USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > South Worthington > The South Worthington parish > Part 12
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No. 6-Sarah Smith, b. in Chester, Mass .. Nov 24. 1810. came to Chesterfield in 1881. When a small girl she came to Ebenezer Cole's on a visit and remained about four years She well remembers the building of the first church, and attended religious serv ces in the old barn on Burton Hill
No. ;- Elisha Bush was b. m New York in 18;3. Hleenlisted in 1864 in Co. A. 20th Reg ment of New York, and served his country cleven months. Hle m. ( 1) Susan Fairchild May 17. 1860. (2) Hannah Day in Sept .. 188 ;. who d. March 12. 1903. fle came to Cumm ngton in 1808
Nos. 8-0-Mr. and Mrs Horace Converse. He was b. July 23. 1820, in a house that stexxl in his peach orchard, and was m. Nov. 11. 1847, to Miss Laura Ladd. b. in Chester Nov. 15. 1823
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They began housekeeping and have a ways lived in their present home. They have one son, Laforest free Plate 3. No. 10).
Nos. 10 11 Mr. and Mrs. Shipman. Mr. Shipman was b. in Hadley, Mass. Det 0, 1822. and lived in Amherst. Mass .. until he was twenty years of age lle m Nov 24, 1853. Miss Cor- clelia Eldridge, b. in Ashfield. Mass , Mayo, 1827. Came to Wor- thington May 1, 1850 (See Flate o. No ;. ] Mrs. Shipman d. Feb. 26, 1905
No 12 -Mrs Sarah Converse was b. in New York State Nov. 2, 1820, came to Chester when three years of age and lived about a mile below Ar Rust's house. She was married to Samuel Converse Jan 19. 1843 They began housekeeping in a house where lliram Hhggins' house now st.inds. remaming there for eight years, and their three oldest chiklren were born there In 1851 they bought the place owned by Isure Gleason where (' K Brews- ter's grandfather, Elsha Brewster, built a log house. Three more children were born, lallian, Anna, Fred. In toor they sold to Mr. Williams and moved to Huntington Sister Converse and her two daughters (who are invalids) are faithful members of our church Although deprived of the privilege of attemling the church services, vet these daughters kindly remember the work hy prayer and by financial help It is a pleasure to visit them in their home Mrs Converse has her granddaughter in her lap This family is widely know in the "Sunshine Circle."
Nos. 13-14 -Mr and Mrs James Leslie. Mr. Lestie was b in Canada Sept 27, 1825. and came to Becket, Mass , in 1849. He m. Betsey C'ross May 21, 1857. b. in Becket April 27, 1834. Lived in Washington They came to their home in West Wor- thington in 1864
Nos. 15 10 Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Thrasher. He was b. in the house that stood near a pine tree in Mr. Freeman's field, in Chesterfield, Sept 15, 1825. d. Okt 2. 1004 lle m. Emily Drake March 5. 1847. 1 in Worthington ton Lut Drake's place Nov. 11. 182 ;. They began housekeeping in the Castle plice, then moved to Lewis Cole's, to John Niles, to Sarah Adams', & cottage which was used in the erection of Fordved Gardner's house in Knightville, then to Captain Ring's house in Ringville They bought the old red school-house and made it into a dwelling-house which is now owned by Frank Sanderson. In 1801 they brought the house near Mr. Witherell's shop They then moved to where
they now live, then bought the house were Charles Bradley now lives, their next move being back to their farm in 1000.
