JABEZ OLMSTED OF WARE, Concluded

 

 

We conclude the article taken from the "History of Ware, Massachusetts, 1911, by Arthur Chase.  I have interjected some notes of my own in the text, in brackets, signed COH. Spelling of Olmsted is as in Chase.

 

Page 163

ROADS AND BRIDGES

 

The earliest settlers followed largely the Indian trails, and the Hadley Path became an important road, in fact the most important road in the economy of our town, passing directly through Ware from east to west.[NOTE - This is now Rt. 9. COH] It may still be traced through nearly its whole length. Starting westward from the lower end of Wekabaug Pond it passed southerly of the present highway through the fields and up the slope of COY's Hill in almost a straight line. The stone walls bordering it when a highway are still in place for a long distance at the top of the hill. On the west side it descended past the old CONEY place, turning somewhat to follow the valley of a small brook where the Warren road leads down towards Ware River, then to the Narrows and across into Grenville Park, whence its route may be traced through the grove straight toward Highland Street, a portion of which is built on the old road-bed; there crossing Muddy Brook at about the middle of Snow's Pond¹ it may be picked up again on the west side, and still again at the foot of the steep hill that leads up past the cellar-hole of the pest-house, whence it ran through the Centre past the meeting-house, and on to Swift River Bridge. It was early known as "the great road," and was laid out ten rods wide.² The stone walls below the pest-house show the original width of the road as well as its location. West of the Centre in the Beaver Brook Valley the road probably forked, the lower route leading to Swift River Bridge, while the northern crossed Beaver Lake above the modern dam but below the ancient one, and led north-westerly. The abutments of a forgotten bridge over Swift River may be seen close to the Ware and Enfield town line. Either here, or a mile below, at West Ware, this upper road crossed Swift River.

 

The plat of Mr. Samuel PRINCE's farm (the Hollingsworth grant) made in 1714 shows a bit of the Hadley Road as it led through what is now the village. The bridge at the Narrows was built undoubtedly before the town was settled. Remains of old abutments may still be seen at low water. Here undoubtedly Jabez OMSTEAD crossed the river coming from Brookfield in 1729. An ancient cellar-hole recently filled up, traditionally attributed to Jabez, though it more probably belonged to his son Jeremiah, was near the west end of the bridge.

 

That changes were made very early is shown by a deed of Jeremiah OMSTEAD of 1738³ in which is mentioned an "Old Bridge Spot " and a "New Bridge," the two being some distance apart. The facts are not easy to determine, for the old County Records do not always, in referring to bridges, describe them unmistakably.

 

Another court record of 1736, describing the road between Hadley and Brookfield, mentioned several unmistakable landmarks:      

"...Turning Northeast where the s^d New Rode is marked up to Jabez umsteed House and along where the Road now goes up to the Great Bridge over Ware River towards Richard Burks House a little south of it and so up Coy's hill in the New Cart Road to Brookfield West Line.”

 

The bridge at the Narrows was "the Great Bridge," and the Hadley Path has reached the dignity of a "New Cart Road to Brookfield." 

 

Naturally this bridge went the way of all perishable things, and in less than twenty years another order of the same court became necessary.

 

¹The abutments of the bridge were observed where the old road crossed Muddy Brook, when the water was last out of the pond.

 

² So stated in the survey of Jeremiah OMSTEAD's original grant of 1733. The road ran through his land 254 rods, and 10 rods wide. His grant of 100 acres was exclusive of road and river.

 

³Springfield Register

 

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Page 278

 

Mr. GILBERT, in his "Early Grants," has worked out from the Proprietors' Records the location of the several owners on this section which was known as "the north-end addition," and his lines are followed in making the map for this work.  

 

A few matters may require a word of explanation.

 

Jeremiah OMSTEAD was the oldest son of Jabez. He took up land adjoining his father's farm, probably in 1729 or 30. The farm was confirmed to him by action of the General Court in 1733. The rest of the north-end addition was divided among the Elbow Proprietors by drawings held from time to time. Many of the drawings were sold, as the Proprietors already had their homes in the southern part of the  plantation.

 

Jeremiah OMSTEAD sold his farm of 100 acres to Noah COLTON in 1738. COLTON in 1740 sold the same to John POST who in 1744 sold to Alexander Mack NEILL. Jabez OMSTEAD in 1733 sells 74 acres at the south-west corner of his farm to Obadiah WOOD. In 1752 he sells 15 acres north of the above to John DOWNING In the same year, 1752, DOWNING bought of Timothy BROWN 36 acres lying between OMSTEAD’s farm and the Manour. In 1743 Jabez, "in consideration of the tender respect I bear unto my loving son Israel OMSTEAD" gives him 94 ½ acres on the east side of the river, "beginning at the end of the bridge below the mill." In 1746 Jabez likewise gives to his "loving son Israel OMSTEAD" 144 acres, it being the north-east corner of the 500 acre tract. The remainder of the farm was sold by OMSTEAD’s heirs to Isaac MAGOON, from whom it passed to his son Alexander in 1765, and the mills were known for more than a generation as the MAGOON Mills. The property passed to Alpheus DEMOND, Esq., and Col. Thomas DENNY in 1813. 

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Page 173

 

Besides the roads laid out and maintained by the county, the town was continually extending the highway system.

 

1753 - voted and allowed a road from Jacob CCUMMING's to the Capt. OLMSTED mills, and so to the meeting house.

 

 - voted and allowed a road for Samual DAVIS to the mill called Capt. OLMSTED's

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Page 174

 

It is impossible to state when the first bridge was built across the river below the OLMSTED-MAGOON mills where the South Stree Bridge now stands. It was probably built by the OLMSTED’s at the time the mill was constructed for their own convenience. The earliest unquestionable reference to it is in a deed of Jabez OLMSTED to his son Israel in 1743.

 

[NOTE - The following was copied from a plot made in 1742.]

 

A Plan of a tract of Land Situate in the County of Hampshire in His Majefties Province of the Mafsachufits Bay in New England (viz.) 1443^a - 1^r - 27 ^pr a Countery Grant Belonging to Thomas Marfh and Comp^ny Bounding Northerly on Hardwick Wefterly on John Read Efq^r His ten thousand acres Southerly on Kingston & Ealterly on Ware river alfo 2959 acres 2 roods and 25 rods out of Kington Exclufive of Jabez Omfteds farme the said Kingston Land bounds Northerly on Thomas Marfh and Comp^ny  aforfaid Weft on Efg^r Reads Land and runing Eaft by the Neadle from Efq^r reads South Eaft Corner till it Strickes Weftern Line as may be Seen in the plan and Eaft Bounding by Brookfield Line alfo a farme which belongs to Joseph Brooks Jun^r which Lies for Sixty acres within the Bounds of Brookfield on the Weft Side of Ware river alfo a Line Drawn Et from Efq^r Reads South Weft Corner at Swift river through Kingston Et by the Neadle till it Strikes Weftern Line Containing 489^a- I^r- 20^P.

 

Surveyed Nov 25 and 26-1742 p Nath^ll Dwight Surveyor Chainman & Surveyor under Oath. Plated by a Scale of 240^pr to one inch.

 

[Note by COH: This property is shown on the plat of Ware Parish that was in the first issue of this Newsletter.]