Rev. Ballantine

Like Rev. Atwater, Rev. John Ballantine kept track of Westfield life in his journal -noting the sicknesses and deaths, births and marriages, as well as natural disasters and international events. Rev. John Ballantine settled in Westfield in 1741, was the minister at the Congregational Church and passed away in 1776 when he was 60 years old. Ballantine was the minister from 1741-1776. The local paper, The Westfield Joural, printed excerpts from Ballantine's Diary which are easier to read than Ballantine's handwriting. Included is a complete copy of Ballantine's 1739 diary.

Westfieldiana  beings in 1859 with notices of bounties paid for killing the wolves and woodchucks which were evidently too plentiful. The diary continues to talk of diseasess (measels out break), accidents, comets, whirlwinds (tornados), military expeditions, worship services and who is preaching. Ministers also taught school, so his pupils are named as well as who he married and who died. The Westfield Athenaeum has a copy of the Westfield Journal newspaper, a copy of Westfieldiana and Ballantine's complete Journal.

Rev. Isaac Knapp was minister at the Congregational Church from 1803-1847.

Rev. Ballantine's Journal is available for purchase on line: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ballentinebranches/history/journal.htm