the district8 will make it evident to any one familiar with the earlier history of the place, that the best blood was repre- sented in the revolution. The records make evident the fact that every burden imposed was borne, every tax paid. The people seem to have taken "joyfully the spoiling of their goods." In one of the provincial congresses, held February 1, 1775, the place was assigned the care of ten of the inhabitants of Boston, and March 20th the people vote "that the Constables pay into the hand of Henry Gardner, Esqr., of Stow, all the moneys Due from this District Respectively to supply the said pressing Exigen- cies of the Colony, according to a resolve of the late Pro- vincial Congress." In the apportionment of coats for soldiers in the service in 1775, Ludlow is to find twenty- three, and no doubt the district complied. Twelve pounds annual bounty for two years was offered to volunteers in 1777, while a bounty of thirty pounds was necessary, or
"It is reported that Dr. Aaron J. Miller was in the " tea party " at Boston. 8See Mr. Tuck's Address, Note IV.
22
HISTORY OF LUDLOW.
deemed so, two years after. As money degenerates later in the year, it becomes necessary to raise £160 for war purposes. Other instances of patriotism have been in- stanced by another pen.9 The noblest monument of the loyalty of Ludlow in her infancy, however, is in that no- ble list of thirty strong men who went forth at their country's call.
But the darkest nights end in gleamings of dawn, and after all this self-denial and inconvenience and manifold peril, we turn over but few pages of the records before we discover references to " the late war."
It was a trying time for a new town, when its revenues were diverted to pay the costs of war, and its young men sent off to bear the musket. Yet the citizens persist in living, and, moreover, in supporting the institutions of religion among themselves. Mr. Chapin10 was hired for a season, (probably a year in all,) and others in the passage of time. An application was made in 1776 to neighbor- ing ministers to supply the desk for a while. In 1777, the selectmen are instructed to " provide a place for a candi- date to board at while preaching among us." In 1779, Rev. Mr. Davenport is hired for one month, and the com- mittee left to decide whether he shall continue longer. He seems to have made little impression, for in 1778, Jonathan Bartlett, Joshua Fuller and Joseph Hitchcock became a committee "to hire a Candidate." Who sup- plied from 1777 to 1783, we have not discovered. In that year, a committee was instructed to hire " Mr. Hutch- inson to Preach with us again." The next year a like order is given with reference to "M". Haskal," who, this time under the soubriquet of " M". David Haskill," seems
9See Address, Note III.
10In the Chapin Genealogy is the following : "Rev. Peletiah Chapin, son of Elijah Chapin, b. 1746, was a preacher of the Gospel for a great number of years. At the time of his publishment the record says he was of Chesterfield, (probably N. H.). He died in New Hampshire, aged 90."
23
THE EARLIER MINISTRY.
to have been in town two years later. This reverend gentleman enjoys the distinction of being the first to re- ceive a call from the towns-people, a vote extending such an invitation bearing record "thursday the 19 Day of october," same year. A committee of three is to apply to neighboring minister for advice. Thirty-one days later it is voted " to give Mr. David Haskill one hundred and Fifty Pounds Settlement & Sixty Pounds Sallery yearly, So Long as he Supplies the Town in the gospel ministry." Whether "Mr. David Haskill " objected to the terms, or was rejected by the council, does not appear, but it is certain he was not settled, for the next year the commit- tee are instructed to apply to him again for a supply.
In 1788, the town signifies its desire for the services of Mr. Stephen Fuller, and in the same year they propose a call to Mr. Allen Pratt, and wish to hear him two Sab- baths. In 1789, at a meeting called almost for the pur- pose, it is voted to give a call to Mr. William Stone, with the same settlement as was offered Mr. Haskill, and a " Sallery " of fifty Pounds Yearly, " and also that the sum to Increase forty shillings per year after one year, until it amount to sixty-five pounds annually." But again was the vacant pulpit to mourn over the futile attempts at a permanent settlement. In 1790, " Mr. Aaron Wood- ward " is invited to continue his services, and the follow- ing year11 still finds him here, while in 1793 it is proposed to call him, with a settlement of £150, and a salary of £40 at first, increasing five pounds annually to £60- the sums to be paid in grain or stock. The committee is to confer with the reverend gentleman and report at a future meeting, but his name at this point drops forever from the records.12
11 In 1791, it is recorded that the town desired the services of a Mr. Snell for four Sabbaths.
12 Rev. William Rice writes : " I think Woodward once lived in Wilbraham, but not as pastor."
24
HISTORY OF LUDLOW.
