USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Swanzey > The history of Swanzey, New Hampshire, from 1734 to 1890 > Part 5
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July 22, three men went from Hinsdale's fort in Hinsdale, about one hundred rods for timber, protected by a guard of four soldiers. The Indians got between the men and the fort and fired upon them. One citizen and one soldier were killed and scalped ; one citizen and one soldier escaped to the fort. From the account of the affair it is probable the others were captured.
At the same date of the last Hinsdale affair two men went a mile and a half from the street in Walpole to cut timber. Both were shot ; one was scalped; the other had his heart taken out and laid in pieces upon his breast.
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INDIANS.
This year, 1755, Col. Bellows of Walpole had a fort, and some distance from it a mill, and employed a number of men. Aug. 17, when Col. Bellows with thirty of his men were going from the mill to dinner they encountered a large number of Indians, but they suc- ceeded in cutting their way through them and reaching the fort with- out loss.
In the neighborhood of Col. B. lived John Kilburn who had a wife, a son and a daughter ; and he had living with him a man by the name of Peck, who also had a son. After the Indians' encounter with Col. Bellows they undertook to capture Kilburn and his family, but this family of six persons held the Indians at bay all the afternoon, when they gave up the undertaking. Mr. Peck received a wound from which he died five days after.
The Indians hovered about Swanzey in 1755. They rendezvoused on Mt. Cæsar. From this mountain they would come down as near as they dared to the fort on Meeting-house hill and execute their war and scalp dances, and exhibit themselves in the most insulting atti- tudes to the people in the fort.
This year a number of armed men went to work in the Great meadow with a guard of soldiers. When they reached the meadow the soldiers were in front. A rustling in some bushes attracted their attention. It was thought a deer might be there. One of the soldiers fired at the spot where the rustling was heard which aroused a band of concealed Indians who fired upon the soldiers. The soldiers and laborers drove the Indians to the plain west of Swanzey factory. An express brought out fifteen men from Keene under Capt. Met- calf. The Indians fled up the south side of East Branch and then crossed the stream and made their escape over the hills east of Keene. This is understood to be the last appearance of hostile Indians in Swanzey.
But in other towns in the valley Indian raids were kept up during the three following years.
June 7, 1756, Josiah Fisher, wife and two children were captured in Winchester and taken to Quebec where they met Benjamin Twitchell who was captured in Keene the previous year. After months of cap- tivity the Fisher family were released and returned to Winchester.
April 19, 1757, Charlestown was again attacked by a large party of French and Indians, and five men captured and taken to Canada of whom three died there and the others returned.
In 1758, at Hinsdale, they killed Captain Moore and his son, burned his house and made the rest of his family captives. At
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HISTORY OF SWANZEY.
Charlestown they killed Asahel Stebbins and captured his wife, a soldier and Isaac Parker.
In 1759 it was determined to chastise the Indians who had com- mitted such devastations upon the frontier settlements, and two hun- dred men were sent by General Amherst from Crown Point, under the command of Major Robert Rogers, to destroy the Indian village of St. Francis. After an eventful march of twenty-one days through the wilderness they reached the place and were entirely successful in the undertaking. At this date Quebec passed into the hands of the English and a quietus was given to the frontier settlements of the English colonies.
Swanzey was well provided with forts for the protection of its in- habitants and rendezvous for soldiers. The most important one was on Meeting-house hill. The old well that supplied the fort with water now supplies the premises of George Carpenter. Most of the soldiers that garrisoned the forts in Swanzey were from Massachusetts.
It must not be inferred, however, that all the soldiers employed in repelling the French and Indian invasions in the Connecticut and Ashuelot valleys were furnished by Massachusetts ; New Hampshire did something-what she could perhaps, in defending her frontier settlements and outposts.
NOTE .- Much of the material for this chapter has been obtained from Temple and Sheldon's History of Northfield, Mass., Saunderson's History of Charlestown, Annals of Keene, Belknap's History of New Hampshire, and Provincial Papers of New Hampshire by Nathaniel Bouton, D.D.
CHAPTER III.
General Outline History. 1136751
TOWNSHIP GRANTED - NAMES OF GRANTEES-PROPRIETORS' RECORDS- DIVISIONS OF LAND-SETTLEMENT OF PROVINCE BOUNDARY LINE-NEW HAMP- SHIRE CHARTER - LAND ANNEXED FROM RICHMOND - DISANNEXED TO OTHER TOWNS - COMMITTEE OF SAFETY - BEEF TAX - VERMONT CONTROVERSY WARNING OUT OF TOWN - PAPER MONEY - NAMES OF SETTLERS -EMPLOY- MENT OF THE PEOPLE - FOOD - DRESS - FARMING AND HOUSEHOLD IM- PLEMENTS - WAGES.
