To Encourage Music

Music at Longmeadow's early meeting house had been a very controversial topic during Stephen William's early years as minister. The matter must have been settled by 1765 when the parish voted that a suitable instructor be found to "instruct us in the Art of Singing."

"To the Selectmen of Longmeadow Please to direct the Town Treasurer to pay to Deacon William Colton the sum of fourteen Dollars for a Bass Viol which he has purchased for the Town, to encourage & assist the publick singing."

By 1794 the town was ready to add some accompaniment to the singing in the form of a bass viol. A committee of three deacons, William Colton, Ethan Ely, and Josiah Cooley, was charged with the purchase of a musical instrument described as a "bass viol." Their bill to the Town of Longmeadow for reimbursement stated that the purpose of the purchase was to "encourage singing" in the church. The sum of $14 was substantial, and represented quite an investment in a time when the average daily rate of pay for a laborer was 33 to 50 Cents. The bass viol they bought has had a place of honor in the South parlor of the Storrs House Museum for many years. The collection of musical instruments also includes an 1835 Chickering piano, several flutes, and a lap zither--imagine them all being played at once!

Bass Viol, Collection of Longmeadow Historical Society

This instrument was examined by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, curator Darcy Kuronen in 2015 as part of a project to document musical instruments in the Commonwealth. He casually asked me "is there a label?" I replied "not that I have been able to see." Thus challenged, Darcy and his colleague whipped out their official curatorial investigative tools--two cell phones, one with the flashlight app activated, and the other with the camera turned on. With each aiming their phones through the F-holes on each side of the instrument they were able to spot a label inside the case! Eureka! But, covered in roughly 221 years of dust, it was illegible. How to clean it safely--a soft paintbrush? None were at hand. Aha--how about a feather? A reproduction quill writing kit was swiftly opened and the feather put to use. Success! A nearly intact label was found. Aaron Chapin (1753-1838) was the maker.

Aaron Chapin, 1753-1838 Portrait sold at auction in 2015, current owner unknown.

Curator Kuronen noted: "this is a relatively important instrument, as it is a quite early example of an American bass viol and is the only known example made by Chapin. The printed label inside the instrument is also very significant in revealing that Chapin likewise made flutes, fifes, and pitch pipes." According to the label, Aaron Chapin's shop was located "twenty rods north of the Court-House" in Hartford, CT. Chapin was related to Eliphalet Chapin, a prominent local cabinetmaker in nearby Windsor, CT.

Also discovered in the archives were the reminiscences of C. S. (Charles S.) Newell, written in 1906; "Personal recollections of the music in the First Church of Christ in Longmeadow from about 1840." In it, he describes the makeup of the choir and their accompanying orchestra, "consisting of two violins, two flutes, two violin cellos, (then called bass viols) and one double bass viol, with sometimes a clarinet and a trombone." He says that the first organ was placed in the church when it stood on the green and was a small pipe organ built by Johnson of Westfield, costing $600. The funds were raised by donations and fund raisers, as the parish voted "that leave be given to place the organ in the church, provided it is done without any expense to the parish. Like offering to give a man a horse, and he tells you he will accept the horse provided you will build him a stable to keep it in." Having some accompaniment was helpful in keeping the choir in key, as Newell notes: "I recall one occasion while we had an orchestra, when the choir fell from the key or flatted so badly that some of the players tried to follow them by lowering the pitch of their instrument, which made things worse, and the singers continued to fall from the pitch so much, that had they not fortunately reached the end of the hymn they might have ended on the main floor of the church instead of in the gallery where they started."

Today First Church, known now as First Church of Christ Longmeadow, UCC, still has an active music program, continuing on the long tradition started by a simple 18th century help-wanted ad for a music instructor and a $14 investment in a bass viol.anted ad for a music instructor and a $14 investment in a bass viol.

Contributed by Betsy McKee, Board member, Longmeadow Historical Society

Originally published March 11, 2021

"Working on the Railroad: Thomas Murray 1848-1926"

Longmeadow resident Thomas Murray kept a diary in 1887, and like many of his time who kept diaries, included mostly comments on the weather "January 3, zerow morning, N.W. cold, cold, cold."

Thomas Murray, a native of Roscommon, Ireland immigrated to the United States in 1871. He was born in 1848, just 3 years into the potato famine that devastated Ireland. It is estimated that Ireland lost 2 million citizens to starvation or emigration by 1851. According the Longmeadow census records, the number of residents who were born in Ireland peaked in the 1850's and 1860's.

Like many Irish immigrants, Thomas Murray found work on the railroad. His diary entries mentioned details of his daily tasks like "repairing track, removing snow, and surfecing track." He also occasionally would add details of what his neighbors were doing, "Peter Wards childe babtised" and "Emerson died 81 years at 9 p.m. William H. Emerson."

This entry from May 3rd, was particularly telling: "Mrs. John McCarty tuck Paris green from which she died. 34 years." Paris Green was a poison often used as an insecticide, as described by this Springfield Republican newspaper listing:

Thomas' wife Catherine Ward immigrated from Ireland in 1881. She and Thomas married and had 7 children, two sons, Bernard and James, and five daughters; Mary, Margaret, Elizabeth, Anna and Agnes. Only Bernard had children, and the 5 unmarried girls lived out their lives in their childhood home, the last survivor, Agnes, dying in 1989.

