Burt, Henry. History of Springfield [Massachusetts] 1636–1736

Extracts from
Henry Burt, History of Springfield [Massachusetts] 1636–1746

Vol. I

p44

1655. – Simon Sackett. Died here in 1659.

[First date, 1655, was date settled in Springfield.]

p126-7

SEATING THE PEOPLE IN THE MEETING-HOUSE.
The selectmen and the deacons, or a committee appointed by the selectmen, determined the order in which the seats in the meeting-houses in New England, in the early settlement, should be occupied. Ability and general regard, as well as wealth, had much to do with the order of selection. The women, as a rule, do not appear to have been assigned to particular seats, but occupied, in another part of the house, such as suited their own preferences. The lists still preserved, which give the order of seating the men and boys in Springfield, do not indicate any great regard for those having the largest possessions. At Northampton, “age and estate” determined the order, and to some extent that might have prevailed here. The first list, still of record, bears the date of December 23, 1659, and reads:-

...
9th Seate. – Abell Wright, Hugh Dudley, John Bagg, John Sacket, David Ashley, Samuel Bliss, John Riley.

[There were ten allocated seats, so John was fairly low in the pecking order.]

p237

[In the handwriting of John Pynchon.]
Novembr 1655. There is also granted to Symon Sacket a homlot of Three acres, in ye plaine next above Obadiah Miller wth Three acres of wet meddow: & foure acres of wood lot, upon condition he stay 5 yeares in ye Towne & if he remove wthin 5 years it is to returne to ye Towne.

p250

John Clarke, Wm Brooks & Jno Sackat have ye land ye further side of woronoco wch is granted ym pvided they each of them build & make impvment of the land by Aprill come 12 mo. & continue so to doe 5 y. else to forfeit it. Granted Jan: 10th 1658.

p255-6

[In the handwriting of John Pynchon.]
At a Towne meeting Novembr 3d 1657.
...
The viewers of fences chosen for ye yeare ensuinge are Benja Parsons & John Mathews for ye lower pt of ye Towne fro: ye meetinghouse downeward, & Wm Wariner & Symon Sackut fro: ye meeting house upwards.

p270-1

The Select men at this Gen: Towne meeting in ffebr (59) before they went out of theire places made up theire acots, & cleared it up before ye whole Towne, ...
...
And John Riley Goodm: Sackuit & Blufield is behind on ye Rate with Mr Pynchon is to looke after. 0 04 0..

p329-30

[In the handwriting of Thomas Cooper.]
The order which parsons were Seated in the meeting house by the Select men and Deacon Chapin in December 23 1659.
...
9th Seate – Abell wright:   Hugh Dudley:   John Bagg   John Sackett   David Ashley   Sam: Bliss:   John Riley
...

p332

29 Octtober 1654 by the Selectmen
...
Symon Sackett is to pay for Corne Roome . . . . 00 01 00 ...

p356

At a Meeting of ye Select Men Dec: 26 1666, vizt Ens: Cooper Robert Ashley John Dumbleton Benj: Parsons & Eli: Holyoke[.]
John Sackett & Ambrose ffowler veiwers of the fences of the feild at Worronoco have this Summer past prsented diverse defects in the fences of ye feild there vizt Henry Glovers fence defective 12 rod John Williams fence defective 24 rod & Walter Lee his fence defective 10 rod for wch tho the fynes according to Order would rise high, the Select Men doe assess the Said psons as followeth vizt Henry Glover at 20s, John Williams at 3s, Walt: Lee at 18s, these fynes ye Townes share & to be added to yr rates to the Town this winter: And for ye veiwers share It is left to them to moderate as they See cause: ...

Vol II

p100

Re settlement of Woronoco.

“In ye next place as to allowing them to be a Township & releasing them from Vs. This Towne doth determine order & appoynt, That ye Comittee now in being, formerly chosen for granting lands & ordering matters at Worronoco, Soe as might best conduce to make them a Town of themselves vizt Capt John Pynchon Elizur Holyoke George Colton Benkamin Cooley & Nathaneel Ely shall at Some convenient tyme after this Town Meeting repaire to Woronoco & Settle all matters touching that place referring to grants & orders made by the said Comittee, wth all affaires they have taken in hand, And haveing rectifyed all things after their own best judgmt, & Sett them in as good a posture as they can, Then the aforesaid Comittee wth ye Inhabitants there are to make choyce of a meete number of ye fittest Persons there, for ordering their Prudentiall affaires, And to choose them a Clark or Recorder Surveyors of high wayes a Constable & other needfull officers: And the Comittee haveing thus managed matters & furthered their work for a Township, the Comittee are to be discharged of their trust, And ye Inhabitants there are to be left to themselves to order their owne matters, or as the Honnord Genrll Corte shall further Order: And wee hope the Corte will see cause to Order them to be a Township & that they through the favor of God may grow up into a comfortable Society, & be a happy Neighborhood to Vs & our ffreinds & theirs:
And whereas the Honnord Genrll Corte in October last uppon a petition presented to ym from ye People dwelling at Woronoco, for inlargmt of their accommodations of land, &c Did make an addition of land to them to ye Content of Six mile square, & left it to this Town of Springfeild or whom we should appoynt for ye managmt of ye matter: This Towne doth now therefore Order & appoynt mr James Cornish John Roote Thomas Dewey & John Sackett or any three of them to lay out the aforesaid grannt of land adjoyning to what is already allowed them from this Towne, or as shalbe most to ye advantage of ye Inhabitants of Worronono: only they are not to intrench uppon ye bounds fixt & Sett, or to be Sett as aforesaid between them & Vs.”

p287

[In the handwriting of John Pynchon, Jr.]
Att a Towne Meeting Decembr 5th 1696.

John Sackett enters his desire of a Grant of 40 Acres of land over Pautatuck mountain on the west side of it also he desires the grant of a Pond there.

p341-2

“At the General Town Meeting, March 10: 1695-6
...
Eliakim Cooley   Charles fferrey Senr   Benja: Stebbin Senior   John Seket & Ebenezer Jones were chosen Tithing men.
...