P REVIOUS to 1732 the valley of the Ashuelot had not been the home of the white man.
The nearest place to this valley which had been settled by the col- onists was Northfield, which at this time, included most of Hinsdale and a portion of Winchester. As Northfield was settled as early as 1685 it is probable that the trappers, hunters and explorers had ob- tained some general knowledge of the character of the valley previ- ous to 1732. The name of the valley and the river flowing through it had undoubtedly been established. The boundary line between the colony of Massachusetts Bay and the colony of New Hampshire had not been settled, but the Massachusetts colonists assumed that it be- longed to Massachusetts.
In June, 1732, Gov. Belcher, in his speech to the "Great and Gen- eral Court" of Massachusetts recommended that "care be taken to settle the ungranted land."
In compliance with the Governor's recommendation the House of Representatives voted "That there be seven towns opened of the con- tents of six miles square, one west of the Naraganset town which is near Wachusett Hill; one between the equivalent land and Rutland, on or near the road lately laid from Swift river to Rutland ; and one at Poquaig (Athol) on Miller's river ; one west of the town called Northtown; two on the Ashuelot river above Northfield, and the other in the eastern county at the head of Berwick; that the commit- tee be appointed to admit settlers and lay out house lots so that the
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HISTORY OF SWANZEY.
settlements may be made in a defensible manner, and to direct in the drawing thereof, but not to lay out any further division without di- rections from this court; that there shall be sixty-three house lots laid out in each township : one for the first settled minister, one for the ministry, one for the school, and one for each of the sixty settlers who shall settle thereon, in his own person or by any of his children ; the rest of the land to be allotted or divided equally into sixty-three parts ; that one year from the survey be allowed for the admission of settlers, and that the committee be directed to demand and receive from each settler at his admission five pounds, part of which shall be employed for reimbursing the province, the money to be advanced for paying the committee and the charges of the surveys ; and the remain- der to be employed for building a house of public worship or other- wise as the General Court shall order; that each settler actually live on his land within three years after his admission, and continue there for the space of two years after, in person and with his family, if such he have ; that he do within five years from his admission build a house on his land of eighteen feet square and seven feet stud, at the least, and within the same time do sufficiently fence and till, or fit for mowing eight acres of land ; and in case any settler fail of per- formance his right to be forfeited; and the committee for admitting settlers are directed to take a bond of each settler at the time of ad- mission for twenty pounds for the use and benefit of the settlers, in case he fails of performing the conditions mentioned ; and the settlers in each town shall be obliged to build a suitable meeting house and settle a learned and orthodox minister in such town within five years from their admission."
On the first of July, 1733, this vote was concurred in by the council and "consented to" by the Governor, but the committee appointed to make the survey not attending to their duty it was, Oct. 19, 1733, voted that another committee consisting of Joseph Kellogg, Timothy Dwight and William Chandler be appointed with directions forthwith to lay out the townships at Poquaig and on the Ashuelot river "un- less they find that by reason of laying out the township Winchester, granted to Col. Willard and others, the land remaining at Ashuelot river will not serve for two townships, in which case they are directed to lay out only one on that river.
In February, 1734, the committee made a return to the General Court of a "plat of two townships, each of the contents of six miles square situated on each side of Ashuelot river above the tract of land lately granted to Josiah Willard and others, beginning at a Spruce or White
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pine tree standing about midway between the south and east branches of said river about five perch east of the bank of the main river, and thence running each way as described on the plat." The plat was accepted and the lands contained in said townships were declared to lie in and constitute a part of the county of Hampshire.
It was soon found that the plan included land in the southwest cor- ner of the township, which had been granted to Josiah Willard and others. As the grant to Mr. Willard and his associates was made prior to the grant to Lower Ashuelot proprietors, the land was con- ceded to belong rightfully to Mr. Willard and his associates.
Sixty-three houselots were laid out in Lower Ashuelot in May, 1734, by a committee acting under the authority of Massachusetts. Each of the lots was numbered, and each proprietor drew lots for his num- ber.
