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CHAPTER V
IN MONSON

MAP ILLUSTRATION.--E. E. DICKINSON'S FARM.--BENJ. COOLEY'S LOT.--ELIJAH HATCH'S HOUSE.--THE ROAD.--DEA. McMASTER.--DANIEL GRAVES' MEADOW.--JOSHUA OLD'S 1ST DIV.--HATCH'S BROOK.--JOSEPH STEBBINS' GRANT LOT.--DAVID MORGAN SR.'S GRANT LOT.--RICHARD FELLOWS' GRANT, 1657.--FELLOW'S TAVERN.--LOCATION.--NATHANIEL CLARK'S 2D DIV.--ROBERT OLD'S HOME LOT.--DANIEL OLD'S HOME LOT.--GEORGE COLTON'S RIVER LOT.--THOMAS INGERSOL'S LOT.

THE BAY PATH IN MONSON

The course of the path eastward to fifth and sixth records is illustrated upon the Section Maps.

About two hundred rods, including Mr. Dickinson's farm, can be followed in bushy pastureland; then about one hundred rods in a public highway, which it leaves then, and passes over a ridge about eighty rods to number 5 in a path that is open and comfortable to ride over.

Benjamin Cooley's 12th Division Lot

"Beginning 20 rods eastward of Elijah Hatches' house, runs S. 23^o E. 56 rods to the road; thence W. 23^o S. 40 rods; thence N. 23^o W. 56 rods to near Mr. McMasters' cartpath; thence straight to the beginning." Dated 1785.

The road at the southeast corner of the Cooley lot mentioned in the above record was the Bay Path; and is numbered 5 in our course of evidence. Deac. McMaster owned the Daniel Graves meadow.

Joshua Olds' 1st Division

"On the westerly side of Chicuppee hill and on both sides of the old road or path."

"Beginning at the northeast corner and running S. 26^o W. 112 rods, about 30 rods over the old path: (No. 7.) thence, W. 26^o N. 85 rods to the west side of the hill about 8 rods south of said old path; (No. 6) thence, N. 25^o E. 112 rods to a great rock, a rod south of Hatches brook; thence, E. 26^o S. 88 rods to first bound."

It is about 90 rods, as the path runs, from No. 5 to No. 6 passing through a lot that was John Mighill's 12th Division; and sold in 1785 by Lucy Mighill to Jethro Story. He sold in 1802 to David Sheare.

Midway between No. 5 and 6 there is an abandoned house-site, with forest trees growing from the cellar bottom.

Another small cellar is seen near No. 5.

Joshua Olds' 1st Division is in evidence; the outline and the path locations are found as it is described in the record of the 1733 survey of the lot.

From No. 6 the path runs northeasterly until nearly halfway across the Olds' lot; there becoming identical with a present road, and with that turning southeasterly to No. 7. In that way a curve was made around a rocky place.

Joseph Stebbins' Grant Lot: 120 Acres. 1732

"beginning on the easterly side of ye high knob of Chicupee hill by the old road thence, E. 18^o. E. 120 rods; thence W. 18^o. S. 160 rods; thence straight to the first bound."

David Morgan Sr. Grant Lot. Date 1732.

When granted in 1732, it was described as located on the northerly side of the road that leads from Springfield to Brookfield.

When sold by the heirs in 1752, was said to be situated;--"on the northerly side or northerly part of Chicobee hill and northerly of the road called the Old Road that goes across said Chickobee hill."

Richard Fellows Grant. 1657.

The General Court, 1657, October 23, granted to Richard Fellows, two hundred acres of upland and meadow to be laid out to him at Chicopey river.

He was to "build a house there for the entertainment of travelers, both for house roome for horse and man, and some lodging and provision for both, with beere, wine, and strong liquors."

He built a tavern but did not reside there more than about two years.

