USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Heath > Sesquicentennial anniversary of the town of Heath, Massachusetts, August 25-29, 1935; addresses, speeches, letters, statistics > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
TAFTS. Sullivan Taft, the first of the family here was born in 1781 and married Sarah Flagg, daughter of Phinehas Flagg, a Revolutionary soldier, in Worcester and brought his wife to Heath on a pillion. He built the house now owned by Col. Newland Smith which is said to have been the first house in Heath to be raised without the aid of rum. It was built in 1812 and was very well constructed, with a good many fire- places ; two of the rooms at least, were stenciled, one of them
125
in an all over pattern, by the hand of Mrs. Taft, in terra cotta and blue, the "parlor" downstairs had a pattern running around the mantle, an urn with flowers and vines growing out of it. Mr. Taft was quite prominent in the early days here and was a representative in the General Court in 1826-7. He was one of the most influential members of the Baptist church. One of the daughters, Lucy E., married Capt. Wm. Gleason; another, Sarah M., married Orville S. Brown; a third married Lemuel M. Bolton of New York City. This was Mary F. One of their sons, William, married Sarah J. Chase, a widow with two daughters. One of them was Clara, who married Irving Joy. Their daughter, Blanche, married Fred Coates and they have two children, Edith and Robert. Mr. and Mrs. Wmn. Bolton had 11 children, the oldest was George, referred to above; William married Maud Mitchell and they have one daughter, Florence; Mary married Arthur Rice of Hawley and they have several children, Louise, Gratia, Clara, Daisy, Marion and Earl ; Olive married Will Cook and they have one daughter, Louisa ; Viola, Olive and her daughter are living at the home place with another son, Ransom; John, the youngest son, is living in Michigan.
CANEDY FAMILY. Soon after the Revolution, two Can- edy brothers, (how many times in the early annals do two or three brothers start out from their home in the towns, in order to settle in a new home in the wilderness together) John and Thomas settled on farms on the North River in Colrain and Halifax, Vt. Thomas and his son, Thomas, moved to Reads- boro, Vt., and engaged in road building and lumbering. Thomas, Jr., married Lucy Crozier. One of their daughters, Louisa Canedy, married Joel Canedy (who was a grandson of the first John) in 1845. She died in 1918, aged 92 years, and her hus- band died in 1917 just before his 94th birthday. Their daugh- ter, Lucy, married James Stockwell in 1884 and they had two
126
9
WWW
children; Nina married Carl Smith, son of Omer, and Ray married Grace Potter. They have two children, Alice who married Russell Hosmer, and has one daughter, Anne; and Harold.
John Canedy, Jr., married Susan Stowe and they had sev- eral children. They lived in the north-east corner of Heath, the cellar hole is just east of the old Loveridge place and about opposite the Marcy place. At John's death, Jonathan Totman guardian of the minor children of John's, Roxanee, Lucy, Joel, Levi, Lincoln and Dennis, sold this place to John Burrington. Joel was bound out to Mr. Burrington who married an older sister of his, until he was 21 when he came into his share of the large property of his father's. Joel and Louisa had four children, Francis J. who became the successful physician and surgeon of Shelburne Falls, his son also was a physician of Greenfield; and there were two daughters, Grace and Ruth. Winfield lived where Myron Hamilton does now. His widow is living in Shelburne Falls; Lucy, referred to above, and George, who married Mattie Maxwell daughter of Seth Maxwell and who was a nephew of Mrs. Charles Barber. Mrs. George Canedy is living at Lake Pleasant where her two sons, Earle and Floyd are also living.