No. 1 ;- Alonzo S Sanderson, b. in Norwich Dec. 4. 1810. was moved when two years old to Blandford, where he lived until eleven, then came to South Worthington in 1821. For one year he lived in the Sarah Adams house, then moved to Matthew Bur- ton's opposite Arthur Witherelf's place towards the west. While the family were living there, Mr Sanderson's father built Mary Burke's house. The elder Sanderson's blacksmith shop was first opposite George Thrasher's house, then moved opposite their new house (now Mary Burke's) in 1823. Alonzo S. was m. Nov. 25. 1834. to Sophia Drake, b. Aug. 16, 1816. Shed. May 20, 1902. Mr. Sanderson bought the Hiram Higgins place of William Jack- son, hved there about two years and then sold to Parley Hutchins. who was afterwards murdered in Littleville. In 18;6 Alr. Sander- son moved to the house he now occupies with his son, Frank Sanderson Mr. Sanderson and his wife were m. by Rev. Mr Leshe, then pastor of the South Worthington church, the latter going afterwards as a missionary. For sixty-eight years Mr. and Mrs. Sanderson lived together and to them were born four children and thirteen grandchildren, of whom twelve are now alive. " Uncle Monzo," as everyone calls him, now at the age of ninety- two, retains his mind remarkably, walks about and seems to get a good deal out of life in spite of the goodly number of years he has stowed away behind him, with all the shadows as well as the sunshine, that such a span of life must inevitably bring. He recalls distinctly the ministers who first began the Methodist meetings under the maple trees below what is now Mr Bradley's shop. Among them were Rev. Mr. Lucky and Rey Mr. White. Mr. Hastings, an exhorter, who came from Blandford and lived for a time at Horace Cole's. In the old books of Mr. Sanderson's father's, is found a record of a full day's work done in the black- smuth shop, for which the sum of fifty-eight cents was charged. That was back in the days when stoves were just beginning to come inte use, when honses were all heated by mammoth fire- places, and when warming stoves constituted the only hot spots in the church services. Mr. Sanderson is hale and hearty and can walk off as well as many a man uit sixty. He used tobacco for thirty years, but for the list fifty has used none. He enjoys
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going around among his neighbors, and his favorite theme is stories of his younger days, He can write very legibly, enjoys reading the weekly paper, und has several times in recent years read Fox's Martyrs.
No. 18- Mrs. Harriet Wells Benton, b. in Pittsfield Feb. 5. 1826, m. (1) B Adams July 20, 1848, who it. Aug. 1. 1873. lle conducted a sawmill for many years in West Worthington. She m. (2) John Benton May so, 1876, who d. Aug. 12. 1868. She has one son who lives in New Jersey.
No. 10 Sarah Drake Aluns, b. in South Worthington March ;. 1833, was mi. ley Eller Wright May 1. 1850. to Mr. Lewis Adams, who was b. in Wortlangton Aug. 10. 1825. in the same house where she now lives, and here he d. Nov. 4. 1804. They kept house at lus father's and moved for the winter to Chicopee, Mass., then moved to Chesterfield Hill. In 1852 they occupied an old house nearly opposite D. Granger's house. They purchased the plice of Elijah Higgins, and bought the okl Baptist church and made it into a house (Plate 1. No. 2), then moved to their present home Nov. 17, 1801 The okl Milton Adams place is near Gaston Smith's place.
No. 20- Jlr and Mrs. Hancock. Mr. Hancock was born Jan. 20, 1825. in a house that stored in Mrs. Kate Higgins' field, opposite 11. Bradley's new home This father was a manufac- turer of cloth and his shop stood over the bridge opposite the house where Mr. Hancock now lives. Seth Cole and Hob Meacham lived in the shop, having made it into a dwelling-house. This was taken down and made into a basket shop by T K Higgins. Mr. Hancock moved to Huntington with his parents. lle m. Nov. 25, 1847, and in 1849 moved to the place he was born in. then occupied by Lyman Higgins, who rented one room to Mr. Hancock. The house opposite was occupied by his father, mother and William Dickinson. Mr Hancock was present at the famous meeting that divided the district. This meeting was held at Hiram Higgins' mill, when Farrington Pease was elected mndde- rator, and Thomas Ring school committee, an old-fashi med oath being administered by Mr. Pease Elisha Converse proposed that the meeting be opened by prayer. The Rev. Stockman being asked to pray. he asked the Lord to make their hearts as soft as their heads. Mr. Hancock has been sexton of Ringville cemetery
for over twenty years, assisting during that time in interring one hundred and sixty bodies. He has been connected with the sing- ing of the church for over forty-five years, acting as leader for thirty-eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Hancock were charter members of the old Grante Grange. They celebrated their gollen wedding in 1897.
