USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Wilbraham > The history of Wilbraham, Massachusetts; > Part 6
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
and "to chuse some Judicious Men to advise us as to some measures whereby we may Establish a Place where to Ercct a meeting House in this Precinct," and it was "Voated that Mr. John Worthington, Mr. Francis Ball and Mr. Timothy Nash be advisers in the affair aforesaid;" and Caleb Stebbins is to "apply himself to said advisors in behalf of the Precinct." The committee may have given some advice, but they did not make any report that is recorded. On November 4, 1745, it is "Voated to Chuse a Committee to determine the Place or Spot on the Overplus Land in ye Middle Division, viewing the land at large, where the first Meeting House shall be erected," and that "Ensign William King, Lieutenant Abraham Adams, and Leut. Thomas Jones" be that committee. The next vote passed at this meeting seems to specify more definitely the powers of the committee, and the purposes of the precinct. "Voated, That Leut. Abraham Adams, of Suffield, Ens" William King, of Suffield, and Leut. Thomas Jones of Endfield, be a Committee to appoint and Determine in what Place in the Over Plus Land in the middle division in this Precinct, it is most fit for this Precinct to build their Meeting House, and that the Place which they shall appoint shall be the Place of Seting it, and that the Meeting House be set there accordingly, at the charge of this Precinct, and of such Dementions as this Precinct shall determine;" and Nathaniel Warriner is directed "to apply to the Committee," and "Daniel Parsons and Nathaniel Bliss to wait on the aforesd committee in showing of them the Land." The meeting was then adjourned to November 18,-two weeks -when the report of the committee was received, whose deci- sion they had voted should be final. The committee report: "Pursuant to the trust Reposed in us by said Precinct, after viewing the Land and hearing the Pleas in said Precinct, we Judge and Determine that the Meeting House be built on a Hill Commonly Called Wigwam Hill, about seven or eight and twenty Rods southward of the house of Rev. Noah Mirick" [which was six or eight rods northwesterly of the house in which Henry T. and C. P. Bolles now live], "and about seven Rods south westward from a pine tree which we have markt with
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
an ax as wittness our hands this sixteenth day of November, 1745." The good people generously paid Adams and King, of Suffield, each, "four pounds," and "Jones of Enfield, three pounds 15 shillings, old tenor, for their services;" and Nathaniel Bliss and Daniel Parsons each "one pound five shillings for Rideing with the Committee 2 days & half;" and Dea. Nathaniel Warriner "one pound six Pence for Procuring the Committee, and two Pound twelve shillings & six Pence," all in "Old Tenor, for Keeping said Committee and their Horses."
The meetings on Sunday having been held in Daniel Parsons' house, he was paid for its use for the year ending March 22, 1746, "two pounds, old tenor;" and in May there are "Voated and granted to Isaac Brewer, att the Rate of three pounds old tenor per year, for the use of his Chamber to Cary on the publick worship in," and "that he shall have Reasonable Elowance for fitting up said Chamber for the Decent Carrying on the worship in." The next year, March 17, 1747, there was "Voated and granted to Isaac Brewer twelve shillings, old tenor, for his Services in Riging up his chamber for the Publick Worship, with the nails he Provided." Everything now seems to be well arranged, a temporary place of worship provided, and the location of the meeting house decided; nothing remains but to go on and finish the building. Still things did not run smoothly. The precinct had for some cause got into a lawsuit with Daniel Parsons; the owners would not pay the "two pence per acre" land tax, and suits were growing up because the lands were sold to pay them. It seemed desirable to some "that the Lands that were given to the Rev. Mr. Mirick should be exempt from the tax laid upon it, Either in whole or in part;" and more than all, the meeting house question would not remain settled, but thrust itself forward at the precinct meet- ings, and on March 4, 1747, the precinct "Voats to Chuse Ensign Joseph Sexton, of Summers, Leutnt Joseph Blocket, of Brimfield, and Leutnt Gersham Makepice, of Western, a com- mittee" to "locate the meeting house and that they have liberty to set it in any place in the Precinct, and said com- mittee shall view the lands of said Precinct at large, or till
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