Dennis Canedy, a brother of Joel, was born in Colrain in 1828, and married Jane a daughter of Burden Lake. There are two Lake places which were on the Sanders brook road (cellar holes) which are south of the Sanders' or Bass' place. Dennis was a very successful merchant in Jacksonville, Vt., and later did an extensive trucking business between Jacksonville and Greenfield. He lived for awhile where Myron Hamilton does now, then bought 200 acres at Heath Center, where H. S. Tanner owns now. They had several children, Ira already written about, and Orian, who bought the place now owned by Frederick Bur- rington, and later the place owned by his father. He married Elizabeth Maley. Their daughter Nettie married Arthur Churchill and they have four sons, Gerald, Robert, Donald and
127
1
1
1
Alvin ; a son Charles married Gladys Baker and they have children. Edward B. Canedy learned the blacksmith and wheel- wright trade and carried on a successful business in Jackson- ville, Vt. and later at Dell, where William Knott now lives. He married Mary Maley, and has one son, John who is living in New York and is a very successful business man. Mr. Edward Canedy is now living in Shelburne Falls. Nellie, a daughter of Dennis, married Ralph Harris, Bertha their daughter married Charles Cady, the son of Faxon and Francesca Cady who was the son of Joseph and Susan (Lamb) Cady who lived on the place near the forestry, nearly to the Vermont line. Charles' children were Ruth, Mildred, Herbert and Marie; Mildred mar- ried Arthur Crowningshield and has three children-they lived on the first Daniel Gale place, and Charles Cady, the place west ; Laura, another daughter, married Wallace Churchill and has two sons, Harlow and Harold; Arthur; Herbert married Edith Shumway and has one daughter Frances; May married Oscar Warriner.
CHURCHILLS. Three sons of Alvin Churchill who lived near Davis Mines, came to Heath. Anson married Anna Cilly and they had several children, Fred, George, Henry, Nellie, Bert and Max. Three of the sons are now living in Heath. Henry mar- ried Ella Canedy, Max married Sarah Stetson and has three chil- dren, Alton, John and Bertha or Betty; and Bert who is living with his brother Max; Frederick, brother of Anson, married Josephine Willis; they lived where a son Wallace now does. Charles married Avis Taylor and has three sons and a daughter ; Arthur and Bertha who married Charles Packard and has one son Douglas; Horace married Cynthia Chaffin and had one daughter Anna, who married Arthur Baker for her second hus- band. They had one son, Clevis.
HITCHCOCK FAMILY. Dwight was the first to come. He married Eliza Kinney, they arrived in 1849; their oldest son
128
!
Elisha and Homer were carpenters like their father and built or helped to build a good many places around this section and also did an extensive business with the sawmill there at the Branch. This mill later became the property of Elisha which he con- ducted with his son Warren. Elisha married Ella Thayer and they had two children, Ethel who married Clarence Packard and they have two children ; Eliot, who married Evelyn Rogers and they have one child; and a daughter Thurley ; Warren married Elizabeth Mclaughlin and they live in Shelburne Falls and have a sawmill there, where he does business for many of the Heath people as well as for the surrounding towns; they have one son Roger. Martha married Oliver Tanner, and they have two children, Amy, who married John Kendrick and has two chil- dren, Stanton and Mary ; Homer who married Pearle Buemond of Saxtons River, Vt., and has one son, Richard. Homer married Lottie Woodward and has recently come to Heath to live; Abi who married Fred Abbey is now living in Anacortes, Wash. and they have four children, Cressa, Prudence, Fanny and George, who are all married and have children except Cressa ; Eva the youngest, married Eugene Adams and has three children, Audrey, Merle and Glen, they also have three grandchildren.
TANNERS. Abram or Uncle Abe was the first to come. He lived where George Williams now does. They adopted two children Tom and Lottie Collette. Lottie married John Rice. Ed- ward Burckard came there to live and was brought up there. He married Gladys Perry and they have three daughters, Marjorie, Dorothy, and Bernice. John Tanner, (brother to Abram,) also his son Frederick came to Gill from England when he was 15. He married Maria Halligan and they came to Heath the day when Lincoln was shot. They had four children, Oliver, Austin who married Dora Sanford ; they had six children, Fred, Albert, Ralph, Clara, Dewey and Alice who are all married and have children excepting Clara, who is married and lives in Washing-
129
ton, D. C .; Orrin who died a long while ago, and Maria who mar- ried Fred Wetmore for her first husband and E. Andrew Wet- more for her second. Amelia Tanner, a daughter of John married Donald Burckard. Their children were George, Albert, Minnie, Emma who married Martin Van B. Williams and has one son George, Loren and his wife Mary are living in California and have one daughter, Lorraine, half sister to Edward Burckard; Harry and Clifton. George and his wife recently lived in Heath but moved to Fitzwilliam, N. H. Albert and his wife are living in Heath, where Henry Peon used to live.
