USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Richmond > History of the town of Richmond, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, from its first settlement, to 1882 > Part 1
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offen Bassett
HISTORY
OF THE
TOWN OF RICHMOND,
CHESHIRE COUNTY,
NEW HAMPSHIRE,
FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT, TO 1882.
By WILLIAM BASSETT.
BOSTON: C. W. CALKINS & CO., PRINTERS, 64 FEDERAL ST., COR. FRANKLIN.
1884.
Tilbud 20,00
1195025
TO THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE
TOWN OF RICHMOND,
WHETHER AT HOME OR ABROAD, WHO RETAIN AN INHERENT LOVE FOR THE PLACE OF THEIR BIRTH
THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.
PREFACE.
In presenting this volume to the public, it is but proper to state that the work has grown to greater dimensions than was at first contemplated ; but the enlargement has resulted not from the diffuseness in detail of a few special subjects, but rather from the brief consideration of many topics claiming attention. More than two years have now been devoted to the work, and still material which would add interest to its pages is by no means exhausted. It has been the design to give more prominence and fullness to the genealogical than to the historical part, as more inter- est often centres around the lives of individuals and fam- ilies than can be awakened in the perusal of town annals which present quite frequently a painful sameness. Im- portant events which have transpired have not been over- looked, nor have such matters been ignored as seemed to change or effect the social, moral, or political condition of the people. Of the early settlers, those families that have shown the most vitality and the longest residence in the town have been given the greater space, and also those connected with the town by birth or residence who have been instrumental in promoting its general prosperity, or have been important factors in the development and growth of the varied interests of our country, have received special consideration, while those whose sojourn was so brief or unimportant as scarcely to leave a trace behind, we have rarely followed in their perigrinations. Aside from the incompleteness and all inaccuracies which may appear in the work, the committee chosen to compile and publish the same believe that more than enough reliable matter
vi.
PREFACE.
has been collected to pay for all the expense incurred. To the citizens of the town, and others interested in the work, who have aided us, we tender our thanks; but especial mention is due the Hon. Isaac W. Hammond, Assistant Secretary of State, at Concord, and the late John J. Allen, Esq., for the kindly aid extended in their several offices ; also to Mr. Buffum, Register of Deeds of this County. The services of Fred. M. Ballou, Esq., of Providence, R. I., have been most valuable in collecting material relating to the early settlers from Rhode Island and the adjacent towns, for which we tender our most grateful acknowledgments.
WILLIAM BASSETT, ZIMRI BOWEN, CHARLES W. CONWAY, ALMON TWITCHELL,
Committee chosen at Annual Meeting, March, 1882, to compile and publish the History of Richmond.
RICHMOND, July 1, 1884.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
SETTLEMENT AND GRANT OF TOWNSHIP.
Introductory Remarks - Description of the Town - When, Where, and by Whom Settled - The Original Proprietors - Character of Early Settlers - New Hamp- shire as a Province - Charter of Township - Original Survey and Plan of the Town - Charter Forfeited and Renewed - First Town Meeting - Town Officers - The First Roads Laid Out, Etc. - Cheshire County Formed - Proclamation Money - Settlement with Town Officers - First Census- About Indians - Rogers Killed - Wild Beasts - Bear Fights- Bear Hunts - Noted Hunters of the Early Times - Legends of Olden Times. PAGE I.
CHAPTER II.
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION.
Condition of Town in 1775- Richmond Company at Battle of Bunker Hill - Asso- ciation Test-Second Census - Committee of Safety and Inspection - Soldiers in Winchester and Swansey Companies in 1776- Town Bounties, 1777-Captain Capron's Company for Relief of Ticonderoga - Soldiers in Winchester Company at Battle of Saratoga - Bounties Paid, 1778 - Soldiers Mustered in at Walpole- Committee Chosen to Hire Men, 1779 - Quotas for 1780 - Mixed up with Ver- mont -Continental Men in the Service - Cannon Taken Through Town - Bar- nard Hix and Eleazer Martin - The Currency - The Price of Articles Fixed - Town Action on Salt - Readjustment of the Currency - The Town at Close of the War --- The Women of ' 76. PAGE 55.
CHAPTER III.
THE NEW HAMPSHIRE GRANTS AND THE VERMONT CONTROVERSY.
