amongst us." Nine of the inhabitants dissented from this proposition, and among them was Joseph Parsons. The dissent was on the ground that the land had been given as a perpetual gift for the ministry and could not be disposed of as a personal gift. Mr. Eliot remained in Northampton only a few years.

The laying out and building highways was an important duty in the beginning of every New England settlement. In this work Joseph Parsons was frequently placed on committees and his judgment must have been considered extremely valuable by the many occasions that he was called upon to serve the town. May 24, 1651, Joseph Parsons, John Stebbins and David Burt were chosen to treat with Newtown men about a highway to Newtown over the river. Newtown was afterwards named Hadley. In 1670 the Town voted to "build a Cart bridge over Munhan River for the Carriage of our Carts and Trade to the foot of the falls." Lieut. William Clark, Joseph Parsons, and Robert Bartlett were appointed the Committee to execute the work. The first highway leading from the lower towns to Northampton was that built from Windsor. It crossed the Westfield river about mid-way between Springfield and Westfield and extended along the plain west of Mount Tom through what is now Easthampton. Travel from Springfield to Northampton went by the way of the road to Westfield until it intersected the road from Windsor to Northampton. The foot of the falls refers to the falls in the Connecticut river between Holyoke and South Hadley. This proposition concerned the first highway along the west bank of the Connecticut between Northampton and Springfield. At the County Court held at Springfield, Sept. 30, 1662, it was ordered in reference to highways and bridges between Springfield and Hadley, that Ensign Thomas Cooper of Springfield, Joseph Parsons of Northampton, and Nathaniel Dickinson of Hadley, be appointed a committee and impowered to consider the bridge, commonly called Batchelor's bridge, and other defective places in the said road and whether they shall be repaired by the County or by what particular place. They were given power, " with any one of the Hadley commissioners to issue warrants to impress men and

carts out of either of those towns, as they shall judge needful for the work, provided they keep not any person or teams more than three days in a week: And the work is to be done either before winter or furtherest by the tenth of April next." The County Court in 1672 appointed Joseph Parsons and John King of Northampton and Samuel Porter and John Smith of Hadley "to lay out a highway from Hadley town to & over the Riverett called Fort River, towards the Bay, And therefore they are to take good view of the most convenient place for passage over that Riverett for the way to the Bay." This was the first road leading towards Boston from Northampton and Hadley and which intersected the Bay Path from Springfield to Boston in Brookfield. In this Joseph Parsons rendered valuable service to the community, and his active life no doubt brought him to notice the needs of such highways concerning which he was afterwards engaged to superintend, as one of the committee who were called to the work.

The Court records show that Joseph Parsons kept an "Ordinary," at Northampton, that is, a house of entertainment, what later would be called a tavern. He was licensed by the Court in 1661, which was renewed in 1662 and in 1664. The Court records say: "Joseph Parsons of Northampton is by the Corte Lycensed to keepe and Ordinary, or house of Comon Entertaynment, in the Town of Northampton, for the yeare ensuing: and he hath liberty granted him to sell wines or strong liquors for ye same tyme: provided he keepe good rule & order in his house."

In 1665 he appears to have had some differences with Peter Hyndrix (or Hendricks) who brought a suit "about accounts." Medad Pomeroy pleaded for Hyndrix, presenting an account wherein he "charged Joseph Parsons with owing him £10 14s 6d." The jury found for the plaintiff in the sum of £4 9s 3d, "which was owned and proved in Corte; also the Costs of ye Corte wch is 20s & 6d." Following this, Joseph was presented to the Court for "breach of the Law in suffering Hendricks ye Dutchman to Spend his tyme & estate in his the said Joseph's house, ye Ordinary. He the said Joseph Parsons is by this Corte fyned to ye County in ye sume of 40 shillings, to be paid to ye County Treasurer."

The year previous, 1664, Joseph Parsons and Robert Bartlett, the Constable, appear to have had a difference of opinion which the Court records do not explain. It appears in the record of the Court held at Springfield, Sept. 27, 1664, which says:

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Joseph Parsons of Northampton was presented & complayned of to this Corte for opposing & resisting the Constable of Northampton in execution of his office & work, using means to Send downe the Countrey rate, violently taking away his [Joseph's]" oxen & his Sack that were pressed " [by Bartlett] " for the Countrey service: Which act of the said Joseph being by this Corte judged high contempt of Authority, he was fyned to ye County in ye sum of five pounds: And for yt it appeared in the examination of things that the said Joseph Parsons & the Constable, Robert Bartlett, had Some Scuffling in the busyness whereby blood was drawn between them, they are each of them fyned to ye County in the summe of ten shillings apeace: The Severall fynes to be paid to ye County Treasurer. The Said Joseph Parsons upon passing the sentence of ye Court did immediately before the Court acknowledge his offence in affrunting Authority & intreated the Corte for abatmt of his fyne. The Corte well accepting of submission remitted twenty shillings of his fyne."

