Calvin Priest's Land in Erving
1858 Walling County Map (click to enlarge)
Calvin Priest bought 91 acres along the south line of the Town of Northfield "between Northfield and Wendell" in December 1798. The land was purchased for $800 from Walter Field. Both were Northfield residents. The land was the north half of lot 23, as shown on the Metcalf map of John Erving's land. It abutted the east side of the 300 acre Field Farm, so called, which was then part of Northfield. The sale reserved a 2-rod (33 ft.) road to access Zachariah Nichols' land. (Book 30, Page 203)
The Erving Historical Commission and Conservation Commission have viewed and mapped cellar holes in this area and are collecting information to identify the history of this settlement. In addition to the families recorded on maps or in the census in the 1800s Stebbins' "History of Northfield" records Native American habitation.
Keyup's Brook was so named on the 1788 Metcalf map. We have not found the "early deeds" mentioned here.
Calvin was born in Bolton or Harvard, Worcester County, in 1771 to Gabriel and Sarah (Sawyer) Priest. The Erving land was purchased shortly after Calvin married Susanna(h) Wesson in Athol in August 1798. They had four known children in Erving: Josiah (1802-1860), Calvin Jr. (1804-1879), Avery (1809-1866), and Susanna (1816-1847). In 1810 the Priests and their three boys are found in the census of "Erving's Gore" before Erving was incorporated as a town. He took an active role in the community. At a meeting of the landholders in Erving's Grant in 1815, Calvin Priest was an assessor. At the first Town Meeting in 1836 Calvin Priest, probably the younger Calvin, was Moderator, Selectman, and School Committee member. He was Selectman off and on until 1863. He was also a representative to the General Court. Calvin Sr. is recorded in Erving until his death in 1855. He is buried in the Center Cemetery with Susannah, their sons Calvin and Avery and their spouses, and their daughter Susanna. Son Josiah relocated to Belchertown.
The 1850 federal census of Erving provides a later snapshot of this family. Calvin and Susannah lived with their son Avery, his wife Elvira (Field) and son William. Calvin Jr. lived nearby with his wife Clymena (Gould) and children Delia, William, Newton and Sarah. Both brothers gave their occupation as "lumberman" and two sawmills on Keyup Brook are attributed to them on the 1858 map. In 1855 Avery called himself a farmer, but Calvin was a lumber dealer. In 1869, Calvin Priest appears in a state listing of saw mills. By 1860 Jonathan Delva's household was listed next to Avery Priest. His home is illustrated on the map above.
Several newspaper articles reference these mills. On March 15, 1847 residents of Erving petitioned the County Commissioners to establish a county road next to the Priest Mills. On June 7, 1867 a storm "never known in this section of our county, certainly not in the memory of a person now living" swept through Northfield and Erving washing away Calvin Priest's dam and mill, and nearly destroying Avery Priest's mill. Their losses were estimated at $1,000 and $500, respectively.
