The Lives and Legacies of the William Goldthwaits

William Goldthwait

In the 1800s, the talented and well-known Goldthwait family enriched the community and culture of Longmeadow. Today, the family legacy endures in a philanthropic fund established to assist residents in need of financial assistance.

Erastus and Hannah Goldthwait had three talented sons: Flavel, Jonathan Hale, and William Colton (“William C.). Flavel, who died young, was an educator in Hartford and Jonathan was a talented engraver and map maker. While I would have loved to have met all of them, I would have especially wanted to meet William C. Goldthwait. An accomplished educator and farmer, he was a beloved and highly respected citizen of Longmeadow. According to his obituary:

“He was a thoroughly original character of marked peculiarities, both in person and address, an alert and stimulating teacher, as a writer and speaker bright, witty, quaint and striking, both in thought and expression, a lover of nature and poetry, greatly fond of good books and good people, extending his research beyond his vocation into various sciences and particularly that of agriculture.”

William C. Goldthwait was an experienced educator who led Westfield Academy from 1844 until 1855. He also worked to advance the teaching profession, serving as the editor of “The Massachusetts Teacher”. An 1850 advertisement provides more information about the school.

Pittsfield Sun, Nov. 21, 1850

In 1855, William C. and his family left Westfield and moved to his childhood home in Longmeadow. The house is no longer there, but it was located on Longmeadow Street south of Maple Road. The 1870 Longmeadow map shows the property next to Raspberry Brook on “Green Street” (the name that Longmeadow Street was called in 1870). Until 1868, William C. ran a small boarding preparatory school for boys on this property. In addition to running a school, he was a proud farmer and was a popular speaker on behalf of agricultural science.

1870 Map of Longmeadow

William C. Goldthwait retired from teaching and farming and he and his family moved to 756 Longmeadow Street around 1878. He died in 1882, leaving his wife and two daughters, and is buried in the Longmeadow Cemetery.

756 Longmeadow Street

William C. Goldthwait's brother, Jonathan, had a son named William who also lived in Longmeadow in the 1800s. This William Goldthwait ("William") is the man in the image at the top of this article.

In 1845, when William (the nephew) was one year old, his parents brought 8-year old Harriet Ann Goss, a town-supported pauper, into their home. Harriet was indentured to Jonathan Goldthwait until she turned eighteen and was to be "instructed in the art, mystery & occupation of Housewifery".

William Goldthwait was a sickly child and he probably spent a lot of time with Harriet during her ten years with the family. At one point, his illness became so severe that his parents made the difficult decision to send him to Colorado for treatment; he recovered, but was never physically strong. As an adult, William lived at 46 Longmeadow Street near the Springfield border and worked as a watch maker. He never married.

46 Longmeadow Street

When William Goldthwait died in 1922, he bequeathed $7,000 to the Town of Longmeadow to assist Longmeadow residents with limited income. The town accepted this bequest in 1923 and established the William Goldthwait Fund. Today, the fund still helps needy residents and its trustees are appointed each year at the annual town meeting. Click here for more information about the William Goldthwait Fund.

Sources Springfield Republican: Aug. 24, 1849; Nov. 12, 1852; Mar. 9, 1857; Oct. 4, 1861; Nov. 20, 1882; and March 21, 1812 Pittsfield Sun, Nov. 21, 1850 Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988Longmeadow Annual Report 1923History of Western Massachusetts, Vol. 1 by Josiah Gilbert Holland 1870 Map of Longmeadow Longmeadow Historical Society archives

Contributed by Elizabeth Hoff, Longmeadow Historical Society Board Member

Originally published February 4, 2021

Counterfeiters and Loyalist: The Colton Family Register

Sometime around 1799, a family register was made to record the births, marriages, and deaths in Samuel Colton's family. This printed and hand-colored register was almost certainly created by Richard Brunton (1750-1832), a notorious engraver, counterfeiter and British deserter. Born in 1750 in Birmingham, England, he apprenticed with an engraver before enlisting in the British Army Grenadiers. He served from 1774-1779 in America during the Revolution, and saw heavy action, including the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Brandywine, and the British retreat from Philadelphia before deserting in New York in 1779. His career in engraving included counterfeiting currency, which landed him in prison on more than one occasion, including a two-year sentence at hard labor served at Connecticut's New-Gate prison, where he earned money to repay the costs of his prosecution as well as better living conditions by painting portraits of the warden and his family and by creating engravings. In 1807, Brunton was arrested again, this time in Massachusetts, and was given a life sentence. Four years later, the state granted his petition for release due to ill health. In exchange for the early release, he promised to return to his native England, but instead went to live in Groton, Massachusetts, where he died in the poorhouse in 1832.