COOK FAMILY. William Lovel Cook came to Heath when he was 8 years old with his father Asa. The place was near the present No. 9 schoolhouse on the south side of the road to Rowe. He later bought what is now known as the Cook place in East Heath. He married Blendennah Stacy; her brother Morris and a sister Idella lived there with them and went to school. A son of W. Lovel was Murry who married Jenny daughter of Horace Todd and Melinda, a sister of Isaac Stetson. Their children were Mary, who died some time ago, Will, Eva married Cyrus Merrifield and has several children, Arthur mar- ried Lillia Carley, Carleton, Alice married Harry Legate and they had two children, Mabel and Ruth, Mrs. Legate died not long ago, and Katie who died quite young.
PETERSONS. Jonathan Peterson was a grandson of Jon- athan Peterson who was one of the first settlers of Colrain. Jonathan married a daughter of Alvin Stratton. The bought a farm of 203 acres, which is the one now owned by Mr. Des- Noyers in North Heath. One son was Arthur who married Nellie Clark who was a sister of Mrs. Charles Smith also of Mr. Edward Clark of Colrain. They lived where Clovis Lively does now and he was burned to death when his barn caught fire
130
and burned to the ground. A daughter Chloe married Edward Neal and has one son Edward and is living in Schenectady, N. Y .; another son of Jonathan, Bion N., when he was 19, he worked for Luce Brothers who ran steamers that were engaged in the menhaden fisheries, and remained there for six years. He later accepted an appointment as pay clerk in the cadets' store at Annapolis, Md. He returned to Heath in 1889 and bought the then Clark farm, now owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Newton and her son Walter. He later went to New York and was in the New York Navy Yard, and still later was on the New York police force. He married Cornelia Reynolds, a daughter France married Edgar Gillett, son of Ranson and Eliza (Reed) Gillett, who lived on the place formerly owned by John Read who was the father of Eliza ; the place now owned by George Brunelle.
THE DICKINSON FAMILY. The first ancestor of the Dickinson clan in this section was Nathaniel who founded Wethersfield, where in 1637 the first record of him is found, and where he filled the offices of recorder, selectman, and represent- ative of the town in the Colonial Assembly ; also that of deacon in the Wethersfield church. In 1659 he moved to Hadley, of which he was one of the founders, and where he was the first recorder and first deacon. Mr. Dickinson was a member of the Hampshire Troop under Captain John Pynchon at its formation in 1663.
Of his descendants Medad Dickinson was the first to come to Heath and was the father of Aaron who married Sarah, a daughter of the Rev. Moses Miller. They had a large family of children; three of the sons were ordained ministers : Cornelius E., Samuel F., and George L. Dickinson. William A. was another son; he married Lucy Flagg, who possessed a keen intellect and whose mind was stored with historical data of much interest. The children have been told about earlier.
There have been four generations of deacons in this family ; Medad, Aaron, William A. and Horatio.
131
An amusing anecdote is told of a later Medad. He was one of six who formed a bachelors' club and they had a pew for their use in the church-it was said that they had it constructed for them and that it was made the best of any in the edifice-which they owned jointly. These young men made a pact that the first one to marry was to be the owner of the pew. At last one of their number was married and on the following Sunday ap- peared at church with his bride. After the bride and groom had seated themselves believing the pew was all their own, in filed all five of the remaining swains, which made rather a tight fit. The newly wedded couple were Mr. and Mrs. William Monroe Maxwell, grandparents of Miss Mamie Maxwell and Mrs. Frank Ward.
The early Dickinsons lived where Hamiltons do now, also where Clyde Varney does and where Albert Burckard does.
