History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1735.J JOSEPH HAWLEY—PHYSICIANS—TOWN HALL. 81
Lane," ' now Hawley Street. He bought the homestead of
Thomas Sheldon, on the opposite side of the street from
his father's house in 1723, and built a house upon it soon
after.
A Man of luteiii- Mr. Hawley was not college educated, Init
gence. lived the life of a quiet country merchant,
respected by all, and honored with many
marks of confidence by his fellow-citizens. He was neither
a lawyer nor a politician, and did not attain to any judicial
or legislative honors, but was often employed by the town
in important transactions. That he was a person of some
culture, may be inferred from the list of books named in
his inventory, and as they are not classed with " goods in
the shop," it is presumed that they were not part of his
stock in trade. Indeed there would have been little demand
for them by the common people of the county or the
town. Among them were Virgil in Latin, an English and
Latin Dictionary, Cicero's Orations in Latin, a Greek and
Latin Grammar and Lexicon, and many books of a religious
character, including sixty-nine single sermons.
Whether the latter were manuscripts or printed is not sta-
ted : if the former they were probably inherited from his
father.
Religious Despond- Duriug the religious excitement of 1735,
^'^^y- Mr. Hawley was much impressed, and ex-
ceedingly concerned about the state of his
soul. He finally gave way to a fit of extreme melancholy,
and in a moment of temporary insanity, put an end to his
life. 3
1 Dea. Sheldon was a shoemaker, and employed a number of apprentices. Aecordiug
to tradition his wife was in the habit of making huge puddings, on which to
feed them. From that circumstance the sarcastic gossips of that day named the
street " Pudding Lane."—Judd MSS.
2 " In the latter part of May, it began to be very sensible that the spirit of God
was gradually withdrawing from us, and after this time Satan seemed to be more let
loose, and raged in a dreadful manner. The first instance, wherein it appeared, was
a person's putting an end to his own life, by cutting his throat. He was a gentleman
of more than common understanding, of strict morals, religious in his behaviour,
and an useful, honorable person in the town ; but was of a family that are exceeding
prone to the disease of melancholy, and his mother was killed with it. He had, from
the beginning of this extraordinary time, been exceedingly concerned about the state
of his soul, and there were some things in his experience, that appeared very hopefully,
but he durst entertain no hope concerning his own good estate. Towards the
6