DDDaDnnDDDDDnnDnDDnnDDDDnDDDDDnD '^tRsT^' UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY SPECIAL COLUECTIONS F 74 W6 W6 1866 GIFT OF FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY □ D ° R nanDDnnnDnnDDnnDanDDDDDnDDDnDnDn I^^^' :>»r - m D D D D D D D D D a D n D D D D D □ D D D □ D D n D D D D D D D D D n n D D D n □ D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D n D □ D D M E jVr O R I ^ L REUNION or THE NATIVES WESTHAMPTON, MASS-: SEPTEMBER o. 1866. Young folks aic smart, but all aia't good thet's uew ; 1 guess the grau'thers they knowed sunthin', tu. They toiled an' prayed, built sure in the beginnin'. An' let na never tech the underpinnin'. BiGLOw Papkks Improved. WALTHAM : OFFICE OF THE FREE PRESS 1866. INTRODUCTORY KOTE. Centennial celebrations, and Reunions of the natives of given towns, are modern features of our New England history. Our country is yet in its youth. None of our municipal com munities have existed long enough to admit of more than two centennial jubilees, and many of them have had but one. Such occasions are replete with the deepest interest to the living descendants of generations which have passed away. They afford an opportunity to gather up, and put upon record, the memories of the past, to pay our dutiful respects to parents, grandparents and still more distant progenitors, and to preserve green in our recollections their household fidelity, their social worth, their unfaltering patriotism, and their consecrated piety. A want of proper respect for antiquity is said to be one of the grand defects of our national taste. If it is a blemish in our character, much should be pardoned to the stern neces- sities of pilgrim and frontier life, to the incessant struggle of the first settlers for existence, surrounded by hostile savages and a frowning wilderness, under inclement skies, and, more than all, with an almost total want of sympathy in the land that gave them birth. The fathers of New England had little time to spend in communion with the past. The necessities of the present were all engrossing ; and yet, such is the tes- timony of all contemporary and impartial history, that, in addi- tion to their unquenchable love of civil and religious liberty, they had more taste for institutions which were hoary with time, more love of literature and science, more relish for works of art, and a far higher regard for the immortal welfare of their children and their children's children, than have distin- guished any other pioneers the world has seen. It is fitting, then, pre-eminently fitting, that we, their descendants, should honor their memories, defend their names from undeserved reproach, and reproduce in our own lives, but in a far higher 4 -SVESTHAMPTON REUNION. de2;ree, those virtues which adorned their earthly career, enshrined their deeds in the gratitude of the workl, and pre- pared them for the mansions of the blessed. To hold in grateful regard the memory of our ancestors, is one of the most natural impulses of every ingenuous heart. The l3ald selfishness, so deftly set forth in an old song : — "Of all my father's relatives, I love mj'self the best, And if I am provided for, the Deil may take the rest." may he no caricature to some minds. It may exactly reflect their taste, but it must be rejected with 'disgust by all the dis- interested and the pure. It may have some place among the other abominations of heathendom, but Christian civilization teaches us to "rise up before the hoary head," and to respect even the child, for 'he is "the father of the man." It is with these convictions of filial duty, that we put upon record, in this unpretending pamphlet, the profound acknowl- edgment of our deepest obligation to \he fathers and mothers of Westhampton. "We often see in Massachusetts, the last place on the earth where such an impropriety should appear, the egregious moral solecism committed, of garnishing the sepulchres of the Pilgrims, and at the same time repudiating their faith. Of this superlative inconsistency, the sons and daughters of this town are comparatively innocent. We do not propose to "Give bond in stone and ever during brass," to immortalize the memory of our fathers, but we do it upon the worthier tablets of grateful hearts. WESTHAMPTON REUXION. PUBLIC EXERCISES OF THE REUNION. Wednesday, Sept. 5, 18G6, was a great day for the natives of Westliampton. It was their first social gathering on the spot, hallowed by all the sacred associations of birth, early recollections, and reminiscences of departed ancestors. The weather was delightful. The company embraced some three hundred natives of the town now residing abroad, a large number of the distinguished citizens of the neighboring towns, and nearl}' all the present residents, counting up some 1200 souls. The Hampshire Gazette said, — "The literarj^ exercises were of an exceedingly high character, full of historic lore and honorable and merited eulogy of the fathers and mothers of the town, and breathing a high moral and religious fervor, showing- how broadly the foundations of the moral, religious and mental culture of the returned natives had been laid in their youth, and how abundantly the good seed had sprung up to a noble harvest." It was properly speaking a centennial celebration of the settlement of the town, for the earliest inhabitants came in and began to fell the forests just about one hundred years ago, though the town was not incorporated till some twelve years afterwards. The suggestion of a celebration of this kind was first made, a j^ear or two since, by Rev. George Lj^man, of Sutton, Mass., but it did not at that time assume any par- ticular form. At the annual town meeting, last spring, the subject was again considered, and it was voted to hold such a reunion ; and Messrs. Matthias Rice, H. "W. Montague, R. W. Clapp, E. H. Lyman, and G. B. Drury were appointed a Com- mittee to carry the plan into execution. This committee, though fully aware of the magnitude of the work, and of the sacrifices they would personally be obliged to make to get up and carry successfully through an undertaking so novel and ex- tensive, took hold of it with a will, and bj'' their judicious coun- sels and untiring labors, seconded by the liberal responses of b WESTHAMPTON REUNION. the citizens and of the natives far and near, they prosecuted it to a successful completion. The committee deserve the sincere thanks of all concerned for their gi-atuitous and highly useful services. Of the character of the audience, and of the exercises in the Church, the Hampshire Gazette gave the following pictorial description : "The natives of the town comprise a noble hand of men and women, who would do honor to any locality. Among them are many clergymen of distinction, now settled in various parts of the country, and others who have achieved high and honorable positions in various professional and business callings. No town can boast a noisier ancestrv, or point to more creditable descendants than the good old town of AVesthampton. Among the clergymen present, natives of the town, Avere the Eev. J. Lyman Clark, D. D., of Waterbury, Conn., Kev. Dorus Clarke, of AValtham, Mass., Rev.Tertius S. Clarke, D. D., of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Rev. Calvin Clark, of Marshall, Michigan, Rev. George Lyman, of Sutton, Mass., Rev. Chester Bridgman, for- merly settled in Ludlow, Mass., Rev. Prof. Melzar Montague, of Ripon College, Wisconsin, Rev. Enos J. Montague, of Ocono- mowoc, Wisconsin, Rev. Luther Clapp, of Wauwatosa, Wiscon- sin, Rev. James Brewer, of Allen's Grove, Wisconsin, Rev. Anson Clark, of Hartford, Wisconsin. There were also pres- ent. Rev. John H. Bisbee, of Worthington, who married in Westhampton, and is therefore a semi-native ; Rev. A. M. Colton, pastor of the First Church in Easthampton, Rev. Henry L. Edwards, of Abington, Mass., and Rev. Osman A. Lj^man, of the Lane Seminary, Ohio. Of phj^sicians there were present Dr. Anson Hooker, of East Cambridge, son of the long-time phj-sician of the town, Dr. William Hooker, and Dr. Jewett, of the West. Other professions and business callings were repre- sented by the two able and distinguished historians of the day, Messrs. Judd and Clapp, and by E. Munson Kingsley, Esq., of New York, Zenas M. Phelps, Esq., of Riverdale, N. Y., E. C. Bridgman, Esq., of Brooklyn, and others. THE SERVICES IN THE CHURCH were commenced at 10 o'clock, and every available seat and standing place were occupied. The edifice probably never WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 7 before had so distinguished au audience. The pulpit platform, enlarged and carpeted for the occasion, was occupied by native clergymen, and thickly interspersed in the large audience were the gray hairs and venerable forms of many aged citizens and guests. The exercises consisted of singing by a well trained choir of about thirty members, embracing the maiden in her teens and the veteran of fifty, under the direction of A. H. Bridgman, an opening prayer by Rev. Calvin Clark, the ad- dress of welcome, the historical addresses, and the poem. Their delivery, with the prayer and the intervening singing, occupied two hours and three-quarters, and so deepl}' inter- ested were all, that no one felt weary or manifested the least impatience thi'oughout. An interesting deviation from the es- tablished programme was the singing, by the choir and congre- gation, of the 78th psalm, deaconed by Rev. Mr. Bisbee. This was done in the good old-fashioned st3de. Another feature of the exercises 'not on the bill,' reminding one of the earlier times, was the presence of several infant children, whose shi'ill notes, continued almost without ceasing from beginning to end of the services, apprised the celebrationists that the ma- terial for another reunion many years hence, would not be wanting. No one, however, seemed to feel disturbed by their .'plaintive notes,' they being received as a 'matter of course.' Enoch H. Lyman, Esq. was president of the day." WESTHAMPTON REUNION. ADDRESS OF WELCOME. BY R. W. CLAPP. Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters : All who have come to "Westhampton to-day to meet brothers and sisters, friends and kindred, to visit the places of their birth, to look upon the changes which time and hand have wrought, to seek out spots in which they were once interested or from which they ever gained pleasure — we welcome you ! I stand here, in behalf of this people, to offer yon their most cordial greeting. "NVe hope that while you stay you will feel at home with us, and we will endeavor to make our homes such that you may thus feel. Over these rock-ribbed hills you may wander, from these cold health giving springs bubbling forth from their sides 3'ou mvcy drink, from their high pointed sum- mits the eye capable of discerning beauty in the picturesque scenery spread out before it, may revel and delight ; wherever amid all our surroundings you can find what will delight the eye and gratify the sense, or if there be any place hallowed in your inemories, there we invite you ; and there the mid day zephjTS and evening breezes will waft no breath of cholera or foul miasma to poison your life, changing it in a few short hours into the shadow of death. In your ramblings you will see what the hand of man has been slack to beautify and im- prove, 3'et you may discover that the fingers of the Great Architect have been busy limning and adorning, thereby restor- ing to its primeval beauty the destruction man had caused. Although the little we have to offer 3'ou be very small, accept that little for our sake. When we contemplate the character and standing of many who meet with us to-day, and claim Westhampton for their mother, we feel a little of the sentiment of pride moving our souls, and we are exultant in the thought that we have a com- mon birth place and birth right ; and need not to saj^, that no Esau's pottage shall buy it from us. But who are these whose hands we clasp in love to-day, to whom we are drawn by an irresistible attraction? I will not attempt to name you, by any order of nobility. There may be a true classification of titles ; I cannot give it. Doubtless you all feel your royalty. But let me here remind any, if such there are, who have chanced to bring along a feeling of superiority, WESTHAMPTOX REUXION. 9 that the}^ must laj- it aside ; it can find no favor here. VTe ■wish to find in each and all, the man — minister and teacher, editor, lawyer, doctor, geographer and telegrapher, statistician and metaph^'sician, merchant, artificer, tailor, mechanic, trades- man, farmer — all meet here, where we had onr birth, upon a common plane, and here, around this altar of otir consecration, would fire anew our hearts with the loves and friendships of former 3'ears. We are glad so man}" have the heart and means to answer affirmatively to our call. But there are many more who have the right to l3e with us here to-day, and who, present in their thoughts, will be picturing the countenances, the acts, the words, the whole panorama of this reunion. A kind Providence smiles benignautly on all ; but from the full bounties of His store, they have been unable to reap those rich harvests which so many of us have gathered to the overflowing of our measures, and they are poor, as men count poverty, and cannot come. Others, besides, haA'c their chosen fields of labor too remote, to meet with us consistently. Those who would, but cannot come, must and will be called to mind b}' us to-day. Let not one of the whole brotherhood and sisterhood that claims this for his or her bii'th place be for- gotten in our memories here. ' I need not speak to you who hear me of the changes which these many jears have made. Your e3-es will witness them. Quite too often you may be called to wgep, as you look upon dilapidated dwellings, desertion, waste — which ma}- remind 3'ou of the prophec}', that "Westhampton will yet become a sheep pasture." Our prayer now is — that if the time must come when of this town it shall be written, desolate, it may not be until the gi-eat I AM sweeps all nations into nothingness. Notwithstanding influences are at work which make this prospectively' possible, 3'et, we are not sony that so many went forth from among us, — one here, another there, carrying with them a firmly estab- lished faith in Him who rules the Universe, and a strong belief that the}' had a work to do for Him. By virtue of this belief their influence has been for good. In benefiting and blessing mankind, they are blessed. I repeat — we are glad so man}' have heeded the call their Mother sends, and come to-day to commune together upon this hill top. "We ask the privilege of hearing every voice. The old dwellers here need it for their inspiration, and the young, to inspire noble impulses and high aspirations. While we shall endeavor to minister to the outer man, we de- sire you to minister to the finer sensibilities — the head, the heart. The day is yours. Welcome, Welcome, Theice Welcome ! 10 WESTHAMPTON REUlflON. HISTORICAL ADDRESS. BY C. PARK MAN JUDD, ESQ. Reverence for our birth place and for the graves of our fore- fathers is a sentiment common to the human race. The savage treads gently over the mound which covers the ashes of his sires ; and the last direction given by the patriarch Jacob, on his deathbed, was to order his sons to bur}^ him with his fathers in the cave of Machpelah. And to-day we have come together at the graves of our fathers and mothers, to follow their footsteps through the wil- derness, to visit their humble firesides, to talk over their works, praise their virtues, and to engrave, as with the point of a dia- mond, their characters and features upon the inmost tablets of our memories. Nor do we come alone ; we have brought up Avith us the little ones, the children and grand children, to point out to them the meeting-honse where our parents poured out their souls in praj'er and praise to the living God, to show to them the fields where our fathers and mothers toiled for our benefit, and where we, their descendants, spent the merry hours of childhood and j'outh in preparing for the active duties of life. This is the hour of joy, not of sorrow. Our fathers con- quered all the obstacles in their pathway, and to-day we sing hosannas to their name, and scatter the palm of victory over their tombstones. In Ma}^, 1653, a number of men residing in Windsor, Hart- ford, and other places in Connecticut, petitioned the General Court of Massachusetts to grant them a plantation at Nonotuck, above Springfield. In the same month the General Court appointed a committee to divide this land into two plantations. This committee laid out the bounds of two plantations, one on the east side of the Connecticut river, and one on the west side. The plantation on the west side of the river began to be settled in 1654, and was called Northampton. It embraced the territory now comprised in Northampton, Southampton, East- hampton and Westhampton, Southampton was settled in 1732, and Easthampton had families in it as early as 1700. And before 1690, Northampton had divided and allotted off to the settlers nearly all of its territory, except a tract of land in the west part of the town. This westerly tract of land was four miles wide from east to west, and six miles long from north to south, and was called AVest or Long Division. Westhampton embraces most of this old Long Division of Northampton. WESTHAMrTON KEUNION. 11 The Indian title to these two plantations had been bought for the planters in September, 1653, for 100 fathoms of wam- pum, ten coats, some small gifts, "and ploughing up 16 acres of land on the east side of the Connecticut river the next sum- mer." The name, "Westhampton, first appears on record in a vote of the town of Northampton, in November, 1774. Before this vote the persons living within the present town of Westhampton, were usuall}^ called, both by others and themselves, "the inhab- itants of the West or Long Division." The name seems to have originated in this way. Hampton signifies a town on or near a river, that is a river town. Some of the first settlers upon the Connecticut river, came from Northampton, the name of a city in Northamptonshire, Eng- land, on the northerly side of the river Aufonia. And as the new plantation was far north of all others on the river, and a bold enterprise, the emigrants to Northampton very naturall}^ and appropriately named the new village upon the Connecticut river, Northampton ; — that is, the most northerh' town on the river. And Westhampton, being taken from the westerly part of the plantation, was called Westhampton, although the name has no fitness to the character or situation of the town. The first settlement in Westhampton was made in the south- westerly part of the town, near the present highway which runs from Kingsley's mill by Norton's tavern, to Norwich. Before the town of Norwich was incorporated in 1773, that town with Chester was called Murrayfield, in honor of Col. John Mui-ray of Rutland ; and that part of Murrayfield which joined North- ampton was called Shirkshire and New Plantation. People had moved into Murrayfield in 1760, and Northampton wished to open some communication with the new plantation. And, for this purpose, in 1762, the town of Northampton laid out a road to the boundary line between Northampton and Murrayfield or Shirkshire, called the Shirkshire road. This road probably fol- lowed the old road from Northampton village by Park Hill and King's saw mill on the Manhan or King's river, to the pres- ent line of Westhampton, and thence through Westhampton, on to Murraj^field ; substantially where the present road goes from Strong Kingsley's mill to the boundary of Norwich or Huntington. But this road was simply a line run in the smoothest places through the woods, Avhose direction Avas indi- cated by some blaze marks upon the trees. It was laid out very wide, so that travelers on horseback could wind their waj^, dodging the rocks and trees. It was some time after this, before the road became well trodden into a mere horse path. We must not bemisled by the term road. Indeed, the great route to the west hrough Blandford, which had been used more 12 WESTHA3IPT0N REUNION. than GO j'ears, was in the time of the Eevolution so bad and rongh that it is said to have taken 20 j'oke of oxen and 80 men to conve}' a mortar over the hills to the encampment at "West Point. Abner Smith was the person who made the first permanent settlement within the present limits of the town of AVesthamp- ton. He is snpposed to have come from Connecticut to Chester or Murrayfield, where he remained a short time, and he removed from thence to "NYesthampton some time in 17G2. It is certain that he was taxed for a poll this year, for the first time. He first cleared up some land, not far from the spot where Dea. Enoch Lyman used to live. Here he built a log house, sup- posed to be just over the brook Avhere the blacksmith's shop afterward stood. Here on the banks of the Manhan, the settle- ment first began ; here the first opening was made in the wilder- ness. He remained here a year or two and then he built a log house on the south side of the old Shirkshire road, and sold the place to Jonathan Fisher in 1770. This was the beginning of the Fisher place. The second settler was Ebenezer French, wdio is snpposed to have come from Southampton, some time in 1763. He was concerned in King's sawmill, and finally became the owner of two-thirds of it. This mill brought him to the wilds of AYesthampton, where he selected a spot for his planta- tion as near to his mill as he could find on the Shirkshire road. He made a clearing and built a log house very near the old tavern stand of landlord Wright, recently occupied by Martin Wright. Both Smith and French were taxed by the town of Northampton in 17G3 and 17G4. In the latter year. Smith was taxed for 7 acres of land, 2 horses, 1 yoke of oxen, 2 cows, and 3 hogs, and French was taxed for 20 acres of land, 1 horse, 1 yoke of oxen, 1 cow and one hog. The two families numbered in all 19 persons, 10 in Smith's family, and 9 in French's. In Smith's family 2 were over and 8 under IG. French had 7 under 16 years old. In 17G5, the only persons in town Avere the families of Smith and French. They were both taxed. In 17GG, Smith was in town and taxed the same as in 1765, but French's nanie disap- pears from the tax lists, and it is supposed that he sold out and left the town. Thus the population of the town was, in 1766, reduced to the one family of Abner Smith. And as Smith in a few years removed from the town, and left no descendants here to keep alive the memory of their father, the tradition sprung up and has prevailed, that there were no permanent settlements within the limits of Westhampton before 1767. In 1767, there were only three families in the town, viz., that of Abner Smith, Timothy Pomeroy and Noah Strong, Jr. Tim- othy Pomeroy came from Southampton and purchased the plan- WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 13 tation began by French. lie soon opened a tavern, Avhicli was greatly patronized bj' the hands working at the lead mine. Old Nathaniel Strong, of Northampton, owned a large tract of land situate between the Shirkshire or Norwich road and the northerly line of Southampton, and embracing the spot now occupied by "Wm. J. Lj-man. This land had a great orchard of sugar maples on it, and his boj's came out here to make maple sugar in the spring. They brought their supplies with them, on horseback, erected in the woods a tent on poles, covered it with brush, and spent two or three weeks in the encampment making maple sugar. In this way, the land was explored, and his gi'andson, Noah Strong, Jr., was induced to commence a plantation near the orchard. In 1767, he put up a log house on the westerly side of the Southampton road, about half way between the present residence of AVm. J. Lyman and the road leading to Norwich or Huntington. His family consisted of his wife and two children. Very late in the fall, or early in December of the same j'ear, his third child was born, whom he named Lemuel. This was the first birth in the town of "\Yesthampton, and it took place under somewhat peculiar cicumstances as they were related by Eev. E. Hale, and others. In the small country towns, before the j'ear 1794, the service of a phj'siciau was not often emploj^ed at the birth of a child. This matter was left almost wholly to the care and skill of midwives. But the near- est midwife to Noah Strong was one who lived in Northampton village, and old Mrs. Burt, who lived in Southampton, four or five miles distant. One had been engaged to be present at the approaching birth. But the birth took place in the winter time^ and there had been a verj- severe snow storm, which filled to overflowing all the footpaths and b^'-ways leading to and from Noah Strong's house. His only neighbors were some distance off: Smith on the west side, and French's family more than a^ mile to the eastward. The storm made anj- communication with his neighbors or the midwife verj' difficult if not impossible. A messenger had been sent through the woods for the midwife ; but she did not come by reason of the deep snow. "Word was sent to the neighboring fam'ilies for aid. But the snow was deep and some time must elapse before any of the neighbors could get there. And some time after the child was born, in steps the midwife, with a hood over her head, and a tunic about her chest, having traveled several miles in snow shoes, without any path, and guided only bj^ the blaze cut upon the trees. In 17G5, Samuel Kingsley, of Southampton, deeded to his son Samuel 40 acres, and to his son Joseph 50 acres, in Long Divis- ion on Shirkshire%'oad. In 1768, William Bartlett moved his family into town, and 14 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. settled upon the same spot, or near the residence of Jared Bart- lett ; and in the same j'ear, Samuel Kingsley, Jr., began to build on the south side of the Norwich road, very near the house where he lived so many years. Bartlett was a man of consid- erable means, for his estate was taxed at £G2 18s. in 17G8. He brought sheep with him, as well as other animals, and is sup- posed to have first introduced sheep into town. Martin Clark and John Smith moved into town in 17G9. Clark first built upon the north side of the Norwich road, nearly opposite the new house of Mr. Ludden. Soon after this, he built another house on the south side, where he died after a life of great usefulness and labor. John Smith, the brother of Abner, came from Chester with a large family. He lived in several places, once on the spot after- wards occupied by Levi Post ; there he built the house in which Enoch Lj'man used to live. In this jear sheep first appear upon the tax list, 23 in all, and owned as follows : 14 b}^ Bartlett, 4 by Pomcroy, 3 by Clark, and 2 by Kingsley. Ten more persons came into this town in 1770 ; nine of them had families, making sixteen in all. There were Seth Burk, Joseph Kingslc}', Jacob and Jonah Mallorj', James Cowen, Ezra Hicksou, Simeon Ward, Ephraim Sanford, and Joshua Claflin. Seth Burk came from Goshen, built a house a little under the hill, and sold the same to Elijah Norton in 1785, when he moved to Vermont. This house is now standing. Joseph