One of Brunton's legitimate, and perhaps more lucrative creations, were family registers--documents with decorative borders that often included depictions of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Peace, and left room for the recording of the family births, deaths and marriages.

These pre-printed family registers are considered some of the earliest American examples. The Colton register includes Samuel and Flavia Colton's marriage, the births (and deaths) of their children, his second marriage to Lucy Colton and their family. These types of family registers were considered proof for official documentation.

Samuel Colton (1727-1784) was a well-known wealthy Longmeadow merchant, earning him the nickname, "Marchant" Colton. His impressive large home, built circa 1754, stood on a rise just south of the Longmeadow town green. When the house was demolished in the early 20th century, parts of the house were salvaged as souvenirs, including the very imposing "Connecticut River God" front doorway, which now resides in a place of honor in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Al McKee at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts

In 1776, a kind of local "tea party" took place at Samuel Colton's shop. Unhappy with Colton's prices for the West India goods he imported (essentials such as rum), townspeople, including his brother-in-law, dressed up as Native Americans and raided his shop. They removed the disputed goods, calculated what they felt to be fair prices and left that sum in exchange. Colton's suit for legal redress failed, and he is said to have remained bitter for the rest of this life about the "theft".

To learn more about Richard Brunton's fascinating life, see Deborah Child's book, Soldier, Engraver, Forger: Richard Brunton's Life on the Fringe in America's New Republic. For more information about Samuel Colton, see Barbara Smith's book, After the Revolution.

Contributed by Betsy McKee, Board member, Longmeadow Historical Society

Originally published January 28, 2021

Dogs of Longmeadow

Today's History Note celebrates the real champions of a quarantine lifestyle - dogs!

Any morning and any late afternoon in Longmeadow you are sure to see promenading down the sidewalks and side streets of our town the proud dogs of Longmeadow out for their walks, accompanied by their faithful owners. All shapes, all sizes. Some shaggy, fluffy and straining against leashes to chase a scampering squirrel. Others sleek, dignified and clearly pleased by their own elegance and good training. No matter the weather, out they come! During these many, many months of pandemic living, family dogs have been such a source of comfort and pleasant distraction for adults and children alike.

This week, we’d like to share images of some dogs of Longmeadow from days of yore. It is striking how even more than a hundred years ago, these dogs seem so much a part of the families with which they pose.

Unidentified Man and 2 dogs, Longmeadow Green

Cordis Family Collection

Unidentified Woman and Pug Cordis Family Collection

Kempton Family, 1909

Emerson Collection

"P.M. Taylor Back Piazza" 1910 Emerson Collection

Did you know that dog licensing money was an integral part of the town’s school and library funding for many years? In 1880, $139.50 of “Dog Money” was appropriated by the town for the schools. In 1895, the first year the town supported an official town library (which occupied a modest spare room in the rear of the town office building), the Annual Report mentions the amount appropriated for the library as “$25 + dog money.” That remained the case for decades to follow. Every town meeting warrant featured an article asking voting residents to “decide what use shall be made of the dog money... “. From 1895-1974, it appears that this money was specifically used to supplement whatever the town budgeted for library funding. What a great trade-off - register your dog AND support your town library!

"Mrs. Craig's South Park Avenue, 1915

Emerson Collection

"Carl Withe, 41 Longmeadow Street" undated

Emerson Collection

"P.M. Taylor, girls and front door" 1910 Emerson Collection

All images here are courtesy of the Emerson Collection at the Longmeadow Historical Society and the Cordis Family Collection.

Contributed by Melissa M. Cybulski, Board member, Longmeadow Historical Society

Originally published January 21, 2021