Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

CHAPTER V.
1644-1645.
The First Board of Selectmen. — Centralization. — Mr. Moxon's Ministrj'. — The First
Meeting-House. — A Long Sermon. — A Tax-List. — Fencing House-Lots. — The
" Longe Mecldowe." — Refusal to make Fences. — Planting-Grounds on the West Side.
— Social Caste. — Marriages of Hugh Parsons and of.John Pynchon.
The provisional and expenniental elements begin to give way to a
certain regularity in the methods of government. In September,
1644, the town-meeting took the important step of intrusting the
management of affairs to a committee. For eight years the town had
been governed without selectmen.
The names of the first board were : Henry
Smith, Thomas
Cooper, Samuel Chapln, Richard Sikes, and Henry Bm-t. These
townsmen were given power for one year to " prevent anything tlie}^
shall judge to be to y" damage of y*^ Towne, or to order anything
tliey shall judge to be for y*^ good of y"" town ; &
shall have power for a yeers space ;
in these affairs tliey
" to these five or any three of them
was given power to " serv complaintes, to Arbitrate controversies, to
lay out high wayes, to make Bridges, to repa3^er High waies, espe-
cially to order y'^ making of y*^ wa}' over y*^ Marshie meddow, to se to
y*" scowering y" ditches, & to y" killing of wolves, & to y^ training of
y^ children in some good caling, or nny other thing they shall judge
to be y" p-'fitt of y"^ Towne."
The new selectmen, unless we except Henry Smith, were compara-
tively young and poor, so far as having any estate, independent of
the lauds voted them by the town, was concerned. The placing of so
much discretionaiT power in the hands of any set of men shows the
working of a tendency that grew rapidly and naturally out of the prin-