The New Hampshire Grants - The Masonian Line, and the Vermont Controversy - Time of Annual Meeting Changed - Formation of Constitution of New Hamp- shire - Adoption of the Federal Constitution - Petition for Justice of the Peace - Sign-post and Stocks - Petitions for Exemption from Military Duty - Warning Out of Town - Glebe Lands - Bounties on Wild Animals and Birds. . , PAGE 82.
viii.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
WAR OF 1812, ROADS, SCHOOLS, ETC.
War of 1812-Town Action Concerning - Captain Bryant's Company - Soldiers in other Companies - Drafted Men - Ballon's Poem - The Ashnelot Turnpike - Other Roads Laid Out - An Amusing Incident - United States Mail and Ex- press Routes - Schools and School Teachers - The Town Districted - A Part of Town Annexed to Troy - A Part annexed to Winchester - Map of Town - Topography and Geology of the Town - Military Matters - Paupers. . . PAGE 104.
CHAPTER V.
POST-OFFICES AND POST-MASTERS, ETC.
Post-offices and Post-masters - Physicians - Professional Men - Musicians - Band - - Inns and Inn Keepers -Stores and Store Keepers - Mills and Mill Owners - Tanneries - Mechanical Industries - Other Industries - Blacksmiths - Carpenters - Shoemakers - The Old Baptist Meeting House - Burial Places - Times of Sick- ness - Accidental Deaths - Fires - Town Meetings - Singing Schools - Nahum Grout - Solomon Atherton - Went to Law - A Great Fracas - A Temperance House - Shows and Exhibitions. PAGE 152.
CHAPTER VI.
WAR OF THE REBELLION, ECCLESIASTICAL ORGANIZATION, ETC.
Public Sentiment Regarding the War - Action Taken by the Town - Soldiers in Various Regiments - List of Those that Died in the Service or were Killed in Bat- tle - Enrollment of Militia - War Rallies - Religious Organizations -The First Baptist Church - The Friends Society- The Present Baptist Church - The Uni- tarian Society - The Universalist Society - The Methodist Church- Attempt to Form an Orthodox Church - A Retrospective View - The Population and Valua- tion - The Electoral Votes - Political Parties - Town Officers - Financial Con- dition of Town. PAGE 208.
CHAPTER VII.
THE GENEALOGY OF FAMILIES.
Abbott - Adams - Ainsworth - Aldrich - Allen - Amadon - Ames - Anderson - Ar- nold - Atherton - Babcock - Baker - Ball - Ballard - Ballou - Barber - Barden Barker-Barrus-Barney-Barrett - Bassett - Battles - Beals - Bemis - Bennett- Benson - Bigelow - Bisbee - Bishop - Black - Blanding - Bliss - Bolles - Boorn - Bowen - Boyce - Brigham - Brittan - Brown - Bryant - Buffum - Bullock -
ix
CONTENTS.
Bump - Butterfield - Buxton - Capron - Cargill - Carkin - Carpenter - Carroll - Carter - Cass - Chase - Chapman - Cheever - Cheeney - Church - Clark - Clapp- Colburn - Cole -Combs-Conway -Cooley -Cook -Corey - Corliss - Crane - Crossman - Cressey - Crooker-Cummings -Cuinstock - Curtis - Dand- ley - Daniels - Darling - Davenport - Day - Dexter - Dillingham - Dingman - Dodge - Doolittle -Ellis -Ellor -Emerson -Erskine -Estas-Evans - Fisher - Flint - Frazier - Freeman - French - Fuller - Gage - Garnsey - Gaskill - Gay - Gleason - Goddard - Goodwin - Goodnow - Goodnough - Graves - Grant - Green - Grout - Grover - Guild - Hamilton - Hammond - Hale - Handy - Harkness - Harris - Hayward - Herrick - Hews - Hills - Hill - Hix - Hol- brook - Howe - Howard - Hubbard - Huntley - Hunting - Hunt - Ingalls - Ingersoll - Jessop - Jillson - Johnson - Jittem - Josslin - Kelton - Kenney - Kingsley-Kinsman-Kimpton-Knap-Lawrence-Lester-Lyon-Man-Martin- Mason - Meader - Mellin - Merrifield - Miller - Mowry - Mullen - Munroe - Naromore - Nason - Nelson - Newell - Newton -Norwood - Nourse - Nutting - Ormsby - Page - Paine - Palmer - Parker - Parkhurst - Patch - Perry - Peck - Peters - Phillips - Pickering - Piper - Potter - Powers - Prescott - Put- ney - Ramsdall - Randall - Rawson - Raymer - Razee - Raynolds - Read - Rich - Rice - Robinson - Roper - Russell - Saben - Salisbury - Scott - Smead - Shafter - Smith - Southwick - Spaulding - Spencer - Sprague - Starkey - Streeter - St. Clair - Stoddard - Swan - Sweet - Swift - Sweetzer - Taft - Tay- lor - Temple - Tenney -Thayer - Threshire - Thompson - Thornton - Thurber -Tillson - Torrey - Truesdall - Tucker - Tuttle - Twitchell -Tyler -Wakefield Wallace - Walker - Ward - Ware - Warren - Weatherhead - Weeks- Westcoat - Wheaton - Wheeler - White - Wilson - Whipple - Whitcomb - Whitaker - Whittemore - Whitman - Whitmore - Whitney - Wing - Williams - Willoby - Wiswall - Woodbury - Woodward - Wooley - Work - Wright - Young - Yates. PAGE 255.
CHAPTER VIII. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Nathaniel Aldrich - Sylvester Aldrich - Orrin Munroe Allen - Jonathan Atherton - Lemuel Atherton - James Ballou, jr. - Rev. Robert Bartlett - Job Bisbee - Phebe Bowen - Jedediah Buffum -Capt. Oliver Capron - Daniel Cass - Orison B. Curtis - Kendall Fisher - Eliza Ballou Garfield - John Martin - Wilderness Martin - Joseph and Benjamin Newell- Loren Pickering - Timothy Pickering - Jonathan Rawson - Alonzo Rawson - Col. Henry Starkey - Moses Tyler - Jarvis Weeks - Hon. Joseph Weeks - James Harrison Cass - Daniel, the Nig - Nancy Linty - Hannah Man - Ruth Ormsby - Penelope Phillips - Rachel Jillson - Aldis Boyce. . PAGE 539.
CHAPTER IX. LONGEVITY. FIRST SETTLERS, ETC.
List of Persons who were Born in Richmond, or have Resided Therein, who have lived Seventy Years and Upwards - The first Settlers and some of their Suc- cessors -Conclusion. PAGE 555.
x.
CONTENTS.
APPENDIX.
School Districts, Nos. 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 - Thayer's and Scott's Mills - Biographical and Genealogical, Hosea B. Aldrich - Denzel S. Rice - D. Richardson Randall - Buffum Allen - William Bassett - Jonathan Garnsey - Samuel Atherton - Henry B. Swan- Charles A. Crooker -Silas B. Boyce - William Buffum - James Lovett - Nelson Rawson - John M. Sawyer - Marriages omitted - Finis.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PORTRAIT OF AUTHOR . . Frontispiece. FOUR CORNERS, LOOKING SOUTH FROM BUFFUM HILL, opp. Page I
LOG-CABIN
9
N. H. STATE SEAL
14
66
FIRST PLAN OF THE TOWN 66
20
SECTIONAL PLAN OF THE TOWN. 66
24
DEACON JOHN CASS' INN
30
INDIANS ON THE LOOKOUT
42
BLACK BEAR
45
FIGHTING BEAR .
46
WOLF .
52
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER
55
BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL
59
TROPHIES OF BENNINGTON
67 74
CONTINENTAL CURRENCY
76 80
BELLES OF '76.
DELEGATES TO CONVENTION AT CORNISH 60
83
VIGNETTE OF UNION
94
WHIPPING-POST AND STOCKS .
98
CHARGE AT LUNDY'S LANE
108
AN AMUSING INCIDENT
118
STAGE-COACH. .
66
134
GRASSY HILL AND BALLOU'S DELL
opp.
136
THE OLD MILITIA.
I44
PHYSICIAN'S MORTAR, ETC.
156
RICHMOND BAND. .
161
BAR-ROOM
I62
WAKEFIELD AND WIDOW HOWE'S TAVERNS opp.
66
164
SELLING GROCERIES. 6.