Kingsley settled near his brother Samuel. The Mallorys and Cowen mar- ried the sisters of Smith and built near them on the Norwich road. Jacob JMallorj- and Cowen soon left the town ; Joshua Claflin built on the place at Turkej' Hills, where Capt. Henry Hooker lived and died. Ezra Ilickson planted on the east road near the old house of Justin Edwards. Simeon Ward built near the present residence of Asa Parsons. Ephraim Sandford was the first person to build on the road to Nortliampton by Roberts Meadow. Sandford built on the Bridges place, be^^ond Turkey Hill school house. He was for a time in the war, but finally sold out to Zachariah Curtis. Several new families moved into the place in 1771 and 1772, and remained here. Jonathan Eish- er, who was the father of Major Fisher ; Timothy Thayer, who built the old Alvord house over the brook where William Ed- wards now lives ; John Bullard, who located in the place owned by Willard Smith. Gideon Clark, Jr. built on the farm which he occupied for so many years. Nathaniel Elliot and Ezekiel Snow built log houses down in the vicinity of the mines. Jona- tlian Wales moved his family into town in 1771, though he be- guu his plantation in the preceding year. Azariah Lyman was at work in the town in 1771 ; he built, in 1771, the two story Jiouse where his son, Jesse Lyman, lives. Ebenezer Stearns had WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 15 a place south-east of the old place, formerl_y occupied by Luke Phelps. John F. Tucker had a log house on Nathaniel Edwards' land, east of Joel Cook's ; his wife and child were buried in Ed- wards' pasture. John Strong, od, first built near Wm. Bartlett, afterwards moved down opposite Gee's house. On the tax list of 1771, are 21 names, having 23 1-2 polls and 8 houses, and they owned among them 13 horses over 3 years old, 10 1-2 yoke of oxen, 16 swine, and 20 sheep over one year old; and their land' consisted of 26 1-2 aci'es mowing, 40 1-2 acres tillage, and 28 1-2 acres pasturing. The whole valuation was £259 18s., of which much the largest estate was that of Wm. Bartlett, valued at £62 14s. On the list of 1772, there are 26 names and 26 polls, with 13 houses and five barns. The whole valuation was £379 15s, con- taining 174 1-2 acres improved land, 12 horses, 21 oxen, 22 cows, 18 swine, and 31 sheep. The six largest tax payers fol- lowed in this order : — Wm. Bartlett, Martin Clark, Samuel Kingsle}', Timothy Pomeroy, John Smith, and Xoah Strong, Jr. Bartlett had two horses, 4 oxen, 4 cows, 6 swine, 15 sheep. All ' the above houses were undoubtedly framed buildings, and the others lived in log houses. Two persons are rated as having one-third of a barn each. The whole tax was on polls, £5 12s, 1 l-2d, and on all other estate £2 4s., 3 l-2d, making a total of £7 16s., 5d, for 1772. The poll tax was then upon all males from 16 years old and upwards. It was called poll tax from the word poll, a name for the head, the tax being so much on a head. A great work was performed in AVesthampton about this time in connection with the lead mines. Aboutten years before the rev- olutionary' war, the noted Ethan Allen and a few other persons came to the mines, purchased large tracts of land in the vicinity, and began an excavation for lead. After sinking some thousands of dollars, they sold out to Wm. Bowdoin, brother of Governor Bowdoin, and others. These took hold of the work in great earnest, and emploj'ed manj' hands. Thej were led on by the common opinion that there was silver as well as lead in the mine. They excavated to the depth of sixty or seventy feet into the rock, and to remove the water which flowed into the pit, they put in a pump which was kept in motion by a stream of water brouffht more than two miles from Sodom brook, in the south- erly part of the town. From this brook, the water was carried into a swamp a little south of the former residence of S3lvester Judd, senior ; it then followed the course of a small stream, which issued from the easterly part of this swamp, and then a trench more than a mile long was dug to the mine. This trench could be seen in some places down to a late period of time. This Ethan Allen was very profane and noisy. He neither feared 16 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. God nor man. At one of his visits to the mine, Eev. Jonathan Jndd of Southampton, gently rebuked him for his profanity. Allen attempted to excuse himself on the ground of the badness of human nature ; the minister's answer is not given, but Ethan was much affected by it, and he was not heard to swear for sev- eral days. The popidation increased rapidly from 1772 to the incoi"pora- tion of the town in 1778. The land was cheap, and the soil proved much better than had been reported. The people worked upon the roads from year to year, and the north and south parts of the toAvn began to meet together. The town of Northamp- ton voted 1767 to build a bridge over the Manhan, at King's saw mill, and in the next year, it voted to build a bridge over Sodom brook. This was the first bridge made in the town of Northampton. It was voted to build a bridge beyond Samuel Kingsley's in 1771. Little neighborhoods gradually increased. Preaching Avas had occasionally and schools were opened. Ev- erything invited emigration. In 1773 came Ephraim Wright, Ebenczer French, Levi Post, Skelton Felton, Abiathcr French, Abner Claflin. In 1774 came Sylvester Judd, Reulwn Wright, Rufns Lyman, Timothy and Asa Thayer, Elihu Chilson, John Baker, Nathan Clark, Jona- than Clark, Oliver Post. In 1775 there Avere fort3q:)ersons taxed for 46 polls. And the new comers were Thomas Elwell, Joel Bartlett, Jonathan Frost, Ebenczer Clark, Epaphras Clark, John and David Parsons, Timothy Phelps, Timothy Edwards, Wil- liam At.water, Daniel Winter. There were 48 polls, 32 houses, and 18 barns, in 1776. In 1777 and 1778 the ncAV settlers Avere Peter Montague, Noah and Timothj' EdAvards, Elijah Boyden, Noah Parsons, Joseph Chil- son, Jonathan Alvord, Sr. and Jr., Jehiel Alvord, John Fisher, Zachariah Curtis, Oliver Waters, Elijah Tyler, Nathaniel Rogers. In 1778, there were about 60 families in Long Division, con- taining between 60 and 70 polls ; and the Avhole population, in the latter part of this year, was not far from 300 souls. Now the}^ feel able to perform the duties of a toAAai, and they begin •measures to be incorporated. A petition signed b}^ 37 persons was presented to the toAA-n meeting in March, 1778, praying that "4 miles of the west end of Long Division shall be set off into a toAvn or district," and for their proportion of the real and personal estate in the hands of the town. The town A^oted their consent to the separation of the four miles asked for, and that the inhabitants thereof Avere entitled to £137 15s. of the town's funds ; and in part payment thereof voted to the pro- posed toAA^n a lot of land containing 107 acres. At the next session of the General Court, the inhabitants of Long Division petitioned this body to be incorporated into a WESTHAMPTON RErXION. 17 separate town, stating " that your petitioners being now in- creased to a considerable number, are of the opinion that we can support a minister of the Gospel among ourselves." An act of incorporation was passed on 29th of Septeml^er 1778, whereby the westerly part of the said town of Northampton, separated b}' a line four miles eastward from the west line of said town of Northampton, and parallel thereto, be incorporated into a separate town by the name of Westhampton. At the March meeting of the town of Northampton in 1772, the inhabitants of Long Division petitioned the town to paj- back to them their minister and school rates in order to pay for preaching. The request was granted, provided the monej' was spent for preaching ; and in August, 1773, the town " being sat- isfied that the people of Long Di\ision has spent £7 16s for preaching, gave Samuel Kingsley an order on the town treasurer for that sum. In December, 1773, the town voted £8 to the 4 miles of Long Division for preaching, provided they use it for that purpose; and in November, 1774, the town voted £9 to Long Division for preaching and schooling. November, 1777, the town voted £15 to Long Division, for preaching. For some years after the settlement of the town, the men from Northampton went to meeting in Northampton on the Sabbath, and the Southampton men to Southampton. The first preaching in Westhampton was in the early part of the summer of 1772, Noah Cook of Hadley was hired for a few Sundays ; he was the first one who preached in the town. The meetings were held in the houses of Samuel Kingsley and Timothj^ Thayer : first at Ivingsle3-'s, then at Thayer's. Thayer lived over the brook near the house of Wm. Edwards, and to accommodate some of the foot people, some logs were placed across the stream. But some- times both girls and boj's waded through the water. Mr. Cook "was a lame man and w\alked with crutches, so that some persons used to call him the three legged minister. Next winter one Mr. Gould preached two or three times. Li the winter of 1773- 4 Mr. Hooker, coming from Northampton, held service and bap- tised three children, whose names were Noah Kingsley, Justice Burk and Rebecca Fisher. These are supposed to be the first baptisms in the town of Westhampton. There was preaching in the Northerly part of the town, in 1774 or 5, at the house of Jonathan Wales, by a Mr. Taft, the brother of Mrs. "Wales. Taft was a zealous Whig, went about talking politics during the week, and on the Sabbath, praj-ed and preached about liliert}'. He refused entirely to drink an}' tea and urged others to do the same. He said tea was the blood of the couutr}', and those who drank it drank up the life blood of the land. It was whilst Taft was preaching that Mr. Wales' son Nathaniel was born. His mother, it is said, who as well as her father were of the 18 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. Baptist sentiments, educated this son for a Baptist preacher. But the boy supposed he was wiser than his good mother, and when grown up adopted the opposite sentiments. Rev. Mr. Hooker of Northampton and Rev. J. Judd, of Southampton oc- casionally came and had lectures on the week days, in the town. As the population in the part of the town increased, the arrange- ment was made to hold the meetings alternatel}' in tlie barns of Samuel or Joseph Kingslc}^, and Nathan Clark. A Mr. Hotch- kiss preached a few times in Westhampton and Norwich, John Elliot preached 4 Sabbaths in the spring of 1778; Jonathan Smith of Iladley, and David Parsons of Amherst preached here in the same year. An old man called Father Saxton, who lived in a log house near the old house of Solomon Judd, preached all one summer in 1776 or 7. This Sexton was called very dull ; but Elliott was a rousing man in the desk. At the first meeting after the incorporation of the town, held the 19th of November, 1778, the town voted to hire Mr. Ilale to preach four Sabbaths. March 8, 1779, the town hired Mr. Hale to preach two months longer. In August, 1779, the town voted to give Mr. Hale a call to settle in the ministry, and it was voted " to give him for settlement a lot of land in the North- west part of the town, also fifteen acres of land taken from Na- than Clark's land, and five acres taken from Elihu Chilson's homestead, and that we will clear three acres of the land some time in 1780, three more in 1781, and four more in 1782, and we will build the said Mr. Hale a house thirty-two feet long and thirt}^ feet wide, with a convenient shed to the same, said house to be built — the outside with one room upon the lower floor, to be completely- finished some time in 1780, the rest of the lower part to be finished by April 1st, 1783, or if the said Mr. Hale shall choose, we will pay him what such a house so finished shall cost, by the 1st of April, 1783, and that we will give Mr. Hale for salary the first year of his ministry fort}- pounds, equal to wheat at four shillings per bushel, rye at three shillings per bushel, Indian corn two shillings per bushel (except in a j-ear of extraordinary scarcity to be higher and in a year of extraor- dinary plenty to be lower) and said salarj^ to rise three pounds per year, at the above mentioned value, until said salary should rise to seventy pounds per year, and then seventy pounds to be continued yearly, and that Ave will give Mr. Hale his fire wood yearly after the first six years of his ministr}-, and, lastl}- , if what we now offer should ])e found insufficient, we Avill make such further addition as his necessity shall require and our ability will admit of." To their proposal for a settlement, Mr. Hale, under date of August 11th, 1779, returned a short note to the town, stating that he wished more time to give them a full an- SAver, and "that as matters appear to me at present I shall think "WESTHAMrXON KEUNION. 19 it my duty to accept 3'our invitation if things continue to l)ear favorable aspect for it." And August 18th, 1779, he sent a full answer to the town in the following words : " To the People of Wesfhampton, Gentlemen and Friends: The message contained in your call and petition to me I have deliberately con- sidered. To Ivnow my duty on this important occasion has much engaged my mind. I have earnestly looked to the God of all wisdom to give me Divine direction, and as his providence has given me opportunity, I have asked the advice of my friends and those whose judgment and experience I respect, to assist me in determining. The language of providence and my duty towards you, the active and persevering zeal which you have shown to enjoy the ministry of the gospel, the serious counte- nance which I have with pleasure observed in j-our religious assemblies, and the attention which has been'given to my discourses invite me to engage my faithful endeavors to serve you with the encouraging hope, that my labors may be owned by the blessing of God for your spiritual welfare. The agreement of the town to desire me to settle with you in the ministry of the gospel, as it is signified by the petition you have signed, is more general than I ex- pected from what knowledge I had of your circumstances, and although it is not so universal as may be desired in proceedings of this nature, j'et considering your situation I think it my duty, so far as I am able to understand the voice of provi- dence, to comply with your request. This determination I am sensible will be un- welcome to some whom I have a hearty desire to please and oblige ; these 1 earn- estly entreat to consider my unhappy situation, which put a necessity upon me of acting unfavorably to them, to prevent my giving disappointment and uneasiness to a larger number. My complying with the mere general call I would hope may not be interpreted as manifesting disrespect or unkindness of disposition to any individuals, but as expressive of a hearty willingness and desire to serve and oblige the whole. I well know there are many difiBculties, especially at the present day, which attend your infant state. These lam willing, and, if I settle in the ministry here, shall expect to share with you, and it is my hearty desire that you should be as little burdened as possible for my support, and provide only, as I am satisfied you are willing to do, such a comfortable living as the Gospel requires for its min- istry. To calculate exactly what my future wants will be is impossible, but I hope never to be under the disagreeable necessity of asking for more than you have en- gaged to do for me, which fully answers my present desire. I am even willing and in acknowledgment of your generosity in your present dif- ficult circumstances, do freely consent that five j)ounds be abated from the height to which you offered that the salary should rise. Accordingly, instead of seventy pounds, I will, if you shall choose, consider sixty-five to be the extent of my yearly salary, even if I should continue with you more than ten years, trusting only as you have proposed that if this shall be found insuflacient, you will make such addi- tion to it as my necessities shall require, and your ability will admit. For a num- ber of years, I have had it in my mind, if Providence should open the door, to enter into the work of the Gospel Ministry. And it has been my study to qualify ni3self if possible, in some measure for it; but after all to think of the dignity and impor- tance of the office of a minister of Christ, the greatness of the work, and the con- cern and difficulty that must attend the faithful discharge of so important a trust, affects me with a very deep sense of my own insufficiency for these things, but it is a comfort to remember that He who has committed this treasure to earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, is able abundantly to support them in all their labor and trials, trusting in his wisdom and strength, and expect- ing likewise your kind assistance and prayers, I am persuaded to engage with the leave of Providence, to serve you in the dispensation of the Gospel, humbly pray- ing that God's name may be glorified in blessing you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. ^ I am yours to s^e in the Lord, Exoch Hale. Westhampton, August 18, 1779. The town voted that the ordination of Mr. Hale should take place the 20th of September, 1779. But an ordination was no common event, and it was not easy to find a place in which the 2 20 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. exercises could be conveniently performed. A barn all covered except the east end, stood on the Norwich road, a little easterly, of Jesse Lyman's house. It was decided to fit this building up for the occasion. At the east side of the barn a scaflbld of boards was raised over the cattle stalls ; and upon this platform the clergymen sat, and all the parts of the ordination were per- formed, facing outwardly upon the open air. Rev. Joseph Hun- tington preached the ordination sermon. The occasion called together a crowd of people, who disposed of themselves as best they might, inside of the bam and upon the ground around the easterly end of the barn ; some sitting on rough boards, some standnig, but all intensely watching the various parts perform- ing upon the scaffold. On 21st of May, 1779, the town having selected a spot, voted to build a meeting house thereon, and steps were taken to pro- cure the necessary materials. The house was to be fifty feet long and forty feet in breadth. But soon a disagre ement arose betweeji the two parts of the town as to the place where the meeting house should stand. The South part, being first settled, was the most populous, and srtonger than the North portion, and tried to convey tlie meeting house as far south as possible. This was resisted by the North with great zeal and violence. One party proposed to place the church near Babeock's corner, on the old Norwich road, while the other side claimed that the little square in front of Nathan Clark's house was the best place. The struggle grew warmer and warmer, and became almost furi- ous. The South carried a vote in their favor, and thereupon the North, to meet this action of the South, proposed to have the town divided into two equal parts, by a line running from east to west in the middle of the town, or running the dividing line in such a place as to leave one part of the town four miles square and the remainder to be two miles long and four miles wide. In order to harmonize the contending parties, soon after Mr. Hale's house was covered, it was agreed to hold the meetings in his house. This was done for a few Sabbaths, in the second story. This story was unfinished, leaving all the chamber room one un- divided and unbroken hall. A rough box about four feet square was placed in the south-east corner of the room ; a block sawed ofl:' from a large trunk of a tree, w\as placed upon this box— and this was the pulpit. The garret floor had not been laid, some boards were placed across the beams, where the floor ought to go ; here the singers sat and sung. At first the only way to this platform was a ladder ; but the womM made objections to climb- nig up the ladder in so public a place, and thereupon a kind of box was built up around the ladder. This arrangement did not last long, for the North had to travel about four miles, and the South only two miles to church, and at the next town meeting the preaching was restored to Nathan Clark's barn. WESTHAMPTOX REUNION. 21 Year after year the controversy went on, but no point could be agreed upon. Some proposed the centre of the town, but this centre would fall upon the westerly side of Tob Hill, near its top. At length a committee of grave men, consisting of Col. Chapin of Hatfield, Deacon White of Springfield, and Deacon "White of Whately, was authorized to select a spot. They re- ported November 8th, 1783, a place for the church, which was accepted by the town. As usual, both parties finally repudiated this spot last mentioned. The timber had been provided, and the tradition is, that the frame of the meeting house passed back- wards and forwards, by Mr. Hale's house, three times. Finally the town came back to its first love, and in December, 1784, af- ter five years of strife, it was voted to put the house a little west of the spot last agreed upon before the settlement of Mr. Plale. In the next year, June 10th, 1785, the frame was erected, and meetings began to be held in it in 1786, though it was not com- pleted for four years afterwards. To Mr. Hale we are all deeply indebted for the end of this strife, which came very near breaking the town into two or more fragments. He did all he could to heal the troubled waters. And no man was better able to do this than he ; so cool, calm, moderate and conciliating in all his movements, he held the peace offering to both sides. And to this noble man must be the chief praise in finally settling the commotion so harmonioush'. Now the meeting house is built, let us stop -a moment and look at it with its surroundings. The place selected for it was the wild woods, the px'imeval trees of the forest had to be cut down to make room for it. There was no road to it, or from it, only a horse track passed b}' it in going from Nathan Clark's over to the south part of the town. There was not a habitation near it, save the log hut of Samuel Hering, and then came the house of Mr. Hale. But this wild spot was as near the centre of the town as the building could be conveniently put, and here finally all parties met in peace and love. The building was a plain, bunk-looking two story structure, with its length running north to south, and facing the east. It had neither bell nor steeple. The pulpit, with the sounding board over it, was on the west side, 'and there was an entrance into it from each of the other three sides, covered with porches. It had the high square box pews, with squeaking balusters on the lower floor, and there were the same kind of pews in the gallery next to the wall, raised up a foot oi* more above the aisle or pathway. The rest of the gallery consisted of two long narrow slips, extending round from the wall on the south side of the pulpit, to the wall on the north side. The old folks sat below, the children went into the gallery, the boys on one side b}^ themselves, and the girls on the other side. How changed the scene now, and as we 22 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. look upon this pleasant edifice, and behold from the windows a landscape worthy of the most skilful painter, how difficult for the imagination to conceive the rough wilderness of olden time. After the incorporation of the town, down to the end of the century, the growth of the town was rapid, and its good name was sounded abroad. During this time several new families moved into it. Among these were Dr. Hooker, Jared Hunt, Dea- con Samuel Edwards, Capt. Noah Cook, Mr. Chapman, Elijah Norton — Clapps, Rusts, Burts, Caleb Loud. These all became industrious and influential citizens of the toAvn, and contributed largely' to strengthen, confirm and continue the noble institu- tions established by their predecessors. In the Revolutionary war our forefathers entered into the con- test against the mother country with great ardor ; none did better than they, none contributed more liberally of their means and blood ; well may we be proud of their eftbrts, and it is a duty we owe to them to cherish a lively remembrance of their sacrifices. The last French war was concluded in 1762 ; after that time the military spirit abated, and from the close of the French war down to 1773 there were no trainings, and the militia became disorganized all through the countr}'. In 1773, Gov. Hutchinson commissioned some officers for the western part of the state, but the people would not train under them. Training bands in the colony began to form in 1774. The first training in Westhamp- ton was in the fall of 1774. The company, some thirty or forty strong, paraded in the door-j-ard of Dea. Martin Clark, clothed in their ever3^-day working dress. Some of the men had guns, knapsacks, accoutrements ; others had guns only, and a few no guns at all. In the choice of officers, William Bartlett was elected captain, Noah Strong, lieutenant, and Jonathan Fisher, ensign. The company had a small drum and no fifer ; but we should not forget this day of small things, we should remember that this was in reality a volunteer organization, met to boldly prepare for the trials of war. In 1774, the first company of minute men was formed in Northampton, embracing some from Long Division. Capt. Noah Cook of Westhampton was a mem- ber of this company, then living in Northampton, News of the battle of Lexington reached Northampton on the morning of the 21st, when the men were at work in the meadows. Immediately the bells rung, and the drums beat to arms through the streets. Cook was in the meadow harrowing in oats. At once he left his work and oats, went home with all speed, and* put on his equip- ments. Some others at work in the meadows did the same, and in a short time the whole company, armed and equipped, paraded before the meeting-house, when Rev. Mr, Hooker made a stirring prayer, and Colonel Seth Pomeroy encouraged them in the good cause. The same afternoon, on foot with three or four days' WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 23 rations, they started for Concord, where they arrived on the 24th. Another company of minute men was formed from Southampton, Norwich and Westhampton. Jonathan "Wales, Ebenezer French, Jr., and Ebenezer Gee marched with this company to Concord soon after the battle of Lexington. They were stationed about Boston several months. In Sept. 1775 Gee, while stationed at Dorchester, enlisted and started, with Arnold's expedition into •Canada, and went as far as Dead River. In February-, 1776, Noah Cook and Abiather French marched with the second expe- dition to Canada by way of Ticonderoga, arrived at Quebec in April, where they took the small pox, with no doctor or medicine, except butternut-bark pills. At Dorchester, Ebenezer French enlisted and went on for the defence of New York. In Dec, 1776, a company Avas formed under Jonathan Wales, captain, and Noah Strong, lieutenant. This company marched to Peekskill, then to Morristown, N. J., where Washington