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Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 20, 1875
Births
Born in Bernardston Aug. 30, a daughter to Charles K. Jenkins and Eunice A. Jenkins; Sept. 15, a son, Fervin Bascom Hale, to A.D. Hale and grand-son to E.L. Bascom of Gill.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 20, 1875
Obituaries
Died in Gill Sept. 12, E[?] Lyons, age 63; Sept. 13, Roswell Purple, age [?] months, son of Henry Purple; Arvilla W. Loveland, wife of Henry L. Loveland, age 84.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 13, 1875
Born
Born in Gill Sept. 3, a son, George Wilson Hale, to George B. Hale and Louise Hale; Sept. 10, a son to George C. Bardwell and Jennie E. Bardwell and grandson to Frank Williams.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 13, 1875
Turners Falls
Turners Falls - About 2 months since, some of the young men of each denomination here came together to organize an association, encouraged by Rev. Mr. Groth, Rev. Mr. Howes and Rev. Mr. Seaver. Till the present month they have held their meetings in the chapels of the churches and at Wood's Hall, Riverside. For the present month they have pitched a large tent on the Avenue on 4th Street, in which meetings are to be held whenever circumstances will permit. Last eve., Wed. was the first.
The meeting was largely attended, the tent being filled and the number outside being a hundred or more....the addresses being interspersed with singing and praying. Considering the large no. present, and the fact that we are a manufacturing people, the order was better than should be expected, without the assistance of others to enforce order, and the result of the meeting was gratifying to the friends of the association...
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 13, 1875
Probate Court Record
Probate court Record - Greenfield - Administration granted on estates of George W. Bardwell of Deerfield, Jane F. Bardwell and Cyrus A. Stowell, Adm'rs.; Jeremiah Dow of Erving, Edmund M. Dow of Erving, Adm'r.; Joseph M. Townsend of Coleraine, Sarah Townsend of Coleraine, Adm'r.
Wills proved - Samuel Alexander of Northfield, George P. Alexander of Northfield, Ex'r.; Sarah Cook of Greenfield, John J. Graves and R.W. Cook of Greenfield, Ex'rs.; Ansel C. Delano of Sunderland, Jesse L. Delano and Edward A. Delano of Sunderland, Ex'rs.; Moses Hubbard of Sunderland, Cyrus M. Hubbard of Sunderland, Adm'r. with the will annexed.
Accounts rendered - on estates of William W. Alcott of Bernardston, Clark Ellis of New Salem, Clarissa Battle of Orange, Mary J. Gore of Monroe, Harriet M. Brown of Greenfield, A.M. Kingman of Deerfield, George S. Boyd of Deerfield.
License granted to sell real estate - Of John Arms of Gill, Andrew Welch of Montague, Walter D. Thompson of Troy, Ohio.
Widows' allowance - Made in estates of Rufus S. Phillips of Greenfield, $500; Edward Thayer of Greenfield, $9018.
Affidavits filed - in estate of Charles S. Brown of Greenfield, Baxter Harding of Conway, P. May Buddington of Greenfield, Rufus S. Phillips of Greenfield, Moses Field of Leverett.
Estate of Ephraim Murdock, late of Orange, represented insolvent, H. Woodward and G.A. Whipple, Commissioners.
Commissioners' report filed in estate of John Haskins, late of Shutesbury. Distribution ordered in estate of George S. Boyd, late of Deerfield.
John Quinton of Greenfield adopted infant child of William H. Seley; name changed to John George L. Quinton. Name of Flora M. Reynolds of Shutesbury changed to Flora M. Freeman. Next Probate Court at Northfield next Tues. (tomorrow).
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 6, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
(Greenfield) The biggest thing in the way of cucumbers has been raised by John Holton of Gill. He brought two into town Sat., one measuring 5 ft. and the other 5 ft. and 8 inches in length. They grew in coils, like snakes. The shorter one can be seen in Moody’s window.
Turners Falls bridge - Plans of the proposed bridge are now ready at the office of the Clerk of Courts, which have been drawn by E.A. Stratton, the Engineer employed by the County Commissioners. The specifications require that the bridge shall have a carriage way of 18 ft. in the clear, and a projecting sidewalk on either side of 5 ft. in the clear. The bridge shall be capable of sustaining 80 lbs. to the square foot, exclusive of its own weight.