The brick house where Ray Dickinson and family live now was built about 1805 by Rev. Moses Miller, and much thought was expended in the plans. The downstairs south room was built for Mrs. Miller's father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Ware, so they could have a little home of their own yet under the same roof- tree of the daughter. There are still the four hooks in the ceiling of this room where the old couple used to pull up their folding bed during the day. There are three fan-lights in the house, and several fire-places. The downstairs north room was the "parlor" in which there is some elaborate hand carving. The old house was used as an ell, but the year after the brick house was built, a new ell was built and the old house torn down. Who can say that this grand old structure did not contribute in a large measure to the enduring qualities of Mr. Miller ?
Nathaniel Dickinson is also the ancestor of Dr. Howard C. Robbins, Mrs. Mary Robbins Champney, Mrs. Dana Malone, Mrs. William G. Landon, and Mrs. William D. Vanderbilt.
HEATH POST OFFICE. Sylvanne Maxwell was the first postmaster at the Center, he received his appointment Oct. 11,
132
1816 and kept the office in the house which stood where the Community Hall now stands ; John Hastings, Jr. was appointed, Dec. 20, 1833 ; he kept it where the town hall now stands in the Old Red House ; Lysander Ward, Feb. 13, 1838, John Hastings, Jr. May 5, 1838, Lysander Ward, Apr. 8, 1842, Winslow Buck, June 13, 1844, he kept it in the house known as the Stockwell place, south of the Community Hall; L. M. Ward. Jan. 24, 1848; Benj. Cooledge, July 23, 1849; Asa Guild, July 14, 1851 ; Hollis Thompson, July 8, 1852; George Temple, Oct. 6, 1853, in the house now owned by Henry Churchill; Samuel Barber, Apr. 10, 1856, he kept it in the house where George Peon is living now ; Oliver Kendrick, Nov. 21, 1857; Samuel Barber, Apr. 28, 1858; Elijah Carpenter, Apr. 21, 1862; Samuel Barber, Mar. 7, 1866; Cyrus Temple, Feb. 6, 1867 ; Horace McGee, Apr. 28, 1868; Hugh Maxwell, Nov. 15, 1878; George C. Bolton, July 12, 1881 ; Mary Maxwell, May 21, 1893; Maria Wetmore, May 26, 1897 ; Bessie Carraher, May 15, 1907; Edward P. Dickinson, Jan. 1, 1908, he kept it in the basement of the Methodist church, later in the store now owned by George Peon-Marion Peon, Apr. 1, 1923, Elton Kinsman, July 24, 1930, the office is now located two houses below the town hall.
There was a post-office also at Dell, first at Russell Chaf- fins who lived where Bishop Gilbert does now, then at Edward Canedy's, where William Knott is now, and lastly at Clifford Hagers, also where Dr. Gilbert lives. For about 25 years this mail has been delivered by the Charlemont-Jacksonville stage.
The post-office at North Heath has been at several places, Henry Fairbanks was the first post master, and office was where Philip Bellor lives now, later he built the house across the road, where Adelbert Stetson is now, and when he died Henry Stetson was appointed Post Master to act until Arthur, son of Henry was 21, although Mr. Stetson didn't handle the mail. The office was also located in the home of Fred Gleason at Hugh Thomp- son's, also at Hitchcock's mills when Bertha Churchill Packard. was postmistress, and was the last one. It probably was in ex- istance about 30 years, ending in 1920.
133
There was also an office in the Number 9 District. Arthur Carley was the Postmaster. He was appointed Feb. 3, 1895 and held the position about 25 years. It was located in the house where Raymond Lively is now. Arthur Carley was the son of Cyrus Carley, who was born in Jacksonville, Vt. He was a blacksmith by trade and a prominent member of the Universalist church. He came to Heath in 1876 and lived on the farm there until his death. One of his daughters, Arlie, married Christian Adolph Groll and they lived next her father, the place now owned by Austin Leise. They had one son, Otto ; another daughter, Delia, married a Newton and they had one son, Shirley. She later married Albert Day and they had two children, Don and Gladys, who married John Woffenden and has two daughters. This post-office was called Cyrus, after Cyrus Carley. This mail is now delivered by the Rowe-Zoar stage driver, Will Upton, who has carried it for at least 20 years.