had his headquarters. From Westhampton this company took Seth Burk, Jonathan Fisher, Levi Post, Timothy Phelps, Asa Thayer and Sylvester Judd. Jonathan Fisher died at Morristown, and was buried there. He was a fair looking, well built man, with gentlemanly manners. He was a zealous patriot, and did much to aid the enlisting of sol- diers. Pie was brave, courageous and a true soldier. In the call to reinforce Gen. Gates, in September, 1777, eight men went to his arm}? from AYesthampton. In 1780, every sixth man was called for from Westhampton to fill the continental arm3\ The General Court issued the call June 5th, and the men started off on the 28th of the same month. In the fall of 1781, a company from the three Hamptons was mustered in Westhampton, and then marched to Saratoga, to prevent any invasion from Canada, while Washington went south, after Cornwallis. And so throughout the whole contest, the people responded promptly to every call for men. And the same spirit seemed to animate all. There were no laggards or skulks in this town, and though the calls followed each other very frequently, in one instance less than a month intervened, j-et I do not find that the draft had to be resorted to in order to procure the men. There are several votes in the town records about procuring blankets for the soldiers. Orders came from time to time to the towns to provide supplies for the army, that is, so many pounds of beef, so many blankets, shoes and stockings. Committees Mere ap- pointed to visit every house : they decided whether the house should furnish one, two or more blankets, or so much beef, &c. The owner produced them forthwith, and took his pay in conti- nental paper. Or if the owner preferred, he could pay so much money, and save his bacon. The town was to provide each sol- dier with a fire-arm and bayonet, or instead of bayonet, a toma- 24 WESTIIAMPTON REUNION. hawk or hatchet, a cartouch box, knapsack and blanket. I do not find any trace of a tory in the town, except one person ; and the record is that " the place soon became too hot for him and he left." The Shays rebellion, which broke out with so much violence in 1786, affected, to some extent, every town in the western part of the state. The people were. all ready for ferment, their means had been spent in the late struggle with the mother country, many of them were deeply in debt, and had no ability to pay. And the soldiers, W'ho had received their pay in government cer- tificates, were obliged to sell them at a ruinous discount, in order to procure the means of living. In October, 1782, twenty-seven towns in Hampshire County sent delegates to Hatfield, to con- sider the present burdens and grievances ; but in August, 178G, delegates from more than fifty towns in Hampshire County as- sembled at Hatfield, and proclaimed open defiance to the gov- ernment. This body excited a riotous spirit everywhere. Some of the towns were wholly carried away by the Regulators, as they called themselves ; and government men were wholly re- moved from all posts of trust and honor ; and in others, a large majority of the people openly sympathised with, and supported the insurgents. But I do not find that any one from Westhampton took a part in anj^ of these proceedings. They all continued loyal. The mobbers found no substantial aid or sjanpathy in this town. Capt. Samuel Kirkland, of Norwich, was an active opponent of the mobbers and regulators. He exerted a great influence in his own and the adjoining towns. The Shays party was highly incensed at him, and they determined to shut him up. A party of insurgents surrounded his house and captured him. It was determined to take him to Northampton for safe keeping. But it is said they did not dare take Mr. Kirkland through West- hampton, for fear of a rescue by its loj'al people. Many persons are disposed to treat the Shays rebellion as a light matter, but it was a verj' serious outbreak, and so great w^as the discontent and mutterings all over the Commonwealth, that nothing but good leadership was lacking to the success of the rebels. And further : to the Convention which met at Boston, Janu- ary, 1788, to consider the new Constitution which had been formed for the union of the States, this town sent, as its dele- gate, Maj. Aaron Fisher. This body had a stormy session. The new Constitution was bitterly and violent]}^ opposed, and for a long time it was fearful it would be rejected. Many of the small towns were hostile to it, and all the Shays sympathisers read in it their destruction. And finall}^, by the strenuous exertions of Gov. Hancock, then in the zenith of his popularity, it was adop- WESTHAMPTOX REUXION. 25 ted by a Tnajority of onh' nineteen votes. As long as lie lived, Maj. Fisher enjoj-ed the prond satisfaction of voting in the af- firmative. And now, when we consider that this instrnment has borne us through so many struggles in triumph, we point with great exultation to the fact, that our delegate was one of the nineteen whose vote is to be immortal. Coming down to the last attempt to destro}' this same Consti- tution, the town has exhibited marked fidelity to the great char- ter of government, which it had aided in establishing, more than seventy years before. More than half of the men called for were furnished from our own townsmen, and whether on the march or in battle, they proved that the same loyal blood had descended from sire to son. Our ancestors took early measures to provide education for their children. They often petitioned the town to allow tlie peo- ple of Long Division something for schooling. In 1776, the town " voted £9 for preaching, and schooling the children in the summer season." Some children Avere sent to North- ampton and Southampton for schooling. In the winter of 1781- 2, the people of the south part raised a fund b}' private contri- bution, and opened a school. This is said to be the first school in town. They employed Deacon vSamuel Edwards to keep the school, in part of the house of Capt. Azariah Lyman. This was kept about three months. He taught reading, Avriting, arithme- tic and spelling. He was an excellent teacher, and was engaged for several winters. The first school house was built by private individuals in 1782, near Babcock's corner. Mr. Hale took much interest in starting the schools, and urged the town to make suitable provision for the education of the youth. He encouraged young men to go on in their studies, he assisted them, and invited them to come to his house for in- struction, and it was through his advice that so many young men, in the earl}^ years of the town, fitted themselves to enter college. These students had very small means to aid them in their studies, and the kind assistance of their pastor saved their funds from exhaustion, and quickened their zeal. Rev. Justin Edwards pursued his preparator}' studies with Mr. Hale, and en- tered the soyjhomore class, and yet his whole expenses were only $38. Williams was the favorite college for the Westhampton boj'S. Justin Edwards several times walked to and from Williamstown, a distance of forty miles. But the early collegians used to ride to and from college on horseback. At the beginning of the term, a number from this and the adjoining towns would go up together, taking one person along with them on a spare horse. The latter would go to the college in one day, pass the night, and, on the following day, lead back the horses Avith empty sad- 26 AVESTHAMPTON RECNIOX. dies, and at the end of the term, some one would hitch together as many horses as there were students, and lead them to Williams- town for the boj's to ride home upon. Mr. Sylvester Judd made several such trips, to bring home his brother Hophni and others. The first settlers of AVesthampton were remarkal)le men ; not great in renown, or ilhistrious in birth, or wonderful in deeds ; but they were true hearted, genuine men. The}" were plain far- mers, distinguished by homely virtues, strong common sense, and love of independence, earnest, zealous piety, and great for- wardness in all good woi'ks. Just look around for a moment, and see what they had to do. When Abner Smith, in 1762, first came into town, this part of t!ie township was a wilderness, covered with an unbroken for- est. In every direction were woods, underbrush and mountain elevations. No habitation was to be seen, no pioneer had put up his log abode, the woodman's axe was not heard, and the en- tire region was as silent as the grave, save Avhen interrupted b}' the sighing of the wind, or the gambol of wild animals. Even as late as 1800, one standing upon the top of Tob, or Mineral Hill, or the hill near Norton's old tavern, which at this day open to the eye such beautiful prospects, and scenes of surpassing loveliness, looked down upon hardl}^ a mark of civilization, save the curling smoke above the tall trees, rising from a few scat- tered habitations, And there Avere just the same Avildness and boundless forests, stretching over the northerly portion of the town. Old Mrs. Sibil Bridgman, wife of Elisha Bridgman, said she could see nothing but woods and forests from her husband's house, on Hanging Mountain, in 1786. Besides, Long Division was the despised part of tlie old plan- tation laid out in 165-1, on the west side of Connecticut river; it had no meadows stretching far and wide, ocean-like ; it had no interval land, resting in the bosom of the mountains, and treas- uring up the riches of untold ages ; and it had no rivers to open a highway for enter[)rise and adventure. For a long time after the settlement of Northampton, meadow was the oul}- land Avhich had more than nominal A'alue ; other land was not prized, nor had it any temptation to the pioneer. Our forefathers were not rich in this world's goods ; they were men of small means, and the}' could bring with them into the woods but few of the instruments necessaiy to battle the forests. But they were industrious and stout hearted, and Avilling to meet dangers and difticulties ; they Avere the real genuine Avork- ing men and women. They rose out of bed with the birds in the morning, and began their toil as soon as it was light enough to stir about, and they continued to toil as long as they could see ; and, in the winter season, long after darkness had covered the earth. There Avere no ten hour men in the days of our fa- ■\VESTHAMPTON REUNIOX. 27 tliers ; they toiled through fourteen, and sometimes sixteen hours, of the twenty-four. Think 3'ou these acres of woods would have been leveled to the ground, these miles of roads been made, and these farms fenced with such good stone walls, and brought into such good cultivation, if our ancestors had lived according to the ten hour system, so called ? If our fathers had begun to work in the morning at seven o'clock, and left off Avork at six in the afternoon, think you that to-day "Westhampton would have been anything but old despised Long Division, covered over with underbrush and rocks, or that we should have had any call to celebrate its birthday ? Their dress was strong but simple. Pantaloons were not known in this part of the state eight}' years ago. The men, both old and young, wore checkered shirts and a sort of brown tow or woolen trousers, or short breeches, known atthetime as kilts or skilts ; these only reached just below the knees, generally loose and open at the bottom, but sometimes fastened with a buckle. They had no braces or gallows, but were buttoned tight round the hips, in sailor fashion. Boots were rarely seen ; the}- wore shoes, and leggings over their legs in winter, but all the summer and fall work was done, at home and in the meadows, by them, bare legged and bare footed. The head was covered with a cap made of the skin of some wild animal, and if per- chance any of the men were able to wear a felt hat, it was kept for Sunday-go-to-meeting, and lasted a lifetime. Their diet was very simple, but it was heart}', and contained the very marrow of life. Seventy years ago bread and milk were the common food of New England children for breakfast and supper, except on Saturda3's and Sundaj-s, when the}' made their supper and breakfast of hasty pudding and milk ; but at times in the winter, when milk was scarce, a little water and apple molasses were jjut into a dish of cider and the whole warmed, then toasted bread was crumbed into it, and this mixture of bread and cider constituted the meal ; and down to the nineteenth century, the adults and children made their morning and even- ing meals of this same bread and milk or bread and cider. This was good eating. The Indian bread of our foremothers bore no resemblance to the tasteless stuff, which goes by that name to- day, and it was far more nutritious and wholesome than the sour, soggy bread streaked with saleratus, which is brought upon the table by our domestics. The dinner was the great meal then as now. The children then were allowed to come to the table. This consisted of corned beef and pork, boiled often with po- tatoes, turnips and cabbage, commonly called pot-luck ; to this was added once a week a boiled Indian pudding, and during the most laborious periods of the year, they made their suppers of this pot-luck, brought on to the table in the shape of cold vict- 28 - WESTHAMPTON REUNION. . uals. They had no butcher carts. Water or cider was the com- mon drink, save on Sundays, or festive occasions, and rarely on washing days, when a little bohea tea was steeped and resteeped, so long as it would color, or give any taste to the water. At a much later day, cider brandy or pupelo came into use. But our grandmothers, and their loving daughters, too ! I cannot pass them by in silence. They contributed too largel}'^ to the success of the young town, to be forgotton oii this occas- ion. They should be placed in the foreground of our memories. They bore their full share of the toils and labors of pioneer life. They were the spinners, weavers, tailors, nurses and doctors of the town ; they were the dairy maids and cooks, as well as the friends, sweethearts and housewives of our fathers. They were really the helps meet for their husbands. They were always at work ; the morning began Avith the work, work, work, kept on all through the day, and late into the night, by the light of the pitch-pine faggot. They brought up the cows from the pasture and milked them, they fed the calves, nursed the sickl}^ lambs, fed the pigs, raised the chickens and goslins, and took care of the garden. These, however, were the mere daily chores. They raked and spread hay, they pulled and spread flax ; and in one of the neighboring towns, I saw a woman who would load and unload hay faster than any man could take it away. They made cheese and butter ; and I find, in Mr. S. Judd's manuscript, an instance where the mother and daughter did all the cooking, washing and mending for twelve laborers, and at the same time took care of the milk of thirty coavs. Then, again, almost all the clothing was made from flax and wool raised in the family. And I need not stop here to speak of their skill in making rye and r3'e and Indian bread, Avhen we are all of us 1)eginning to aban- don our cream of tartar biscuits and saleratus bread, made out of the choicest brand of tiie Genesee or St. Louis flour, and tr^'ing to substitute in the place thereof the sweet nutritious rye and Indian bread of our grandmothers. True it is that these good old dames sometimes of a Monday, after a hard day's Avork at washing, would sit doAvn and sip a little bohea tea, and that, now and then, several Avomen of the neighborhood would get together and talk gossip ; but here no time was lost, for the knitting needle or the darning needle moved more rapidly than their tongues. And this toil and struggle followed day after day, and continued from the beginning to the end of the year ; there were no liolidaA's then ; picnics and barbecues had not then been heard of. Almost the only interruptions were the twent}^- four hours of the Sabbath, which Avere kept most sacredly by them, and the occasional calls for extra meetings on Aveek days, during the time when unusual attention Avas given to religion. And yet thc}^ grew up hearty, stalwart men and genuine women ; WESTIIAMPTON REUNION. 29 lived to a ripe old age. Sickness rarely came into the house- hold, the doctor was seldom called in, thej'^ never bought any patent medicine, and it was not often that any illness afflicted them which a little '•'■ pennyricd" or thoroughwort tea, or a few doses of '•'■ pikery" did not cure. A trip to the seaside for health, who ever heard of it ? A jour- ney to the White Mountains ! why tliey had simply to mount Tob, Cub or Turkey Hills, and they were fanned by a breeze as fine as any which sweeps across Mount Washington. The dress of the women was as simple as that of the men. Most of their clothing consisted of wool, flax and cotton, made by their own hands. The materials were colored in the dj^e tub, which used to stand near the great kitchen fire place, or by the aid of butternut bark. Generally, they wore a black or striped petticoat, with a Avhite linen gown which extended down a little below the waist, and a long checked apron in front. When at work out of doors sometimes thej' were bareheaded, but more com- monly thej^ covered their head with a rush hat, or a paste-board bonnet bound with a cape to protect the neck. Perhaps some here to-day can remember the butternut colored petticoats worn by the school girls, and the flannel gowns of a bluish or purple color, worn by adult females. These were made up loose, adap- ted to the action of the bod}", and not fitted to sweep the streets, cut short so that the feet could move freely, and drawn up by a string in a few folds about the waist, so loose that the lungs could perfonn all their duties. So dressed', the boj^s had hard work to catch the girls in the race at tag. For winter, the hood was the bonnet, a vandike was worn over the shoulders, a flan- nel gown protected the chest, and thick woolen mittens covered the hands. This was the golden age of home-spun. It is no wonder that before the energy of such men and wo- men, the forest disappeared, and soon the wilderness blossomed as the rose. It is no wonder, that during the ten years which followed the first blow of the first settler's axe, thirteen framed houses and as many barns had been erected. And yet, in the midst of all Miis struggle with nature, how rapidl}" the children increased ; they became almost as numerous as the birds of the forest. The families of our forefathers were large. Four or five children were a small number ; seven and eight were the more common numbers ; often there were ten or twelve robust children in the family, and sometimes sixteen. The children were born healthy, the}' were fed upon plain, simple food, they grew up stout and healthy ; and the dwellings of the pai-ents were filled and made vocal with the merry clatter of buxom girls and ruddy boys. How unlike the present day is this. Now we must travel many a mile before we can find a family of ten children ; four 30 WESTHAMPTON KEUNION. or five is the more common number, and often we see a family with only one or two children, and these often little puny, white livered things, without life or health, and so feeble and delicate as to take two or three persons to take care of one of them. In fact, in these times, manj^ families are met with Avhich are whol- ly destitute of children, while many of the families which do have them, cannot or are unwilling to take care of them, but the little ones, like lambs disowned by their dams, are brought up b}'^ hand or put out to nurse. And so rare is it now to sec ten children cluster around one fireside, that such a sight is a great curiosity. I have traveled more than twelve miles to see a mother of sixteen children, and Avhen I meet with one of ten, I feel like bowing and salutiug her with deep reverence and hon- or. Let luxur}', fashion and extravagance go on in this country, and we shall de'pend upon the foreigner to do not only the work, but also to make any additions to our census. With them, marriages took place in the morning of life, when the heart was pure and the affections strong. There were few, if any, old bachelors in those times, and there was a gill for every jack. The young man did not wait to make a fortune be- fore he took a Avife, nor did the fair maid reject the offer of him, who came only with a stout heart and hands hardened by maul}' toil. And as for a setting out, little was needed by the fair maids except the feather bed, which was filled with real live geese feathers, plucked by their own hands. And I have been informed by one of the parties, that one young couple began their married life by moving into the back room of the groom's father, with only two chairs and a bed ; and they had their meals in this way, the wife got up earl}' and took the cooking utensils of the old folks, prepared the breakfast, eat it, and washed the dishes, and carried them back into the other apartment in season for the breakfast by her parents ; and so on, for dinner and sup- per, she used the dishes of her parents, some half an hour before they wished to use the same. Such is a verj^ imperfect sketch of some of the manners and deeds of the first inhabitants* of Westhampton. They were a race of sterling men, such as this country will never see again. They laid deep and strong the foundations of the prosperity of the town. They set in motion all those influences which have blessed the people ; they established all the ordinances which have bound together, in one harmonious whole, the diverse ele- ments of the human race. By their wisdom, discord was re- duced to harmon}', and peace has reigned throughout all its bor- ders ; by their energy and industr}^ prosperity has been univer- sal, and through their humble but devout piety, happiness has entered every cottage, and contentment fills every soul. Their life was one of toil, and it had its griefs, sorrows and disap- WESTHA3IPTON REUNION. 31 pointments ; but these troubles, like the fleecy clouds passing over the sun in the western sky, onlj^ made their declining daj'S more brilliant, and their sunset more glorious and resplendent. P. S. In the preparation of the foregoing address, in all dis- puted points, I haA-e followed the authority of Sylvester Judd, late of Northampton, Born in "Westhampton in 1789, and living here till 1822, he knew many of the early settlers of the town, and had the best opportunity to determine the facts of its set- tlement. He took a deep interest in the welfare of the town, and devoted much of his time to advance its prosperity. While here he began his historical and classical studies, it was here he formed that simple but vigorous style of writing in which he af- terwards excelled, and it was here he began to practice that in- dustry, application and sterling integrity, which, in after years, made him so distinguished as an antiquarian, and his authority almost unquestioned. The later 3'ears of his life were chiefly occupied in studying the historj' of the Connecticut Valley, and the life, habits and customs of its early settlers, intending to write a history of Northampton and the neighboring towns. For this purpose he accumulated a vast amount of rare and val- uable material, part of which is contained in his history of Had- lej', but the greater part remains in numerous manuscript vol- umes. To these manuscripts I had constant reference in writing this address. 32 WESTHAMPTON KEDNION. ADDRESS. BY OTIS CLAPP, ESQ. The creation aud establishment of the townships of New Eng- land in the last two centuries, constitute an era in the history of free government and human civilization. [After quoting De Tocqueville, John Quincy Adams and others, to show the motives which brought the first settlers to New England, and their creation of the s^'stem of syncdl toionships as the rallying points of the people, and the nurseries of civil and religious freedom, and portraying the great influence which these states in miniature exerted upon the independent thinking and future destinies of the country, Mr. Clapp proceeded to say :] It is a matter of no small satisfaction to us, as natives of this good old town of Westhampton, attracted from the different points of the compass, to this reunion, on the soil that gave us birth, to know that its first settlers were true to the principles of their origin ; that the}' labored faithfully and successfully to transmit to their children the blessings they had received. No native was allowed to grow up in ignorance. I was a res- ident of the town from 1806 to 1823. During this period, I never saw such a prodigy, as a man or woman, native or resi- dent, who could neither read nor write. I well recollect, when so young as to occupy a seat among the youngest pupils, the amazement produced by this incident. A family moved into the town with several daughters who were women grown. Their acquirements were such that they were placed in our class. Here children and adults were in the same class. They were required to ascend the same " ladder to learning," bj' studying and reciting the same lessons, and on the same level. The nov- elty of the case caused feelings of surprise not easily eftaced. The early founders of this town were deeply imbued with the principles to which I have referred. Rev. Enoch Hale was their fu'st minister, and may be regarded as a fair representative of these principles. A brief sketch, therefore, of the Hale family, it has been suggested, may not be inappropriate to this Occasion, and may help to illustrate the subject before us. There were in England at the first settlement of this state, three large families of Hales, and all seem to have been educated among the puritans. The celebrated jurist. Sir Matthew Hale, was one of them. Two of these families sent representatives to this state. Robert Hale came to Charlestown in 1G32, and was WESTHAMPTON REUNIOX. 