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

CHAPTER XI.
1708-1735.
Quec'ii Anne's War. — The West Side Meetiug-House.— Longmeadow. — Hev. Ste-
phen WilHams. — The Commons. —Visit of Judge Sewall. — ^Ir. Brewer's Salary.
— Parish ^Matters. — Mr. Brewer's Death. —The State of Society. —The Half-Way
Covenant. — A Decline in Morals. — Full List of Tax-payers. — The Church .Membership.
— Freemanship. — Condition of the Churches. — Call of Rev. Robert Breck. —
Charges of Heresy. — Brock's Reply. The First Parish divided into Breck and Anti-
Breck Factions. —Meeting of the Hampshire County Association of ^linisters at
Springfield. —-An Exciting Session.
During the first part of the eighteenth ceutiiry the acts of Spring-
field were projected against a dark background of apprehension.
And yet, with tliis residence beside the very jaws of death, the plan-
tation enjoyed the smile of Heaven and prospered. There were, from
time to time, garrison soldiers in its streets. Its meeting-house was
fortified, and so were some of its dwelling-houses and mills.
England declared war against France in 1702, and the Indians were
again soon pouring over the Canadian border. With what feelings of
anguish did they in 1704 hear of the revel of death at Ueerfield,
that home of massacre one might almost say,-— the snows stained
with blood, and the captivity of scores of men, women, and children !
This was at the opening of Queen Anne's war in this region, and the
worst of it was that Rev. John Williams and his noble flock were
taken to Canada and confronted with Romanism. But there was no
good ground of fear. " It is better going in a ragged coat than with
a ragged conscience," replied the Deerfield minister when a French
lady superior offered him warm clothes if he would become a papist.
There is happily little of a warlike nature to record locally in these
times when the up-river settlements were suffering. Samuel Cliapin,
—