From the fact that some farm implements, apparently buried for security, were dug up there some years ago, it has been supposed that fear of Indians compelled him to abandon the place. More than seventy years afterward, it appears from the manuscript Records of the General Court (Vol. 14, p. 277), 1729, Aug. 28, Edward Hutchinson Esq. and Mrs. Mary Wolcot, widow of Josiah Wolcot, Esq., deceased, petitioned that this land might be resurveyed and their title to it be confirmed.

They allege that their grandfather, Mr. Thomas Clarke, purchased of Richard Fellows these two hundred acres, but "the lines of said grant, by length of time, are grown obscure and uncertain."

A new survey was ordered made 1730, June, and confirmed by the General Court, 1733, June 22.

The plan of the Hutchinson grant is in the Springfield Registry. The Fellows two hundred acre tract of land, as laid out for the Hutchinson heirs in 1730, was bounded northerly by Chicopee or Quabaug River, and on the south by the course of the Bay Path, and was surrounded by ungranted land. The east line as surveyed for the Hutchinsons went through the center of the chimney where Fellows' house had been.

No's. 10 and 11 mark the extent of a portion of a public highway which was formerly in the old path.

From No. 11 the old path ran on hard land by the meadow border to the only place of crossing the Chicopee brook on firm ground.

Fellows located his tavern on a beautiful site opposite the ford.

Location of Fellows' Tavern. Date of 1657

There was placed some years ago, a granite monument on the site of the house, under the supervision of Mr. O. P. Allen, historian and antiquarian of Palmer.

Northerly, where the highway passes near the river, there is a tablet on the river side of the road, giving directions for finding the monument.

The Fellows' tavern site is No. 12 on the map.

No. 13 is an angle in the north line of Robert Olds' Home log; mentioned in the record of the surveyor, when the line touched "the path side" there.

Nathaniel Clark's 2d Division

Begin close to the east side of "Chicupee" brook, the north-west corner of "Robert Olds' Home Lot," in the east line of "Col. Hutchinson's Farm"; thence N. 40^o E., to Hutchinson's corner on the bank of "Chicuppee" river; thence up the river 147 rds.; thence S. 27^o E. 139 rds. to the north side of the hill in the west line of Daniel Old's home lot; thence S. 18^o W. 45 1/2 rds., on Olds'; thence W. 12^o N. 93 rds. to the foot of the hill in the east line of Robert Olds' Home Lot; thence N. 7^o E. 39 rds., to Robert Olds' northeast corner; thence W. 12 1/2^o N. 113 rds. on Robert Olds' to the path side (13) near Olds' field' thence W. 5 1/2 N. 43 1/2 rds., to "Chicuppee" brook in Hutchinson's line, the place of beginning.

Daniel Olds' Home Lot

"On a hill called Daniel Olds' hill; on the south side of the 'Old Boston Road' (14) near Chicuppee river."

"Beginning at a white oak tree marked H. W. a highway tree standing on the west bank of a small run of water; thence S. 18^o W. 146 rds; thence W. 18^o N. 65 1/2 rds., thence N. 18^o E. 146 rds., to the path side near the Boston Road; (15) thence straight to the first bound."

George Colton's River Lot

"Begin at northeast corner on the west side of the road that goes from Brimfield over 'Chicuppee' river, at the bank of the river; thence S. 16 1/2 E. 11 rds.; thence S. 28 1/2^o E. 11 1/2 rds; thence S. 20^o E. 13 rds; thence S. 16^o W. 29 1/2 rds. to the crotch of Springfield road with said road to the river (17); thence S. 4^o E. 36 rds. to the northeast end of a little pond, the northeast corner of George Colton's lot on Thomas Ingersole's lot; thence W. 10 1/4^o N. 187 rds., to Ingersole's northwest corner, 10 rds., south of Springfield Road (16); thence S. 36 1/2^o W. 8 rds., to the northeast corner of George Colton's 2nd. Division; thence W. 24^o N. 156 rds., to the east line of Daniel Olds' Grant, 5 rds., from Olds' northeast corner."

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