33 made deacon of the church in that place at its formation. His son, Rev. John Hale, graduated at Harvard College in 1657. He Tvas settled as the first minister at Beverl}', in 16G7. He was one of the chaplains connected with the expedition to Canada in 1G90, and was taken prisoner. He was a highly educated, influential and useful man. One of his sous, Deacon Richard Hale, moved to Coventry, Connecticut. He had thirteen children. The fifth was Rev. Enoch Hale, born October 28, 1753, and the sixth was Nathan Hale, born June 6, 1755, and who was executed as a spy in New York, b}' the British army, September 22, 1776. There was less than two years difference in the ages of the two. Both entered Yale College in 1769, and graduated in 1773. They were devo- tedly attached to each other. So profoundly did Enoch feel the death of his brother, that he was never known to allude to him, unless led to do so by others. Such a death, with its attending circumstances, undoubtedly tended to deepen and develop those grave and serious qualities of character which shone forth so prominently in his after life. Such are the teachings of an overruling providence. The father had intended both sons for the ministry, and their studies had reference to that end. The father is represented as a man of sterling integrity, piety and industry. He was farmer, deacon of the church, and repre- sentative to the general assembly. He passed a long, laborious and useful life. The mother was a lad^' of high moral and do- mestic worth, strougly attached to her children, and careful of their culture. The family was eminentl}- puritan in its faith, tastes and man- ners — a quiet, strict, godly household, where the Bible ruled, and family prayers never failed, nor was grace ever omitted, nor work done after sundown of a Saturday' night. Nathan early exhibited a fondness for rural sports. In consequence, his in- fancy, at first feeble, soon hardened into firm boj'hood, and with the growth of his body, his mind developed rapidly. He mas- tered his books with ease, and was constantly applying his infor- mation. When he entered college, he was considered a prodi- gy of learning in the churches. President Dwight, his tutor, entertained a very high idea of his capacity. He used frequently to refer to him, and always with admiration of his course in college, and of deep regret of his untimely fate. He spoke of him as peculiarly fond of scientific pursuits, and that in these he stood at the head of his class. He has beautifully eulogized him in verse. President Sparks says : " He became distinguished as a scholar ; and endowed in an eminent degree with those graces and gifts of nature which add a charm to youthful excellence, he gained universal esteem 34 WESTHAMPTON REUNIOX. and confidence. To high moral worth and irreproachable habits, were joined gentleness of manners, an ingenuous disposition, and vigor of understanding. No young man of his j-ears put forth a ftxirer promise of future usefulness and celebrity ; the fortunes of none were fostered more sincerely by the generous good wishes of his associates, or the hopes and encouraging presages of liis superiors." He graduated in 1773, and commenced school-keeping, first in East Haddam, and then in New London. The school in which he taught was owned by the first gentlemen in New London, all of whom were exceedingly gratified by his skill and assiduity. His skill in imparting knowledge was unsurpassed. When the news arrived at New London of the attack by the British upon Lexington, April 19, 1775, the citizens at once assembled in town meeting. Hale addressed the assembly. "Let us march immediately," said he, " and never lay down our arms until we obtain our independence," and enrolling at once as a volunteer. He assembled his scliool the next morning, made his pupils an affectionate address, gave them earnest counsel, prayed with them, and shaking each by the hand, took his leave. His company was ordered to Boston. In November, 1775, the army was threatened with dissolution, by the expiration of enlistments. Hale promised his companj' his own pay if they would tarry a given period. He was located from September, 1775, to April, 177G, in the camp around Boston, where all was siege and counter plot, in the mouth of danger. His company, from the skill with which he managed it, soon became a model for others. He was the frequent guest of General Putnam, and conferred freely with Generals Sullivan, Lee and Spencer. In April, 1776, he was transferred with his troops to New York. At that time a British sloop laden with supplies was anchored under the six- ty-four guns of the British ship Asia. Hale arranged a surprise party, took her as a prize, and used the goods to feed the hun- gry and clothe the naked of our own army. In September, 177G, General AYashington became extremely anxious to learn the number and position of the British army on Long Island. A board of officers concurred with him as to its importance, and Col. Knowlton was selected to find a com- petent person to penetrate their lines and lift the veil of secrecy. Knowlton appealed to the officers of his own regiment, and then to others for some one to volunteer, but all declined. Hale, who had been sick, and was still pale and feeble, and came late to the assembly of oflScers, said, " I will undertake it." His friends and classmates expostulated. Here is his reply. " I think I owe to my country the accomplishment of an object so impor- tant, and so much desired by the commander of our armies, and WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 35 and I know of no other mode of obtaining the information, than by assuming a disguise, and passing into tlie enemy's camp. I am fully sensible of the consequences of discover}' and capture in such a situation. I Avish to be useful, and every kind of ser- vice necessary to the public good becomes honorable by becom- ing necessary. If the exigences of my country demand pecu- liar service, its claims to the performance of that service are imperious." His acceptance was placed upon the simple ground of loyalty to duty. He succeeded in gaining the desired iufoj-mation, but was taken prisoner and executed. A Bible was refused him in his last moments. The letters he had written to his family were torn up by his coarse and unfeeling executioner, who, at the last moment, scoffingly demanded his dying speech and confession. The only answer by Hale wa»in these words : "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." The last remark of Andre, made under similar circumstances, was : " I pray 3'ou to bear me witness, that I meet my fate like a brave man." " Is it not obvious," sa3'S the historian, "that one was meas- uring himself in the eyes of men — the other in the eyes of his Maker?" Andre was thinking of himself. Hale of his country. It is believed that these traits of character, this trust in God, this loyalty to duty, w^ere largely shared by the two brothers. They had been brought up like most of the New England colo- nists, in highly religious surroundings ; to believe in the word of God, as the only rule of action, in all the relations of life. Rev. Enoch Hale was ordained on the 28th of September, 1777, and died January 14th, 1837, after a ministry of fifty- seven years. He possessed qualities of mind and character, that rendered him in his day and generation, a marked man. Not so much for brilliant talents, as for thorough conscientious- ness, and habits of quiet and systematic order. His life seemed serene and useful. He possessed thorough self-control, and al- was manifested to all, peace and good will. He was exceeding- ly exact in his habits, as shown in his appointments, and in his records. He kept an exact record of the births, marriages and deaths ; and the member^ of the church, in the town. He took a warm interest in the schools, and used to visit them often. He kept a complete record of the names and ages of the pupils, in a portable book for easy reference. These records were near- 1}^ all destroyed by the burning of his house in 1816. He prepared a spelling book about the first of this century, in which he endeavored to realize the apostolic idea, to think and " speak as a child," with a view of interesting children in lessons and stories adapted to their apprehension. In this he succeeded in suiting the little ones ; but not the adults. In 3 36 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. those (la3-s it was the custom to teach children abstract doctrines of theology, as well as to read, write and spell. His effort was a generation too soon. The idea was taken up thirty j-ears la- ter, and now the world is full of juvenile literature. He used to have more or less pupils to fit for college, or as teachers. Among these were Rev. Dr. Justin Edwards, Rev. E. B. Wright and Rev. Dorus Clarke. For many j-ears he examined all the teachers for the town schools, and gave certificates to such as proved competent, Among the -qualifications requii'ed, was the ability to teach " good behavior." In this way his influence was felt in raising the standard of the schools, and upon the manners of the chil- dren. No bo}- or girl, in those days, ever thought of passing an adult in the street, without the proper bow or curtes}-. " The influence," I am told by one wh» knew him well, " was felt in the common schools in Westhaini)ton, years after his decease, by those who had been pupils in the district schools, and had children of their own to send to the district schools." He was careful and exact in the use of language, never letting drop ex- pressions which would inflict a wound. Under the fostering care of such ministrations, and with the cordial co-operatjpn of leading minds, there existed a healthy tone of public sentiment in the town. This showed itself in the management of its reli- gious, educational and civil affairs, which caused Westhampton to be spoken of by her neighbors, in this regard, as a model town. He had eight children, three sons and five daughters, all of whom were married, and had children. His oldest son, Nathan Hale, Avas born in 1774. He graduated at Williams College in 1804, and was admitted to the bar in 1810. He commenced as editor of the Weekly Messenger in 1811, and of the Daily Ad- vertiser — the first daily paper in New England — in 1814. In 1825 he published a map of New England, which had been pre- pared with great care and labor. He was one of the most exact, and best read geographers in the country. He was one of the first in the country to make known the adA'antages of railroads, and did more than any one man in the state to inform the pub- lic mind in relation to them. He was acting President of the Massachusetts Board of Internal Improvement, under whose superintendence the surve3'S were made for a sj'stem of rail- roads. He was first President of the Boston and Worcester Railroad — the first road that run cars out of Boston. He was chairman of the Board of Commissioners for introdu- cing water into the city of Boston. As a journalist for nearly fifty 3'ears, he occupied a position among the first, for variety of information, solidity of judgment, and dignity of character. Few men have contributed more largely- to the ph3'sical wealth of the state, or have proved more useful citizens. WESTIIAMPTON REUNION. 37 Dr. Enoch Hale was born iu 1790, and died in 1846. Pro- fessionall}', he was well educated. He stood high as a prac- titioner, and as an author. His first work was called " Experi- ments on the Production of Animal Heat by Respiration," which attracted much attention both here and in England. He sub- sequently wrote a work on "Spotted Fever," and another on " T3'phoid Fever." He was a frequent contributor to medical journals and reviews. " Few among us," says Dr. W. Channing, his biographer, "have done more than he has in his way, to benefit his profession. He was a thorough student, a careful observer of facts, and exact in recording them. He was also a man of decided convictions and character, and outspoken iu his views." Richard Hale was born July 2d, 1792, and died in 1839. He was a farmer. He possessed qualities of mind and character that endeared him to all who were placed in circumstances to feel them. " Madam Hale," says an old and respected parishoner, " was a fitting partner for a parish minister. Intelligent, industrious, judicious and frugal, well versed in the culinary department, nothing wasted, the cruse of oil and barrel of meal never failed. The clothing of the family in her day, being mainly of domes- tic manufacture, she put her hands willingly and efhcientl}^ to the work, aided and assisted by her five daughters, as far as age and ability- would permit. B}^ the people of Westhampton, I believe, she was universally respected and beloved." Four of these daughters are still living. It may be more proper to speak of them and their children at some future period. My early recollections of this town extend back something over half a centuiy. I can recollect the advent of light carria- ges for traveling, and some of the changes it produced. Prior to that period, going to church on Sundays was made on foot, and on horseback. Pillions, attached to the saddle for ladies, were common, and several horse blocks, with steps to aid in mounting the horse, were located near the church. It was no very uncommon thing to see two adults and two children mount- ed on one horse — one astride in front, and the other in its moth- er's arms. In those days, everybody went to church, old and young, un- less prevented by sickness. As I was born and lived within eight rods of the meeting house, I knew b}^ sight every man and woman, and nearly every child in the town. I could also recognize the ownership of nearly every hcffse and carriage, as well as every dog in the town. It was from the adjoining hill called Tob, nametl from an old Indian who used to reside thereon, where the first emotions of beautj' and grandeur were awakened iu my mind« This was 38 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. caused by admiring the waters and valley of the beautiful Con- necticut ; the peaks of Mounts Tom and Hol^'oke, as well as the lesser mountains and hills in all directions. In the lan- guage of Dr. Dwight in relation to the Connecticut : No watery fjleams through fairer valleys shine, Nor drinks the sea a lovelier stream than thine. I have since travelled in near half the states, and in the Can- adas, with an eye always open to fine scener}' ; but to my mind nothing exceeds in picturesque beauty, the scener3- of this good old county of Hampshire. To tlie native, who has roamed over these hills and vales in days of cliildhood and iiniocencc ; who has inhaled its invigora- ting breezes, and v/ho has its scenes engraven upon his memory, his heart will fondl}' turn to the i)lace of his nativitv, and its scenes will challenge comparison with all others. Among the most delicate and touching experiences in life, are those in which the memories of childhood are reproduced. One illustration of this was shown in the case of the late Nathan Hale. When on the threshold of the other world, and with his mind partl}^ there, he used to bid his family and friends an af- fectionate good-by, saying " he was going to Westhampton ! " The late Dr. Nott used to regard as foremost among the agen- cies for the development of social character, the Singing School, and similar gatherings of the country towns. This town has not, it is believed, ])een behind others in availing itself of these advantages. The influence of social gatherings to practice the singing of music, is in a high degree elevating. The advanta- ges of this in the camp were strikingly manifest. Those young men who had cultivated a taste for music, had always resources to fall back upon ; and those resources were elevating, instead of debasing in character. The soldier who could in heart join his companions in songs of patriotism and praise, could hardly fail to be reliable on the field of battle. A case in illustration came under my observation. A young man once spent the sing- ing school season in this town. He entered heart and soul into the work of learning, procured his tuning fork, and was never more happy than when joining others in soug. He carried this taste to tlie prairies of the West, and from there to the camps in Virginia. He drew the soldiers around him ; and although they were among the most efficient fighting characters in the service, they spent a good portion of their leisure in chanting songs of praise. The most reliable soldiers of the recent war, were not those recruited at the Five Points and Black Seas. They were the graduates of our Sabbath Schools, and of houses where the pre- cepts of the Divine Word are made the rule of life. According WESTHAMPTON EEtTSION. 39 lo Cromwell, (the greatest soldier of his age,) "he that prays best, and preaches best, will fight best." Those men and women who drink in these inspirations, can go into the highways and byways, without soiling their garments. The poison of the asp and the cockatrice cannot hurt them. The hope of the world is in the purity and integrity of the famil}-. Rural life and scenes seem best adapted to foster and to nourish these qualities. It is much easier to surround childhood with health}^ influences, in such scenes, than amid the distractions and allurements of the cit}'-. Respect for, and obedience to, the invitations of the nine o'clock eA'ening bell, on the part of the young, have an al- most magic influence in laying the foundations of a sound con- stitution, fitted for a life of useful endurance. Our system of small townships and churches is admirably adapted as nurseries for teaching and instilling into the minds of the young those fundamental principles of justice, which form the basis of intelligent and virtuous action. One of the ends of creation is, that men and women should have sound minds in sound bodies. Here, on these hills and valleys, is the place, of all others, to lay the foundations of both. On no spot of earth does the sun shine brighter, nor is the air of heaven more pure. Wliether your course of life is to be spent here, or elsewhere, there can be no better place to develop healthy phj'sical and moral muscles, to meet the warfare of life. Jeff'erson regarded large cities as pests in the bodv politic. Cities are only what the towns of the countr}- make them, by the kind of men and women which they contribute to them. The city is merely a centre of demand and supply for the man- ufactured and other products of the country — not excepting its vices. The tone of morals which prevail in the city is largely determined by the quality of its contributions from the country. If we train up the young in the Avay they should go, all is well. But if otherwise, the community is drawn downwards by inverted influences. How important, therefore, that children should go into the world with moral principles so fixed as not to be turned aside by temptation ! Forty years ago a poor boy left this town for one of the large cities. He there met a talented and fascinating cousin. This cousin, in, due time, opened to him the allurements which ' were scattered along the broadways of life, and invited him to walk therein. He hesitated ; the teachings and prayers of a sainted mother came to his aid, and he declined. Here was a turning point in life. The two cousins travelled in difterent di- rections ; one in the path of sobriet}^ and respectability, the other in paths I need not describe. The needed spiritual forces to meet these temptations can be 49 AVESTIIAMPTON REUNION. successfully invoked through the family altar. Our fathers learned to draw their strength from this source. When Solo- mon succeeded to the duties of his father, he said to the Lord : "1 am but a little cliild ; I know not how to go out or come in. Give therefore, th}' servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad." It " i)leas- ed the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing." "And God said unto liim, because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for tlwself long life, neither hast thou asked riches for thyself, nor hast thou asked the life of thine enen)ies, but hast asked for thyseU miderfitanding to discern judgment ; behold I have done according to thy words : lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart. And I have also given theq that which tliou hast not asked, both riches and honor." Such are the blessings showered upon man, when the neces- sary conditions are conformed to. There are few towns where the tone of conversation was less mixed witli profane expressions. I well recollect the shock pro- duced on hearing the first i)rofane oatli. A family had moved into this scliool district, and two new boys had come to school. They were not bad — except badl}' educated. It Avas natural for them to roll out oaths, as to talk. It startled and alarmed the good people of the district. They feared the demoralization of the district, and not without reason. As for myself, I wondered the earth did not open and swallow them up. It turned out, however, as the use of proper means may always do, that these boj's were educated out of their profanity, instead of teaching it to others. It should not be inferred that good influences always prevail- ed in the early periods of our town life. Far from it. While the predominant influences seemed to be good, there were some drawbacks. The wheat and tares grew together here, as else- where. Among the first difliculties, was the question of loca- tion of the meeting house. There was a Northern and South- ern party. Tlie contest, at one time, threatened to be serious. The timber for the house was carried three times by the pastor's house, and gave him much uneasiness. Tlie matter, however, after some dela}^, took a favorable turn, and all was harmonized. • Within my recollection, cider distilleries abounded in the town, and sent forth their perverting influences. I can recol- lect when there was no less than three taverns, which in winter kept their hospitable fires and flipirons always in readiness to minister to the wants of callers. The change, however, in the " drinking usages of society," in the last fifty years, are such as to encourage the hearts of all who rejoice in human elevation. This town can claim the credit of having furnished the iustru- WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 41 nient in effecting this change. No man did more to revohi- tionize public opinion on this subject, than Rev. Dr. Justin Ed- wards, one of the most laborious and useful men that this coun^ try ever produced As agent of the American Temperance So- ciety for 7 years, he became the active spirit and leader in the work — in short, according to his associates, " he was the pivot upon which all moved." In his day, more than 7000 societies were formed, with more than 1,200,000 members. More than 3000 distilleries were stopped ; and over 7000 merchants gave up the traffic. He was six j'cars President of the Andover Theological Sem- inar}', and seven j'ears agent of the Society for Promoting the Observance of the Sabbath. He was one of the " Young Eli- jahs," alluded to by Rev. Dr. Griffin, who, " on the banks of the Hoosac, under the haj'stacks, prayed into existence the em- bryo of foreign missions." The New England, afterwards merged into the American Tract Society, was for several j^ears under his principal direction. All of his aspirations and ener- gies were devoted to the elevation of the huxnan race. " Wis- dom in council, energy in action, and humility in life," were his distinguishing qualities. It is believed that no man in this country has done more than Dr. Edwards to create and organize those working institutions in the Church, and to invoke the presence of the Divine Spirit in them — that constitute her educational and moral forces for the evangelizing of the world. The population of Westhampton was in 1790, 683 ; in 1800, 756 ; in 1810, 793 ; in 1820, 89G ; in 1830, 913, highest num- ber ; in 1840, 759 ; in 1850, 602 ; in 1860, 608. Population in the United States doubles every 22 j'Cars. At this rate, "Westhamp- ton should have about 6000 inhabitants. Instead of these re- maining here, they are difiused throughout the country, as mis- sionaries, it is to be hoped, of the principles in which they were educated. Through the influence of such missionaries, the common school system of New England has been planted in all the North Western States, and in many of the other states of the Union. There are no exports so valuable, no contributions from one part of the country to another so enriching, as that of intelligent and virtuous men and women. The small towns of New England have contributed their full share to the mental and moral forces, which shape the action of the body politic. It is no purpose of mine to give anything like a connected narrative of events which have transpired in this town. Neith- er time nor the materials at my command, would admit of it. I can safely leave this to other, and more competent hands. 42 WESTHAMPTON EEUNIOK. I rejoice in tliis opportunity of meeting so many of the bretli- ren and sisters, in this, my native town. Let us render thanks to God for the blessings which he has showered upon our fath- ers, ourselves, and upon our children. There were established among the Jews, in the time of Moses and the prophets, frequent feasts. The feast of the Tahernades was commemorative of the Divine goodness exercised towards the Jews in their wanderings in the desert, and to return thanks to God for the fruits of earth. The feast of Weelcs, was on the occasion of the first fruits of the wheat harvest. The feast of Ingatherinrj was when they had gathered in the labors of the field. On these occasions, it was provided that off*erings should be made to the Lord. These were to be "offered willingly, and with perfect heart, as the Lord had blessed them." It" was de- clared by the prophet that those not going up to the feast of tabernacles should receive no rain. On an occasion so interesting and so impressive as that which has drawn us together, may we not, in humble imitation of Scripture usage, regard this as a Scriptural feast? And as such, a fitting time to renew our vows ; to render our oiferings to the Lord ; by consecrating anew the faculties which He has given us, to continue and to perfect the work which He confided to our fathers ? WESTHAMPTON EEUNION. 