No. 21-Martha Hancock was b. Dec. 7. 1829, in an old house which stood just north of Burton and Ellis Cemetery on Goss (Gotfe) Hill. The house was used in building the ell of the house where Charles Bradley lives. It was called the Solomon Burton place. Next to this across the road is where her grandfather Barnard Burton lived. The next place down toward the South Worthington church was called the Williams place, and has been occupied by various families. The next was the okl John Nikes place. It was burned before 1829. The John Ellis place, near the A. G. Drake place, fell down before 1830, but the oll barn stood for many years. One of the stories of the olen times was that Asa Elder, being somewhat sleepy after dinner one day. was leaning the chair in which he was sitting against the si le of the house, when the whole side fell out and he was obliged to find shelter in other quarters. Mrs. Hancock remembered nearly all the old settlers. After her husband had recovered rom a severe sickness she was so feeble that she died from exhaustion Oct. 15. 1904.
No. 22 -- Martha Brown, b. in Pownal, Vt .. Aug. 15. 1820. was m. to Uriel Brown AApril 12. 1810. He was b. April 10, 1815, and came to Peru in 1840. Her father was David Bushnell. who lived to be ninety-nine years old. She is the mother of seven children. Although in her eighty-fourth year her mind is clear, and it is a pleasure to listen to the stories of her chiklhood days. Mrs. Brown joine 1 the Metho list church in 18;8. Her family were always supporters of the Gospel.
No. 23-llenry Benton, b. in Peru Nov. 0. 1828, came to live in E. Cross' house in 1839 and moved to the present place in 1871. lle keeps a fine herd of Jersey cows, and runs the saw- mill. When able he attends the Center church.
No. 24 -- Daniel N. Wood, b. in Lanesboro, Mass., Aug. 11. 1831. m. Martha Oviatt March 0, 1850. b. April 17. 1840. They legan housekeeping in Lanesboro, then moved to Salisbury, Conn.
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and later back to Lanesboro, coming to Worthington in 1897. He was a carpenter by trade. His father was b. in the same house in which he was. lle was the first one to die after this engraving was m.ule He died Nov 23. 1893.
No. 25-Isaac Percival. b. in AAmherst Aug. 9. 1826, came to Worthington in i85t, and went to work for John and Jona- than Eugene Sanderson, who were running a mil where Mr. Bradley now has his shop He next worked in Ringville for E. C Ring. He enlisted July 20, 180%, in Co. F. Ben.1 Regiment Of all the men dratte I in Worthington he was the only one to go to the front. The story is told of a certain in'm of this section. that being able to go as a substitute, he took the $300 and after getting to the front would put his shoulder out of oint, and being sent home would take another name and go somewhere else and do the same thing over again
No. 20-Mariette Pierve was b in Peru Feb 2, 1820, and lived with her brother previous to his de ith, but now boards with Mr. Edmund Thaver. She has always been a quiet and faithful person. She is a member of the church, and her place there is never vacant. One of her special recreations is knitting her pastor a pair of stockings each Christinas.
No 27-Russell Tower, b May 31. 1826, in the second frame house in Cumnington northeast of Mr Coon's place [Plate o. No 11], came to Worthington when seven years of age an I his spent all the days of his life on this farm (Plate o. No. ts), with the exception of twelve years. He has been a very faithful mein- ber of the church, an l re:he'nhers the erection of the church building. His home has always been wide open to the preachers. and he gives them such a hearty welcome that they often enjoy his hospitality His wife d Nov. It, toot.