The following are the names of the persons who were the first owners of sixty of these houselots ; the other three being drawn, one each for the minister, the ministry and the school :
Lot No. 1, Josiah Divol ; 2, Thomas Hapgood ; 3, Thomas Kendall ; 4, Samuel Bason; 5, James Heaton; 6, John Holden; 7, William Negers ; 8, John Mead ; 9, Joseph Lee ; 10, Daniel Brown ; 11, Jo- seph Hill; 12, James Wallis ; 13, John Flint for his son Ephraim Flint; 14, Elnathan Jones ; 15, Benjamin Reed ; 16, School lot; 17, Benjamin Whitney ; 18, Nathaniel Hammond for his son-in-law Cham- berlain ; 19, James Houghton, jr. ; 20, John White ; 21, John Muzzey ; 22, Jonathan Prescott ; 23, David Cutler ; 24, John King ; 25, Joseph Hill, jr. ; 26, Robert Cummings ; 27, Nathaniel Hammond ; 28, James Henry ; 29, Thomas Cutler; 30, Hezekiah Sprague ; 31, Benjamin Haywood; 32, Jonathan Hammond by his father; 33, Joseph Has- kell, 34, Eleazer Robbins ; 35, William Whitaker; 36, Samuel Doug- lass ; 37, Aaron Lyon; 38, Benjamin Thompson; 39, Nathaniel Whitemore ; 40, Thomas Kendall ; 41, Timothy Stearns ; 42, John King ; 43, John Sampson ; 44, John Starr ; 45, John King for his son ; 46, John Mewharter; 47, Ministry lot; 48, Minister's lot; 49, Nathan- iel Mattoon ; 50, Ephraim Jones ; 51, William Lyon ; 52, Benjamin Farnsworth ; 53, Oliver Wallis ; 54, William Arms ; 55, Charles Pres- cott ; 56, Enos Goodale ; 57, John Tyler ; 58, Ebenezer Conant ; 59, William Carr; 60, Thomas Heaton ; 61, Thomas Kendall ; 62, Sam- uel Doolittle ; 63, Gardner Wilder.
It will be apparent to one who shall read the subsequent history of the township that the grantees generally did not act in accordance with the terms of the grant, by becoming residents themselves, or by
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HISTORY OF SWANZEY.
their children settling in the township. Among the names of these grantees who were residents of the township previous to 1747 we find only Hammond, Heaton, Brown, Jones, Chamberlain, King and Carr ; and then we find the names of Belding, Grimes, Gunn, Cresson, Hills, Graves, Evans and Loomis.
The inference is that the motive which prompted many of the grant- ees to take rights in the township was speculation ; and that some of them very soon disposed of their interests therein.
The committee appointed by Massachusetts to lay out the sixty-three houselots, laid a road four rods wide from the south side of the south branch, north of the spot where No. 5 schoolhouse now stands, in a straight line on to the hill west of the George Carpenter residence, thence making an angle and bearing to the east to a point a little southeast of the residence of Sylvander Stone. Thirty-two house lots were laid on the west side of this road, and thirty-one on the east side. No. 1 was at the west side of the North end and No. 32 on the west side of the South end ; No. 33 on the east side of the South end, and 63 on the east side at the North end. Some alteration of this plan was made soon after by the settlers. Nos. 33 and 34 were taken from the east side and laid out south of No. 32 on the west side. The lots between Nos. 42 and 53 were moved to the east. Nos. 33 and 34 were moved presumably because they included the moat. The others were moved so as to obtain a larger tract of common land upon what was called "Meeting House hill."
The proprietors' records commence as follows :-
"Concord June 27, 1734. At a meeting of the proprietors of the Lower Township on the Ashuelot river, Mr. Nathaniel Hammond of Littleton was chosen moderator; Ephraim Jones of Concord chosen clerk and sworn.
Voted that John Flint Esq. of Concord, Mr. Joseph Hill of Biller- ica, Mr. Thomas Cutler of Lexington, Mr. Eleazer Robbins of Har- vard and Mr. Nathaniel Hammond of Littleton, be a committee to manage the prudential affairs of the said township. Voted that the meeting be adjourned to Wednesday the 18th day of September next, and then to meet at the said township of Lower Ashuelot at 10 o'clock in the forenoon.
At a Meeting of the Proprietors of the Lower Ashawelock Town- ship, Being Meet on the said Township on the Eighteenth Day of September, 1734. Voted that the Meeting be adjourned to To-morrow morning at Eight of the Clock being the Nineteenth Day of Septem- ber Currant then to Meet on the Lot No. 1 in the said Township.
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GENERAL OUTLINE HISTORY.
At a meeting of the Proprietors of the Lower Township on Asha- welock River being meet on the Lot No. 1 in the said Township the Nineteenth Day of September Anno Dom. 1734. The question being Put whether the Proprietors will Lay out any of the Common Land in said Township at Present, Passed in the Negative ; and then the meeting adjourned to the Second Wednesday in October Next, and then to meet at the House of Ephraim Jones, Innholder at Concord at Twelve of the Clock at Noon."