43 POEM. BY PROF. M. MONTAGUE. Far wandevinc; from our early cradle home. The pressins; fates of life had bid us roam; Along the city's busy, crowded mart. We had walked with true and manly heart ; In the fields of a sunset prairie land, We had left the marks of a toiler's hand. East, West, and North and South, our pathway led. Where hope, betimes, a fond ambition fed. Till other altar fires and hearth stones bright, Had cheered us with their soft and sacred light, Till other spots, our heart had grown to love — Endeared homes, with many a nestling dove. But from our cradle home, our childhood's joy, Where bounded the feet of the growing boy — Where the hand of our mother so gentle and mild, In blessing was laid on the head of her child — Where the hills and the granite stand fast. While the years in silence go sweeping past. Our brothers and friends invite our return. That on the old altars new incense may burn. And fit is the hour, most fit is the day. When at these shrines our offerings we lay, When gathered from far or gathered from near. We call back the scenes by memory held dear. Our country is rescued from treason and wrong. And Freedom and Union and Right be our song. Martial drums no longer beating. Tramp of war no more is heard ; Hostile bands forget their meeting, Once with deadly passions stirred. Hushed the roar and storm of battle, Calm the valley and the hill ; Clashing arms no longer rattle While yon foemen, foemen kill. Gentle peace around is smiling. Sheathed for aye the blood-red sword ; Hero soldiers now are toiling, AVhere the fruits of earth are stored. Starving brothers in the prison. Which the,hand of treason reared. From their dying death uprisen. See the heavens of darkness cleared. And so we meet beneath the Stars, Honor'd symbol of the free. While trampled lie rebellion's hnrs, Foul type of slavery. And while my muse to-day would gladly sing Of Freedom's holy victories, or while the hill 44 "NVESTHAJIPTON REUXIOX. And woods, the rocts and vales and brooks. Would woo a song — or early household scenes, The festive and the sad — the winter's storm. The crackling fire, the clover-scented field — School-day sports and school-day tasks, lend Their inspiring presence ; there comes athwart My vision, the forms of noble men, whose words And lives have served to fashion into Manly stature, the growing generations Of this goodly town. And so forgetting not The rare delights of winter — Spring in bud And bloom — or Summer with its toil, Or Autumn with its bending fruit And dress of brilliant hues, I shall Essay to speak of men whose active work Below, is ended — shepherds here to feed The sheep, or lead to living fountains — Fountains fresh of truth and knowledge. To tell in full the story of those sainted men Who daily walked along these beaten paths. Who watched and prayed, and preached the simple word, Guiding the steps of youth from error's way, Cheering the hopes of age in life's decline, Pointing manhood to the richer treasure Of that vast inheritance in light above — Humble, patient, trustful in the promise That the weeping sower in joy should reap The richly freighted harvest in its time — For abler pens than mine, the work shall wait. * Mine be it, but in outline rude, to sketch Where master hands might paint the glowing life. Adown the years that mark the opening dawn Of that on-coming day, that filled these hills And vales with active life, when holy love Its torch first lit among these ancient dwellings, Where our fathers made their homes and died — At the very threshold of the town's existence. Came the youthful Hale — shepherd of the sheep. With cultured mind, his soul with truth imbued. He sought his Master's work in this new field. His work for life — this people his, till death. Unlike to these degenerate days of ours, When pastors come and go, as come and go The rapid years. Or if some silver bell. Perchance, in clearer tones, its call shall give, Straightway feel an urgent sense of duty, To use their talents for the greater good. And in some larger field to show the world, Th3.t able Shejthcrds, able flocks mnsfhave. And here among these early years, The goodly seed was sown. Tlirough Summer's heat And Winter's cold, the master's work was wrought; And many were the golden sheaves that here The reaper bound for the heavenly garner. No harsh complaints were made of guilty Achans, If the gracious Spirit long delayed its showers. The truth was uttered with a simple faith. And left to Him who gives the timely rain. This was the golden age of sovereign grace. Alas ! perchance ye daub in human mortar. Who look to see the temple rise within a day. No easy ways, invented then, had come. To pour their grateful benisons, on those Who needed milk. But the solid meat WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 45 Was given by which the man is made to gvovr. So Sunday Schools — Heaven bless their use when used aright — Alas ! too often true, new modes to idols turn, And leaser means are seen to thrust aside The chief. , No Sunday Schools importance bore Above the preached word. Nor books To tell of fancied angels, in the garb Of sweet-voiced girls and loved and loving boys, Who went to sleep so early in this night of lite. Or larger work, in which a grain of truth. So thinly beat, with ease, was made to lie On ten score pages, more or less. Nor novels — Name profane — in Christian dress, so neat. Could cheat the senses of the soul and turn To highly seasoned food, most rankest poison — Poison, if perchance, the christen'd name were wanting O wondrous alchemy ! hidden in a name. Transmuting trash to healthful Christian food. No days, like these, were then. But the substance, The Primer was a royal book for all. And Watts' Psalms and all the Shorter Tatechism, And well digested sermons, from the pens Of careful thinkers — giants in their time. In truth, these were the dpys to work and wait. And so this faithful man was wont to toil. Preaching the word and by example guiding, Eeverenced by the young, honored by the old — The teacher, guide and counsellor of all. Around his feet the young men gathered, While his lips discoursed of Grecian story. Or made the Roman forms with life to breathe, Kindled, quickened by his student mind. Up the higher heights of knowledge many climbed. To pluck the wreaths of honor, and in turn, To send their influence down in good for others. And if like him, whose honored name he bore. He walked with God, with God communion held, No early fate's translating power, e'er came To wing him for celestial realms. But long Among these roughened paths he trod and toiled. Till the iron frame was bent and his scattered locks Were like the driven snow, and with tottering limbs He came to lay him down to sleep among The people of his early love. Here rest. For two score 3'ears and ten, the word Was preached. Glad promise, invitation sweet. The J^aw's stern claims and His atoning grace That spans the heavens with Hope's inspiring brow — This thy work, sainted leader of the tlock. And while around thy setting sun, were seen The leaden clouds to gather, far beyond Thy light shall shine, dimless on the nether shore. And now my vision is somewhat clouded, The sky is o'erspread, and the air is rent With the turbulent conflicts of passion. Let us pass over a full half score years — Perchance it is more, it matters not much. Years fruitful of good for that glad bright morn. Born of it a night of darkness and 8to«'m. Chapin and Urury and Truair, this day Are living in those whose hearts felt the touch Of that all quickening Spirit, sent to bless The word by faithful messengers proclaimed. 46 AVESTHAMPTON REIJNIOX. Eacli able, earnest, zealous for the truth — These, firm standing by the old landmarks, Planted long by custom and tradition — He, the grand disturbing force, resolute And fearless, and defiant of all forms. That cramp the soul in its high search for good. Or dwaif it to a pigmy stature; — Perchance e'en reckless of those golden tablets Where Jehovah wrote his l^aw, while he fain Rebukes the cursed sin of mammon worship; — Their^s, a Pulpit and a House, divinely Consecrate to the holy ministries of love, — His, a chapel rude, and desk uncomely. Where the anointing oil from priestly hands. In order's true succession, ne'er had dripped — No more, my muse, to.day. Draw down the veil, And shut without the noisy battle ground. Ah! long those years, when by these sacred altars, Peace stood with folded wing and tearful eye. But on my vision now, a nob'er sight, Beneath the verdant sods, where the willows Bending low, drop their dewey tears at morn, Peaceful sleep those toil worn brothers. Blinded here by the gossamer films Of Prejudice — there light divine is shed And every dimmed eye is made to see. By the potent power of holy love. Discordant here, nor understood, champions For what each deemed as right — lo ! there they stand Amid the welcomes of that marshalled throng, Who fought the goodly fight of faith on Earth; And, drinking in the harmonies of heaven. They honor Him who sends the storm to give Acalmer.day. And now The clearer, calmer, brighter day had come. In the early spring time, when the flowers Are fresh, and all the land in beauty sleeps. Came another youthful Shepherd, with his young And blooming bride — came, a gift from heaven. Ready, open, stood all hearts to meet him.- With a rare and glowing eloquence he preached The gracious love of God to sinful men. Gentle were his tones. But the kindling eye Spoke the deep, earnest heai-t-throbs of a soul That sought the rich reward of those who turn To righteousness the erring multitude. Around him breathed the atmosphere of love. With a wisdom e'en such as honors age, He knew the words to speak, and when, and where. Sweetly tender, when the hand of sorrow Brought its chalice to the lips of any. He won all hearts by the mystic chord Of sympathy; and in their heart of hearts The stricken mourner, shrined a friend. And so his presence was a living joy In every household, where the sufferer dwelt. Nay more. In all these homes, or high or low. The faithful Pastor was the welcome guest Ten years ! Alil rapid spin the Fate, o/times, For those tchose lives on earth are heautiful. Ten years ! And though the simple stone is reared, For him thatsleepeth — though art not dead to-day, My brother, friend, our own beloved Coggin. The echo of thy gentle voice is heard Within this temple gate. And the memory ■VVESTHAMrXOX KEUNION. Of thy sweet life, e'en down to other .years, Shall sure, a richly freighted blessing bear. Sleep, gentle pair, among your chosen flock. What, though your rising sun e'er uoon went down. The night is oio-s— resplendant day is yours. And as we stand beside thy early grave, Thy calm, benignant face, and hers. The partner of thy toils and hopes, impart A fruitful lesson— tell us how sacred Is the union that binds the faithful teacher To his flock, that from his words, instruction Drink, and by these words, in virtue grow. And though in higher spheres the Master plans Thy present work, the seed that thou didst sow Inhuman hearts is bearing precious fruit, An hundred fold. Of living teachers who the word have spoken, Through the years since then and now, pass we by. For their zeal and love and honest labor. When they toil on earth no longer, shall find Beyond, that here they did not toil for naught. , But now there comes To move mv pen, thoughts of one other form — Too soon, for us who linger here, removed. His, Was a sacred ofiBce, high and holy. Though the vestments of priestly order Proclaimed his separation for the altars Of the temple, yet his was a service Whose results e'en now, are felt like living springs Amid the arid sands. To-day he lives. Though numbered long among the sainted dead. Modest and shrinking from the gaze of men, He loved retirement. Books were daily tood. In the love of study, study had no task. And by patient toil, his mind was rich In stores of knowledge. The slender casket That bore a jewel of such worth, ofttimes. Seemed yielding. And the gloom of a dark night Pressed down his spirit. And those golden heights, Which once he hoped to reach, and the arena Of the college, where he fain would wrestle, Dear like the heart's life, were relinquished all. Yet so was study not relinquished. His was an ambition that lives and grows AVithout applause. To know what lies beyond. His noble aim. And so he wrought among His books; and little known the v\hile, grew An earnest scholar. Accurate in forms. In method clear,— with a culture true as rare, — With a diffidence that made no bold pretense,— Precise in all the movements of the body. In the neatness of his person, unexcelled. The example of his daily maxim — "A place for everything, and every thing in'place," He came to be our teacher, and our guide In the road to knowledge. And he led us. Straightway, to the inviting fields, where his feet Had often strayed, and to perennial springs, Where his thirsting soul had often drunk. Gentle, faithful Dickinson. ABection Weaves to-day a garland for thy memory. And while now on the summit of life's pathway. We look back along the vanished yeais, We see, not dimly, how the influence 47 48 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. Of thy enlvindled mind, at every stage, Has met us; and we have ever toiled With fresher courage for noble lessons Taught to us from tliine inspiring lips. Such lives, such teachers never die. They live, Though the mound has disappeared, and the moss Has thick o'ergrown the name once chisseled On the slab. They live, the germs of other lives. They live — live woven in the very texture Of the souls they helped to form. Thoa livest; And thy teaching work shall be complete When all thy pupils' pupils, theirs shall end. And in these meagre tributes to departed worth, One other name shall be embalmed. A name. That well may stand among the honored worthies. His was not the tongue of eloquence, Nor was the gift of ease and grace, bestowed In rare abundance. But in all the pulpits Of this favored region, scarce were found those Whose pens were abler, and whose thoughts could stand The test of a sterner logic. He wrote With an elegance of style and fitness Of expression that charmed the cultured ear, And with a cleaiuess all could comprehend. He followed in no beaten track. He said What he himself had seen — what he had read In the clear reasonings of an earnest mind. Not always valued for his real worth, His spirit bore no bitterness to any. His master's work was his. No toil was shunned. That honor to redeeming grace should bring. Within his chosen fields, he labored on With an ardor that tired not till the end Had come. And that waiting soul looked out With yearnings unutterable, to .see The breaking dawn of that long promised day. When Judah's King should come to reign among His ransomed people; and the glorious throne Should here on earth be built, and in the hands Of Him whose blood once rent the temple veil, No symbol sceptre should be swayed. E'er this, may ftc, he reads the unclasped scroll With clearer eye; and from those ancient Hebrew seers, gains a truer, broader view Of that all conquering Power, which to his feet Shall bring rebellious nations, and send The choral sound of Peace o'er all the earth. Till his work was done he faltered not. But now he needed rest. And where, for this A fitter place, than by his mother's side. And in the shadows of those beetling hills. Where childhood played. And so he came to rest. Ah, yes. Our brother Judd has found his blessed rest. His life was gentle as some peaceful river. Fed by living springs, on whose banks are seen Perpetual verdure and ever blooming flowers — Where the trees that fleck the placid waters With tl^s^ir shifting shadows, are filled With woodland music. In the ocean wide The stream is lost. No, not wholly lost. As the sun's attractive power weds The ocean to the cloud , which breaks in blessings On the land; so. the influence of thy pure life, WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 49 Shall, like the sho-(vers, bestow its hidden wealth On weary travelers, in life's desert road. Nor these alone, who lead the way to truth And knowledge, in our hearts shall live. But highest honor will he ever give To those brave hearted men — to each, to all. Who battled with these rugged hills— who fought The stones and rocks — the forests thick and wild — Who BAKED to make a home in such a spot; Aye, more — who made a temple in each home. Yes, all honor to those early fathers, who sent The restlese vigor of their own strong life To course the veins of later generations. And now, I muse along these time worn paths, And wander o'er these rocky, native hills. In search of homes, that erst in childhood's dawn, With mirth and song and love and loving hearts. Were filled. I search among decaying ruins. The moss grown well is choked with hated weeds. The orchard, hung with luscious fruit, is dead. The flowers that bloomed around the doors. And where the bee its honey sipped, are gone. The garden, where the sisters played, and where They wove bright garlands for some May day morn. Is platted thick with grass and tangled briars. And all those forms that gave to home its bliss. Have vanished, gathered one by one, to sleep In dust, with generations gone before. And then — oh wanton desecration. As of walking on some new made grave — The nibbling sheep and browsing ox Are treading on that sacred spot, where First for me the gates of life were open thrown, Where mothers blessed full many a natal hour — ■\\'here the merry song, or the heart's deep, MufHed wail, so oft were heard — These to speak the bridal, those the burial days. But o'er these perished homes I may not grieve— These ruins, as with index finger. Point to newer, fresher forms of life. And other homes of love, where the bloom And fragrance of the flowers still live. Decaying, changing, growing. Such is life. Those early fathers and those blessed mothers, Come not here to-day. Their house no longer stands. They have not heard the call that summons Their children from far and near, to meet In this glad reunion. And yet they live. And wait the ushering of that other day, When the portals of yon silent city Shall be unlocked by angel bands. When all the ruins of this mortal life. Built up, shall stand amid the freshness And beauty of the immortal, In the ever blessed Reunions of Heaven. Home of our childhood, home of our youth, Live on. We will love thee, and think of thee In our other homes — And from thine inspiring presence, will draw A fresher courage for our toilsome road. So a blessing, ever resting. Be thine alway; Then that meeting, joyful greeting. In yon bright day. ^^ . ^VESTHAMPTOK REUNION. THE DINNER. At the close of the exercises in the church, the audience and others, numbering about six hundred guests, repaired to the Pa- vihon which had been extemporized for the purpose, and sat down to a bountiful collation prepared by the citizens of the town. The Pavilion was tastefully decorated with evergreens, wrought into wreaths, festoons, &c., and on the front was dis- played m large capitals the warm invitation, "welcome home." Ezra Munson Kingsley, Esq., of New York, presided at the tables with his accustomed urbanity and grace, and by his ap- propriate introduction of the speakers imparted great additional intei^st to the occasion. " The feast of reason and the flow of soul were commenced by the President with the followino- address. al fo'^dw «f^f '^^^^»^«'V'~^.'"J^^^^ ''''^'''^ ^^»«t be the individu- tl.fP- '",^;^0'^«,,^«^"^^ originated the felicitous thouo-ht which has culminated in the scenes and festivities of this hour. J^rom divers pursmts and from widely scattered homes re loved ones whose faces we shall see on earth no more to revive and perpetuate the acquaintances and friendships of oiu'early soS;:;y.'' ^^^^^--^^-1 fountains to fill aU oiTcu; o"^ It is fittiiig, on such an occasion, that we devoutly recoo-nize us\SS^r;t"l?^-^'f ^"^^^ ''^' sustained^dbronigh us nitheito, and humbly invoke His blessino- * He then requested the Rev. George Lym^n of Sutton, to lead in this act of devotion. The collation was sumptuous; and after the long session in the church, the President suggested that certain " internal im- WESTHAMPTON REUNIOX. 51 provements " had become a matter of nrgeut necessity, and to them he desired the guests to give their immediate and undi- A'ided attention. After the banquet was over, the President proceeded, with due deliberation as to the consequences, to " uncork the natives." Eev. Tertius S. Clarke, D. D., of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, was first called up. He had a stor}' to tell. When he was a boy in Westhampton, he,, like all the other lads, was profoundly impressed by the great head of Squire Judd. The Squire wap the maker and ex- pounder of the common law in the toAvn, and many looked up to him with the greatest veneration and awe. An incident oc- curred in the old meeting house. Tythingmen had been ap- pointed to keep the boj's in order in the galleries. On one oc- casion, his strong propensity to laugh came very near plunging him into the deepest disgrace and ruin. One of the tythingmen sported a large bandanna handkerchief, which he used to pull from his pocket on blowing his nose, which he did very frequent- ly, and with a loud noise. One of the boj's, observing this fre- quent use of the immense " wiper," and wishing to have a little sport even in "meeting time," brought a pint of beans, and poured them into the man's pocket, on the top of the handker- chief, one end of which was hanging outside. The explosion soon occurred. The bandanna was suddenly pulled, the beans flew in all directions, and the church was thrown into great com- motion. The boy who put the beans into the pocket maintained the most imperturable gravit}^, while the boy Tertius burst out into a shout of laughter, being utterly unable to " hold in." The tythingman soon appeared and arrested the laughing lad, as the author of all the mischief. He was taken before Squire Judd, in a state of awful fear and trembling. Most unexpect- edly his life was spared, and he was let off with a reprimand never to do so again. He promised he would not, provided the hoys did not bring any more beans. He also spoke of the pra3'ers he used to hear, which were often an hour in length, and though he was tired out and out again, he had the deepest respect for the veteran christians of those by- gone daj's. This called the President to his feet. He could no more " hold in" than the j-outhful Tertius, and he must -'tell a story," too. In those good old times, he said, the schools were alwa^'s opened with prayer, and the masters had to " watch" as well as " pra}'." On one occasion, while the prayer was being made, an undevout boy was in the act of making some distui'bance. The master 4 52 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. stopped his prayer, caught the bo}' by the collar, brought him iuto the middle of the room, gave him a good sound flogging, and then resumed his praying where he left off ! Zenas M. Phelps, Esq., of Riverdale, N. Y., was next inti'o- duced, and said : Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: — ^Public speaking is no part of m}'^ profession, and I know not that I can say any thing of interest on this occasion. Much has been well said in the historical address to which we have listened, and in the beautiful and touching poem by Prof. Montague ; and for my- self, I feel much obliged to our learned friends for their produc- tions, which I hope will be printed and handed down for the instruction of posterit3\ In tracing back the family to which I belong, through more than seven generations, so far as I have ascertained, no one of them has been convicted of horse-stealing, of treason, or mur- der ; no one has been a tor^', a rebel, or a copperhead. I am happ3' to say that it has been an honest, industrious, peaceable family ; generally intelligent, thoughtful and religious ; true to its own convictions of truth and duty, and always on the side of liberty and law, both in the church and in the state. My grandfather, Timothy Phelps, settled in this town in 1775, and shared in its privations, hardships and dangers. At first, he made this place his summer residence, coming out from Northampton carl}' in the spring, and returning late in the fall through fear of the Indians, and various wild beasts. I have of- ten heard my grandmother say that she came from Northamp- ton, with her infant son Timoth}- and a calf on the same sled, while the cow was tied to a stake Ijehind the sled, drawn by a yoke of oxen. My grandfather was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and took part in putting down the Shays rebellion. M}^ grand- mother was a very religious woman, and sometimes had charge of us boys on Sundaj-s, and did what she could to keep us quiet and good. She told us scripture stories and taught us "Watt's Psalms and Hymns, and the Catechism. She frequentl}^ told us of the two she bears that tore forty-two children, in the days of Elisha, and easily made us believe that there were two more, in the woods back of the house, that would tear us, if we played, Sunday. I was for a long time afraid of those two bears, and kept pretty quiet Sundays, I suppose ; but as my mind became more mature, and the woods were cleared up and light let in on the subject, the fear of the bears, and of many other dreadful things, gradually died away. She had a way in which to encourage us to read the New Testament, which I mention for the benefit of other grandmoth- WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 53 ers who stay at home with their grandchildren. In case we read two chapters well in the New Testament, she would allow us to read one story in her large Bible in the Apocr3-pha. In this way, while yet boys, in addition to our knowledge of the New Testament, we learned about Tobit the son of Tobiel ; of Judith of "goodly countenance and very beautiful to behold;" of Baruch and Susanna ; of Bel and the Dragon, and of the he- roic Maccabees. Although she was very religious and circum- spect in her waj^s, she never attained to the assurance of faith, till a short time before her death. Then she had no more doubts, and was bright and beautiful, and she gentlj' passed awa}'' in the full confidence of a glorious immortality. Jonathan Phelps, the son of mj' uncle Timothy, was the fa- ther of a son who became a martyr in the cause of libert}'. Jonathan "Walker Phelps, inspired 1)}- a love of liberty, enrolled himself among the patriots of his country, and sacrificed his life in putting down the late most wicked rebellion, and upholding the most beneficent government the sun ever shone upon. He fell in the darkest and most gloom}^ da3-s of the Republic, pour- ing out his 3"0uthful blood for his country, as Webster sa^'s of Dr. Warren, before he knew whether it would fertilize a land of freedom or of bondage. Noble, youthful hero! He fell too soon for his family — too soon for glor^' ; but not too soon for his country. She required costly sacrifices, and he gave her his all. Thj' memory shall remain fresh in our hearts, and thy no- ble example shall be handed down in the family as a rich leg- acy of patriotism and devotion. My father settled here on the old homestead, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. During the winter months he often taught school, and always with success. But circumstances overruled his inclinations, and compelled him to engage in pursuits for which he had little aptitude, and less disposition. In religion, he was a moderate Calvinist ; in the state, a Whig. Our mother survived him many years, to instruct us b}^ her counsels, and to enrich us by her life. Five of their eight children remain, and are here to-day to participate in this grand Reunion — in these sad and joyful mem- ories. Here was our earl}- home. Here our thoughts delight to linger, and around this spot cluster many dear and sacred asso- ciations and meinories. We love to come here, and go over the scenes of other days. We are not ashamed of our old native town, and we mean so to live that she shall not be ashamed of us. She has a noble record, and may safely challenge compari- son with any other town of her size, in industrj-, intelligence, patriotism and religion. She has always been true to the great cause of civil and religious liberty, and has steadfastly believed and fully vindicated the doctrine of a " church without a bishop, and a state without a king." 54 WESTHAMPTOX REUNION. Ill the late dreadful conflict of principles and of arms, she was not wanting in duty and devotion to the Repu1)lic, and in the great work of Reconstruction, she will not abandon the great principles for which she fought, nor her tried and faithful allies in the South, to follow the counsels of a man who is making Union odious and Rehellion honorable; who promised to be the Moses of the Freedmen, but who is fast becoming the old Plia- roah of Egypt. No, m}* fellow townsmen. Stand fast by the loyal, Union men of the country. Let not the government be reconstructed in the interests of treason and rebellion, of bar- barism and slavery ; but in the interests of loyalty and consti- tutional liberty ; of universal education and impartial suffrage, and equal rights to all ; on the hard and solid basis of justice, of humanity, and of God. This accomplished, we shall be pre- pared for the mission which Divine Providence is opening upon us, and the Great Republic, disenthralled and regenerated, in- spired and guided by the spirit and pi'inciples of Christianity, shall move forwaixl in the path of true glory and the grandest, noblest aclijevements. "Westward the star of empire takes its way; The first four acts already past, The fifth shall close the drama with the day; Time's noblest offspring is the last." Otis Clapp, Esq., said some of us would like to hear from the gentleman who first suggested the idea of this Reunion, Rev. George Lyman. Mr. Lyman responded, in substance, as follows : Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: — As the gentleman who has called me up, has given me the credit of suggesting the idea of this meeting, you will permit me to say a few w'ords by way of explanation. Some time since, in a conversation with my friend who has the honor of presiding on this occasion, held at his store in the city of New York, I suggested to him such a meeting as this. He entered into it at once, with his characteris- tic ardor. But, for reasons Avhich need not be mentioned here, the project failed at that time. A little more than a year ago, on my way to Saratoga, I fell in with my friend Rev. L. F. Clark, and with Mr. Clapp, whom I had not seen for many years, both of whom had just come from a visit to Westhampton. Conversation turning on the good old tow^n, the idea of a meeting of this kind was again suggested, and became a subject of remark. A day or two af- ter, as we met at Saratoga, Mr. Clapp said to me that he had been thinking a good deal on the subject of our previous conver- sation, and thought the i)roject might be carried into effect. Af- ter his return to Boston, he commenced a correspondence on the subject. And his persistent efforts, under some discourage- ^VESTHAMPTOX KEUXIOX. 