No. 28-Billings Drake, b. in Worthington on the Lot Drake place Jan. 27. 18;1. m. (1) Parmelia Bryant, b. in 1835 an 1 d. April 4. 1861 Mr Drake lived one year at home anl moved to Chesterfield, Mass .. to Mrs. Gannon's house After living there three or four years he moved to Frank S.in ler-on's house | Plate 5. No. o]. then back to Mrs Gannon's where his wife ilie I. after which he went home to his folks He m. (2) Dora Cowles of Easthampton. They began housekeeping in the oldl Consider
Cole house, where their daughter Nina was born. They moved to T. K. Higgins' house, to Freeman's, to Stetson's, to Bradley's, to Mrs. Adams', to the house near Witherell's shop. from whence he went to live with his son Arthur. His father d. June 8, 1861. aged seventy-four years, and his mother Nancy, October 2. 1889. age ninety.
No. 29-Mary Burke was b. in the old Warren house in Free- main's field Feb. 2, 1822. She lives with her daughter Lottie Higgins.
No. 30-Lucy Osgood Geer was b. in New Lebanon, N. Y .. Dec. 27, 1823, and went to Peru in 1830. In 1837 her father rented E. Cross' place of Colonel Tuttle and lived there until 1830, then they movel to Joseph Starkweather's place. She m. Oct. 9. 1849, Austin Geer, b. Oct. 18. 1821, on Luther Geer's place, and d. in 1901. They began housekeeping in Peru and lived there in 1850, moving to her present home in 1851. Mrs. Geer has two children living. She is a member of the Center church.
No. 31. - Alvin Ormsby, b. in Westhampton May 22, 1825. was m. Feb. 17. 1853. to Lucy Pease. b. Oct. 27. 1832, and d. Dec. 12, 18 )4. He movel to Worthington April 18. 1878. His gran Imother murriel for her secon I husban I William P. Miller and livel across the brook from Mrs. Angell's. {Plate 2. No. 14.] His father was Samuel Ormsby 1774-1853 m. (t) Rachel Day d. 1833. (2) Betsey Kelso. Children : Samuel 1803, Rachel 1855. Calvin 1857, Cor lelia 185 ), Celia 18t1. Lisander d. young. Lisan ler 1815. Sarah 1817, Elizabeth 1820, Erastus 1823, Alvin d. 1825. Almena 1827 ; Alvin thus having eleven brothers and sisters.
No. 32-Eliza Middlebrook Smith, b. in Lanesboro, MiIss .. June 16, 1828, was m. Oct. 13, 1856, to Miles Smith and they began housekeeping at Mr. Freeman's house, later moving to Melvin Thrasher's, to Mrs. Ginnon's, to the old church, to Mr. Stetson's, to Hiram lliggins', to Dan Cole's, to byman Mayhew's. to Reuben Drake's (willow Moore's), to William Higgins' nearly opposite Z. H. Hancock's. to T. K. Higgins, then again to Lyman Mayhew's, an l at last to this place. When Mr. Smith bought an.l sold farms he generally mide money. It is an interesting fact that many of our old settlers acquired property by selling out and moving around.
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Chapter XXV. Essays
ESSAY No. 1
Our conviction, after a careful study of this section, is that our farmers need to acquire the science of raising grass Very few can say that their farm yields them a ton of hay to the acre. The farms of the future must yield that quantity at least, or else farming will not pay
CATTLE
The day of cattle raising is yet to come to the Eastern farmer : it will pay if understood. Every farmer should raise enough for his own use. Better put a beef creature into the barrel than sell it for seven cents a pound and buy it back for from ten to six- teen cents.
PIGS.
We must raise more pigs. They thrive well out at pasture during the summer, with a little additional feed : in the fall they can be given pumpkins and squashes, fed a bag of grain, and put on the market. As some men find this a profitable business. why can not others?
11ENS.
Considerable skill and attention must be given to hens, then they will do well. They need the run of a grass plot, but not a large field, and so used it is enriched. Many find that they pay better than cows.