they be satisfied." They are no longer confined to the "Over- plus Land." The precinct is " All before them where to choose." A committee is chosen "to show them the land;" another, to entertain them; another, of six members, "to take care to build the meeting house at the cost of the Precinct where it is located," making it "forty five feet long, thirty five feet wide, and of suitable height." On the "first Monday in May, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon," it is "Voated that the award of the committee be accepted and recorded;" which was as follows: "We doe award, Prefix & Determine that the spot or place where their meeting House ought to be set, is on the Hill Com- monly Called the Wigwam Hill, the centre of said spot being att a walnut Staddle of about four or five inches Diameter, there being a fast stone in the Ground, about two feet and a half northwest of said staddle; said staddle standing twenty- eight Rods & sixteen Links, Running by a point of compass from the southwest corner of Mr. Noah Mirick's dwelling-house, south sixteen degrees thirty minits East unto said staddle." After a struggle of six years, and the assistance of four different committees, chosen from outside the precinct, the "Place or Spot" is again selected, although the last location is prac- tically the same as the one preceding it. So it appears that three different places were selected, at different times, on which to build the meeting house. First, on the hill, sometimes called Pine Hill, about sixty rods east of our present Main Street. Second, "by the West Rode," [the Green] and third and fourth, on Wigwam Hill. It is probable that the settlers in the east and south parts of the precinct favored that location. The "Stebbins History" says "there was a common of about two acres on which the meeting house was placed," and, that so much progress had been made in building the meeting house, that December 25, 1747, a precinct meeting is called "to be held at the house of Nathaniel Hitchcock or House of Publick Worship;" But it is probable that the words, "House of Public Worship" refer to Hitchcock's house, for his house had been used for that purpose, and at the precinct meeting held the next spring on March 15, 1748, the record says they were " assembled
59
THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
at the House of Nathaniel Hitchcock or House of Public Wor- ship." At the meeting held December 25, 1747, the precinct "Voated & Granted Three Hundred and fifty pounds old tenor Bills for Defraying the Charge of Building a meeting House in this Precinct." So it would seem that nothing had yet been done towards erecting the building. At the precinct meeting held at Hitchcock's house, March 15, 1748, there was an article in the warrant as follows, "Article 4, to Pass any further voats if thought Necessary Relating to Building a meeting House in Sd Precinct." There was no action on this article, as the pre- cinct had voted at the previous meeting in December, to appro- priate the money for the building. After a struggle of nearly seven years, from December 5, 1741, to March 15, 1748, the "place or spot for setting the meeting house" is determined, and the necessary funds have been voted. Warriner's "seadar shingles," and Brewer's "good pine timber," and Stebbins' "Marchantable pine boards," and Warner's "slit work" have been seasoning and rotting on Pine Hill for nearly five years, waiting for the builders. At last the long looked for hour has come. Teams, scribers, axes, saws and hammers, and those eager pioneers, are busy at the task they loved, and so much progress was made that the meeting house was used late in 1748.
In the record of births, kept by "Clark" Warner, is the fol- lowing entry: "Charles Brewer, son of Isaac and Mary Brewer was born Dec. 18, 1748 the first that was Baptised in our meeting hous." And in the church record is this entry: "Dec. 25, 1748, Charles, son of Isaac Brewer, Baptised, in meeting house." The next previous baptism is October 30, 1748. So that it is probable that the house was first used for public worship about that time. There is no record of any dedication services. The building was a mere shell for some years. On January 2, 1749, the precinct met at the meeting house, but adjourned to the house of Nathaniel Hitchcock, because, it is very likely, it was too cold to remain for the transaction of business, where they could endure to remain, warmed by the fervors of devotion, to worship. When they were assembled at
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
Hitchcock's, they, "Voated and Granted fourty Pounds old tenor to support the Charge of further finishing the meeting House." About two weeks later, on January 16, 1749, they met at the meeting house and, "15 pounds old tenor Granted to further finish the Meeting House."
At this same meeting, January 16, 1749, "David Mirick, Isaac Brewer, and Nathaniel Warriner" were "chosen a committee to Represent the Precinct to the town of Springfield in taking some measures to Get set off for a town in this fourth Pre- cinct." So it seems the fathers gave some thought to the problems concerning an independent political existence, as a town, thus early. December 28th, 1749, the precinct "Voated and Granted to Nathaniel Hitchcock fifteen shillings old tenor for his services Clearing and sweeping the Meeting House," and March 17, 1750, "Voated and Granted to Dn Nathaniel Warriner 40 shillings old tenor for Procuring the Meeting House swept the past year." At the same meeting, "Voated that Nathaniel Hitchcock Clear and make Decent the burying yard by the Charge of the Precinct." Some idea of the difference in value between "Old Tenor Bills," and "lawful money," may be gained by the two following votes. "Jan. 9, 1750, Voated for the Ministers salary for the past year 387 pounds 5 shillings old tenor." One year later, December 24, 1750, "Voated and Granted to the Revernd Mr. Noah Mirick 41 pounds 8 shillings lawful money for his salary for the year past." It will be seen that, at that time, one pound in "lawful money "[coin]," was worth nearly ten pounds in "Old tenor."
