Information on the Scott Family of Hatfield, Massachusetts, and Newport, Rhode Island
The Origins of William Scott of Hadley/Hatfield
After over 300 years, no record has yet been uncovered as to the origins of William Scott of Hatfield. It appears unlikely, after all this time and diligent research by many individuals, that any record has survived in this country. It is believed that William Scott was most likely an adult when he arrived in New England, and probably not the son of any number of other immigrant Scott individuals in New England. Several theories have been postulated as to possible connections with other early New England Scott families, two of which are included here.
One theory, proposed by Orrin Allen in his book Descendants of William Scott of Hatfield, Mass., is that William Scott of Hatfield was in some way related to Benjamin Scott of Braintree. This is based upon the fact that William Scott's father-in-law, William Allis, had lived in Braintree circa 1656-1658, suggesting an association which lead to William Scott marrying Hannah Allis, daughter of William Allis. This would seem a very palatable theory if William Scott, at the time of his first appearance on record, 1668, had already been married to Hannah Allis, but he married her two years after he appears in Hatfield, ample time for becoming acquainted. Along the same vein, William Allis also lived in Hartford, Connecticut for a period of time, and some have suggested that William Scott followed the Allis family from Connecticut to Hatfield, Mass.
A theory with a bit less speculation, also proposed by Orrin Allen, is that William Scott could have been a brother, or close kin, to John Scott of Springfield, Mass. This is based upon the fact that William Scott appears in Hatfield/Hadley simultaneous to the arrival of John Scott in Springfield, Mass.; similarly, John Scott "appears from nowhere" in that there is also no trace left of his origin or port of arrival. Interestingly, this John Scott's father-in-law, Thomas Bliss settled originally in Braintree, but removed to Hatfield where he died. His widow then moved the family to Springfield. Another similarity is that names of some of the children of John Scott are names which are seen in the children of William Scott: John, Hannah, Sarah, William, and Mary.
The Life and Times of William Scott
William Scott was not among the earliest settlers of Hadley/Hatfield, as had been William Allis and Thomas Graves in 1661, all of whom are ancestors of this author. William Scott would have been roughly 33 years of age when he appeared in Hadley/Hatfield some seven years later, and about 35 years of age when he married Hannah Allis. He was assigned a houselot 20 rods in width, and he and Hannah were one of an estimated total of thirty families living in Hatfield/Hadley at this time. He was a prosperous man, evidenced by the following holdings: in the first division of commons, lot no. 65, 14 rods wide by over three miles long and in division no. 3, lot no. 6, 13 rods wide by about three miles long, both of these located in Hatfield; in division no. 2, lot no. 40, 12 rods wide by about two miles long, and in division no. 4, lot no. 69, 13 rods wide by four miles in length, both of these lots located in the present town of Whately. On a more personal note, wife Hannah Allis Scott, along with several other ladies, were fined for wearing silk in 1673.
William Scott joined the expedition which made the attack upon the Indians at "the Falls", now known as Turner's Falls, this in retaliation for an attack on Hatfield several months earlier. For a more complete account of Hatfield and its relationship with the Indians, see the information page for William Allis.
William Scott's original will was written February 15, 1716/17, but no record of his date of death has ever been found. Based upon his age, about 83, and his health as he describes it in his will, it is probably safe to say he died not later than 1718. He leaves to Hannah, "my Dearly beloved wife... my whole estate both real and personal for her Support and Maintenance During the term of her Natural Life". To his eldest son Josiah, he leaves three acres of land in Denison's Farm in addition to what had already been given to him in 1707. To daughters Hannah Braughton and Abigail Bingham, and sons Richard and William, he devises forty shillings each, and to his son Joseph he leaves the remainder of his estate. Wife Hannah Allis evidently did not live much longer than her husband, and may have even predeceased him, as she died in 1718.
Josiah Scott and Sarah Barrett Benjamin Scott and Jemima Tuttle James Scott and Sarah Consider Scott and Lois Keith Henry Dwight Scott and Lydia Ann Chapman At about the same time as Lydia's death, in December of 1865, he bought out the grocery store of Lydia's uncle, Captain Oliver Potter. "Scott's Market", located on Thames Street in Newport, was operated until 1891, when Henry Dwight Scott retired, and it was purchased by his son, William Chapman Scott. About two years after the death of Lydia, Henry Dwight Scott remarried to Grace Patterson, and they had two children, Charles Phillip Scott and Martha Ann Scott. After Grace's death in 1870, he married Sarah Taylor, who survived him. William Chapman Scott and Laura Effigenia Tew
Josiah Scott and wife Sarah Barrett removed from Hatfield just down the road to Whately in 1719, being among the first settlers of this town. Sarah Barrett was the daughter of Sarah Graves, whose grandfather Thomas Graves had been one of the original proprietors of Hadley/Hatfield. Not much more is known about him, nor have the dates of death for he and wife Sarah ever been found, but the inference from the small scraps of records remaining indicate they both lived to advanced ages. One of the few extant records shows that he deeded his eldest son, Josiah, Jr., the northernmost lot in Bradstreet, "with all of the buildings where I now live", in 1745.
Existing records show that Benjamin Scott was often called upon by the town of Whately for loans of silver money for keeping the quota of men in the army during the Revolutionary War. In 1771, he is shown in a listing of polls and estates with 1 dwelling house, two horses, three cows, and 23 acres of tillage land. Benjamin and Jemima lived to the advanced ages of 84 and 92, respectively.
Virtually nothing is known about the lives of James Scott and wife Sarah, but based upon information known to this author, it appears that his parents must have lived in Sunderland, Mass. early in their marriage, as James was born there in 1745. Since two of the sons of immigrant William Scott, namely Richard and William, are known to have settled in Sunderland very early, it is plausible that Benjamin and Jemima Scott may have lived there briefly, where their first 3 children were born.