In addition to the more ordinary entries about weather and work, Thomas also added comments on national and world events, including this notation on March 8, "hennery ward beecher died, " and this one on March 14th: "accidence on the Boston and Providence RR Roslindale. 24 cild and 100 injured. 5 miles from Boston."

Obviously railway accidents were of special interest to him, but he also noted his brother James' trips to confession, a dance in nearby East Longmeadow (at that time still a part of Longmeadow), and "James Cook in jail second time for 3 months." A neighbor, perhaps? At the end of the diary he summarized some yearly expenses: haircuts cost $.20, pew rent was $1 a month, and he spent $9.95 that year for drink and $2.43 for tobacco!"

Thomas obviously thrived in the new world, as the 1900 census lists him as a homeowner, owning his home free of a mortgage. In fact, his diary entry of October 20, 1887 says "Thomas Murray bought his house $8.40 ($840 according to the deed)" on Williams Street.

His diary survived because it somehow fell behind the mantel in the house and was discovered over a hundred years later by the new owners of the house.

References

Thomas Murray's diary (collection of author)

Hall of Records Deeds

Genealogybank.com

United States Census (with annotations by Beth Hoff)

St. Michael's Cemetery in Springfield

Ancestry.com

Contributed by Betsy McKee, Board member, Longmeadow Historical Society Originally published March 4, 2021

The 1831 Map of Longmeadow

1831 Map of Longmeadow

The 1831 map of Longmeadow, the earliest map of our entire town, shows a Longmeadow that is both similar to and different from a map of today's Longmeadow. Geographically larger, it includes the land that is now East Longmeadow as well as land that is now in the Forest Park and Franconia sections of Springfield. And, note that, across the river, Agawam was still part of West Springfield.

Jonathan H. Goldthwait, a noted engraver from our town, drew the 1831 map. Jonathan was born in 1811 to Erastus and Rhoda Goldthwait of Longmeadow, so he was only 20 years old when he created this treasure.

Of particular interest is the line down the middle of the map which roughly mirrors the current division line between Longmeadow and East Longmeadow. Longmeadow and East Longmeadow did not separate into two political entities until 1894, so why is the town divided on the map? This "Division Line between Longmeadow and East Longmeadow" indicates different settlement areas of the town. It also shows the boundaries for the two Congregational Church parishes.

In looking at the map, it is clear than the two halves of town were settled in different patterns.

• Longmeadow residents in the western part lived along Longmeadow Street and Williams Street, almost exclusively in the area between the Connecticut River and what is now Shaker Road. Housing was concentrated around the Longmeadow Green. The land east of Shaker Road to the division line was not arable and this part of town remained largely uninhabited into the twentieth century, a time when most Longmeadow residents were no longer farmers.

• Most of the land land in the eastern half of Longmeadow was arable and farmers settled in a more scattered fashion throughout the community, primarily living on their farms.

As mentioned above, the division line also indicates the two Congregational parishes in town. In early Longmeadow, the church served as both the social hub and the religious center for the community. Weekly, residents from all parts of Longmeadow would gather together, socializing, sharing news (and gossip), and maintaining contact with friends who lived fairly far away.

First Congregational Church, established in 1716, was for over a century the only church in Longmeadow and it served all residents of the town. Located on the Longmeadow Green (and noted as “Meeting House” on the map), folks who lived in the western part of town could easily get to church.

First Congregational Church, West Village- Longmeadow

However, it was difficult for those who lived in the eastern half of the town to get to services in the western half of town – especially in inclement weather. So, in 1827, residents formed a second parish in the eastern part of town. This Congregational church was located on what is now Somers Road (noted as “Meeting House” on the map below).

Second Congregational Church, East Village- Longmeadow

When Longmeadow residents lost the frequent social contact of weekly gatherings with members of the entire town, they started to lose the sense of community that bound both halves of the town together. And this loss of social connectivity contributed to the push 57 years later to separate into two different political entities.

Today, the First Congregational Church of Christ in Longmeadow has moved off the Green and is at the corner of Longmeadow Street and Williams Street. The Second Congregational Church in East Longmeadow has moved up the road to the south end of the East Longmeadow rotary.

The 1831 map also shows a third church, the "Baptist Meeting House", in the southeastern portion of the map, located right next to the "7th D. School House". First Baptist Church is still located on what is now Parker Street.

Baptist Meeting House, East Longmeadow

The 1831 map is beautiful in it's detail and it shows streets, homeowners, businesses, schools, brooks, meadows, swamps, and other geographic features of both communities. Most streets, while unnamed on the map, can be easily connected to roads on today’s maps. Streams and waterways largely invisible to us today are prominently featured. And, the famous East Longmeadow rotary was already in place, though probably not yet a challenging traffic conundrum. We invite you to explore this wonderful map in greater detail by following this link to an expandable version (click here). Hover over the bottom left hand corner of the map shown on this link and you will see a drop down menu from which you can select the 1831 map. You can also explore our other Longmeadow maps at this link. And, please contact us if you would like to purchase a print of any of our maps.

Contributed by Elizabeth Hoff, Longmeadow Historical Society Board Member

Originally published February 18, 2021