In 1749 the selectmen of Springfield laid out, or altered, the road "running east & west near the revd. Mr. Noah Miricks Dwelling-Beginning at the west road "[Main Street]" about 40 rod south of Moses Burt's Dwelling House at a black oak tree thence easterly "[the distances only are given here]" 30 rods, then 18 rods, 24 rods, 18 rods, 14 rods, 6 rods, 20 rods, 14 rods, 13 rods, then 27 rods to the Revd Mr. Miricks Stone wall that Encloseth his Garden," [the stone wall is still there] "then eastward" [the distances are given with each change in the direction, amounting in all to 184 rods] "at or near the Road
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
called the middle Road" [now Ridge Road]. The east part of that road, beyond the minister's house, was discontinued about fifty or sixty years ago, as the present road, leading over the mountain to Monson, rendered it unnecessary.
Also on March 8, 1749, they laid out the road which has since been called, "Meeting House Lane;" "Beginning at the south west corner of the revd Mr. Noah Mirick's Stone Wall which Encloseth his Garden and about Seven or eight rods west of Mr. Mirick's House, then northerly to a tree, then 7, 9," 11 rods to a tree near a run of water, "then 12, 22, 8, 11," 8 rods to a rock 6 feet west of a white oak Staddle Marked, then 9, 14, "9 rods at the corner of Daniel Warner's New Pasture called his goat Pasture," then 17, "16 rods to a staddle, Thus far running northerly, from thence taking the weadth of said road in the propriety or Improvement of Isaac Brewer and running by such a point as to take in the whole weadth of sd road in the Propriety or Improvement of David Mirick where it comes into the West road or street" [Main Street] "by running near a west line 44 rods from sd staddle to said street. 2 rods wide." This road, beginning at the west end, on the east side of Main Street, and about 3 or 4 rods north of the pres- ent road leading to Monson, was the original way to the Meet- ing House. It is now known as "Wade's, or Merrick's, Lane." It ran easterly 44 rods, then turned southerly, crossing the pres- ent road to Monson, (about where Federal Lane enters the Monson road) and continuing on southerly to the Meeting House on Wigwam Hill. That part of the road north of the Monson road was discontinued, probably when the Mon- son road was laid out. The part south of Monson road was discontinued about 1870, and a new road, to take its place, made about 60 or 70 rods further to the east, from the present residence of C. C. Beebe to that of H. T. and C. P. Bolles.
At a precinct meeting held "Mar. 19th 1751, Voated and Granted to Nathaniel Bliss 5 shillings 4 pence Lawful money to be paid to the Revrnd Mr. Merrick's Negro." This payment may have been for sweeping the meeting house. On "Jan. 5,
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
1757, Voated & Granted to Mr. Miricks Negro for fetching Clay from Town four pence three farthings."
"Jan. 13 1752 Met at Meeting House and granted the Min- isters salary 41 pounds 18 shillings 4 pence lawful money, then adjourned to the Dwelling House of Moses Burt;" [probably it was cold at the meeting house] "then, Voated and Granted 53 pounds, 6 shillings, 8 pence lawful money towards the further finishing the meeting house," and, "Thomas Mirick, Stephen Stebbins, Daniel Cadwell, David Mirick & Nat1 Warriner chosen a Committee to Lay out said money first in Ceiling and Plastering said Meeting House in order to make it warm and if there be any money Remaining to Lay it out in Procuring materials for the seats &c." "March 17, 1752, Voated & Granted to Nathaniel Hitchcock Eight shillings for service Don to ye buring yard". It will be remembered that he was chosen two years before to make the "burying yard Decent." A few years later it was voted to build a Stone Wall around the Burying Ground, which, we are very thankful now, was never done. A Committee was appointed to make a new agreement with Rev. Mr. Merrick in regard to his salary, December 24, 1750. It is evident that the committee found their task a hard one, for the market value of certain necessary articles of con- sumption fluctuated considerably and the "Old tenor" cur- rency depreciated so rapidly, that it was two years before they made their report. On January 9, 1753, they made the fol- lowing report:
"The agreement of ye Committee with ye Revernd Mr Noah Mirick upon ye species on wch ye Sallary for ye year past was Stated is as follows:
lb.
S.
p.
Indian Corn at
15 s. pr boshel
- 31 -
-
Wheat at
30 s.