165
WATER-MILL
168
BLACKSMITHING .
180
OLD BAPTIST MEETING-HOUSE AND UNION STORE .
opp.
184
CEMETERY.
187
HOG REEVE.
199
FAT AND LEAN MAN.
202
CANNON TAKEN THROUGH TOWN
66
I2I
MAP OF THE TOWN
66
xii.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
BOYS IN BLUE. . Page 209
LIEUT. ARLON S. ATHERTON
opp. 214
BIBLE. .
221
GROUND PLAN OF BAPTIST MEETING-HOUSE .
224
MIDDLE OF THE TOWN AND FOUR CORNERS .
pp. 228
BRICK CHURCH AND UNIVERSALIST CHURCH .
66
66
234
TOWN OFFICERS
248
REPRESENTATIVES TO GENERAL COURT
66 250
TOWN OFFICERS, ETC.
66
254
HOSEA BALLOU .
282
MRS. GARFIELD'S EARLY HOME
289
OLD BUFFUM HOUSE AND CORNER STORE
66 66
340
CROOKER HOUSE AND STORE AND HOLMES HOUSE.
66
66 378 386
LISLE LESTER'
66
451
REV. DAVID PICKERING
456
JOHN PARKHURST, JR.
opp.
458
DANIEL PETERS.
462
DAVID RANDALL.
opp.
472
BILL WEATHERHEAD
516
OLDER CITIZENS
opp. יר 538
MRS. GARFIELD.
66
546
M. B. ERSKINE
428
JOHN NEWELL .
EMENDATIONS.
PAGE. LINE.
49, 22 from top, for Hadley read Handy.
77,
2
for $3,000 and $12,000, read $2,000 and $8,000.
77, 4 for $300 read $200.
107, 29 for Lewis Whipple read James Whipple.
I08, 12 for Nathan read Nahum.
I19, 15 66 for country read county.
122, 27 for seventy dollars read $46.66.
I22, 29 for twelve read nearly eight.
123, I for one dollar read one half dollar.
131, bottom line, for Otis Cass read Luther Cook.
159, 29 from top, for 1856 read 1855-
186, 2 for IS84 read 1844.
2II, 41
6 6 for Sept. 16 read Sept. 19.
212, 26 strike out the words " Died at battle of Laurel Hill, Va."
213, 5
66 for Sept. 29 read Sept. 19.
269, 16 for 1800 read 1799.
269, 20 for 1807 read 1806.
269, 20 for 1809 read 1807.
270,
17
for Erastus read Erasmus.
272, II
for Simon read Simeon.
314, 27
for Sweeter read Streeter.
314, 2S
66
for Gardner read Barden.
318, 8
erase W. in the second Benj. W. Bliss.
318, 18
66 for 1790 read 1780.
327, 18
for Barzillai read Joseph.
335, 14
for Troy, N. Y., read Troy, N. H.
365, 17
66 for there died read died in Wis.
366, 3
before burnt insert partly.
366, 29
for Penn. read N. Y.
366, 30
strike out the words "He m. a daughter of Stephen Martin, of Barton, Vt."
377, 23
66
384, 21
for dr. of Capt. Abner Aldrich read m. Sarah Harris. after father's place read also on the Garnsey farm.
FOUR CORNERS (LOOKING SOUTH FROM BUFFUM HILL).
HISTORY OF RICHMOND.
CHAPTER I.
SETTLEMENT AND GRANT OF TOWNSHIP, FROM 1752 TO 1775.
Introductory Remarks - Description of the Town - When, Where, and by Whom Settled - The Original Proprietors - Character of Early Settlers - New Hamp- shire as a Province - Charter of Township - Original Survey and Plan of the Town - Charter Forfeited and Renewed - First Town Meeting -Town Officers - The First Roads Laid Out, Etc. - Cheshire County Formed - Proclamation Money - Settlement with Town Officers - First Census-About Indians - Rogers Killed - Wild Beasts - Bear Fights - Bear Hunts - Noted Hunters of the Early Times - Legends of Olden Times.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
More than one hundred and thirty years had elapsed after the settlement of Plymouth by the Pil- grims, before any attempt was made to settle the territory embraced within the limits of Richmond, indeed but few towns in the county of Cheshire had been settled ; when the grant of this township was made in 1752, a few towns in the river valleys had small settlements therein, Keene dating back to 1736, and Winchester to 1732, and these had been maintained at great risk to life and property. As a town, then, Richmond has had a corporate existence of about one hundred and thirty years, reckoning from the date of the charter to the time of this writ- ing, 1882, and as a body politic for the transaction of town business in 1765, the time when the first
2
HISTORY OF THE
town meeting was held, but seventeen years more than a century, and during this period we purpose briefly to review the more important events that have transpired within this township, and give some ac- count of the men and women who have dwelt herein.