But day begins to dawn upon the often disappointed people, and brings with it one who will stay among them for a season and share their joys and sorrows. Under date of May 1, 1793, we read, “ Voted, to give the Minis- terial Committee further Instructions to hire Mr. Steward to preach with us a longer time." Antipas Steward, the learned, the pious, has come to Ludlow to abide here.
But before proceeding with a description of this first settled minister in the town, it will be desirable to men- tion an episode which occurred during this ante-regnum, in which a character afterward notorious, plays an im- portant part. Reference is made to the ministrations of Stephen Burroughs, who in 1783 or 1784 preached his first sermon in this town, bearing the assumed name of Davis. Without further statement of the affair than re- marking that the Fuller named must have been Joshua, and the place of entertainment on the present Dorman farm, we give the account of the affair as written by the chief actor himself.
After mentioning the chain of circumstances leading to his determination to preach, and describing his clothing, " which consisted of a light-gray coat, with silver-plated buttons, green vest, and red velvet breeches," Mr. Bur- roughs goes on thus :
" Hearing of a place called Ludlow, not far distant, where they were destitute of a clergyman, I bent my course that way, it being Satur- day, and intended to preach the next day, if I proved successful. I arrived about noon, and put up at the house of one Fuller, whom I found to be a leading man in their religious society. I introduced my- self to him as a clergyman, and he gave me an invitation to spend the Sabbath with them and preach. You will readily conclude that I did not refuse this invitation. * * * I retired to rest at the usual time, and after I had composed my mind sufficiently for reflection, I began to consider under what situation my affairs now stood, and what was to be done under present circumstances. I had engaged to preach on the *
morrow. * * People had been notified that a sermon would be What, delivered. This business I never had attempted.
25
STEPHEN BURROUGHS.
said I, would be my feelings, should I make some egregious blunder in traveling this unbeaten road ? * * * These considerations made so dismal an appearance, that I at once concluded to get up, take my horse privately out of the stable and depart, rather than run the risk of the dangers which were before me. But upon more mature re- flection, I found the hard hand of necessity compelled me to stay. When I awoke the next morning, my heart beat with anxious palpita- tion for the issue of the day. The time for assembling ap- proached ! I saw people began to come together. My feelings were all in arms against me, my heart would almost leap into my mouth. Why, said I, am I thus perturbated with these whimsical feel- ings ? I know my dress is against me, and will cause some speculation ; but I cannot help it, and why need I afflict myself with disagreeables before they arrive ? I endeavored to calm my feelings by those reflec- tions, fortified my countenance with all resolution, and set out with my bible and psalm-book under my arm, those being the only insignia of a clergyman about me. When I made my appearance, I found a stare of universal surprise at my gay dress, which suited better the charac- ter of a beau than a clergyman. My eyes I could not persuade my- self to raise from the ground till I had ascended the pulpit. I was doubtful whether I had the command of my voice, or even whether I had any voice. I sat a few moments, collecting my resolution for the effort of beginning. I made the attempt-I found my voice at command -my anxiety was hushed in a moment, my perturbation subsided, and I felt all the serenity of a calm summer's morning. I went through the exercises of the forenoon without any difficulty. * *
" During the intermission, I heard the whisper in swift circulation among the people, concerning my appearance in such a dress. The question was often asked with great emphasis, 'Who is he ?' but no one was able to give those answers which were satisfactory. A con- sultation took place among some leading members of the society, rela- tive to hiring me to continue among them as a preacher, as I had in- timated to Mr. Fuller that I should be willing to continue among them in that capacity, should such a matter meet with their approbation. I attended on the afternoon's exercises without any singular occur- rence. The meeting being dismissed, and the people retired, I was informed by my landlord, that they did not agree to hire me any longer ; accordingly, I found my business here at an end.
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