THE HEATH HISTORICAL SOCIETY. This was organized Aug. 11, 1900. The year before Heath had voted "to perpetually lease the Old Town House to a proposed histori- cal society." The object of this society was first to preserve this old town house, second to collect and guard safely in the building everything possible of historical interest to Heath, also to find out and record facts of value telling of the early settlers, and to secure just as many genealogical records of old families as possible. Mr. Edward P. Guild was elected the first president ; Mr. Hugh Maxwell, treasurer ; Miss Mamie Maxwell, secretary and Mr. Kirk Smith, custodian.
The following were the charter members, Mrs. F. E. Welch, Miss Mary A. and Miss Flora White, Miss Laura Emerson, E. Edward Miller, W. A. Dickinson, Hugh Maxwell, W. H. Bur- rington and E. P. Guild.
The present officers are Mr. H .. F. Dickinson, president ; Mrs. George E. Peon, treasurer ; Miss M. E. Maxwell, secretary ; Mrs. Henry Churchill, custodian.
134
1
1
£
This town house was constructed in 1835, to a certain extent from materials taken from the old Congregational church that was torn down the year before. This building was used as the place where all the town meetings were held after this, until the erection of the Sawyer Hall building in 1897.
Hugh Maxwell gave and placed the fine old doorstone of the town-house. It is semi-circular in shape and was taken, we are told, from a mill site that was near the first bridge on the East Charlemont road not far below Rev. Clarence Hicks' residence.
Inside the building are many things of much interest and reminders of the early families, the articles of cheese making, butter making, birch brooms, linen thread spun by Mrs. Aaron Smith from flax grown on their farm about 1820. ' There are many pictures, too, of the people then ; here are the saddle bags of Dr. Emerson and two of his flutes, several war mementoes, a carriage lamp of Parson Miller, there is a fine collection of old china mostly belonging to the Maxwell family, and even the old yard stick that was used in the Red House when it was used as a store !
Historical Society has also acquired the ownership of the Community Hall, which has been entirely made over, and painted outside and in, a stage constructed with its dressing rooms down stairs, which furnishes plenty of room for plays and players.
HEATH LIBRARY. The Library in Heath was opened for use July 17, 1894, and from then until 1897 the books were kept in the home of H. Kirk Smith, the librarian. Heath had received $100 worth of books, as a foundation for the library from the Mass. Library Commission. The annual appropria- tion was then $15, it is now $75.
In 1897 a building was erected 36 feet by 28 feet at a cost of $1400. The chief part of the expense was met by contribu-
135
1
tions among the friends of the library, the largest being $500 from Ellsworth Sawyer of Phillipston and $100 from William Snow of Westchester, N. Y. Mrs. F. E. Welch was a generous donor, and active in procuring the funds to build the library. Other donors were Samuel, and B. T. Harrington, Rev. and Mrs. Washington Nichols, D. H. Kendrick, Lucy, and John H. Leavitt, Walter Miller, Spencer, Samuel F., Sidney Miller, Sarah E. Emerson, Alma Miller, L. E. Emerson, Elizabeth Sampson, C. E. Dickinson, Miss Leonard, The Benson Family and the town of Heath. Others gave books, among them were Mrs. J. G. Holland, E. P. Guild and Kate Upson Clark.
Later an addition was built on, which added the dining room, kitchen, etc., and a room up-stairs which is now used as a private pool room. There is also a hall where all the social functions of the town including the Grange, were held until the Community Hall on the opposite corner was available.
H. Kirk Smith was librarian until 1916 when Miss Mamie Maxwell was appointed. Miss Flora J. White was appointed in 1922. Others who were assistant librarians were Miss Flor- ence Stetson, now Mrs. Rodolph Fournier, and Mrs. Henry Churchill. Mrs. H. S. Tanner has been librarian since June, 1923.
There are about 2500 books in the library, and the circula- tion last year was 6405. Three years ago the per capita reading in Heath was third highest in the state. The children are doing exceptionally well in the reading of books which are on the State Reading List. There were issued 99 Five-book certificates and 19 Honor Certificates during the school year, Sept. to June, which were pretty evenly divided among the four schools in town.