A brief examination of the town at the present time, shows that important changes have taken place, such changes as engage the attention of the archæ- ologist, in the ruins of nations whose histories have marked their growth, maturity, and decline. The town, however, in this regard, is not exceptional in the list of strictly agricultural towns of New Eng- land, without railroads and other facilities necessary for the successful transaction of business.
The town attained its maximum growth in popula- tion about 1820, when it numbered nearly 1,400 in- habitants ; the numbers were not greatly diminished in 1850, when there were 1274, but since that time the decadence has been more marked and rapid, the last census giving only 669, a number considerably less than in the first census taken in 1773, only about ten years after its first settlement, when there were 745. The sojourner here of thirty years ago, would now wander in amazement over these hills and through these valleys, then dotted by the abodes of an active, industrious people, but now in many places repre- sented only by mounds and excavations, which mark the spots where once were gathered families of whose joys and sorrows these alone are the silent witnesses. That the process of decay cannot much longer con- tinue is quite certain, and it is more than probable the time is not far distant when the reflex tide of emi- gration will again roll over the deserted hills, and through the waste valleys of the State; when the
3
TOWN OF RICHMOND.
vast areas of the states and territories of the great West have been compactly filled by the landless and · homeless millions of Europe, -or sooner perhaps the transition may come, -when the beauty of the scenery, the healthfulness of the climate, and the cheapness of homes will draw a redundant popula- tion from over-crowded cities to the now abandoned homes of the fathers.
But these hope-inspiring visions of future possibil- ities are insufficient to counterbalance the weight of sadness and gloom which rests on those who, after the lapse of years, revisit the homes of their childhood, or the graves of their fathers; to them the changes are more marked than to those who have witnessed . the transitions around them, and hence have become accustomed to the mutations continually taking place. Some of the old homesteads are dimly definable in the newly-grown forest by the wayside, while others may be occupied by those of unfamiliar names, and a few only remain on the farms settled by their ances- tors. Man indeed changes, but the earth remains - the grand old hills still remain, resting firmly on their granite bases, and the valleys between still add beauty to the scene ; the ponds never to be forgotten, with the rivulets and brooks remain; the everlast- ing rocks are still there, bidding defiance to the de- composing elements of nature, and many of the old forests scattered here and there present old familiar outlines. It is indeed the same old town, recogniz- able by all familiar with its scenery in the olden time.
The time for the gathering of statistics of the first settlers has been unreasonably delayed, amounting almost to criminal neglect. The last of them took
4
HISTORY OF THE
his departure more than fifty years ago, and at the present time no son or daughter of theirs is now liv- ing in town, to relate the stories of the olden time, " and but few grandchildren are left to transmit the traditions of their fathers. The amount that has been lost we may never know, but it is reasonable to presume that these pages would be greatly embel- lished and improved if the early reminiscences, inci- dents, and anecdotes known to the fathers had been preserved. Much, however, from the general wreck has been saved. The recorded items, though few, are important, and the traditions, though limited, are of interest. With these the web of history must be woven, and with the warp and woof in places want- ing, no fabric can indeed be complete. The first movements in the settlement of towns as in nations is often buried in obscurity. Such, in part, was the case here ; we know indeed who the first settlers were, and mostly from whence they came, but the exact time of the advent of many is unknown, as also the prime cause which impelled them to their migration here is not of course individually known; but it is not our purpose at this point to dwell minutely on causes which may have fostered or retarded the set- tlement of the town, but rather to present a retro- spective view of the town during a period in which events of momentous importance, socially and polit- ically considered, have transpired, in which the peo- ple who have dwelt herein have to a greater or less extent participated, and in presenting this narration of town affairs it may be found that they are occa- sionally so intermingled with matters of national con- cern, that the due consideration of the same would seem properly to belong to the domain of the gen-
5
TOWN OF RICHMOND.