From the Turners Falls side of the river to Great Island, the bridge is to be built of iron, of a suspension or truss form as may be decided upon. The span for a truss bridge over the present canal shall be 75, 100 or 150 ft. as may be determined...From Great Island to Gill shore, there will be a clear span of about 210 ft., making a total length of 960 ft. The masonry for the bridge is to be of that character called "first class rubble". The stones are to be of a hard and durable quality, and so quarried as to admit of being laid in regular courses without hammer dressing, and all to be laid in the best quality of hydraulic cement mortar.
Particular attention must be giver to the up-river ends of the piers in the main channel of the river, and cut-water points are required of similar style as in the piers of the Montague bridge, and all the stone in the up-river end of the piers are to be dowelled together up to high water line. In quantity there will be about 1630 cable yards of masonry. There will be embankments required of approaches to the abutments, and excavations for the roadway on Great Island, which will amount to about 2800 cubic yards.
Proposals will be received for the whole work or separately, as parties may prefer, and all work to be done to the acceptance of the county commissioners. The plans take from the east end of the Montague Paper Mill about 20 ft., and keeps clear of the Clark & Chapman machine shop. The estimate is as follows: 1630 yards of masonry at $7, $11,410; 2800 yards of earth work at 25 cents, $700; the price of the superstructure will determine the balance of the cost; assuming that the entire bridge may be made of wood, at a cost not exceeding $30 per lineal foot, the amount would be $28,800, making the total cost $40,910.
It is claimed that a truss bridge or a suspension bridge can be built at low figures as those given in the estimate. The matter of damages is the most serious difficulty to be disposed of. It will be remembered that the act of Legislature requiring the construction of the bridge limits the cost to $42,000. Now it is claimed that the land damage should not be included in this sum, and high legal opinion has been obtained which takes this view of the question. A no. of bridge builders have made inquiries either by letters or by personal visits, and bids are likely to be made at quite low figures. If the bridge is to be built, a time will never be found when it can be done cheaper than now.
Robert Stacy had his leg badly cut Sat. forenoon. The wound was below the knee, injuring the bone and flesh. He was attended by Dr. Walker of Greenfield.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 26, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
The Methodist Sunday School was joined in their excursion to the camp meeting grounds at Northampton Thurs., by the schools from South Deerfield, Gill, and Turners Falls, and had a very pleasant picnic.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 19, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
D.A. Wood of Riverside, arrested on an execution, was examined before S.O. Lamb, Master in Chancery http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/m091.htm last week, on his application to take the poor debtor’s oath. After a hearing of 3 or 4 days his application was rejected and he was left in custody of the officer. G.D. Williams appeared for Wood and F.F. Fay and G.L. Barton for the creditors.
In Kohomo, Ind. [probably Kokomo, Indiana] July 5, a son, Harry Sherwin, to Eli W. Sherwin and Jennie E. Sherwin, and great-grandson to the late Henry Bascom, formerly of Gill.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 12, 1875
Probate Court Record
Greenfield, July 6, 1875. Administration granted - on estate of Dexter Drake, late of Buckland, Almon Howes of Ashfield, Adm’r.; Anna Fisk, Shelburne, Daniel Fisk of Shelburne Adm’r.; Laura E. gleason,Charlemont, Elza R. Gleason, Adm’r.; Eli T. Greene, Shelburne, Mary E. Greene and Rawson S. Streeter of Shelburne, Adm’rs.; Walter Guilford, Conway, D.T. Vining, Adm’r. with will annexed; Mary Glazier, Leverett, Loana Huse of Leverett, Adm’r.; Sarah H. Putnam, Greenfield, W.C. Bryant, Adm’r.; Mary P. Rugg, Montague, Joseph Humphrey of Keene, N.H., Adm’r.; Samuel R. Smith, Coleraine, Joseph B. Clark of Coleraine, Adm’r.; Maria Scott of Whately, Adm’r.; Charles Smith, Deerfield, Dwight Smith, Adm’r.
Wills proved - of Esther Dickinson, late of Deerfield, Virgil M. Howard of Athol, Ex’r.; Angeline S. Farnsworth, Charlemont, Jonas K. Patch of Shelburne, Ex’r.; Charles J. Sherwood, Leverett, Adaline L. Sherwood and Charles B. Sherwood of Leverett, Ex’r.
Guardians appointed - Lydia E. Damon of Ashfield over her own minor children of Ashfield; O.F. Hale of Gill over Achsah Hayden of Gill; Frederick G. Howes of Ashfield over his own minor children.
