Haydenville and Williamsburg

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH OF HAYDENVILLE AND WILLIAMSBURG ESTABLISHED IN MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY IN NEW ENGLAND From the earliest times to 1861 WRITTEN BY RESIDENTS OF THE DISTRICT Prepared expressly for the Hampshire Gazette & Northampton Courier Edited by Henry S. Gere Reproduced for the Town of Williamsburg and the Williamsburg Historical Society Researched, Arranged and formatted by Ralmon Jon Black Assistance with typing by Nancy Merritt And proof-reading by Catherine Otis Merritt and others This computer copy and the bound copy with it have been donated by The Williamsburg Historical Society WILLIAMSBURG 1999 IN MEMORY of Vivian Williams and Lewis H. Black 1908 - 1989 1906 - 1997 The preparation of this reproduction is dedicateted to the memory of my parents, Vivian Williams and Lewis H. Black. They were long devoted to this community. Their love of the land and knowledge of husbandry ran deep. They were both teachers for a time in their lives, professionally and domestically, with a dedication to youth and aged alike. This couple often volunteered and, when called upon, assumed the offices of the town and its institutions, applying generously an ardent energy from within themselves to further the best spirit in fellowship and society. They eagerly sought to uncover and preserve the doings and personalities, gone before, which sadly seemed to them to be the prey of dumb Forgetfulness and Time... R J Black PREFACE We think of the history of Williamsburg as beginning only a few life-times ago, yet when Abraham took his family, his goods and his flocks out of the city of Ur of the Caldeans and wandered up the valley of the Euphrates River, settling finally at Padan Aran, four thousand years ago; the sun was shining over High Ridge Pasture and woodland down onto the Mill River as it then wound between those eternal hills, serene, much as it has shown these last lengthening days this spring. A thousand years later when David herded and sang to his harp, armed against his enemies and reigned over Israel to the glory of his God; these brooks flowed freely: the Meekins, the Unquomonk, the Bradford, the Joe Wright, the Beaver-- fresh and turbulent torrents of spring or languid silver ripples and placid pools of August. A thousand years later as Christ was born at Bethlehem of Judea, the winter snows drifted over the ledges and through the woods on the hills of Walnut, Whites and Cooper. A thousand years later still, when the greatest-grand ancestor of perhaps all the Williamses, William the Norman Conqueror tried the inhospitable shores of Britain; deer, bear, lynx, turkey, grouse and beaver were home in the Hatfield Wood. And here, a thousand years later, we stand privileged to be in this paradise, pouring over the sparse and spare annals of those who have passed away before us and the episodes they played out which has left us our town. One of these annals such as has survived, as a few dog-eared scrap-books, quoted here and there and on microfilm at Forbes Library, is this collection of writings by area residents. I want to call it, “Gere’s History of Williamsburg” as my family always did. The copy of the scrap-book we had at home did not include the “Historical Sketch of Haydenville” nor the whole “Historical Sketch of Williamsburg” as is presented here. As a complete collection, this appeared in eighteen separate publications. The sketch on Haydenville covered the entire front page of the news-paper on July 17, 1860. The news was published only once a week in those times and the sketch on Williamsburg came out in seventeen successive sequels, starting on December 18, 1860, and running until April 9, 1861. In most issues the text covered most if not all of the front page that week. A History of Williamsburg in Massachusetts, compiled by Phyllis Baker Deming, has come to be known as the “Deming History” although she didn’t write it. Henry S. Gere advertised for contributions, collected, edited and published this Historical Sketch of Haydenville and Williamsburg but I do not believe he wrote much if any of it, more than to give it cohesion. He was, however, very much a Burgy boy. In 1825 his parents, Edward Gere and Arabella Williams, bought Abel Thayer’s farm on Partridge Hill, known since as Gere Hill (though now mis-spelled, “Geer Hill” in records and on the map, such are the mistakes we make) There he and his two brothers were born but soon his father died in 1832, while in office as a Selectman. The young family remained on the farm until 1838 and then moved to the center village, where Arabella’s father, Gross Williams, who then owned and operated the Williams House, had built for her and his grandsons a home with a long driveway now named Williams Street