There is available the income of a fund called the Maxwell fund, also one from Mrs. Welch, and the town appropriates the returned dog-tax for the use of the library ; there are also gifts from time to time of books from friends which all help in maintaining an excellent library for the little town.
1
136
1
Note. Sources from which were obtained data for the article : Parkman History, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Books, old New England Magazines, Colonial Parson of New England, Earle's Child Life in Colonial Days, the White, the Gleason and the Temple Genealogies and the Centennial Gazette and Heath Centennial Book. I wish to acknowledge most gratefully the assistance the following people were to me in obtaining the local material, without which it could not have been written: Mr. William E. Gleason, Mr. Clarence Gleason, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Sumner, Mr. Edward P. Dickinson, Mrs. Jenny Cook, Mr. E. E. Kinsman, Mr. H. E. Stetson and others. P. T.
¡
137
W
7
F
£
The Church Of Christ In Heath BY
HOWARD CHANDLER ROBBINS
The first town meeting of Heath was held March 21, 1785, at the South school-house. In less than a month, (April 15, 1785) the church was organized at a council which was con- vened at the meeting house in Charlemont with Col. Hugh Maxwell as moderator and the Rev. Jonathan Leavitt, clerk. The new church consisted of 35 members and there was only one family in town which was not included. They employed the Rev. Mr. Church, a native of Sunderland, to supply the pulpit ; he was succeeded by Mr. Whipple and others.
The first settled minister was the Rev. Joseph Strong, who was ordained Oct. 27, 1790. He was born in Granby, Connecti- cut, the son of the local pastor for whom he was named and with whom he studied theology after his graduation at Yale College in 1784. He preached as a missionary in Maine before coming to Heath, and went back to Connecticut after a ministry here of 13 years, during which there were several revivals. A grandson has described him as "tender-hearted, conscientious, and devoted to his work." "He was poor, like most clergymen, and worked quite a large farm, and that, too, generally by him- self without help, in order to support his large family of nine children ; laboring on the farm day by day, and writing his sermons by night. He was particularly apt, tender, and pathetic at funerals, and was therefore sent for on such occasions from far and near. He was also at all times remarkably interesting in prayer." His son, Professor Theodore Strong, said of him, "He loved to preach the gospel, and the aim of his life was to
138
glorify God in all things; yet he was so modest that he seldom spoke of himself, so that an estimate of his character was to be formed from what he did, rather than from his profession." But for some reason the people became dissatisfied with him and "invited him to leave," which he did, driving his cattle before him, his wife and daughter riding one horse, and his children and goods following in a wagon. His ministry here terminated June 10, 1803.
The Rev. Moses Miller was settled as the second pastor December 26, 1804, and remained pastor until April 21, 1840. He was born in Worcester in 1776, graduated at Brown in 1800, and he studied theology at the same institution. At the begin- ning of his ministry in Heath he formed a catechetical class of children whom he instructed on the Sabbath during the inter- mission ; this continued until the formation of the Sabbath school. Bible instruction was given in different neighborhoods, in part by questions and answers, and in part by short lectures upon portions of scripture previously assigned. In the second year of his ministry here he married Miss Bethiah Ware of Conway. They had nine children, of some of whom Mrs. Tan- ner has told in her "History of Heath and its Families." In the sixteenth year occurred the "Great Revival," so-called because from October, 1822 to October, 1823, 121 persons were added to this church by profession of faith. The pastor had gone to Boston to attend a religious anniversary and on re- turning to Heath he was told that some persons were religiously impressed ; upon inquiry he found that the "seriousness" was in three families, and that these were the only ones which had not been visited in his course of pastoral visitation. "Never before had I so felt my nothingness," wrote the pastor. "I was humbled in the dirt by this exhibition of sovereign divine power." The word soon spread to every part of town; the old, the middle aged and the young were alike affected; "the man of morality and the openly vicious were together humbled before the Lord." Meetings were multiplied and were fully attended and well sus-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.