Accounts rendered - on estates of Alice L. Aldrich of Conway; Perry Bryant’s heirs of New Salem; Ebenezer Morton of Deerfield; Elizabeth Meyers of Shelburne; Andrew Wissman of Shelburne; John N. Sweet of Shelburne; E.E. Robinson of Sunderland, Ex’rs. private account.
License granted to sell real estate - of Jason Phinney of Orange. Widows’ allowance - Made in estates of Moses M. Huse, Leverett, $108; Baron Stow, Conway, $400.
Inventories filed - In estates of Harriet M. Brown, Greenfield, $1983; Dr. David Bradford, Montague, $3231; Laurana B. Bradford, Montague, $11,219; Lucius H. Graves, Charlemont, $213; Polly C. Howes, Ashfield, $3436; Charles Pelton, Shelburne, $2702; Calvin T. Swan, Northfield, $2003; Charles J. Sherwood, Leverett, $3427; Amasa Taylor, New Salem, $4060; Caroline Williams, Deerfield, $5864.
Affidavits filed - in estates of Dr. David Bradford, Montague; Laurania [i.e. Laurana B. Bradford], Montague; Mary E. Griffin, Orange; Lyman Rice, Charlemont; Calvin T. Swan, Northfield; Amasa Taylor, New Salem.
Estate of E.E. Robinson, late of Sunderland, rendered insolvent - L. Merriam, G.D. Williams, L.W. Fairchild, commissioners.
Levi N. Chamberlin of Orange adopted Mary Moore - name changed to Bertha Augusta Chamberlin. Noah Rankin of Erving was removed as Administrator of the estate of Susan Gould, late of Erving. Commissioner’s report in estate of Stephen Shepardson filed June 11th. Next Probate Court at Greenfield on the first Tues. of August.
While Luke M. Hosley was at work in his corn field recently, his dog brought him a turtle, which on examination proved to be of a rare and distinct species and seldom if ever before has been seen in this locality. It was about 6 inches the longest way, by 8 in height. Across the underside, in the center, is a firm strip of shell about 1 inch wide, while fore and aft the portions are movable as on a perfect hinge; so that the animal at will can enclose himself perfectly tight.
He cannot be said to keep himself "unspotted from the world" however, for his back is very curiously variegated with yellow characters, representing the figure 3 better than half the school children make it; and the sloping sides are ornamented with designs, also in yellow, fairly representing portions of women’s dress-waists and hoop-skirts. What these designs mean, Luke don’t know, and I don’t and the dog who found it don’t appear to care.
The animal will have to pass for what Brother Reynolds used to style a "curly critter". I suppose naturalists would call it a box turtle, and although they may be common in some regions, we never encountered a specimen before in all our peregrinations. Apropos to turtles, Mr. Hosley, while exhibiting his turtle, told us it was nothing to those which a New Hampshire man told him they had in a certain pond in that state. Forgot the name of the pond and the species of the turtle is forever nameless, but evidently terrible creatures.
The New Hampshire man told him they were about the size of a half bushel measure, and were given to chasing men. The method of locomotion in the chase was to get up on the edge of the shell and revolve like a wheel. The man knew all about them for his father was once pursued by one and barely escaped with his life, after almost superhuman efforts with a heavy club. He finally conquered, and cutting off the turtle’s head, nailed it as a trophy to the sunny side of his barn, and the head would bite at his fingers after being nailed there 9 days. Your readers have their election to believe the New Hampshire man’s story or not, as they choose, but the Box Turtle is closer to the truth.
[While researching Mr. Hosley, I found reference to him in a lovely little diary from 1873, written by a 22 year old girl named Jennie Williams. It is now in the possession of Jan and John Maggs antiques, and is well worth the read http://www.jmaggs.com/Jennie_Williams/6-June.htm ].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 5, 1875
Gill, or the old shad fishery
Yielding to repeated solicitations to write something concerning old times at the falls, I copy from my introductory note to the "Shad fishers", given at Turners Falls last winter, hoping it may interest some of your readers. J.D.C.
...With the exception, perhaps, of the Columbia River in Oregon, there never was a more prolific shad and salmon fishery on this continent than this of ours in the years that are gone.
From time immemorial these Falls were the resort of the Indians, to whom the bounty of heaven furnished a superabundance of nutritive and luscious food in the season; and the fact that something like a permanent settlement and home was here made by these nomads of the wilds who are usually here today and gone tomorrow tells the whole story of bounteous supply. Our plows crumble their bones and turn up their rude implements of the chase and warfare; and almost every farmer of the vicinity has his private collection of these relics, picked up from time to time during his agricultural operations.