eral historian. History, however, whether of a town or of a nation, contains elements essentially the same, · but the former, circumscribed to a narrower compass, is termed local, and is of special interest only to the residents of the place and to those whose families are connected with the events narrated. As the town is the basis of the state, so is local history the foundation of general history, both dealing with men, together with their doings and surroundings ; only the latter are gleaned from broader fields and embrace longer periods of time. The writing of either is necessarily an exhaustive effort to transcribe into a single work what may be widely scattered, in detached portions, and often deposited in unknown places. The limits of the work proposed demand a rigid adherence to the primary object in view, which is briefly to record the more important events connected with the town, together with a genealogy of the families, so far as they may be obtained.
In commencing this work we are confronted at the outset with the fact that the earliest records of the town contained in the books of the original proprie- tors are gone, - destroyed by fire tradition says, many years ago; the last trace of them that appears was the delivery of them into the hands of Colonel Josiah Willard, of Winchester, 1796, from whom it is presumed that they were never returned, but were consumed in Willard's house that was burned about that time. The loss of these, together with the loss of material which should appear on the now existing records, necessitates a fruitless search oftimes in other directions for the missing items, and in consequence thereof we are compelled largly to rely on fugitive papers, on the fading memories of the aged, and on the
6
HISTORY OF THE
legends and traditions handed down from preceding generations.
The importance of exercising more care and atten- tion in the keeping of full and accurate records of town transactions and passing events, becomes quite apparent to any who may attempt to compile the an- nals of a town; things which may be considered commonplace and of no particular account by those most familiar with them, may be of great value to those who may come after, and especially so to the future historian of the town. This town is not excep- tional in the incompleteness and inaccuracy of its records in the books which have been preserved, for the complaint is quite general on the part of those who have been engaged in writing town histories, of great neglect and carelessness apparent in the records of other towns.
The remote causes which may have led to the set- tlement of the town, together with the minor transac- tions of the town may not be dwelt upon, but all material worthy a passing review will be pressed into service. The subject matter treated of is believed to be as important, and if fully presented would perhaps be as interesting to the general reader as may be found in the histories of other towns, more diffusely illustrated. In wealth and population the town main- tained for a series of years a pre-eminence in the county worthy of note; second in population only to Chesterfield in the first census of 1773, and to West- moreland in that of 1786, the town became an im- portant factor in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the Commonwealth. The record, if fully elabo- rated, would reflect honorable distinction on the fath- ers, and well worthy of mention and preservation by
7
TOWN OF RICHMOND.
those who have succeeded them, and it is but a slight tribute of respect that we pay to their memories, that in this limited way we try to rescue from oblivion the names of the brave men and heroic women who, leaving the enjoyments of social life in the older set- tlements, made for themselves homes in a wilderness infested by ferocious beasts and occasionally traversed by roving tribes of hostile savages. The difficulties, dangers, and hardships incident to pioneer life in a timbered country at that time can be but dimly real- ized by those living here at the present time. The mere moving a hundred miles or more with ox teams, or on horseback over rough roads, would be consid- ered no inconsiderable undertaking now ; but the dis- comforts and deprivations attendant on settlers in a wilderness for some years, must have been such as required the bravest of hearts and the strongest of arms to contend with ; such however were the powers of endurance of the early settlers, such their fortitude and indomitable courage, that they manfully battled the seemingly adverse surroundings of pioneer life, and converted the wilderness into abodes of peace and plenty.
RICHMOND IN 1823.
[TAKEN FROM FARMERS' N. H. GAZETTEER. ]
Richmond is a post Township in Cheshire Co., in Lat. 42º 45' N. ; is bounded N. by Swansey, E. by Fitzwilliam, S. by Royal- ston and Warwick, and W. by Winchester, containing 23,725 acres - The town is 12 miles (south) from Keene, 70 from Concord, and 72 from Boston - It is watered by branches of the Ashuelot and Miller's Rivers, which fall into the Connecticut - The ponds are three in number, one of which is one of the sources of Miller's River - The soil here is favorable for yielding rye, wheat, Indian corn, and most of the productions found in this section of New England - The land is generally level - There are no remarkable
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