Probably these proprietors of the two townships, Upper and Lower Ashuelot, who held the first meetings in the townships were all unac- quainted with the location of them, and that they arrived in the eve- ning of September 18, 1734. The Keene historian says : "None of them having previously visited it, they were accompanied by Deacon Alexander of Northfield as a pilot. They did not arrive at the line of the township until late in the evening of the 18th, the day to which the meeting was adjourned ; and as soon as the pilot informed them that they had passed the line they opened the meeting and adjourned to the next day."
It does not appear that any business of importance was transacted at this meeting. The principal object of holding it in the township was doubtless to make such observations as would enable them to make arrangements for its settlement.
"At a meeting of the proprietors of the Lower Township of Ash- awelock River being continued by several adjournments being meet at the House of Ephraim Jones of Concord the Nineteenth Day of October Anno Dom. 1734. Voted that a Division of Interval be laid out. Voted that the Interval between the Great River and the South Branch, and all the Interval upon the South Branch be laid out, and also so much on the South side of the Great River, Below the South Branch as the Committee which shall be Chosen to Lay out shall think Most Convenient. Voted that Mr. Eleazer Robbins of Harvard, Mr. Nathaniel Hammond of Littleton, Ephraim Jones of Concord, Mr. Benjamin Reed of Lexington and Mr. Nathaniel Mattoon of North- field, or any three of them, be a committee to lay out the Interval be- fore mentioned into Sixty Three Lots as equal as may be in Quantity and Quality. Voted that the Committee Before mentioned be Impow- ered to Imploy a Surveyor to Lay out the Land before mentioned. Voted that the Committee before mentioned, forthwith or as soon as Conveniently may be, Lay out the Land before mentioned and Make a Return of their Doings to the Proprietors in order to have them Draw their Lots the 2ª Wednesday of June next. Voted that the sum of Sixty Pounds be Paid by the Proprietors to Defray the Necessary
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HISTORY OF SWANZEY.
Charges. Voted that Mr. John Muzzey of Lexington and Mr. Ben- jamin Heywood of Worcester be Collectors to Collect the said sum of Sixty Pounds of the Proprietors and Pay it into the Treasury on or before the 2nd Tuesday in April next. Voted that John Flint Esq. be 'Treasurer and Receiver to Receive the said Sum of Sixty Pounds of the Collector for the use of the Propriety. Voted that the Meet- ing be adjourned to the second Wednesday of June next then to Meet at the House of Ephraim Jones Innholder at Concord in order to Draw their Lotts and to Treat of any other affairs which May then be thought Proper."
At this adjourned meeting held at Concord, June 11, 1735, it was voted that the report of the committee to lay out the second division be accepted : that said committee be allowed ten shillings a day for their services, and "that the Surveyors Bills Being fifteen Pounds Seven Shillings be allowed." It was also "voted that each Proprie- tor Pay Twenty Shillings before he shall Draw his Lott." The names of those who drew this second division are the same as those who drew the first. It includes the intervale lying on the east side of the Ash- uelot river between Keene line and the South Branch, and the inter- vale on each side of the latter stream between the iron bridge and the Ashuelot river. There was a small tract of intervale lying on the south side of the South Branch and the east side of the Ashuelot river that was not included in this division.
The boundaries of a few of these lots will be sufficient to give an idea how they were laid out and the amount of land which each lot contained.
"No. 1 Bounds Northerly 125 rods on the upper Township, North- westerly 17} Rods on Ashawelock River, South 135 on No. 2, East- erly 15 rods on undivided Land being upland : Said No. 1 contains Eleven acres, having 36 Rods Allowed for a Way besides."
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"No. 16 Bounds Northerly 174 Rods with No. 15, Westerly 7} Rods & half a foot with the river, Southerly 173} Rods with No. 17, East- erly 7} Rods and half a foot with undivided upland : Said No. 16 Contains Eight acres besides 20 Rods for a way."
"No. 48 is Invironed on all sides with water : Bounds North east 34 Rods on the Great River, Northerly 7 Rods on the River : North- westerly 3 Rods on said River : westerly 26 Rods on said River : North- westerly 14 Rods on said River : westerly 12 Rods on the South Branch. Southwesterly 6 Rods on said South Branch. Said No. 48 Contains Four Acres and one hundred Rods, being without any incumbrances of way."
