THE

HISTORY OF PITTSFIELD,

(BERKSHIRE COUNTY,)

MASSACHUSETTS,

FROM THE YEAR 1734 TO THE YEAR 1800.

COMPILED AND WRITTEN, UNDER THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF A COMMITTEE,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

BOSTON:

Stereotyped and Printed by Geo. C. Rand & Avery.

PREFACE.

Ar a town meeting held in the Town Hall, in Pittsfield, Aug. 25, 1866, Mr. Thomas Allen rose, and stated, that on the Centennial of the First Congregational Church and Parish, viz., April 18, 1864, he had been requested by a vote of the parish to prepare an historical memoir of that parish and church, embodying substantially, but extending, the remarks he made at that meeting. He stated, that, in looking over the records of the town and parish, he found them intimately connected, so that a history of the one would be also a history of the other; and he had found the history of the town highly interesting, and honorable to its inhabitants. True, there were no classic fields in Pittsfield, consecrated by patriotic blood spilled in battle in defence of the country, as in Lexington and Concord, simply because no foreign foe in arms had ever invaded its soil: but it was not the less true that Pittsfield had always promptly performed her part, and furnished her quota of men and means, in every war waged in defence of the country and the Union; and that in the intellectual contests through which the just principles of republican government, and civil and religious freedom, have been established in this country, the men of Pittsfield, on their own ground and elsewhere, have ever borne a part creditable alike to their wisdom, their sagacity, and their patriotism. Pittsfield, therefore, had a history which deserved to be written. The first settlers had all passed away; and their immediate descendants, witnesses of the earlier struggles, were

whitening with the frosts of age, and were also rapidly disappearing. If the records of their history were to be gathered together, and preserved in a durable form, it was time that the duty be undertaken. He was satisfied that an honorable record would appear, and worthy of the place to which God liad given so much that is beautiful in nature.

He therefore asked leave to introduce a resolution, of which the following is a principal part, which was warmly advocated, and, with great unanimity, at once adopted:—

"Resolved, That a Committee of five be appointed for the purpose of compiling, writing, and supervising the publication of, a history of the town, and that said Committee be authorized to select and employ a suitable person to aid them in the work."

The Committee, then immediately appointed, consisted of Thomas Allen, Stephen Reed, Phinchas Allen, James Francis, and James D. Colt. Dr. H. H. Childs was subsequently added, and an appropriation made to defray the expenses of the work. The Committee selected and employed Mr. J. E. A. Smith as a suitable person, qualified by experience as a writer, to aid them; and by him, the work, under their general direction and superintendence, and subject to their scrutiny, has been compiled and written. The work was commenced in September; documents and books in manuscript and print, and records from private and public sources, were gathered together; and Boston, Springfield, Hartford, Albany, and Lenox were visited to consult libraries, authorities, and public archives. Gathering information from so many and scattered sources, and reducing it to writing in chronological order, has been, of necessity, a work of time; but the result is that more of it has been obtained than was at first anticipated. On this account, the Committee have deemed it. best to issue a first volume, bringing the history down only to the year 1800.

Dr. Childs having departed this life in March, 1868, and Dr. Reed not acting, John C. West and Thaddeus Clapp were at the April meeting, 1868, added to the Committee.

The Committee and Mr. Smith desire to put on record here an acknowledgment of their indebtedness to various persons for