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

304 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. L1756.
vendue," and it was purchased by Solomon Stoddard for
" £100 lawful money." In a short time he sold one half of
it to Noah Edwards, "Stoddard's Island" continued to
increase, and in twenty-five or thirty years, seven or eight
acres were mowed.
The Purchase Money The uext year, a Committee from several
Disbursed. towus in the couuty petitioned the Legis-
lature, asking that the money paid for the
Island should be granted to the county to aid in building
and maintaining bridges. They say that this " Island has
arisen in the river within the memory of man and so the
increase of the estate of the province has grown out of the
loss of the inhabitants of said county." Their petition
was granted, and the county used the money for the erec-
tion and support of a bridge over Ware River.
Levi Shepherd buys In 1803, Levi Shepherd Jr., bought the
the Island. Island of Mr. Stoddard and Eli and Vester
Edwards, for $1200, and sold it to his
father. Since that transaction it has been known as
" Shepherd's Island."
Town Action in In Juue, 1756, the town refused to hire any
1756 and 1757. "^^^^ a Grammar schoolmaster, and ordered
the selectmen to " Direct the Schoolmaster
that he Spend no more Time with y'' Latin Scholars than
their Equal proportion with other Scholars." The schoolmaster
was evidently a believer in classical education, and
took great delight in imparting his knowledge. — Dr.
Mather sought permission to build a pew in the meetinghouse,
on the women's side of the broad alley, at the end
of the body seats, but the people were unwilling to sanc-
tion any encroachments upon that portion of the house,
and the request was denied. — The meeting-house had now
been built about twenty years, and was in need of substantial
repairs. Accordingly it was ordered that the needed
improvements should be made, and a window put into the
southwest gable of the house.—In May an order was passed
to build a bridge over Mill River at "Welch End," provided
the owners of the upper mill would provide plank.