- 34 - 1 - 10
Rey at
20 s. "
- 29 - 8 -
2
Barley at
20 s.
31 - 5 -
0
Oats at
8 s.
25
-
Flax at
4 s. per lb.
36 - 6 8
Beaf at
1 s.
25
-
Pork at
1 s. 6. per 1b.
28 2
6
£ 237-
9 - - 2-O. T.
£ 37 with its discount
89 -
- 11 -O. T.
326-10 - 1-O. T.
in Lawful money 43-10- 8
Signed by Noah Mirick, Thomas Mirick, Caleb Stebbins."
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
The report was accepted and the precinct "Voated and Granted ye Revnd Mr. Mirick his salary £ 43-10 s. 8 p. for past year." Also, "Voated that ye foregoing vote be under- stood to mean from ye 21st December A. D. 1751 O. S." [old style] "to Janry ye 2nd 1753 N. S." [new style] which makes a Compleat year & no more." Also, "Voated and Granted the sum of Ten pounds Lawful money for the further finishing ye Meeting House and other Contingent Charges." And at many of the precinct meetings, in the ten years following, additional sums were granted "for the further finishing of the meeting house." Such was the house our fathers erected in their poverty for the honor and worship of God. This was their "hill of Zion," this their sanctuary. As they went up to worship, the broad expanse of the valley of the "Great River was spread out before them, from the mountains of Holyoke and Tom on the north, to the settlement at Hartford on the south. In the valley directly below them, the open fields of the early settlers were the first to greet their vision-the fields of Hitchcock and Burt and Brewer and Merrick and Warriner; and on to the west, over forests and meadows, and beyond the plains of the inward commons, could be seen the blue line of vapor, signalizing the homes of the earlier settlers in Springfield Street; or the white cloud of fog lying low along the banks of the Great River. And beyond, more than twenty miles away, rose the blue ridges of the Green Mountains, tipped with gold in the sun- shine of the morning, veiled in purple in the evening; and when the frosts touched the forests in autumn, the red maple flamed among the trees; and the green of the pines and the yellow of the walnut caused the whole vast landscape to appear like a gorgeous carpet woven in the loom of the gods. The Lord's house was exalted upon the hills, and hither the tribes came up to worship. And when the Sabbath morning comes, Daniel Lamb and Sykes from the Bay Road, Chapin and Bliss and Bartlett, from on, and over, the mountain, Hitchcock and Burt, Brewer and Warriner and Warner and Merrick, from Main Street, and Badger and Skinner and Stebbins and Chapin and King, from the south part of the precinct, all wend their
VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAIN LOOKING SOUTHWEST.
Wigwam Hill in the middle distance. Buildings of C. P. Bolles on the right. The "Old Squaw's Wigwam" was at the left of the "Hill," outside of this view.
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
way, through the fields, and along the wood-land trails, and by obscure bridle-paths, and unworked highways, until the pro- cession, some on horse-back and some on foot-for now, as it was before, to Springfield, the young men and the maidens thought the walk most delightful,-all went on together up to the place of the sanctuary. They made their horses fast to the trees about the meeting house, and after such Christian inquiries of the neighbors whom they met there, for news of their households, and of the precinct, as their curiosity com- pelled and reverence could not restrain, they entered the sanctuary which they had erected for the worship of the Lord."
After they were as comfortably seated as possible on the benches, in such order as had been prescribed, the "Worthy Rev. Noah Mirick," with wig or powdered hair and cue, bands and small-clothes and silk stockings and shoe-buckles of silver, entered the house, the congregation all rising as a token of respect. He read a hymn, then handed the book over the top of the rough pulpit-for there was but one hymn-book in the precinct, and that was the minister's-to Deacon Nathaniel Warriner, who named the tune, gave the pitch, read one line of the hymn, and commenced singing it; Warner and Brewer and Langdon and Stebbins and Moses and David and Hosea and Huldah and Jemima and Ruth following after, as ability and strength permitted; the deacon considerately, and as became the service of God's House, waiting, before he gave out another line, till the most dilatory had finished.
When the hymn was ended, the minister solemnly prayed, the congregation all reverently rising. When the prayer was over, another hymn was sung in the same manner. Then the sermon was preached, not seldom interspersed with the twitter- ing of swallows above, or the crying of babies below.
At last the benediction is pronounced, and the minister leaves the pulpit and passes out first, the congregation all standing, as when he entered. The families now gather about in groups to eat their frugal dinners from the logs and stumps which were abundant.