An old proverb, derived from the Indians, was common among their white successors, to the effect that when the shad tree was in blossom, the fish were in the river, and that they remained prime and palatable while the bough showed white. The fishermen, red and white, are gone; the fish are gone; but the little shad tree still shows us its token annually in our woods and on our river braes.
In the month of June, after spawning, the fish become less firm in flesh, and the "last run" were thin and emaciated. "Poor as a June shad" was another proverb common among the fishers, and still heard and repeated among our river people.
The fishing of the Indian was ended on the morning of the 18th of May, 1676, 199 years ago next May, when Captain Turner cut them off by surprise, and destroyed their settlement. It was one of the delights of my boyhood to spend odd leisure hours and winters in the society of some of our oldest inhabitants -- participating in the scenes enacted here at the Falls, and gather a fund of story and anecdote from their recollections. These old men are all departed’ but I have the pleasure of thinking that I have been able to rescue from oblivion many facts and incidents of interest in the olden times in this locality....
So very plentiful and so easily procured were the fish here in the days of our fathers that the people were absolutely ashamed to have the fact patent that they made much account of shad as an article of food. The fish were styled "Gill pork", and many a cautious housewife, surprised by the approach of a neighbor while in the act of cooking a fine fish, had thrown it behind the back log to hide it from his observation. Tempera mutanta!
So pure were the waters of our river in those early days that the fish were of the finest quality, and much larger than those taken in the North River, the Potomac, or any other of our waters. In the fishing season the falls were resorted to by people from circumjacent towns, and from the western hills, with teams, for the purchase of their annual supply of fish for salting. The usual price to these customers was 3 coppers apiece -- equal to about 2 cents. A barrel of A no. 1 shad was no costly thing in those days. I can show the antiquarian a fine meadow in Gill, worth now $100 per acre, which was originally purchased by one of our old fishers for the avails of one day’s fishing at the Falls.
Attempts are now making by artificial building and the construction of fish ways to induce the fish to ascend the river and multiply as of yore; and you will all join most heartily with me in wishes for success to the efforts making...The maratime [i.e. maritime] operations on the lower sections of the river, the poisonous and discoloring matter cast into its waters by the numerous mills and factories on its borders, with other obstructions, present to my mind an almost insuperable bar to our successful efforts in that line.
The days of our fishing are ended, and the numbers we shall see ascend to our old fishing grounds will be as a struggling and feeble rear guard to a mighty army already gone before...The building of the dam at Holyoke finished the business and cut off our people from their "fish rights"...
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 21, 1875
Turners Falls
A son of Oliver Green of Gill was thrown from a horse in McCoy's blacksmith shop, Riverside, Wed., and had a finger smashed by being tramped upon by the animal.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 21, 1875
The location of the new bridge
The County Commissioners spent the Centennial, when other people were enjoying a day of recreation at home or of enthusiastic patriotism at the Hub, in settling the new Turners Falls bridge, making surveys and measuring distances. There were difficulties in their work that were not easily surmounted. It will be remembered that a few weeks ago the Board attempted to cross over to the island below the dam for this purpose, when an oar of the skiff they embarked in was broken, and they were forced to abandon the undertaking until the waters should get into a more placid state. On Thurs. Col. Holmes of Riverside acted as boatsman, and landed a portion of the party on the island by rowing out into the stream above the dam and then dropping down with the current to the desired point. Another party was entrusted to the care of Commodore Smith, the old ferryman, who piloted his skiff across below the dam, by which a wire for measuring was stretched from the shore to the island. The turbulent channel between the little and big islands was spanned by throwing across the line. the island was then surveyed and the distance across the channel on the Gill side.
/ This work, which required a good deal of paddling about from one point to another, consumed the entire day. The measurements taken are as follows: From the river wall on the Turners Falls side to the little island, 267 ft.; across the little island, 187 ft.; across the channel between the two islands, 451 ft.; across the large island 230 ft.; and from the island to the Gill shore, 216 ft. This would make the distance to be spanned by the bridge or rather bridges, for in reality there will have to be two, 821 ft. But this measurement is only from the river wall on the Turners Falls shore. The Water Power Company say that a bridge must span 150 ft. more to permit the widening, when necessary, of their canal. The only serious difficulty to be encountered at the terminus on the Turners Falls side. The space between the shops of the Clark & Chapman Machine Company and the building of the Montague Paper company is only 27 ft., and through this space the bridge must come. To be in a direct line with Avenue A, a small portion of the buildings on one side or the other, and perhaps both, will have to be removed; while directly in the center of this space just below the bulkhead, a water wheel is located, which would probably have to be taken out.
