Hubbell Pioneers - Massachusetts
The Hubbells Move Inland
Ithamar Hubbell
The intense craving for land ownership was one reason for the migration from England to America. Land was in short supply in England and difficult to obtain. The custom of primogeniture made younger sons landless. The desire for land drove the young to risk the long, dangerous sea voyage to the New World and even overcame their fear of the Indians and wild animals that inhabited this "new land."
By the time the children of the original Connecticut immigrants had grown to maturity, the land away from the ocean was being explored and settled. Newtown, 25 miles northwest of Bridgeport, was incorporated in 1711. Kent, 30 miles northwest of Newtown and still further inland, was sold for settlement in 1737.
Jonathan Hubbell was one of the original landholders in Kent. His son Ithamar was probably the first Hubbell to settle in Massachusetts. Ithamar was a great grandson of Richard Hubball, the family immigrant, and grandson of Richard's son Richard. Jonathan married Peaceable Silliman and they had 12 children of whom Ithamar was number nine (the fourth son). He was born in Newtown, Connecticut, probably in 1718.
Ithamar left home and family in Newtown to venture 100 miles north to Sheffield. The Massachusetts General Court had allowed Thomas Nash and Joseph Parsons to buy one-third of what is now Berkshire County from the Konkepot and other Indians if they agreed to support a church and a school. The land was purchased in 1724 for 460 pounds, three barrels of cider and 30 quarts of rum.
Ithamar was a substantial citizen of Sheffield, a picturesque small town on the banks of the Housatonic River in the Berkshire Hills of southwestern Massachusetts. He was a surveyor and took part in laying out the parcels of land. In 1750 13 acres of land were deeded to him. At the time of his death he owned 250 acres with two houses and two barns. In 1755 of 1756, Ithamar joined the militia, subsequently to become a lieutenant, then a captain, and finally a major.
The French and Indian War was one of the important turning points in the history of the colonies when the French, with their customs and religion, were pushed back to what was to become the Canadian-United State boundary. The war broke out in 1754 when the French attempted to establish control of the Ohio Valley. Forts along the Massachusetts and New Hampshire border were built to deter attacks by the Mohawks, French allies who were feared by other Indians and settlers alike. By 1756, confidence in these forts was shaken when one in the town of Adams was attacked.
Governor Shirley of Massachusetts ordered William Johnson to command an expedition to remove the French from Fort St. Frederic, but this campaign did not get started until late summer of 1755. Less than 4,000 provincials and about 400 Indians met at the northern end of Lake George. The provincials, and Ithamar was one of those, were a separate group from the British regulars. They enlisted for a specific period of time. At the end of their enlistment, they could walk away and go home. Many did just that.
In this battle of Lake George, the unprepared provincials were met by an army of French and Indians. In the end, 262 provincials and 230 French were casualties. Johnson's men were too weak and disorganized to follow the French back to Fort St. Frederic. Ithamar was probably a participant in this battle as he was listed both as a lieutenant and a captain from April to December.
We don't know when Ithamar first saw Sheffield but he was there when he married a Sheffield woman, Mabel Dewey. He died December 14, 1760-- 12 days after being discharged from the militia. Mabel died 14 days later; both were only 42 years old. They were survived by seven children ranging in age from 18 years to 9 months. It is not recorded who raised these children. Hubbell Pioneers gives thumbnail sketches of Ithamar's children.
There is no mention of Ithamar's occupation other than surveyor and his captaincy of the militia. It is presumed his main occupation was being a farmer. He was a pioneer who expanded the territory that was soon to be the United States of America.