55 ments, were at length crowned with success. . Though the idea of this Reunion ma}' have been first suggested by me, the credit of carrying it into execution belongs to Mr. Clapp himself, rather than to me. " Honor to whom honor is due." Thus much as to the origin of this Reunion. This, sir, is a memorable day to us, who are here assembled, and to all the people of this town. We, who have gone out from here, have come up to our Jerusalem, our holy mother, our alma mater, as much so as the college is the alma mater of the student — to our old hearth-stones and altars of worship, and to the graves of our fathers, to exchange greetings with each other, to reuew the memories of other da^-s, and to rekindle the fires of filial devotion. We have come, some of us, with our wives and children, as the tribes of Israel went up to their Jerusalem. We would teach our children to love the birthplace of their fa- thers and mothers. We have come with somewhat of that rev- erent and holy love, with which the pious Israelites went up to their Zion, on their great festal da3's. Though this large assem- bly is made up of man}' families and parts of families, coming from various places and from different directions, from the north and from the south, from the east and from the west, yet we meet here as one family, children of one mother, around these tables which she has bountifull}- spread for us. And here, in this family meeting around our mother's table, we may talk freely and familiarl}' together on matters and things in which we have a common interest. Outsiders, who are not of the fam- ih', may listen, but may uot criticise. Well then, after these preliminary remarks, I begin, as lovers are expected to do, by declaring my love for this my native town, and 3'our native town. I could uot respect myself if I did not love the mother that gave me birth, and uourished my infancy and childhood. I love these rugged hills and moun- tains, these woods and granite rocks, and these pure, sparkling streams. And, in sajdng this, I utter the common sentiment and feeling of all true and worthy sons and daughters of the town. One of the most distinguished sons of this town, as a literary man, the late Rev. Sylvester Judd, author of "Margaret," and other works of fiction of acknowledged abilitj', whose home, af- ter his ninth 3'ear, was in Xorthampton, once wrote to a friend as follows : — " I always loved Westhampton. All m}' youth centres there. Northampton is nothing to me. I seem never to have lived there. In Westhampton I did live. I could die there." This extract is preserved in his published " Life and Character," written by Miss Arethusa Hall. My heart responds, and your hearts, I doubt not, respond to these sentiments. I have reason to love Westhampton. It is not only my birth- 56 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. place and the birthplace of my wife, but the birthplace of my parents and her parents also. And there, in yonder church- 3'ard, they all lie, with our grand-parents also, on both sides, along with other kindred and friends, and school mates not a few. And there, too, are three little graves, dearer than all others. ''Seven are we; " "Three of us in the church-yard lie," And four are present here. There is. not, in the Avide world, a spot so dear to me as this, which holds the precious dust of so many loved ones. A thousand 2)leasant as well as sad recollections cluster around this home of our childhood, and endear it to us. They come up before me to-day, crowding full the chambers of memory. The old school house yonder, now converted into a store, how many memories gather around it ; the teachers with their vari- ous modes of discipline and ingenious punishments ; and the schoolmates and classmates, too, sitting with folded hands, on the straight-backed benches ; and the boyish sports at " play- time " and " noon-time," hide-and-seek around the old meeting house, and in the horse sheds, and the mimic training and sham lights, with dr}^ mullein stalks for guns. The militia trainings, too, with the wrestling matches and l^all games on the very spot covered by this Pavilion ; and, last but not least, the Thanksgiv- ing festival, the great feast of the 3'ear, with its happy family gatherings at the old homestead, and the social cheer, and the elaborate dinner of roast beef and pork, and turkeys and chick- en pie, and pumpkin pie, and plumb pudding, ending — in the days before the temperance reform — with the mug of flip, and followed with the family praj-er, offered by the venerable patri- arch of the family ; with the turkej' shootings, the day before and the day after Thanksgiving, at Norton's tavern ; and the sleigh rides, and evening parties and pla^^s — all these pleasant memories abide with us in all our wanderings, and come back with us to-day, Avith renewed freshness, gladdening our hearts, and shedding light and beauty over these rock-bound hills, and these humble dwellings. "Oftin the stilly night, Ere slumber's chain has bound me. Fond memory brings the light Of other days around me. The smiles, the tears of boyhood's years, The words of love then spoken, The eyes that shone, now dimmed and gone. The cheerful hearts now broken." The fathers, too, of the olden time — we cannot forget tliem to-day ; those good men and true, Deacon Edwards, Major Fish- "WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 57 er, Capt. Lyman, Capt. Cook, Mr. Wales, and others, who used to meet, some of them with their wives, at my grandfather Judd's, On Sunda}^ noons, and talk of the weather, the births and deaths and marriages, of nothing more secular, and discuss the sermon over their nutcakes and cheese, and their tobacco pipes from the old red basket, which it Avas my duty to bring forth and set before them. These men were men of God, men of faith and prayer, who loved the house of God, from which rain and snow and wind seldom detained them. I remember, at one of the Sunday noon meetings of which I have spoken, hearing Deacon Edwards say, when speaking of his having been kept from church the vSabbath previous by snow drifts, which it was found impossi])le to break through, that he had been absent from church but once before for more than twenty years. I used to look upon him and upon others of those good old men, with pro- found veneration and awe. Deacon Edwards was one of the politest men I ever knew. He used to bow very gracefully to everybody whom he met, children as well others. Indeed, in point of manners, those times were better than these. Boj's then Avere tcnigid manners, and were accustomed to take off their hats and bow to their elders when they passed them in the streets ; and on going out of the school house, at the close of the school, we always turned square round and made our bow to the teacher. It is sometimes said that the Puritan faith of our fathers was a sad faith, and tended to make them unsocial and gloomy. But these men were neither unsocial nor gloomy. They were thoughtful, serious men ; but at the same time Avere social, cheer- ful, genial. So they appeared to me. I Avas never repelled from them, but was rather drawn to them, and I used to listen to their cheerful and sometimes witt}' and humorous conversation. Avith wonder and delight. The three leading men in the town, for nearly' or quite half a centur}', were Parson Hale, Dr. Hooker and Squire Judd — the parson, the doctor and the squire — the first a minister, and both the others sous of ministers. To the latter, Sylvester Judd, Esq., ni}' maternal grandfather, it may not be improper for me, on this occasion, designed in part to commemorate the fathers of the toAAni, to pay a passing tribute of respect. I knew him Avell. After the death of his wife, in 1821, and his removal to the house built by him for his son, Syh^ester Judd, jr., and now occupied by Mr. Anson Chapman, in the centre of the town, my mother, then a widow, came to reside with him. From that time until his death in 1832, for a period of more than ten years, his house was my home, and he stood to me in the place of a father. He was the first justice of the peace in the toAvn, and repre- 58 WESTHAMPTON KEUNION. sented the town for many 3'ear.s in the General Court, and was a member of the convention that met in 1779, to form a State Constitution. He was a good man, and an honorable- man, of sterling integrity', and a firm friend of law and order. The son of a clergyman. Rev. Jonathan Judd, the first minister of Southampton, and trained under the careful and somewliat se- vere discipline practiced in ministers' families in those days, he was a man of deep religions principles, decidedly evangelical in his views of doctrine, and of sincere and exemplary but not demonstrative piety, adhering firmly to his convictions of truth and duty, whatever others might do. In his manners and general bearing, he vras a gentleman of the old school. Tall and portl}', of dignified and commanding presence and somewhat stern, he was indeed, as Dr. Clarke has said, a terror to evil doers and roguish boys. And yet he was courteous and kind. To his minister. Parson Hale, of whom he was always a fast friend, he was uniformly respectful and deferen- tial, not forgetting to send him portions of the fjittest of his herds and flocks. He was a noble man, and ever}' year increases my A'en- eration of his character. In some points of character and hab- its, he might have sat for the charming life-like picture which Dr. Holland has drawn of old Daniel (^ray. In his family pra}^- ers which were long, and always oflered in a standing posture, among other " old fashioned words and phrases," and " sacred texts " which have fixed themselves in my memory, were the fa- miliar words, " whom to know aright is life eternal." It may not be creditable to my understanding, but I used to wonder in ray boyhood, who that Noah AVright — "know aright" — was, whose name was always introduced into the family' prayer, and whose title to eternal life was secured. Venerable man ! "I see him now — his face and form and motions, Rising behind the straight-backed kitchen chair; I can remember how the sentence sounded, 'Help us, O Lord, to pray and not to faint;' And how 'the conquering and to conquer' rounded The loftier aspirations of the saint." And I may add these words of confident hope in respect to him : "If ever I shall win the home in heaven. For whose sweet rest I humbly hope and pray, In the great company of the forgiven, 1 shall be sure to find old Daniel Gray." The amusing incidents related b}' jMr. Lyman moved Rev. T. S. Clarke to tell another " little story." When he was a boy, he said, there w^as onl}^ one democrat in Westhampton. He had heard so much of the exceeding wickedness of the democrats, that he regarded them with a feeling of horror. He had a strong WESTHAMPTOK KEUXIOX. 59 desire to see one. At length his curosit}- became so intense, that he besought his father to let him go to the town meeting, that he might behold a real, live democrat, for democrats alwaj's attend town meetings, and especiall}' if it rains. He went — he saw — when lo ! and behold, the democrat did not look like Beel- zebub, had neither hoofs, horns nor tail, nor went on all fours, but appeared like a human being ! C. r. Judd, Esq., of Boston, being called up, addressed the assembly in the following terms : Jf/-. President : — It has been said that "Westhampton is a good place to move away from ; and true it is that many persons have moved out of this town in times past. But L am always pleased to come here. I like to return to these hill tops and farm houses. The}' have a charm for me which neither time nor distance destro^'s. And to-daj^ as I look forth upon the beauti- ful scenery spread out before us, and as I recall the events by which this town has been led onwards, I cannot ^think it will ever be deserted or abandoned. I believe the town has still a history before it, even more wonderful and interesting than its past history-. The good seed sown here by our fathers will not be lost ; in the storehouse of the future its fruits will be largely developed. Westhampton is said by some to be a dry old town, gone to seed, without any new life or enterprise, or go-ahead in it. But this is not so. This town is the leader in, if not the mother of some of the great projects wdiich noAV agitate the public mind. We now hear a great cleal about Avoman's rights, of her right to vote and hold office, and this idea is presented as a great novel- t3\ Why, sir, 3'ears ago, some of the people of this town voted for my good aunt, Hannah Lyman, for the office of selectman, and they could not have voted for a better man. For if she had been elected, she, with her energy and habits of business, would have made the folks toe the mark, and no mistake. Again, we hear about the bloomer dress as a new notion, as something discovered b}^ the reformers of our daj^ But, sir, the best bloomer dress ever invented was worn by our good grand- mothers long before the present agitators were born. Our fore- mothers both made and toore the real article, warm, loose, com- fortaljle, health}' ; and also a dress in which they could jump over a fence or stonewall, without catching upon or being hung b}' the bags which fall down^ like tag-locks, in the modern dress. Again, sir, the town has had in it some persons supposed to l)e skilled in the divining properties of the witch-hazel and sweet apple tree bush. Once upon a time, one of these rod-diviners came into the store of Mr. S. Judd, jr., claiming before a crowd 60 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. that he could tell the precise spot where the money drawer was, if there was any money in it, 1)}^ the motion of a sprig of witch- hazel. Mr. Judd urged him to trj' his skill ; and out of the door the diviner goes, after a rod of witch-hazel. AYhile he was out, Mr. Judd sl3'ly moved the money drawer from the west side of the store, where it had always l)een kept, over to a new place on the east side of the building, and there hid it under the counter. Soon the man came into the store with his crotched stick, and began his 'operations. Holding the rod tight in his two hands, he moved slowly round and round in the space be- tween the two counters, walking carefully and gravely step by step, and stopping frequently to catch the first symptom of any motion in tlie rod. Tlie spectators were still as the grave, not a word said, lest the charm should be broken. Finally, the di- viner came to the spot front of the counter, behind which the drawer had always been kept. Here he balanced backwards and forwards, going a little to one side and then to the other, until after several vibrations, he came to a stand-still right in front of the place where the drawer used to be. Stopping a moment to feel the pulsations of the rod as it bends forward ; " there," he cries out, pointing the twig to the old spot, "there is the mone}', see how the rod moves." A loud ring of laughter was poured .out upon the magician and sore was his discomfiture, when Mr. Judd took the monej'-drawer up from the place hid directly opposite to the spot pointed out by the pretended diviner. It is jocosel}' remarked, that the town is growing down into a sheep pasture. But, fellow townsmen, let not 3'our hearts be troubled ; there is no danger that it will become a wilderness again. The people of this town have been in former days, and are to-day, a power in the world. Go on, then, in the good old wa3's trodden by j-our fathers ; keep up j-our schools, and 3'our church, preserve j'our simple habits, live together united as a band of brethren ; and, depend upon it, these hills will continue to flourish with a busy and noble population. The springs of health are all around and within your borders ; the very air teems with the elixir of life. Standing here on these elevations 3"ou can see the dense fogs which settle down upon the rich val- ley of the Connecticut, covering the towns with mist. For sev- eral 3'ears past the inhabitants of the old mother town have felt the danger and the growing evils caused bj- the dampness of their river situation, and some of them have annually retired Avith their families to the back towns, for the purpose of restor- ing their health and vigor, by breathing the bracing and dry air of the hills. They must continue to seek retreats from the mil- dews surrounding them ; and what situation for this purpose holds out so mau}^ inducements as the hill tops and valley's of this good town? Pardon me, Mr. President, for having taken up so much of the time on this ever-to-be-remembered day. WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 61 Eev. Osman A. Lj^maii, Preacher to the Lane Seminaiy , Ohio, referred to his early associations about the fearful heights of "Pisgah." He had not the honor, exactly, of being a son of ^Yesthampton, but this was the birthplace of his father and mother, of revered memory. He alluded in eloquent terms to the character of his ancestors here, as men of principle, intelli- gent, God-fearing men. He was thankful that his parents were born and reared in the midst of such hallowed influences, for to them he owed whatever aspirations for usefulness in the world he had felt himself. The sons and daughters of Westhampton could in no way so well show their gratitude to their godly parentage, as b}'^ spreading through the country and the world the knowledge of those great religious principles, which were their joy in life, and their hope of immortalit}-. . Rev. J. L. Clark, D. D., of "Waterbury, Connecticut, said : He had heard grave doubts expressed since he arrived in this his native town, whether the citizens would be able to feed so great a multitude as were assembled here to-day. He was sure that a glance at the tables now that we have all received a full supply, would satisfy anj' one that had we brought all our children with us, we should not have been able to ex- haust the abilit}'' or the hospitality of our friends here at home. The speaker could think of nothing to be added to make this a most happy reunion of citizens, unless some sign could have been suggested, by which those who Avere very intimate friends once, might recognize each other after a separation of fort}' or fifty years. He left his home here forty-three j^ears ago, and he had met many here to-day whom he had not seen since. He had been very much embarrassed, a« he perceived they Avere, each Avaiting for the other's advance to be sure of no mistake. Ah ! Mr. Chairman, the lapse of years has changed our coun- tenances, but it has not chilled our hearts. And yet we cannot, in a few burdened hours, show each other how we remember our companions in childish sports, or our early teachers in useful knowledge. I recognize here present one of my early teachers, the Rev. Dorus Clarke, to Avhom I have ahvays felt I OAA'ed a large debt of gratitude. He was my schoolmaster, against whom I once braA^ely ventured to oppose my will, and soon found that the waj' of safety as Avell as of Avisdom was to submit. As I have not had an opportunity liefore, I Avill avail m^'self of this, to return to my former master ni}^ sincere thanks for his kind fidelity. Many years ago, perhaps twenty-five, I saAV advertised a vol- ume of " Lectures to Young Men," published by that gentle- 62 -SVESTHAMPTON REUXIOX. man. I took the earliest opportunity to get it, and have read it with deep interest and mnch instruction. Permit me, Mr. Chair- man, to conmiend that volume to the 3'pung here present. You will find there a lecture on the " Importance of Established and Correct Religious Principles Earl^^nLife." You will see there in what gloom and horror, the most distinguished infidels have been compelled to leave the Avorld and enter eternit}-. Voltaire, one of the greatest champions of which infidelity could boast in the last centur}^, was made an infidel for life, he says, by committing to memor}', when eight j'cars of age, a deistical pamphlet which was put into his hands. Much of the popular literature of the present day, though not so bold in attacks upon revealed truth as that of lifty to eighty years ago, is even more dangerous, because the poison is more insidious and more generally diffused. It comes in the shape of periodicals as avcU as books, such as monthl}' and quarterlj- magazines, Avith too often the tacit endorsement of the good, by being found on their tables. Youth and even children will inhale the poison. Its authors may have highh* cultivated minds, but tlie^' have unhumbled hearts. They may have taste and imagination which will attract, and entertain, and instruct for this world, but here their ability as teachers ends, for they have never spent a day, earnestly preparing their own souls for the life to come. A life of faith here, such faith as works by love and overcomes the Avorld, is the hate and scorn of these teachers. Books Avere fcAV in numl)er, Mr. Chairman, in our homes Avhen Ave were children. But they Avere such books as Baxter's " Call to the UncouA'crted," Baxter's " Saint's Rest," " Life of Rca'. Henry Martyu," of "Harriet Newell," and that monthly jour- nal of the missionaries Avho left this country in 1812 and 1814. and ouAvard, under the American Board for Foreign Missions. Such, Sir, fed and strengthened the mind, under the Divine blessing, and prepared the young for usefulness on earth and happiness through eternity. ReA^ Dorus Clarke, of Waltham, Mass., next responded to the call of the President. His intended remarks, which follow, were somewhat abridged in the deliA^ery for Avant of time. Mr. President: — Not long since a young lady was asked, " where is j^our native place?" and she replied, " I never had any natiA'e place ; I am the daughter of a Methodist minister." Our fiithers and mothers Avere not so peripatetic as the good Methodist, and their descendants are not so unfortunate as his daughter. We haA^e a native place. We knoAV Avhere it is, and what it is, and we have come here to-day, from our Avide disper- sion, to do it merited honor, Westhampton ! one of the least, in- WESTHAMPTOX REUNION*. 63 deed, of the triljes of our Massachusetts Israel, but one of the most deserving. Seven cities of Greece contended for centuries for the high honor of being the birthplace of Homer, and more than seven of the towns of the Bay State may well desire the credit of having given birth to this large and highl.y respectable assemblage. There is music in the very name of this good old town. • 'Where e'er I roam, Tvhatever realms I see, My heart, untravelled, fondly turns to thee." It was a great mistake that Boston and New York were built so far from Westhampton. Coleridge tells us of a man who had such a high sense of self respect, that w^henever he referred to himself he took off his hat ; but we would pa}' more appropriate homage, as we stand, uncovered and reverent, in this presence. I do not know, sir, that there is an}- law aginst it, but if there is, my friend, Mr. Judd, the historiographer of the day, who knows all about the law, can tell us ; but I do not know that there is any law against resolving ourselves into a sort of Mu- tual Admiration Society ; and, as for the ethics of such a pro- ceeding, the luimerous clergj'men around me are abundantly competent to settle that question. At any rate, such a society, if savoring a little of vanity, I think it will be admitted, would "lean to virtue's side," quite as much as the Mutual Detraction Societies which exist in many of our country villages, where the gossip of unbridled tongues keeps whole communities in ceaseless strife ; institutions, which, I believe, are not very pop- ular in this peaceful and harmonious town of our nativity. In Boston and Vicinity, we enjoy the reputation of having several such Admiration Societies, — the conductors of the Atlantic Monthly, it is said, form one of them, among others. As the manners of the metropolis are often imitated in the countr}', and sustained, as we are, by such high authorities, I will take the liberty to saj', — that whenever and wherever I see a AYesthamp- ton man, I always feel that he is made of little finer mould than other folks, and especially do I expect to find him a man of larger intelligence, wider comprehension of duty, and a more assured preparation for the Great Hereafter. And why should it not be so, if the "fruit" indicates at all the character of the "tree ?" The Providence of God sifted Northampton, and Hock- anura, and Southampton, and Dedham, to find seed good enough wherewith to sow these hills and valleys. The early settlers of this town were a godly generation, and if they had one desire which was paramount to all others, it was that ice^ their descend- ants, would adhere to their religious faith, and far excel them in the fervor of our piety. How many thousand times did they pray, to use their own stereotyped and sacred phraseologies, that their " children and their children's children, down to the 64 WESTIIAMPTON REUNION. latest generation, may be converted to Christ," and that "their souls with ours may be bound up in the sure bundle of eter- nal life." Their parlance has been stigmatized as "divinely il- literate ;" but it had a heavenly ring, to which, it were well, if the st^de of their erudite detractors could make some preten- sion. Wliat children, tlie Avorld over, have had so christian an ancestry ? The monuments of their consecration to Christ stand here all around us. For where will you find better common schools than on this consecrated spot ? Where can you finel another commu- nity where the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, for more than half a centur}^, formed the common moral pahiduin of all the people ? In ray childhood and youth, we had it for breakfast, we had it for dinner, and Ave had it for supper. It was thor- oughly taught in nearly' every family, and in all the common schools of the town ; and was regularly recited in the old church to Father Hale, from year to 3'ear, b}' all the children between the ages of eight and fifteen. The old church, beaten by the storms of many years, and innocent of paint and bell and stee- ple, was equall}^ innocent of a thin attendance on the Sabbath both forenoon and afternoon, and would admit within its doors, only with the greatest reluctance, any child of proper age, who did not know the catechism by heart, verbatim, et literatim, et punctuatim. As might be expected under such thorough evan- gelical tuition, revivals of religion have been of frequent occur- rence, and of great purity and power. More than one third of the inhabitants, all told, are to-day members of this beloved Con- gregational Church ; nine tenths of all the people are stated attend- ants on public worship ; and thirty-eight of the young, men have obtained a liberal education, most of whom have entered the learned professions, and especially the christian ministry. Sev- eral others have gone through regular courses of professional study. This, it is believed, is a larger percentage of educated men than has been reared in any other town in this or any other Commonwealth. These thorough educational and religious in- fluences have here wrought out their legitimate results, and the same causes will work out, and they only can work out the same results in other communities. These influences have made West- hampton what it is, in comparison with many other towns in the State, which, locally, are more highly favored ; and New Eng- land what it is, in comparison with the Southern States ; and the United States what they are, in distinction from Mexico and Japan. The dwellers in this beautiful Valley of the Connecticut are under greater obligations to a former resident here, than lan- guage has yet found power to express. Jonathan Edwards — clarum et venerabile nomen ; — Jonathan Edwards, — by common WESTHAMPXON REUNION. 