The identity of Sarah is unknown, and the author originally believed that Sarah may have been surname Dwight, as the name Dwight appears as a middle name for their grandson, Henry Dwight Scott. But recent contact with another Scott researcher suggests that the name Dwight may have come through an uncle of Henry Dwight Scott, who married a Dwight, and that Sarah may have been Sarah White.
Much more is known about Consider Scott as he was a very conspicuous man in his time in Charlemont, Mass. Probably born in Sunderland, Mass. but likely having moved to Whately as a child with his parents, we find that in 1810, he is listed there as owning two buildings, nine mowing and tillage acres, five pasture acres, twelve acres unimproved, and one cow. He built Scott's Tavern, which he kept as a hotel for several years, as well as a small shop where he made harnesses. Since he had removed from Whately to Charlemont in 1809, he must have retained this property in Whately. In Charlemont, he served as town clerk from 1814 to 1826. (The home in which he lived still exists, and has been renovated and restored as closely as possible to its original state and is now the Academy at Charlemont, a private school.) He was awarded a contract in Charlemont in 1827 to build a road and bridge, cost $1,050. This bridge, named Scott's Bridge, existed until 1913, when it was replaced by a steel structure. Consider also built a brick tavern along a newly completed main travel route, which became a major gathering location in Charlemont and still exists as a private home. Consider Scott was a justice of the peace and an ensign in the state militia. With his first wife, Amanda Keith, he had nine children, and after her death in 1823, he married her first cousin, Lois C. Keith, in 1824, and two children were born from this marriage, Louise and Henry Dwight Scott. In 1830, shortly before his death, Consider and Lois removed to Salina (now part of Syracuse), New York, where he died about 1831. His name appears on the 1830 census for Onondaga County, in the district of Salina.
Born in Sunderland, Franklin, Massachusetts, Henry Dwight Scott lived to the ripe old age of 82, married three times, and fathered ten children. He was obviously an adventurous man who lived a very full life. He was just 6 years of age when his father passed away, and until the age of 17 he lived with Rothens Read in Easton, Mass. where he received his schooling.
Then at age 17 he entered into apprenticeship for four years with Marshall Wilbor in Fairhaven, Mass. to learn the carpentry trade, and remained there until 1849 working on his own. In late 1849, lured by the adventure of the California Gold Rush, he sailed on the vessel Florida, around Cape Horn, to Stockton, California, arriving on January 1, 1850. He worked the gold mines for a time and then as a carpenter in Stockton. Evidently due to ill health, he then left California from the port of San Francisco and sailed on the ship Hibernian to Liverpool, England, working as a carpenter aboard ship. While the dates are not known to this author, he shortly thereafter returned to Fairhaven, Mass. where he worked as a carpenter until 1860. It was during this time that he was engaged in the rebuilding of Nantucket after the great fire of 1858. He then moved to New Bedford, but had worked there but a short time when the Civil War commenced.
Enlisting in September 1861, he was active in the war for the majority of its duration, excepting a period when he was shot in front of the right ear, the bullet exiting just below his right eye, this at the battle of Gettysburg in the summer of 1863. In the fall of 1863, a medical certificate dated Rappahannock Station, 4 December 1863, shows him granted a leave of absence due to a wound received when a piece of shell struck his index finger. On 15 March 1864, he was honorably discharged to enable him to accept promotion, and on 25 March 1864 he was mustered in as Captain of the 16th Massachusetts Battery, Light Artillery. Between active fighting he was chiefly engaged in the defense of Washington, D.C.
Despite this adventurous and somewhat romantic lifestyle, his life was not without personal tragedy. During the war, his wife Lydia Ann Chapman, had moved the family to Newport, RI, and thus, in June of 1865, when he was discharged, he returned to Newport. On the morning of December 7, 1865, a kerosene lamp burst, igniting Lydia's clothing and enveloping her in flames. She was badly burned and died later that same day. The account of this tragedy is from the Newport Mercury, dated 9 December 1865:
"We have to record a sad and fatal accident from the use of kerosene oil, which occurred in the family of Capt. Henry D. Scott. It appears that the family had been in the habit of keeping a light burning through the night, and Thursday morning, Mrs. Scott, as usual after rising, blew it out. The lamp burst and scattered the burning liquid over her clothes, and in an instant she was enveloped in flames. The servant, who was holding a child but three months old, threw it into the arms of its mother, but had the presence of mind sufficient to retake it immediately, so that it was burnt but slightly. Mrs. Scott then attempted to reach her bed, but sank while endeavoring to open the door. Fortunately a soldier was passing, and hearing the screams ran into the house and immediately threw his overcoat around Mrs. Scott and smothered the fire. She was severely burned over her whole person, and lingered in excruciating pain until half-past ten Thursday evening. Mr. Scott has been in our city but a short time, having formerly lived in New Bedford. He was in the army through the rebellion and received three severe wounds, but they were as nothing to the present affliction, for he loses a fond wife who was the mother of seven living children, the oldest being but 17 years of age. The deceased's name before marriage was Lydia Chapman, daughter of the late Peleg Chapman, of this city, and at the time of her death was 38 years old."
As stated above, William bought the family grocery business from his father in 1891. While William never sought public office, he was a member of the board of directors of the Newport Cooperative Association for Saving and Building for several years. In his brief will, dated 19 Jul 1901, he left everything to his wife, Laura E. Scott, "absolutely", stating also that "I intentionally omit any provision for my three children in this will as I know that my wife will care for them." The assets of his business totaled just under $30,000, a good sum in those days. After William's death in 1920, his son Henry Tew Scott continued the family business until 1927.
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