/ The place originally designed for this wheel was beneath the shop on the bulkhead, and it could probably be moved there with no serious opposition. We do not think that the Clark & Chapman Company will claim heavy damages unless there is serious interference with their buildings and the expensive machinery with which they are filled. On the other hand the Montague Paper company have built this portion of their mill since there was talk of locating a bridge here and since surveys were made expressly, the friends of the bridge claimed, to defeat their plans. Whether this would have any weight in awarding damages remains to be seen. A gentleman connected with the Water Power company informed the Commissioners that damages would be claimed if this location were adopted, that would amount to half the sum stipulated by the Legislature for the construction of the bridge, but the Commissioners propose to call a meeting at an early day, for the purpose of ascertaining the land damages, and settle this point, perhaps, before they accept proposals of the construction of the bridge.
/ It has been suggested, and we believe the plan is favored by the Turners Falls Company, that the eastern terminus of the bridge can be carried across the dam to a point just above the line of the bulkhead. But the danger from the logs that sometimes go over the dam with one end many feet in the air, or the liability of having the structure carried away by some bridge that may be swept down from above as they were in the great freshet, renders this location an impractical one. there are also those who claim that a bridge could be built for many thousand dollars less at the ferry above than at the dam. But the act of the Legislature requiring the commissioners to construct the bridge, designates the latter locality. The commissioners, who were hospitably entertained at the Farren House, completed their surveys, getting the heights, grades, etc. on Friday.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 14, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
One of the finest photographic pictures we have ever seen has just been made by Popkins. It is the portrait of O.F. Hale of Gill, his wife and daughter, in a large oval picture, in which the likenesses are brought out with the most remarkable clearness. The work is finished off in India ink by a city artist, and mounted in a beautiful frame, the whole making a specimen of skill and good taste of which the subjects and artist may well be proud.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 7, 1875
Probate Court record
Greenfield - Administration granted - on estate of Dr. David Bradford, Montague, L. Merriam, Greenfield, Adm'r. with the will annexed; David Nelson, Coleraine, S.B. Slate, Greenfield, Adm'r. Wills proved - P. May Buddington, Greenfield, Charles T. Nims, Greenfield, Ex'r.; George Childs, Leyden, Elvira L. Childs and P.T. Darling Jr., Leyden, Ex'r.; Sarah A. Stone, Whately, Thomas Sanderson, Whately, Ex'r.; Caroline Williams, Deerfield, George Wright and Hannah B. Jenks, Deerfield, Ex'rs.
/ Accounts rendered - on estate of Benjamin Davis, Montague, Ira Payne, Montague, Samuel W. Graves, Leyden, Sylvester Sears, Rowe, Achsah Hayden, Gill, S.P. Wells, Deerfield, A.M. Kingman, Deerfield.
/ License granted to sell real estate - of Eugene Y. Bixby, Sunderland, David Scott, Whately, Lucy Webster, Northfield. Widows' allowance - Made in estate of Eugene Y. Bixby, Sunderland, $125; Mortimer Potter, Deerfield, $97.25; Ephraim E. Robinson, Sunderland, $500. Inventories filed - in estate of Lewis L. Hicks, Greenfield, $852, Clinton S. Holton, Northfield, $1212; Mortimer Potter, Deerfield, $1097. Affidavits filed - in estate of Lewis L. Hicks, Greenfield, Clinton S. Holton, Northfield, Mortimer Potter, Deerfield, E.E. Robinson, Sunderland. Andrew J. Bond, Buckland, adopted Etta E. Parker, name changed to Bond. Name of John McCarty, Northfield, changed to John Barber. Next Probate Court at Orange on the 3rd Tues. of June.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 7, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
One of our merchants took his family out for a ride the other day, and among the other places visited was the Riverside view of the Turners Falls dam. Halting his horse at the top of the hill, the older members of the party sat in speechless admiration of the power and grandeur of the mighty torrent as it swept over the dam and then surged and foamed upon the rocks below. The impressive silence, however, was abruptly terminated by the gentleman's little girl, who eagerly exclaimed "Oh Papa, that ought to be 'lasses!" [I'm assuming she means molasses].
- Sun, Feb 21, 2010