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
The short intermission over, the afternoon service follows, similar in all respects to the morning; after which, Paul Lang- don again loads his marvellous wagon, [the only one at that time in the precinct] with his own family, and some of his neighbors, others mount their horses, and still others on foot, wend their way along the bridle-paths, and abandoned Indian trails on their homeward way. Some not reaching their habita- tions until the going down of the sun, all grateful that God has "cast their lines in pleasant places, and that they have a goodly heritage." Saturday evening is "kept" by these pioneers, and when the "chores" are done, and the sun is set, they are already "dressed," and ready to call upon their neighbors in a social, or more affectionate way.
This practice of "keeping" Saturday evenings was followed in many families within my own recollection. I can remember the time when, if the older boys or young men had traps or snares set to capture the game in the forest, those traps and snares must all be sprung on Saturday afternoon, before the sun went down, and not reset until after sundown on Sabbath evenings. Even the wild creatures of the woods, on which some of the people partly depended for food, must have their "day of rest" from the pursuit of the hunter. I can remember, when a child, of standing on tiptoe at a west window of my home on Sabbath afternoons, watching and wishing and waiting for the sun to go down, and when the last vestige of its glowing form had finally disappeared behind the western hills, Oh! then, I could run and caper. We have drifted a long way from the strict "Sabbath keeping" of those not very distant days. In these times, when on the Sabbath day, the automobile and the motor-cycle go puffing and popping and tooting their horns and -smelling-along the highway at a speed anywhere from five to fifty miles an hour, when the man with the baseball bat is knocking at the church door, and the sweaters of the football team are only a little way in the distance, there are many who are seriously asking the question, "Haven't we drifted far enough?"
"The Meeting House is occupied, but it is far from being
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
finished; and the years until the incorporation of the town in 1763, are witness to earnest efforts to build pews and seats; to put in galleries, to plaster about the pulpit, to lay the gallery floor, to build seats in it, to plaster under it, and finally to plaster the house wholly in 1756, eight years after it was occupied for worship.
On March 16th and 18th, 1756, the precinct meetings were held at the schoolhouse. Probably because the plastering and the "further finishing" of the meeting house were in progress; for I find that at the precinct meeting held January 5, 1757, it was "Voated and Granted to Dn Nathaniel Warriner 1 pound 17 shillings for Money paid to Benj. Jones for plastering the Meeting House Nov. 1756 and for Keeping Sd Jones & his horse and for some Nails & Labour about Sd Work." Also, "to Benonie Atchinson for Eight days and a halfs work about the Meeting House Fifteen Shillings. To Sam11 Bartlett for 5 days and three quarters for work at the same place. 10 shillings, to Joseph Sikes for Twelve days & 3 quarters of him- self and for his Team better than a day Ditto twenty four shillings-To Dr David Mirick for half a days work making scafolding for the plaisterer nine pence two farthings." On "Mar. 24, 1760 the Parish Com. instructed to Repair the Roof of the Meeting House." Probably the five or six years that those "Good Sedar Shingles" had lain on "Pine Hill," had not increased their wearing qualities. But the finishing of the meeting house was an easy thing to do compared with the difficulty of "seating" it.
As there were no pews built for the first five years, there was no "seating" of the congregation.
But afterwards, we know that it was customary to "seat" persons in order of their age, or of civil or military dignity. The eldest persons being assigned to the best, or highest pew-for the highest pew in honor was often far from being best in posi- tion. Generally only heads of families occupied the pews on the floor of the house. The young men and maidens, the boys and the girls, were "seated" in the gallery, after it was so far finished that it could be occupied, and where the services of the
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THE HISTORY OF WILBRAHAM
Lord's house were not always visible and sometimes hardly audible. In 1753, a committee was chosen to "scat the Meeting House." They reported and their "report was Excepted," but was not recorded. Persons were often dissatisfied with the seats assigned them, and frequently, sometimes within a few weeks, another committee would be chosen to "Rectify the mistakes of the former committee, to Dignifie the seats, and seat said Meeting House a New." At a precinct meeting on "Jan. 1st A. Dom. 1760. Voted to seat the Meeting House anew" [committee of nine chosen] "according to their best Discretion. Saving ye men & women are to be Seated together." The report of this committee is recorded, and here we have, for the first time, the names of the families in the precinct. It will be noticed that the names of the deacons are not given. They doubtless occupied what was known as "The Deacons' Seat." It will also be observed that in "Pew No. 2ª," is seated the wives of the two deacons, and "The Widow Mary Mirick." She was probably the widow of Deacon David Mirick, who had died about three years previous.
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