"No. 53 Bounds Northwesterly 122 Rods on No. 52 : Northeast-
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GENERAL OUTLINE HISTORY.
erly 9} Rods on undivided land : Southeast 6 Rods on undivided Land : Northeast 13 Rods on undivided Lands : Southeasterly 126 rods on No. 54 : Northwesterly 13 Rods on the House Lotts; Said No. 53 Contains Eight acres besides 50 Rods for what the River takes out of the Same and Twenty Rods for a way."
"No. 63 Bounds North on No. 62 18 Rods : North Easterly 8 Rods on the River : North westerly 17 Rods on the River : Easterly 63 Rods on the River, Southwesterly 64 Rods on Common Land; Northwest- erly 24 Rods on Common Land, Westerly 20 Rods on Common Land. Said No. 63 Contains Thirteen acres and one hundred and Four Rods without any Incumbrances of ways."
The committee who made this division consisted of Eleazer Robbins, Nath. Hammond and Benjamin Reed ; surveyor, Stephen Hosmer, jr.
Doubtless soon after, this work was began in the township, by a party of men coming by the way of Northfield, through the then almost untrodden wilderness, bringing their tools and provisions with them. Their first work must have been to build cabins of logs and boughs. Then commenced the clearing of the land, and the woodman's axe began to resound through the deep, dark pine forest. During many a night as these laborers lay in their cabins after their hard day's work was done, there came to their ears the hooting of the owl, the howling of the wolf and the roar of the distant waterfall. Before the snows of winter these laborers returned to their Massachusetts homes.
The proprietors held a meeting at Concord, March 31, 1736. The subjects taken into consideration were the enclosing of the meadow lots by a fence ; the building of a saw-mill, and the laying out and constructing a road to Arlington (Winchester). At a meeting in the township September 8, a committee was chosen to see that the meadow lots were fenced before the first of December, and a committee was chosen to make a third division of land of about twenty acres to each house lot. At an adjourned meeting October 27, this committee made its report, which was accepted and the lots drawn.
The twenty acre lots were laid out on the intervale and meadows, which took nearly all that remained in the township after the first division of intervale had been made. It does not appear that any of the lots were laid out in what is called "Mark Meadow." The com- mittee commenced near where the Iron Bridge now stands over the South Branch and easterly of the town house, and laid lots in inter- vale land until they reached what was then the east line of the town. This line ran between the farms of Josiah Parsons and George W. Stanley, and further between the farms which were owned by the late
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HISTORY OF SWANZEY.
Amasa Aldrich and Carlton Parker. Several lots were laid out on the Pond Brook meadow and the Richmond Branch meadow. Several were laid out on the Great River above West Swanzey, which were called the "Mill Meadow lots." Others were laid on the Great River between West Swanzey and Westport, which were called the "Hypone- co Meadows." Two lots were laid on the west side of the "Great River" near Keene line.
The first proprietors' meeting in 1737 was held at Concord, Feb- ruary 9. This was adjourned to March 16, when it was voted to give Ephraim Jones 200 acres of land at the "Great Falls" if he would build at that place a saw-mill. It was voted also to make another, a fourth division of land, of about eighty acres to each owner of a house lot.
The proprietors came this year with their families, with the inten- tion of remaining during the winter and making it their permanent home. Their meetings from this time were held in the township. June 22, a meeting was called to be holden September 7 at the house of Capt. Nathaniel Hammond. This was the first house named in the records and stood where Mrs. Virgil Woodcock now resides. At this meeting and at adjournments of the same during the autumn, the fol- lowing business was transacted :- Voted to confirm to Ephraim Jones and his heirs the 200 acres of land that had been laid out at the "Great Falls" when he should have built the saw-mill. Voted to build a meeting house; to raise money to pay for preaching ; to fine any person who should fall trees into the "South Branch" or into the "Great River," unless he removed them ; to look out a road to where the saw-mill was to be built, and also to the intervale ; that the eighty- acre lots which had been surveyed should be divided by lot, and that another, a fifth division of 100 acres in the undivided land be made to the owner of each house lot.
At the close of the year 1737 a right in the township consisted of a house lot, an eight-acre meadow lot, a twenty-acre meadow lot, an eighty-acre lot of upland and a one hundred-acre lot which had been or could be pitched.
The fourth division lots were laid out under the direction of a com- mittee consisting of Nathaniel Hammond, Benjamin Reed, Samuel Chamberlain, Ephraim Jones and Nathaniel Mattoon. Although the proprietors voted that they should contain eighty acres each, many of them fell very much short of that amount. They consisted of upland, as the intervale and meadow lands had already been disposed of. They were laid out with a good degree of regularity (as were also the three
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