The "Countrey rate" refers to the Province tax, which was collected by the Constable, generally in wheat or corn, and taken down the river to Hartford and there shipped to Boston.

This fine of £4 10s was evidently paid in the sale of an acre and a half of land to the County, for there is in the record of Sept. 26, 1665, the following:

"The County Treasurer propounding to this Corte whether the acre & of land wch was taken last year of Joseph Parsons in paymt for a fyne shall not be accounted (being returned to him) as part paymt of the Countyes debt to him, according as it was then taken of him, vizt: at £4 10s, & whether his fyne of £3 at ye last Corte may not be sett off towards what the County owes him, ye said Joseph Parsons: This Corte declared yt such paymt is good & suitable & shalbe Soe accounted & ordered the County Treasurer to sett off Soe much

with him ye said Joseph & to pay him the rest of the Counteys debt to his content."

With one having such wide business interests as did Joseph Parsons, it is not strange that he should occasionally appear in the Courts, as plaintiff or defendant. Then, too, in those early days our ancestors must of necessity have some amusement, even if it was only a suit at law. At the first Court held in Northampton, Sept. 28, 1658, “Joseph Parsons complaynes against John Webb for not delivering a Cow & Calf according to bargayne and thereupon Joseph demanded £4 of the said John wch the said John Owed him. Upon hearinge the busyness Joseph Parsons was content to accept of the Cow though the Calfe was lost, the said John allowing the said Joseph 5s wch he promised to allow & pay the said Joseph." At the same Court "Joseph Parsons was chosen Clarke of the Band, & took the oath accordingly for the due execution of his office."

At the Northampton court in 1665 Joseph Parsons brought a suit against Praysever Turner for non payment of a debt due by bill and damage of £30. This action was withdrawn and both plaintiff and defendant paid equal amounts for the entry of the action.

At the Springfield Court, Sept. 27, 1670, Joseph Parsons brought a suit against John Ingersoll of Westfield, but the parties agreed before the case was pleaded. He brought at the same time suit against Thomas Copley. This was also settled and the cost of the entry remitted.

At the Springfield Court, held Sept. 26, 1671, Joseph Parsons of Northampton was plaintiff in an action against Edward Blake, for "withholding a debt of £13 3s in money, for a hogshead of flax, wch he the said Blake received of Richard Goodall by order of the said Parsons, with due interest & all other due damages. In this action the attachment & evidences in yo case, wch are on file, being produced & read in Corte & committed to the jury they brought in their verdict, yt they find for the plaintiffe, vizt: Joseph Parsons, that ye defendant is to pay him Six pounds one shilling & ten pence, to be paid in specie, vizt: in silver, & costs of Corte. The verdict is accepted, and costs as per bill as allowed is £1 9s."

At the Northampton court, held March 25, 1673, there is this record:

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Joseph Parsons Sen', Plaintiffe, contra, John Abbott, Deft, in action of the case for fraudulent dealing in withholding, detayning & not delivering the writing, lease, or agreemt wch was subscribed to by the said Joseph Parsons & John Abot, & two witnesses See Subscription & delivery. This writing, lease, Agreement, was respecting John Abbot taking the said Joseph Parsons Senr his farme at Pascomuck for a terme of yeeres, & to enter upon it the first of Aprill next ensueing, to ye damage of Twenty pounds. In this action between Joseph Parsons, Plaintiffe & John Abbott Defedt, the case being pleaded & heard & examined, & the Attachmt & evidences in ye case (wch are on file) being produced & read in corte & committed to the Jury, they brought in a verdict that they find for the plantiffe, costs of Corte, & that the Instrum or writing detayned be delivered up in Corte. As soon as the verdict was given in it was declared that Plaintiffe & defdt were upon agreement by arbitration.”

Hampshire County was created in 1662. The General Court ordered that Springfield, Northampton and Hadley shall be constituted as a county, the bounds or limits on the South to be to the south line of the patent; the extent of the other bounds to be fully thirty miles distant from any or either of the aforesaid towns, * * * and further that the said county shall be called Hampshire & that Springfield shall be the shire town, & the Courts to be kept one time in Springfield & another time in Northampton." Two County Courts were held each year, the March term at Northampton and the September term at Springfield. The jurymen were drawn · from both places, usually the greater number from Springfield. Joseph Parsons appeared quite frequently as a juror,in 1667, 1668 and 1677 at Springfield, and in 1682 and 1683 at Northampton. The pay of a juryman at that period was 2s a day. The expenses of the jurors while serving appear to have been paid by the County, and they sometimes. figure in John Pynchon's accounts. At a County Court held in Springfield, Sept. 25, 1660, the Judges were: John Webster of Hadley, the ancestor of Noah Webster, John Pynchon