On the early Town Records of' Northampton, the name is variously, written by the Recorders at different times, as Stebing Stebbin-. and Stebbins, as now written in America.
Rowland Stebbing and family came to Springfield with, or soon after the first settlers under William Pynchon, the leader of that colony, in 1636. Mr. Pynchon was a gentleman of superior attainments. He returned to England in 1662, and there died, leaving, his son, John, to succeed him, a gentleman of like accomplishments, a military character, and distinguished as a Civilian. His father had purchased the territory of Springfield, a tract equal to about twenty-five miles square. The Colony adopted a code of articles by which to be governed, and assigned lands to each settler or family, and the year following settled the Rev'd George Moxon as their spiritual teacher; between whose residence and that of Rowland Stebbing, the "Great Drum" was used to assemble the people on the Sabbath ; for which service, the, drummer was paid annually, by each family, one peck of Indian Corn or four-pence worth of Wampum.
Although Springfield was in extent, equal to about 25 miles square, yet the inhabitants, to avoid being crowded, adjudged that the whole territory would not accommodate more than 40 or 50 families. Sarah, the wife of Rowland Stebbing died in Springfield, and there his two daughters married and died.
Thomas was the eldest son of Rowland Stebbing. He (ded in Spring field, Sept. 25th, 1683, aged 63. To the Indian Deed of Northampton, dated 1653, he was a witness. The year after, Northampton began to be settled.
The purchase was made by Col. John Pynchon, consisting of a tract equal to about nine miles square, which was in consideration of one hundred fathom of Wampum, ten Coats, the plowing of sixteen acres of corn land, and a few presents to the principal Sachems, one of' which was a woman.
Rowland Stebbing and his son, John, were among the early settlers of Springfield, and afterwards of Northampton. The father having received his settlement land in Springfield, his son John received his settlement, land in Northampton. A home lot, in that part of the town now known as Hawley street, also his proportion of meadow also in the inner and outer commons.
The Indian Deed of Northampton bears date Sept. 24th, 1653, - a curiosity of olden time, as is also the last Will and Testament of Rowland Stebbing, who died in Northampton, Dec. 14, 1671, aged 77, where also his son, John, died 1678, aged 60.
John Stebbins married Abigail Bartlett. Their descendants were numerous, as appears by the records of births, marriages and deaths, in Northampton. Yet not one of the descendants of John are now living in Northampton. He had nine children. Several of his sons went to Deerfield in the early settlement of that town, and some of their decendants now reside there. One of John's sons was captured by the Indians, at Deerfield with his wife, but he made his escape before reaching Canada, and is supposed to have afterwards settled in Belchertown. Rowland Stebbing may be considered as the ancestor of all of the name now in America, however they may vary the spelling, as Stiben, Stibben, Steeben, Stubbing, Stebbing, or as now generally written, Stebbins. Thomas, the eldest son of Rowland Stebbing, remained in Springfield and married a daughter of Deacon Samuel Wright, who removed to Northampton and there died in his chair suddenly. His descendants now own a beautiful knoll, adjoining the cemetery, called Stebbin's Hill, which is in possession of the heirs of the late Noah Wright.
A bit of information found about the old Burial Ground:
The Railroad having been laid aross and over the ancient brial-ground in Springfield, which had been used as a dpository of the dead from the first settlement of the, town, A.D. 1636, and had been so crowded by graves overgrown with trees and shrubbery, that the town had ordered the remains and monuments to be removed to the Dew cemetery, provided for that and other sepulchral purposes. The exhumation and removal commenced in the spring of 1848. Some persons chose to remove the relics of their friends to the towns of their respective residence.
The remains of an adopted daughter of mine were removed to Northampton cemetery, also of Spencer Judd, her husband, and their son.
1848, June 16th, the writer of this memoir, attended the exhumation of his parents and grand-parents; the 3d Joseph of this memoir, who had been buried 55 years, and his grand-mother had been buried 45 years, whose coffins were in a middling state of preservation; the coffins made of pine, the age of the grand-father designated by brass nails; the heads of the nails apparently gilded : the coffin lid of the grand-mother had a metal plate with name, age, and time of decease.
The coffin of the father and mother, less perfect, through inhumed only about half so long, in the same kind of earth, -a sandy loam - side by side; the wood composing the coffins not of pine.
All the large bones firm - some portions of the sepulchral dress well preserved, especially a dress wig with curls, also the coffin trimmings.
By comparing the coffins of these and others, as to the difference be tween pine and other materials, an opinion was formed, that a coffin made of 11 inch white pine, with a steep roof, might last a century.
The most ancient remains exhumed were those of the wife of Elizur Holyoke, daughter of William Pynchon, the leader of the Springfield colony, 1636. She died Oct. 26, 1657 and her remains were exhumed in 1848, having been in the ground 191 years.
There were probably others, who deceased at an earlier date, and without grave-stones to designate the spot of interment. But she, being a distinguished woman, daughter of William Pynchon, sister to Col. John Pynchon, might be the occasion of a monumental stone, which described her as the " Very paragon of her sex." Her husband, Eleazer [Elizur] Holyoke, sustained a conspicuous station with Col. John Pynchon in the purchase and settlement of Northampton.
While diggin- over the old burying-ground in Springfield it was found that the roots of willows, elders, &c., had penetrated decayed Coffins. Such was the condition of exhuming the remains of Major Adre, at the head of whose grave, some sympathising lady had planted a sprig of Willow, which, at the time of exhumation, had grown to the size of a tree, and the roots had penetrated and sought nourishment from the head and body. A grave was dug in Northampton cemetery, near an Elm tree, and being opened afterwards to remove the remains to a distant town or city, the whole body was found enveloped by a fibrous coat of roots like a matting. Such an effect of trees near graves, needs no comment.