65 consent, the ablest theologian and metaphysician our country has produced — left the impress of his thorough orthodoxy and devoted piety upon all this section of the State. That heavenly stamp seems almost ineftaceable. More than a century has rolled away since he left Northampton, yet his influence is still perpetuated here. You see it in the peculiar moral and relig- ious fjrain of this community. I have resided in this town six- teen years, in Williamstown four years, in Andover three 3'ears, in Blandford twelve years, in Springfield six years, in Boston six years, and in Waltham sixteen years ; and have therefore had some opportunities to form an intelligent judgment of the relative condition, moral and religious, of different parts of the Commonwealth. And I say it " without fear, or favor, or hope of reward ;" I say it with no invidious comparisons, for the comparisons are in no sense invidious, but just ; I say it simplj' because historic verity peremptorily requires that it should be said, that I have nowhere found, in these communities generall}", such profound reverence for the name of JEHOVAH, the In- finite and Personal GOD ; such unquestioning faith in the Divine authority of the H0I3' Scriptures ; such conscientious observance of the Sabbath ; such habitual practice of family prayer ; such respect and anxiety for revivals of religion ; such serious deter- mination to enter into the kingdom of heaven ; and such deep conviction that it never can be reached, except through repent- ance for sin, and faith in a crucified and Atoning Redeemer, as I have found on this ver^- spot, That the condition of things here is what it should be, is far, very far from being the fact ; but that it is, on the whole, better than in almost an}' other sec- tion of. the country or of the world, is my honest belief. This superior christian tone of society must have had an adequate cause ; and that cause, I apprehend, can be found only in the more thorough indoctrination of the people, from the time of Edwards down to this da}', in the great truths of the Bible, — creating public sentiment, permeating domestic life, energizing conscience, converting men to Christ, and impregnating society with a deeper sense of moral obligation. Calvinism has formed the warp and the woof of this community. But has "Westhampton done anything for the icorld at large? Yes. Old ^sculapius would gladly surrender his pill-box and scalpel to his more scientific disciples from this town, and the mantles of Col^e and Webster sit gracefully on her sons. She has sent a worthier representative of Christianity than Colenso to enlighten the kraals of Southern Africa ; and " how beauti- ful upon the mountains" of Western Asia " are the feet of him" of Westharapton, who is there publishing the Gospel of peace ! She has adorned the pulpits of Boston, and presided over the school of the prophets at Andover. She devised the famous 66 WESTHAJinOX EEUNIOX. " pledge," which is working out the temperance reforiiiation ; and has taught the world that industrial prosperity, no less than the Bible, requires us to keep the Sabbath holy. She has fur- nished pastors for several of the churches of Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, and New York ; has sent her sons and daughters to form and support new churches in Ohio ; has added moral lustre to the gold of California ; and is rapidly transform- ing Wisconsin and ^lichigan into gardens of the Lord. By her editorial labors, she has moulded the political and religious opin- ions of the times ; and by her engineering skill, she directed the construction of the Boston and Worcester Railroad, and intro- duced the Cochituate into Boston. She has sat in the Common Council and in the School Committee of that city ; has accumu- lated materials for a history of several towns in Hampshire County ; enriched the world b}' her literary, pathological and theological productions ; aspired to tlie van of the conflict with the hosts of rebellion ; taught numerous " young ideas how to shoot ; " mai)ped out the world for the public benefit ; one of her manufacturers has done business at the rate of $500,000 a 3'ear, and the orders of her merchants are sought for in London. All this, Mr. President, is not rhetorical embellishment, but a statement of facts. That this small town, which, in its palm- iest days, numbered scarcely more than 900 souls, and now counts 300 less, has done all this for the world, is a marvel. No history of it, then, can be complete, which ignores the influence of the school, the catechism, and the churcli, or which does not make these institutions stand out, in the boldest, strongest re- lief in the portrait. You may as well attempt to enact the play of Hamlet, with Hamlet all left out, as to account for tlie strict morality and eminent piety of most of the fathers and mothers who sleep in j'onder cejneteries awaiting " the resurrection of the just ;" or for the intelligence, energy, practical good sense, piety and success of many of their descendants, in their diver- sified forms of usefulness in the world, b}^ proposing an}^ other solution of the problem, than the grace of God, sanctifying the thorough drilling of the schools, and the imdiluted truths of the catechism upon the intellects, the hearts, and the lives of the people. Lord Macauley, the celebrated English historian, says, that " any people who are indifferent to the great deeds of those who have gone before, are not likely to perform deeds to be remem- bered by those who follow them." Let us be faithful, then, Mr. Chairman and friends, to the high trust which our plain, but no- ble and godly ancestry have imposed upon us. Let us be true to their pure and renovating Faith. Let all men do the same, and then, when our descendants, of a distant generation, shall assemble here, to celebrate the Second Centennial of the settle- WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 67 ment of this town, they will assemble in the sunlight of the Millennium. I hold in my hand, Mr. President, two specimens of antiqui- ty, which it may not be inappropriate to exhibit nere. One of them is a Deed, in " sere and yellow leaf," of a parcel of land in Southampton, given by Jonathan Clark to his sou, Jonathan Clark, Jr., and dated July 17G7, " in the seventh year of the raigne of George the Third," — more than ninety-nine j-ears ago. Curiousl}^ enough, this Deed, which was executed by my great grandfather, was witnessed by Rev. Jonathan Judd, the great grandfather of Mr. Judd, one of the orators on the present oc- casion. Jonathan Clark, Jr., my grandfather, removed to this town in 1774, selected a site for his residence on the hills, one mile west of the centre, with an outlook upon a wealth of nat- ural scenery, which would have enraptured the taste of Shen- stone and Ruskin. From that spot, the Connecticut River, Mt. Tom, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst College, Williston Seminary, Mt. Holyoke Female Seminar}-, and several churches and smil- ing villages now appear, inlaid in variegated mosaics, in the landscape below. Often' was my youthful imagination regaled with the beauties of that scene ; and well, too, do I remember how, sometimes, the heavens gathered blackness, the thunders crashed, the lightnings gleamed along the mountains, and the earth rocked under the fury of the tempest, as it swept sublimely along down into the vast valley beneath ; and how the comming- led elements raged, and rolled, and surged over Easthampton and Northampton, and sent back their deafening roar to my ears ; while the setting sun lighted up the hills around me with his smiles, painted the rainbow^ on the departing storm, and every twig, and leaf, and flower glittered with tears of gratitude that the fearful tornado was overpast ! It was there that my grandfather felled the wilderness, erected a house, barn and other buildings, and in 1777, at the call of patriotism, he left his young wife and his infant son, Jonathan, my f;ither — the third Jonathan in the series — then two years old, to struggle along in the woods as best they might, while he went to defend his imperilled country at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. He returned from that expedition with broken health, wdiich was never afterwards restored. As his son grew up, he sent him to the school of the celebrated Master Curson, in Hatfield, at that time perhaps the best in Western Massachu- setts. Here he remained till he acquired an education, which was quite superior for those days. He had a strong desire for professional life, and was partly fitted for college with his . cousin, Tertius Strong, the first graduate from this town ; but being an only child, his parents thought it his duty to remain at home, and filial obedience was with him a stronger principle 5 G8 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. even than his love of letters. His education qualified him for usefulness in several public stations which he was afterwards called to fill- S3dvester Judd, Esq., Major Aaron Fisher and himself were the delegates of this town to the Convention of Hampshire Count}^, — then comprising the present counties of Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden, — which met at Northamp- ton in 181-3, to inquire if any measures could be devised to ter- minate the war with Great Britain, which was very unpopular throughout the New England States. The noble resolutions, adopted by the town on that great public exigency, were the production of his pen. and are still extant. Less than forty years of age, he died suddenly, Februar}^ 23, 1814, of typhoid fever, which spread epidemically through the town, and swept awaj- several of its more eminent men. Upon his decease, a set of Addison's Spectator, in eight vol- umes, which was a part of his librarj^ came intomj' possession. He had imported it from London in his early manhood, and at a time, I venture to sa}', when there Avere but few copies of that excellent classic in any of the retired towns in the State. I find upon the fly-leaves his name, written in his beautiful, bold, John Hancock style, and uj^on the coAcrs of all the volumes nu- merous memoranda, in the hand writing of my grandfather, of his appreciation of different articles. In the A'olume now be- fore me, he refers, with marked approbation, to the lyrical and religious beauties of the Ode — "When all thy mercies, my God ;" — and it is something to the credit of the discriminating literary taste of a farmer and soldier of the last century, that his judg- ment is confirmed by the highest criticism of the present day. At this point, Mr. Clarke observed at the tables Mr. Asa Parsons, who, more than sixty years ago, was his teacher in the Centre School, and Mrs. Sybella Hale Hall, of Boston, who was many years one of his classmates, and an earnest and very often successful competitor with him for the honor of being at " the head ;" and at his request, the master, now more than eighty years of age, and his two young pupils now approaching seven- ty, rose in the presence of the audience. Conscious that he is largel}^ indebted for what little he knows of his mother-tongue to those early and friendly competitive efforts, and wishing to stim- ulate others to make the same, he presented to the town a small donation, and the President read the following Article of Con- veyance : WESTHAMPTON, SEPTEMBER 5, 1866. The subscriber, a resident of Waltham, Mass., but a native of Westhampton, being present at the Eeunion of the Natives of the toivn, held this day, and wishing to leave behind him some testimonial of his interest in the place of his nativity. WESTHAMPTON REUXION, 69 and particularly in the Centre School of the town, where he learned the rudiments of his English education — of his debt of gratitude to the same, and of his sense of the high importance of correct reading and spelling as the basis of all thorough literary attainments, herewith presents to the town the sum of One Hundred and- Tliirty Dollars, under the conditions and for the purpose hereinafter mentioned, to wit: 1. The fund shall be called the Clarke Scholarship, and the interest or pro- ceeds of which shall be annually given to the best reader and speller, of either sex, in the Senior Class of the Centre School, at the close of the winter term; Provided, however, that the prize shall not be awarded twice to the same individual. 2. Mr. Asa Parsons, for several years my respected instructor in that school, and the Selectmen of the town, for the time being, are hereby appointed Trustees of the fund. 3. The Trustees shall invest the same in the capital stoct of one of the National Banks in Xorthampton, and if the amount is insufBcient to purchase a share in said Bank Stock, the subscriber will pay the balance. 4:. The interest or dividends which may accrue annually from this investment, shall be annually collected by the Trustees and paid over to the School Committee of the town, for' the time being, to be by that Committee or the Superintendent of- the Schools, given to the best reader and speller va. the Senior Class of the school, as above specified. 5. The School Committee of the town, or either of them, together with the Su- perintendent of the Schools for the time being, or such other disinterested gentle- men as they may associate with themselves for the purpose, are respectfully request- ed to observe from time to time the progress of the pupils in the Senior Class of the Centre School; and at the close of every winter term, to subject that class to such practical tests in reading and spelling, as they may deem most appropriate, for the purpose of determining which pupil deserves the prize, shall make the award accordingly, and shall pay over the amount received from the Trustees to the per- son whom "they shall judge to have deserved the same. 6. If for any reason the School Committee, or the i>ersons associated with them, shall not make any award for three successive years of the interest or dividends thus appropriated, the fund shall he forfeited; and the Trustees shall convert the fund into cash, and shall pay it over, together with the interest or dividends which shall have accrued on the same, to the Treasurer of the American Board of Com- missioners for Foreign Missions, for the general purposes of that Institution. 7. The town of Westhampton is hereljy respectfully desired, at their next regular town meeting, to accept the donation now given, and to cause this document to be entered at length upon the Records of the town, for the information and guidance of all concerned; but if the Town shall decline to accept it, upon the conditions and for the purpose above specified, the Trustees shall immediately pay over the same to the Treasurer of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. DOKUS Clarke, Rev. Calvin Clark, of Michigan, moved a vote of thanks to the citizens of the town for their kind invitation and generons hospitality^ He had been absent thirty years ; had grown up in Michigan, and travelled extensively in several of the North- western States, and seen a wonderful development. But his af- fections still linger around the rocks and hills of his birth place and early associations. Nine times he had come on a pilgrim- age to the "old homestead," to visit the aged parents, l)rothers and sisters, and shed tears over their graves, and talk over the past. No spot on earth had so deep a hold on his sj-mpathies. Here he first consecrated himself to Jesus Christ, and the ad- vancement of His glorious cause jn the world. And while mem- or}^ does its dutj^, the past and the present will never be obliter- ated from his mind. The motion was seconded, and unanimously adopted. 70 AVESTHAMPTON REUNION. Dr. Anson Hooker, of East Cambridge, responded to a refer- ence to his father, Dr. William Hooker, as follows : I thank the assembl}^ most cordially for your kind remembrance of one who for so manj^ 3-ears labored for 3'our welfare. My father was for many years your sole medical adviser, and he stood unaided and alone through man}' serious trials of his skill and fidelity in behalf of the sick and afflicted in the town. How well he labored, your kind and- hearty remembrance of liim this day speaks in the highest terms of the hold he had upon your confidence and kind regards. Many here present will remember his manly, graceful figure, his afifectionate recognition and kind greeting, as he went in and out among you. The presence of his cheerful countenance in the chamber of the sick, was almost as good a balm as the medicines he dispensed. His patients felt that in him they had a sympathising friend. As a pl^ysician, he was kind, atTectionate and attentive, as many here can testify. He was a close and accurate observer of diseases, and kept pace with the improvements in his pro- fession. He was an honor to his profession, a benetactor to the afflicted, and an ornament to the Christian church, walking closely in the footsteps of Him " who Avent about doing good," and '• was meek and lowly of heart." He excelled many in what may be called the moral department of his profession. Above the pett}' tricks and management, which are alike unfair to the profession and delusive to the patients, he vras honorable, high minded, pure hearted. He took a deep interest in the town and church, and was ever ready by his influence and liber- ality, to help forward any plan for their benefit and improve- ment. In this way he did much to elevate the character of the town, and to give it the reputation it has ever sustained for its high toned moralit}^ and pure religion. His religions convictions were fervent and strong, rendering his declining years peaceful, hopeful and happy to the last. Dr. William Hooker was born at Northampton, in November, 176G ; the son of Rev. John Hooker. He studied medicine with Dr. Ebenezer Hunt, of Northampton. In 1788 he commenced the practice of medicine in Westhampton, and contiimed in the pursuit of his profession xnatil the close of 1834. "After that year he relinquished practice, except to attend upon family- con- nections, and in consultations. He died at Westhampton, Feb-'V ruary 27, 1861, in his ninety-fourth year, retaining his mental faculties, and all his senses in a remarkable degree, till near the close of his long and useful Jife. He died of acute disease, rather than of old age. Rev. Luther Clapp, of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, on invitation, addressed the assembly as follows : WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 71 Ladies and Gentlemen: — I rise in response to your call, but it is too late in the day for me to address you, after all the in- teresting speeches j^ou have heard. It gives nie unbounded pleasure to be here. I noticed, on going into the church, one of my teachers of forty years ago, whom I never shall forget. Her name is Han- nah Burt, and I went to school to her one or two teims, in the Bridgman district. I hold in sacred remembrance all m^^ old school teachers. Miss Burt introduced in school an innovation on the old Puritan custom of standing in 2:irayer. She had wor- ship faithfully, morning and evening, and she required all her scholars to l^neel. Those seasons of worship — the kneeling and praying — produced a lasting impression on my mind. Almost all, if not all, of those scholars united with the church in early life ; some became deacons, and some ministers. Five of the families represented in that school sent forth ministers ; one family two ; and one a foreign missionary. There certainly w^as never a better place than Westhampton to bring up children. Those of my own age in town, with hard- ly an exception, became excellent christian men and women. To-day we call to remembrance with delight and gratitude our pastors and teachers, our parents and grandparents. It seemed to me in my boyhood, that the town itself was as old as these everlasting hills ; and it produces- now a strange feeling to reflect that the first pastor, the pastor of" my grandparents before my parents were born, was for many years my pastor ! We shall go from this delightful Reunion to our homes in the east and in the west with renewed courage and zeal, to honor and maintain the principles and practices of our forefathers. Rev. Enos J. Montague, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, was intro- duced., and he submitted the following remarks : 3Ir. President: — This is an unusual occasion, an unusual gath- ering. It is customary for towns to hold centennial celebrations ; but this not such a celebration ; for though it is about one hun- dred years since the first settlements in this town were made, yet it Avas not to celebrate that event that we came together to- da}'. This is a Reunion. This town, having sent out into dif- ferent parts of the land many of her families, and many of her sons and daughters, and still holding them in high esteem and love, has sent them an invitation to come back and see her and each other. This is something of very unusual occurrence. It is a compliment paid by the present inhabitants of the town, to those of us who have gone to other places to form for our- selves new homes. Every town would not wish to see all her childi-en come back again ; no town would, unless those children had acted Avorthily in their new spheres in life. The invitation. 