Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-13
STORY OF OLD HADLEY
Beginnings of One of the Love-
lest Villages in the World.
LAID OUT IN WILDERNESS
Result of Dispute Over the aBptism OF
Children.
EFFORTS TO GET A BLACKSMITH
Poor Pay of the Preacher-Many
Years Delay in Building the First
Church in the Town.
LAID OUT IN WILDERNESS
EFFORTS TO GET A BLACKSMITH
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS

Record Herald
OLD HADLEY, Mass, September g. 1907.
This Is the story of one of the loveliest
villages in the world-Old Hadley, Massa-
chusetts-which stands on the bank of the
Connecticut river about halfway between
Northampton and Amherst. four miles from
either place and about twelve miles north
or Springfield. under the shadow of the
| Holyoke mountains.
Old Hadley has had more than it's share
OF history. 1t has been the scene of many
exciting events and the descendants of its
citizens are found among the leaders of
progress and public sentiment in every part
o. the land. Many of them have become
eminent and have occupied elevated posi-
| lions in politics, law, medicine, in the pull
| pit and the faculties of the schools Gen.
| Joseph Hooker of the civil war was born
and educated and went to West Point from
| Hadley The home of his ancestors, in
| which he first saw the light, was standing
until few years ago. Bishop Huntington
OF New York was another of the distn-
Suished sons of Old Hadley and returned
here nearly every season to spend the sum-
| mer months. l might fill a column with
list or other famous men and women who
| were born here or whose parents or grand
| parents were natives of the place.
This letter is to remind the multitude who
are interested in Old Hadley for that rea-
= O.u
| and will celebrate it's 2jOth birthday in Sep
| TENDER. 1909, for which preparations are al
| ready being made. The 2Oth anniversary
was celebrated in 1859 with great eclat.
the Governor of Massachusetts and many
| other distinguished visitors participating.
| The program for the next anniversary is
even more elaborate. and it is hoped tl.at
many of her sons will come back home on
that occasion.
Old Hadley has figured in fiction as we'll
as in history. Sir Walter Scott and Feni-
the most exciting incidents OF their his
the scene of his poem. Katrina" and his
oa Bay ha a H for tS S
place. Harriet Beecher Stowe used Incl
dents in the life of the Rev. Samuel Hop
kins. the great theo.ogian and nephew OF
Minister'S Wooing, the scene of which is
| also laid here.
Dispute Over Baptism.
The members of the churches of Hart
ford and Wethersfle'd had a quarrel con-
corning the baptism of the children of
those who were not members of the
church: That was Common cause of dis
sension in those day, "nen the religious
creed of man was cor! red more i'm
| portant than his coaduc. William Pyn-
chon, founder of the city of Springfield
man of noble birth, great learning and
! finement was driven from Massachusetts
|
the benevolence of God. He wrote book
entitled The Meritorious Price of Mans
Redemption" 1t was published in Eng
| land, and when copies were brought to
Massachusetts and read by the clergy
! there he was summoned before the general
) court for heresy, tried, condemned, and
suspended from his duties magistrate of
Springfield. All of the copies of his book
that could be found were publicly burned
on the Boston Common. Mr.. Pynchon and
his son-in-law returned to England in
| IN fha
colonies This broadmnded just and
. thoughtful pioneer took what was then con-
sidered extreme ground. that all who be-
l!eved in Christ as the Son of God and the
Savior of Men we're entitled to redemption
! whether they belonged to the Congrega-
| tional Church or not. and for that he was
| driven from the colonies.
Enterprise of the Withdrawers.
| lie dissenting members of the Hartford
and Wethersfeld churches, led by Parson
John Russell of Wetherstield, withdrew
| from the communion and purchased a tract
of land above the falls of the Connecticut
! extending from Mt. Holyoke on the south
to Mt. Toby and Mohawk Brook on the
! north, and eastward nine miles from the
river. They paid cash for it to the Ind an
owners. AT meeting held April is, 1859
at Hartford, ffty-nine heads of families
signed an agreement ito remove them
selves and their families out of the juris-
! diction of Connecticut into the jurisdiction
| OF MdSSdcnuSetS, ana voted 10 send COM
mittee of five to lay out the ground and
allot land for their homes They We're
called ''withdrawers' and also EN-
gagers." Several of them were men of
positions in the Connecticut common
wealth. The leader was John Webster
former Governor of Connecticut and one of
the commissioners of the united colonies
who died eleven years after the removal.
His remains were carried on the shoulders
of his fellow townsmen and laid to rest in
the old burying ground in 1870. His body
was committed to the grave by Richard
| Montague, SEXTON" who received 10 shill-
tngs for the service.
The journey from Wethersfeld and Hart
ford northward into the wilderness was
made partly by water and partly by land
| The "withdrawers' packed their household
goods in OK carts and hatboats, made
nests for their children in the feather beds,
and carried their wives behind them on the
billions of their saddles. They lived in
tents until cabins could be built, and on
| November 9, 1859, after the nameless settle
ment became an actual fact, they called
town meeting and appointed a committee
of seven ito order all publick occasions
that concern with the goode of the Planta-
ton for the Yeare Insuing." The meeting
made a rate" TO pay the minister's salary
and sent messengers to Hartford and
Wethersfeld to collect the dues of those
"engagers' who had signed the agree
ment. but had not removed to the New
Town." as the settlement was called.
At a second town meeting held in
1861, the Hartford men, who came from
Essex in England, carried a resolution by
which their home was christened
"Hadleigh," after scenes that were dear to
their hearts, and the christening was con-
tirmed by the great and general court.
Dividing the Land.
Samuel Smith and Peter Tilten meas
ured the land; they laid out a broad high
way 500 feet In width. and divided the
abutting properties into lots of eight acres
each, which were assigned to the settlers.
Each proprietor was required to inclose
his lot with a fence made of five rails
fastened to posts four feet high, and to dig
a ditch three feet wide and two feet deep
and throw the earth upon bank under the
fence. With energy and zeal the "engag-
ers" cut down the 81 eat pine trees and
built temporary cabins until a saw mill
could be established to turn the logs into
lumber, and during the winter they cleared
the land and prepared it for planting In
the spring. Each person was obliged to
keep his cattle in his own pasture and was
fined i pence every time 'hoge' or a