ESSAY No. 2
Add a good piazza to your house if you want summer board- ers. Good sleeping rooms and a good piazza will bring you all the summer boarders you want at seven dollars a week. Our section has yet to see its best days along this line We are not so sure but that it will yet be the rich man's home
CANNING FACTORY
If the social life of the grange will only educate our farmers to agree among themselves it will be a great success, for we need a canning factory ; and it ought to be a success, for we raise the sweetest and best com and the finest blueberries grown anywhere in the world We could readily dispose of all we could raise. But there must be umion of effort among the farmers They now must sell their products for what they can get for them, and bux .at the price the other fellow demands Can we change all this? .
WOMAN'S RIGHTS.
We are now living in days when woman is recognized to be the equal and often the superior of man. Man demands that she shall be pure and clean. Should she persist in going about with a pipe in her mouth and a plug of tobacco in her pocket. the men would all go on a strike; surely there would be general commotion if she should adopt the habits of men. When woman shall rise up and assert her rights and demand that men shall be pure and clean she will have them. If every time a man bought a piece of tobacco, a luxury to him, she demanded her share of the profits, he would either forsake his habit or go into bank- ruptey. Has she not as good a right to the benefits as he?
GOOD ROADS.
The great need of our section is better roads. We must have them, and expect that in a few years they will be in such a
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condition that one horse can do the work now requiring two. What we lack is good material to build with ; but we have plenty of rocks which may be crushed, so with these and the crusher the road problem will be partially solved
SCHOOL.
The old-fashioned school gave to the boys and girls a better fit for the duties of life than does the present system. If a box wished to go to the academy and the college he received a suffi- cient knowledge to go; but now the district school is unable to fit its scholars for the high school of our cities We know that this is a great problem, but when our committees acknowledge that the district school can not fit its pupils for the high school it shows that it must be behind the times.
LABOR PROBLEM.
The great problem before the farmer is how to get laborers. The old-fashioned way was to raise them, but now labor commands a better price on the market than the farmer can pay. What few boys he does have are leaving lum. Something must be done. One solution of the problem is to bring farming to the level of other occupations The hours of toil must correspond to the strength of the toiler. The same system and science must be used on the farm as in other places.
FAMILY LIFE.
Man is everywhere seeking happiness We sometimes hear the objection to family life that selfishness is on the increase. Nothing but pure Christian religion can ever solve the problem. We need the ideal Christian life to be sought after in the family life, in the problems of labor, in the political world, and for that matter everywhere Every family should take both secular and religious papers It is now pretty generally the secular, but
already these are devoting some space to religious matters an indication that the present-day newspaper publisher has dis- covered the world's need. They should go hand in hand. The secular press, having taken on a higher and purer tone, has nearly crowded |the freligious newspaper out of existence. We would urge our readers to take both and find time to read them around the family circle, giving the boys and girls a chance. Study their inclinations and tastes and give them what will best develop them in every way. Let the children share in the home life and they will share life with you.
RELIGIOUS.
While 1 am aware that what I have already written touches the important facts concerning our parish, vet I trust I may be pardoned for making this observation, that experience teachesthat the truly good man is in demand. Learn to love all that is good Evil and good are ever around us, but the good book says, " Over- come evil with good." Each life is being filled with something : if with evil. the good is neglected. Harboring impure thoughts will develop evil tendencies until perhaps unconsciously on your part undesirable habits become fixed. Your friends are watching you. If they warn you of your failures, remember that it is done for your good, and count them the best friends you have on earth. On the other hand your enemies will smile upon you and tell you to go on : and when you can no longer help yourself they will forsake you and God will then call you to account. Begin each day with looking up toward heaven. " If you laugh, the workl laughs with you: if you weep, you weep alone," says the proverb which is being revealed to the workl more and more. In the place of a harsh way of speaking, have a joyful ring in your voice, then not only mankind, but even the dumb animals will welcome your presence. Sickness may be driven away by a song, and a sick- room filled with cheer by the entrance of a good man.
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