and known as Route 9 through Town. It has been difficult to present this work without editorial comment or foot-note. But for the present the attempt has been to put forward, verbatim et litteratim, that as it was made public 140 years ago. Ralmon Jon Black 1999 VOLUME LXXIV. - NO. 50 TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1860 HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE AND NORTHAMPTON COURIER United Nov. 1, 1858 PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AFTERNOON BY TRUMBULL & GERE OFFICE OF PUBLICATION, IN WHITNEY BUILDING, Between Old Church and Court House TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION To town subscribers, when delivered by carrier, $2,00 per annum, or $1,75 in advance. Prepared expressly for the Gazette & Courier HISTORICAL SKETCH OF HAYDENVILLE One of the pleasantest and most romantic of New England villages is the subject of this sketch — Haydenville. The village is situated on Mill River, in the south-eastern part of the town of Williamsburg, two miles from Williamsburg center and six miles from Northampton. It lies on the extreme western border of the Connecticut valley, and high above it on the west and north tower the first hills of the Green Mountain range. The land comprising its territory was, in common with the entire town of Williamsburg, once a part of the town of Hatfield, and was set off from that town in 1771. Seventy-five years ago it was almost an unbroken wilderness. Manufacturing gradually sprang up, and under able and faithful management has been eminently successful. It has ever been the aim of its principal citizens to build up a community upon the most solid foundations, and hence great attention has ever been given to the moral, religious and intellectual interests of the inhabitants. In these efforts the citizens, generally, have given their hearty co-operation. Few communities of equal population have been so persistently devoted to these great objects. Public and secret haunts of vice have never had more than a temporary existence here, because the people, acting unitedly and mindful of the power of the union, were determined that they should not. Those having charge of the introduction of strangers were cautious on this point, and, while watchful of their own pecuniary interests, never lost sight of the public good. With this management, enforced during a long series of years with an unfaltering faith in its ultimate success, it is not surprising that we find here a community enjoying an exemption from evil influences as complete as it often falls to the lot of a people to attain. Some months since, we determined to execute a plan, formed a year or two previous, of giving a sketch of the history, rise and progress of this place. Not knowing what the material for such a sketch was, we contemplated but a brief article, but the mass of facts was found so extensive that, although we have attempted hardly more than their simple statement, our sketch occupies more than twice the space originally contemplated. In the collection of the material, we have been greatly aided by B.S. Johnson, Esq., of Northampton, whose labors, with the view to make the sketch as complete and accurate, and hence as valuable as possible, have been unweariedly continued for a long time. Although not geographically a, resident of Haydenville, Mr. Johnson lives so near it as to be practically one of its citizens, and has ever taken a deep and lively interest in its welfare and prosperity. He was in possession of more facts respecting the place than any other man. He is one of those researchers and retainers of antiquarian lore which are so scarce and of which every town and village is so much in want. To their patient and indefatigable labors the future will owe much. EARLY SETTLEMENT AND EARLY SETTLERS. The first settler within the limits of Haydenville was John Miller, a native of Northampton. The precise time of his settlement here is not known, but it is believed that a clearing was made on the hill west of the village, on the farm of the present John Miller, about the year 1735, at which time a log house was erected there, on or near the site of the house now occupied by his grandson, who bears his name. John Miller was then about 23 years of age. He was the first permanent settler within the present limits of the village, and probably the first settler within the limits of the present town of Williamsburg. He was a great hunter and trapper, and in his hunting excursions he saw and admired the country, which induced him to make the place his home. He trapped many beavers, which were quite plenty in this locality at that time, and gave the name “Beaver Brook” to the stream running through the eastern part of Haydenville.

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