72 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. therefore, which has brought us here to-day from far distant homes, is a silent hut most expressive testimony to the regard in ^Yhich. we are held by our native town. But more than this. Having been pei'mitted to be here for the past few weeks, I have seen something of the care, labor and expense connected with the preparation for this large gathering. It was no small matter to provide for so great a company. But the people have done it, and done it well. Cheerfully, liberally and abundantly have they provided for us. as indeed we all see about us and before us to day. It seems to me, therefore, that something more than the mere vote of thanks which we have formall}^ passed, is due to the res- idents of this town, whose guests we are. That vote should be emphasized. We who are the special recipients of this consid- eration should give to these fathers and mothers, these broth- ers and sisters, special thanks and some more marked express- ion of our gratitude to them for this memorable occasion. As to the continued existence of this town with an American population, let us not have any fears or doubts upon that point. Yankee blood is not going to run out here. The Yankee popu- lation is not to be exterminated here. One cannot go into this church on the Sabbath and see the large number of young peo- ple in the congregation, Avithout the conviction that this a thriving town so -far as population is concerned. There are, surely, rocks and hills here, and a hard and scanty soil ; in some respects it is a hard place to live in. But we must not think that, for such reasons, these homesteads are to be vacated and given over to a foreign race. May heaven's best blessings ever rest on the good old town of Westhampton, and especially on those who " abide by the stuff." Rev. Mr. Bisbee, of "VYorthington, Massachusetts, said : , Mr. President : — I am happy to be present to-da_Y, and to par- ticipate in the festivities of this joyful occasion, although not a native of this place. It was not my blessed privilege to be born and nurtured in this goodly town^ And yet if the theory of a distinguished writer concerning the pre-existent state is correct, I do not know but I might just as well have been born here as any where else, if I had desired it. But as it is, my better half was born here, and hence perhaps I may be regarded as a semi- native. Some one has remarked that this is a good place to go from, but j'on will readily understand that I have found it an excellent- place to come to. It was my privilege to be well ac- quainted with those venerable men, who have already been allu- ded to as the fathers of the town. Hale, and Hooker, and Judd, and others too numerous to mention, of like spirit and charac- WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 73 ter, even now seem to rise up before me. I cheerfully endorse all that has been said here to-day, in praise of their worth, their character, and their salutary moral and religious influence. They were men of the true New England stamp. By their wis- dom, piet}" and patriotism the foundation of this town was laid deep and broad, on which its noble superstructure has been reared. It has been said that New England is " the brains of this nation." To leave this out in the cold, therefore, as has been proposed, would be to separate the head — the thinking, acting power, — from the bod^'. New England principles, piety and patriotism are the life, soul and salt of the nation. Let these become universal throughout our widely extended coun- try, and there will be no more causeless rebellious against the best government in the world, but liberty, justice, equality and fraternity will prevail throughout our nation. The Rev. A. M. Colton, of Easthampton, being called for, responded as follows : Mr. President: — Unfortunate myself in not having been born in Westhampton — (the President, " I am sorry for you,") so am I ; but I cannot help it ; but being called for, I will respond in a brief word. I have been listening with intense interest to what has been said about the ministers of this good old town. In my early childhood, I knew one of them, then a young man, teaching a district school, and in the evenings a singing school, in the A'illage of ni}^ native town in northern Vermont. To that singing school went my father and his big bass-viol and small boy. Some little time afterwards, boy has a three months' con- test with Polly Dee in spelling — the medal a ninepence, perfora- ted, and pendant with a tow string. Boy beats and comes off conqueror, and grand ! and he never got any higher. Present at that examination the singing-master aforesaid, and his inten- ded. Boy never saw him afterwards, but remembered him well ; heard of his being settled as a minister in West Rutland, Ver- mont, and subsequently in Westhampton. When in June, 1840, I came to. settle in this region, I resolved to take the earliest opportunity to go and see the good minister. Rev. Amos Drur^', name dear to me by those early and sacred associations. But delay snatched from me the long wished-for privilege. August came, and Mr. Drury went up higher. I have ever since re- gretted my failure to see him, for I had laid the thing much to heart. But there^ on that seat yonder, sits his son and repre- sentative, chairman of your committee, and right glad am I to meet Mm. Much has been said, and not too much, respecting good Fa- ther Hale — his work and power in forming this people to knowl- edge and thrift, to goodness and virtue. I can well believe 74 WESTHAJIPTON REUNION. every word pf it. We, neighboring ministers, happen to have learned long ago, that this people know a something and more. How could they help it ? An intelligent people, given to read- ing good books — not the yellow-covered trash — scum and froth — " frogs" that " came up and covered the land of Egypt" — not these, but books that are books, substantial, solid, wholesome, good for food — to make bones of, and good blood, and muscle, and mind. And whence this learning? The fountains were pure and sweet. Those formative influences at the start ; that early good nurture and culture — Parson Hale — his sermons weighty in thought — the training in the catechism — his labors in the schools ; his visits in the families ; the good minister in ev- ery good thing. So the testimonies to-day, by eye-witnesses, and b}^ tradition. " The glory of children are their fathers." The good efl'ects are visible now among this people, in the intelli- gence for which they are known and noted. You dwell apart, and this very isolation helps j'ou. You see and hear less of whirl and din ; it is leisure for the more reading and thinking. One of your speakers to-day said that "Long Division," the Westhampton of the olden time, was once looked down upon by the river-siders as a rather inferior sort, not quite up to first- best in mind and knowledge. Did they ? But who says that now, or thinks it in his heart? You have had along succession of excellent ministers. Some of them I have known, and known only to love and revere. About one of these let me add a word — my noble good brother, Rev. Capt. Bissell. I well remember visiting him in 18G2, that darkest time in our late war. You should have heard him talk then ! Gentle and christian, but patriotic and full of fight. It was a fire in his bones ; no dissuasions could stop or hinder him. Two of his brothers were already in the field, and he must join , them. So ofli" he posted, stopping at my house on his way to his native home, to gain, if possible, his father's consent. By earnest pleading he prevailed. He came back, lighter of heart — told his people of his purpose — enlisted as a private — took with him the choicest of his flock — and went forth, not knowing whither. Company K and Capt. Bissell. He would have pre- ferred a Chaplaincy, but was willing to serve in any capacity. But the men early markrd him for their Captain, and to that de- cision he cheerful^ submitted. And no braver man was in that regiment, or any regiment. Most worthil}^, as by all accounts, did he carrj^ himself through that whole j'ear of trials and per- ils. And what of those other Westhampton boys in blue? Their praise was and is in the whole region round about. Hale and hearty, resolute, untiring, never flinching — and withal in- telligent and christian — their tent prayer meeting was known and spoken of as the model one of the regiment. I say this WESTHAIVIPTON KEUNION. 75 from abundant testimonies. Ma}^ God bless the "Westhampton boys for their noble part in the great struggle 1 Friends, I heartily rejoice with 3'ou all in the auspices of this joyful Reunion, As I said here the other day, so now again. All hail, Westhamptou ! the Hebron, the Bethlehem, nestling in the hill sides, not least among the thousands of Judah. Abund- ant blessings on her children within her, on them that are far off and them that are near ; on her sons and daughters, her young men and maidens, her old men and children. Eev. W. S. Coggin, of Bosford, brother of one of the for- mer pastors of the church, being requested by the chair to offer some remai'ks, rose and said : I feel, Mr. President, as if it were hardl}' proper for me to ■ occupy any time on this occasion, inasmuch as there are so mau}^ present, natives of this town, who have a better claim on your attention ; but as I. have been so kindl}' invited, I will say a few words. I think, sir, that Westhamptou may well be somewhat lioast- ful. I think she has reason to be proud of her children. AVhere will you find a town, of no larger population, that has sent forth so much talent, learning and moral worth to bless the world? What other town has furnished a better representation of the several professions, especiall}^ the ministerial? AVe are told, in the Book of Inspiration, that " the glory of children is their fathers." Is not the reverse of this also true? Is not the glory of fathers their children ? Does not an intelligent and virtuous posterity reflect honor upon their ancestrj^? I must confess, sir, that what I have seen and heard to-day has made me almost wish that I had been born in Westhamptou. And yet this wish has not been wholly created by the scenes of this day. It has long existed, and has been fostered by an acquaintance of more than twenty years. The kind attentions I have ever received, as from time to time I have visited this place, have much at- tached me to the people ; and this attachment has been especi- all}^ increased, as I have noticed the love they had for my de- parted brother, a love that was manifested in so man}' forms, and continued nnwavering and unimpaired till the hour of his death ; yea, a love that even now is not quenched. 0, how much better it is to weep over his death, than over his life ! As the earthly existence of even some ministers has closed in dark- ness, it certainly is a matter of rejoicing to me, as I doubt not it is to his people, that the sun of his life never shone brighter than at its going down. Although so many years have passed • away, since it sank below the horizon, are not its beams still thrown back? "Being dead, does he not yet speak?" Surely the moral influence that men exert, never dies. « / 76 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. There are not a few whom you woiilcl have been glad to have had with you to day ; but thev were so for away, and so high above you, that no letters of invitation couldj'each them. They have gone to a higher and better sphere. And yet, are the}^ not .present with j^ou in spirit? Maj" the}^ not be cognizant of what is here transpiring? Can j'ou not seem to see them bending down from their high abode as interested spectators? Can you not seem to hear them speaking to j^ou, congratulating you upon this happy occasion, and bidding you, as j'ou separate and go to your respective homes, so to live, and so to discharge j-our du- ties, personal and relative, that, when you shall be sleeping in the dust, and 3'our posterity shall meet here on a similar occa- sion, a hundred years hence, they may point to your virtues and ■ hold up your example as worthy of their imitation ? The President then read the following letters, apologizing for unavoidable absence from the Reunion : N'OKWiCH, Mass., Septembers, 1866. To R. W. Clapp, one of the Weathampton Beunion Committee: Mr Dear Nephew. — My health has been quite feeble of late, but I did not en- tirely relinquish the hope of being at the meeting in my native town, until this morning. Be assured that my heart will be there; and it will be my earnest prayer that those who may assemble, and those who may be prevented, may be abundant- ly blessed, and that we ma.v have a happy Reunion in the world of glory. Yours, very affectionately, Ebenezer Burt Wright. I Salem, September 1, 1866. Messrs. Rice and others. Committee^ &c.: Gentlemen. — Your circular inviting me to meet the citizens and sons of West- hampton ought to have received an earlier answer. But I have used the privilege of an invalid and have waited week after week, hoping to say I should be with you in person, and not in spirit only. As it is, I must be content to give you my word as the testimony and assurance of all that I feel and venerate in the home of my childhood and youth. It is a goodly company that rises up before me at this call of my native town, some among the living but more among the dead. I recall many whom you will meet next Wednesday, and many whom you will miss. Memory so faithful to her trust, will not let die those who have once been dear to us through the ties of friendship and kindred. I could never forget WesthamptDn, for besides the sacred relations that still bind me to it by living sympathies, there is sacred dust in your churchyard which hallows the very earth to mind and heart. CouM I be present at 3'our Reunion, I should meet only a few of my early companions, the larger part having passed beyond the reach of any earthly sum- mons. But it is a joy to remember them and to recall their names and their vir- tues. Foremost among them is one who was a few years my senior, but in later life through the affinities of the same profession and the same religious faith, came very near to me, and whose memory is now among the cherished, treasures of my life. Sylvester Judd holds a place in both the literature and church of New England which has given him a representative character in the history of his time. "Mar- garet," the work by which he is most widely known, and which pictures so much of the natural scenery of Westhampton, has been fitly called the "first Yankee novel." Through and through it is an American book, genuine product of Ameri- can thought. IJarley, with the instinct of true genius, saw how much it contained suited to the purposes of illustrative art, and has given us a companion volume of high and rare artistic merit. These two books are worthy of a place in every West: hampton home. I first read "Margaret" when living in one of our southern states in the city of Savannah, and felt that the author, then unknown to me, had seen what I had been familiar with through all my youth. I knew that the scenery and scenes represented so vividly and distinctly by him were the peculiar ravines and WESTHAMPTON REUNION. 77 Mils and hamlets of my native toTvn. Mr. Jucld told me afterward!?, wlien gather- ing his materials for that book, he went carefully over the western part of West- hampton to freshen and revive the impressions of his boyhood. While paying this slight tribute to his memory, I ought to add that he was as eminent for an earnest and sincere piety as he was for creative and literary ability. His romances had in them the religious fervor and christian purpose of his sermons. He died at the time of his greatest promise, with unused powers waiting for opportunities to call them into action. I cannot regard him as altogether departed, but I recaU him to- day among my WesthaSipton associations, as one of the strong spiritual forces not only of the past but of the present. Another of my companions, and one whom I like to recall, was Jonathan S. Judd, a man of most refined feeling, clear intellectual perceptions, very graceful in both his thought and writing. I saw him but rarely in the later years of his life, but I have heard from his friends that he matured wonderfully in all these original quali- ties of his nature, and became of a most enthusiastic spirit, clear in his visions of the future, very genial and catholic in all his religious sympathies. There are others whose names it is a pleasure to mention — Asahel layman, Luke Phelps, Hall Judd, and Daniel Clark. These have all entered into their rest. Two only of my more intimate friends are still living, Philetus Hale and 8ylvanus Clapp. The latter was my earliest playmate;he has been my lifelong friend, and is now one of the leading phvsicians of Rhode Island, a man as faithful in his friendships as he has been successful in his profession. Among these pleasant memories ot my youth, I cannot pass over without a word of gratitude the church and the preaching of that time, and which have given di- rection to all my later life. Some of you who have remained by the old hearth- stones, may think I have wandered from the faith that first so impressed me, but certainly I have not lost the spirit that breathed and burned in the prayers and ser- mons of Horace B. Chapin. In my own ministry, I have never forgotten my earliest spiritual home, or the holy influence that I have ever drawn from it — the church of Westhampton. These early recollections would be very imperfect, if I did not refer to the origi- nal characters and quaint old men who always said sharp things, whenever they said any thing. It seems now that I heard more wit and humor in my boyhood than I have ever heard since. But I can not indulge in particulars without pro- longing my letter which I fear will weary you as it is. Still I cannot help wishing that some Sylvester Judd would write the biography of "Uncle Bill " and some other queer old souls whom I so well remember. Let me conclude these recollections with a tribute to those sons of Westhampton who were my friends and companions — the wild boys who matured into sober and useful men. Yours truly, Dexter Clapp. Dr. Sj'lvaniis Clapp, of Pawtucket, R. I., sent the following letter, after the Reunion : Pawtccket, September IS, 1866. To Ilalthias Bice and others. Committee of the Reunion: It would have been pleasant for me to have withdrawn Irom the actife sceiles aqd duties which surround me, to have been present at the Reunion. I expected to nave done so until the day before, when I found it impossible for me to do so, on account of the dangerous illness of two of my patients, and of course unable to send a letter in season for the occasion. I had looked forwa'd to the day with great satisfaction when I should visit my child-home, and look upon faces, once my companions in life, after years of sepa- ration. And this was rendered doubly so when I thought of the many gem homes that there existed in good old Westhampton. I need only to mention the names of Hale, Hooker, Edwards, Hall, Kingsley, Clark, Judd, Lyman, Parsons, Phelps, Norton, Burt, Clapp, Bridgman, Montague and Rust, to remind you that here lived some of the choicest spirits of the land. Good nature and kindness always existed among them. We joined together in the jocund laugh, and passed through the bright days of boyhood together. Enduring friendships were formed and kind feelings originated that will only forsake me when remembrance itself ."^hall cease. The sailor loves iiis ship ; to her none is superior. The soldier loves his regi- ment ; a,nd his is the best. And who, to the last day of his life, does not uphold the fireside round wbicU he played when a child, and all its associations? 78 WESTIIAJMPTON REUNION. These are attacliments that grow upon us, that arc founded in human nature. Can we wonder that there is within us a love for the town in which we were born and brought up ; a pride for it which will not brook to hear anything disrespectful said of it? And when I remember the many choice spirits that have gone out from it, of the noblest and purest blood of the land, well may I feel proud of my native town. I should like to rest there the remainder of my life. Did I say rest ? No- where i3 rest to be found. It would rather be a delay than rest. We are all in the great cycle of change. Continually changing ! We are breathing off nearly one pound of charcoal daily. Our career would soon be terminated were not the waste supplied by daily food ; — daily loss, daily gain. Nothing remains permanent but memory and the consciousness of our identity ; »nd this is retained in a body which is wholly changed every few years. My memory delights to think of the scenes enacted in my native town, and 1 should like to linger awhile and wander over its hills and valleys. It also teaches me this important lesson — the necessity of careful and rigid habits'of thought ; that a fact, unperceived or viewed improper- ly, is a link lost in the chain of truth. It was a great disappointment for me not to have been with you on that joyous day. Tliis disappointment reminds me that there is not always a morning bright- ness on the skies, and that night succeeds to-day ; that each strain of music has its final note ; that summer flowers and winter snows have an end. I'et notwith- standing these vicissitudes, friendship survives them all, and lives on amidst muta- tions. It survives these earthly changes, and binds men together in trial as well as prosperity. It becomes hallowed by distance, and waxes stronger and .stronger by the lapse of time. Such, gentlemen, I trust, is my friendship for you all. Truly yours, S. Clapp. Mr. E. C. Bridgmau, of New York, said : Mr. President : — A minute or two, if 3'ou please, before we break up. It is not my purpose to make a speech. Some years since, a letter came to me from a gentleman of this town, solic- iting my interest and aid in procuring a town library. In my repl}^, information was asked concerning the old library. -He could give none ; nor could he find any one who knew what be- came of it. AVell do I recollect the pleasure experienced in the perusal of books drawn, now more than thirty years ago, from the old library of the town, and from that of Southampton, while a member of "Sheldon Academy." This is no ordinar}' entertainment to which the' absent natives of Westhampton are invited. Nothing to be compared with it can we expect to enjoy again this side of the River. To show our appreciation of and gratitude for what has been done for us, I suggest that we take action in the formation of a town libraij}'. Some of us have money ; some have books — good books that we do not need ; and all, I feel sure, are disposed to do some- thing. To set the " ball in motion," I offer, for this object, one liundred dolbxrs. The President proposed that the pastor's library should come in for its share of attention ; and the whole subject of the libra- ries was referred to a committee, consisting of Messrs. E. C. Bridgman, Otis Clapp, S. F. Phelps, Dr. Hooker, E. M. Kings- ley, and Rev. Mr. AUender. On motion it was resolved, that the proceedings of this occa- WESTHASrPTON REUNIOX. 79 sion be published in a pamplilet form ; and Rev. Doras Clarke, Eev. George Lyman and Prof. Montague were appointed a Committee to carry that vote into effect. Mr. G. B. Drury, on behalf of the Committee of Arrange- ments, returned the thanks of the Committee to the citizeu^e of the town, who had so liberally responded to their call, in mak- ing such ample arrangements for the entertainment of the large number of guests. By request of the President, Rev. Doras Clarke pronou need the apostolic benediction ; and after many parting salutations, the large assembly broke up, and slowly retired from a scene they will long remember as one of the most interesting in their history. A gentleman from abroad who is not a native, after listening to all the'^exercises of the daj', went home, making the exclama- tion : " "Well, it's of no use to be born at all, unless you were born in TVesthampton ! " 80 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. PASTORS OF THE WESTHAMPTON CHURCH. Rev. Enoch Hale was ordained September 29, 1779, and con- tinued the pastor of the church (or senior pastor,) till his death, January 14, 1837, at the age of 83, making a period of fifty-sev- en years, three months and fifteen days. Rev. Joseph Hunting- ton, D. D., of Coventry, Connecticut, preached Mr. Hale's ordi- nation sermon from 1 Cor. 2 : 7. Rev. Jonathan Judd, of South- ampton, gave the Charge, and Rev. Solomon Williams, of Northampton, the Right Hand of Fellowship. Rev. Payson AVilliston preached his funeral sermon. Text, Hfeb. 13 : 7. Rev. Horace B. Chapin was installed colleague pastor, July 8, 1829, President Humphrey, of Amherst College, preaching the sermon. Mr. Chapin was dismissed at his own request. May 1, 1837. Rev. Amos Drury was installed June 28, 1837. Rev. Mr. Goodwin preached the sermon. Mr. Drury died at Pittsford, Vermont, while on a visit to his friends, July 22, 18.41, aged 49. Rev. David Coggin was ordained Maj- 11, 1842. Rev. Jacob Coggin, of Tewksbury, his father, preached the sermon. Mr. Coggin died April 28, 1852, aged 37. Rev. Andrew Bigelow was installed March 2, 1854. Sermon by Rev. J. P. Cleaveland, D. D. Mr. Bigelow was dismissed April 18, 1855. Rev. Roswell Foster was installed November 20, 185G. Ser- mon by Rev. Eden B. Foster, D. D. Mr. Foster was dis- missed December 28, 1858. Rev. [Edward C. Bissell was ordained September 22, 1859. President Stearns, of Amherst College, preached the sermon. Mr. Bissell was dismissed May 10, 1864. Rev. Thomas Allender, the present pastor, was installed June 21, 1866. Sermon by Prof. Julius H. Seelye, of Amherst Col- lege. The first meeting house was built about 1785, in the old style. A new meeting . house was built in 1816. In February, 1829, that house was burnt. The present house of worship was built the next year. WESTHA3HPT0N REUNION. ' 81 In 1828 a new Society was formed. September 30th, 1829, another church was organized by Rev. John Truair, called the Union Church, forty-one members of which seceded from the old church. Mr. Truair acted as pastor of this new church about eight years. August 5, 1829, the Hampshire Central As- sociation withdrew their fellowship from Mr. Truair, and October 12, 1831, the Presbytery of New York, of which he was a mem- ber, deposed him fi'om the ministry. Gradually, several mem- bers of the Union Church went back to their first love. The Union Church was formally disbanded August 17, 1850, and, subsequently, all the remaining resident members returned, were received into the old Church, and great harmon}'- has since prevailed. 82 AVESTIIAMPTON REUNION. O >^ 0) §•1 1-5 to ^ i o ~ -^ d pq .. . O D .2 [a H - : d Eh .. O H S : <^ ^. •- H ".I ^ o O S !> : H 3 1. . . . .-Sd J a Ka k'S ^'^ H ^ r-< r-l f-l '"' C3 '~]^ K K K i"^ ^3 ^ SCO a S3 u £ a . S g ^ ^ "-3 ^ c c fl a a a <'* a H i p f= a 1 2 .5 tT 2 -2 >^ i^ bbbbbS --;acLi.j;;;)a,-:iiHUgaiOQ;:)0 B a •- 00-3 fc(J fee- 01 a> o .2 "^ -: .3 us - i2a, K.S'S. .-S-r^ rf^^ ??o b"^'^ „rb ess .:? 3 5: £ foa . a a a . te S a =_- ^- ^5 5 -c "i 5 c 5 ouddd;;> o oauoooo;5;5j5ooo^dd^^dd ^>'^^»' >■ >:>»"^^>d>;-i^'dr-"^'>^<>>'<>^ cicif— -+(i.'^C5 o o CiOiOOOO 1—1 .— lrHr-HF-H^Hr-l,a>So o >» -5 3 WESTHAMPTOX KEUXIOX. 83 53 O • • S • • • <- ct a a ci c3 ci 53 3 S:^ 2 a a o c, to to - tc so t£-- M-^ -g o p5 3 3 5*^ ^ o .;£ jij .S § —3 S S o o 3 S o S H >.s C! p O > "1 -^' <; (-1 J o O '■', ' .rl o ■1 > 11 C3 3 3 o o ■J2 o 2 :; O S < iz; Z^ H . 1-5 :-■ _ „ m a ^ . . _ . oSaaSs'-SSSp -■/^ u 2-3 2oH-3 s'c: -^ So gS ^'ua i^5 ^. =—'-'0 -^=''^a5'^- >S^SS322a':scsa^^"'j--a== r«s-3^,^3KO .fcc^ .= « •«:';{ "^ S ^-^ ^ - ^ "3 — "r- a I— "n a f^ (D o 3-; 3 •S g^^ ^ ^ ^ — o .2 * • ~^ao'^a->'^oOC i-?^^ a '--' cs — ^ a c^ o,^ a o a' a' 2 ci r" o .S ^ a ° 3 3 " - ~ ~ 1 1: ^.1 .£ ^a.2^§^5-H:'>-3 o 2 "^ -- "^ "a 5 ■" 2 C o g _ « a i§-sa.2".oS.2r, a = ^- a S o 2 _. 2 -2 "g o '^ cc ■"■ "^ a ^ ^ -^s^^^lloajs Ot5^.2c3"5^-wri-0 -^a'/!^ -ogag;= a; 1^ '" ci '^ M o ^"^ 5 o ■^ -w" •'S -r '^ .^ i. '^ -'" .2 2 '^'aS-S-2- o^ ji o ? i'-a i~ a a 5 .= r^ 2 Ooog'-'.^aaa^ >>5 3aa'"^-ti2i;^->> ^ " o ;- « : - 3 rt 2 _ ^5 M^ g . .. ^ ;- m '3 t^ S '-a S '3 -ia 1) > S 52 .2 r^ p,^5 >»«^ >^'rt-3 s 2 a P^ S ? ^'SSs';:;^ ./.3-:=5s9Jo5OTP.i £.2g§^^S|^a^'-i H 2 ";^ ^' 3 a 2 ■- ».=; ^ S wa^^'iS'^'S'^^'^o "/^ oS^'33„^3. 84 WESTHAMPTON REUNION. PROFESSIONAL MEN FROM WESTHAMPTON, NOT GRADUATES. Dr. Enoch Hale. He received his medical degree at Cam- bridge, in 1S13, and was an eminent practitioner in Gardiner, Maine, and afterwards in Boston, where he died in 1846. He was the author of several important medical works. Dr. Sylvanus Clapp, Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He was ed- ucated at the medical schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Hanover, New Hampshire, is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, a Permanent Member of the American Medi- cal Association, and has been President of the Rhode Island Medical Society. He has made several contributions to" the cause of science in his profession, the principal of which is a treatise on Diabetes Mellitus. Dr. Oliver D wight Norton, Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been, for several years, in successful practice in that city. The younger men in that profession are Drs. Watson Loud, Philo Clark, Henry Cook and Mendal Jewett. Christopher Clapp, Henry Loud, Joseph Stearns and Anson Stearns entered the ministry of different denominations, with- out a regular theological education. John A. Judd, Edwin Cook, Zenas Kingsley, Alvin Clark, and perhaps others, spent some time in college, but did not com- plete the usual curriculum, nor enter the learned professions. WESTHAJIPTON REUNION. 85 REUNION ODE. This original Hymn was sung by the choir on the occasion. From the far-off golden West, Where the setting sunbeams rest, Where majestic rivers sweep To the ocean's broader deep. — Te are here with us to meet, And in social union greet. From the South, with milder clime, Honored in the olden time. From yon torn and crimson field, Where rich harvests Peace shall yield,— Ye are welcome, as ye come. Soldiers, to your native home. From the East, with culture crowned. From that grand old battle-ground. Where our fathers, side by side, Fought to stay oppression's tide, — Glad our hearts these sons to see. Bulwarks strong of Liberty. From the Xortet, with granite hemmed. From those hills with beauty gemmed. From those valleys sleeping low. Where the babbling brooklets flow,— Welcome to these native hills. Welcome to these rippling rills. Welcome all this gathered throng, Welcorre now in cheerful song; — Welcom3 be this festive day. When glad offerings here we lay On the Altar that we love.— Cherished once by those above. i f^^