974.301 ' '* H
R93s ■
1136133
eENEALOGY COLLECTION
1833 01092 5342
GENEALOGY
974,301
R93S
HISTORY
RUT LAN D COUNTY
VERMONT
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
OF SOME OF ITS PROMINENT MEN AND PIONEERS
EDITED BY
H. P. SMITH AND W. S. RANN
SYRACUSE. N. Y.
D. MASON & CO., PUBLISHERS
1886
D. MASON A CO.,
BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS,
63 WEST WATEK ST.,
SYRACUSE, N. Y.
INTRODUCTORY.
113G133
WHILE it may seem to the uninitiated a taslt involving but little difficulty
to prepare for publication a work no more comprehensive in character
than this volume, and containing merely the history of a single county, still it
is not out of place here to assure all such readers that the work is one demand-
ing a vast amount of labor and research, watchful care, untiring patience and
fair discrimination. This need not be said to any person who has had experi-
ence in similar work. In attempting the production of a creditable history of
Rutland county the publishers and the editor did not underestimate the diffi-
culties of their task, and came to it fully imbued with a clear idea of its mag-
nitude and determination to execute it in such a manner that it should receive
the general commendation of all into whose hands it should fall. It is believed
that this purpose has been substantially carried out, and that, while a perfect
historical work has never yet been published, this one will be found to contain
so few imperfections that the most critical readers will be satisfied.
It is a part of the plans of the publishers in the production of county his-
tories to secure, as far as possible, local assistance, either as writers, or in the
revision of all manuscripts; the consequence being that the work bears a local
character which could not otherwise be secured, and, moreover, comes from
the press far more complete and perfect than could possibly be the case were
it entrusted wholly to the efforts of comparative strangers to the locality in
hand. In carrying out this plan in this county the editor has been tendered
such generous co-operation and assistance of various kinds that to merel}' men-
tion all who have thus aided is impossible; the satisfaction of having assisted
in the production of a commendable public enterprise must be their present
^ 9
Introduction.
reward. But there are some who have given so generously of their labor and
time towards the consummation of this work, that to leave them unmentioned
would be simple injustice. Among these should be mentioned the Hon.
Henr}' Clark, of Rutland, for editorial assistance in the work, and the
writing of a portion of the general history ; the Hon. Barnes Frisbie, of
Poultney, who generously contributed two important chapters to the volume
and assisted the editor in various other directions ; Mr. George J. Wardwell,
for his very able chapter on the marble industry of the county; Mr. J. J. R.
Randall, for contributing an account of the schools of Rutland ; H. B. Spaf-
ford, for his history of the town of Clarendon ; Dr. Currier, and other physi-
cians of the county, for material aid in the preparation of the chapter on the
medical profession ; H. H. Smith, for valuable assistance to the editor in com-
pleting the chapter devoted to Free Masonry ; and the entire press and clergy
of the county, town clerks and other officials, for generous aid in various ways.
To all these and to so many others that it is impossible to mention them in de-
tail, the gratitude of editor, publishers and readers is alike due.
With this word of introduction the work is commended to its readers.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
SUMMARY OF EARLY HISTORY.
The Office of History — The Pioneers of New England — Discovery of the Territory of Rut-
land County — The Five Powers — County Formation — A Dark Period — Vermont's
Policy — Annexation of Territory — Original Names of Rutland County Towns —
Early Statistics — Military Posts — The First County Seat — County Boundaries and
Area — Towns of the County — Statistics — Territorial Right of the Indians — Native
Occupation — Causes of Delay in Settlement — Tide of Emigration — Settlements —
The French and English War — Vermont Charters — Date of Settlement of Rutland
County Towns — " Pitching " Before Purchasing — Pioneer Characteristics — The Land
Claimants— .Ethan Allen's Resolute Stand — Sympathy of the New Hampshire Grants
Settlers and New York — General Early Condition of the County — Purpose of this
Work
CHAPTER n.
NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS.
General Character of the Surface of the Country — Geological Features — Description of
"Sea Beaches," or Terraces, and their Location — Marine Fossils Discovered in the
County — Unstratified Rocks — Other Interesting Deposits — List of Mineral Deposits
in the County and their Location — The Marble Deposit — Clays and Pigments — Iron
Ores — Copperas — Topography — Description of Prominent Mountains — Streams of
the County — Mineral Springs — Lakes of the County.
CHAPTER ;ni.
THE COLONIAL PERIOD.
Indian Occupation — Tlie Iroquois and Abenakis — Claims of the Indians to Lands — Evi-
dences of Iroquois Occupation — Rutland County Before the Revolution — First Re-
cords of Exploration — Cross and Melvin's Expeditions — Vermont Debatable Ground
in the French War — Military Roads — The Road from Charlestown, N. H., to Crown
Point — Elias Hall's Statement.
CHAPTER IV.
THE NEW YORK CONTROVERSY.
The Grounds of the Controversy — Issue of Conflicting Patents — Schedule of Patents and
Date of Issue — Difficulties Engendered in Attempts to Eject Settlers — A MiUtary Or-
ganization under Ethan Allen — Lydius's Claim and Grants under It — The First Ar-
rest and Trial — Other Incidents — Benjamin Hough's Offense and Punishment — Proc-
lamations and Counter- Proclamations — The Controversy Quieted by the Opening of
the Revolutionary Struggle. »
55
CHAPTER V.
THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA.
Inherent Patriotism of the People — Prepared for the First Gall — Capture of Ticonderoga
— Different Sentiments Existing Among and Actuating the Inhabitants — Effect of
the approach of Burgoyne's Army — Mercilessness Shown to Tories — Results in Ver-
mont of Burgoyne's Surrender — Faithfulness of Vermonters to the Cause of Patriot-
ism.
CHAPTER VI.
THE BATTLE OF HUBBARDTON.
Effects of the Battle — Condition of the People Immediately Preceding the Affair — Colo-
nel Warner's Appeal to the Vermont Convention — General St, Clair's Appreciation —
Effects of the Abandonment of Ticonderoga — The Retreat — The Attack — Allen's
Detailed Description of the Battle — Incidents. 58
CHAPTER Vn.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION — WAR OF 1812.
Vermont's Record in the Revolution — Bennington County and its Extent — Formation of
Rutland County — First County Officers — Addison County Taken from Rutland —
Courts — War of 1812 — Vermont's Active Measures — Minority Opposition — The War
Productive of Internal Dissensions in Rutland County — Hearty Response to Call for
Men at the Battle of Plattsburg — Peace and Prosperity. 65
CHAPTER Vni.
SOCIAL HISTORY.
Philosophy of Social History — Natural Desire of Humanity for Association — Social Inter-
course in its Early Development — Real Social Character of " the Good Old Times," as
Compared with Present Customs — The Old Fire-Place — Corn Huskings — Amuse-
ments Therewith Connected — " Kitchen Digs " — Other Amusements. 69
CHAPTER IX.
RUTLAND COUNTY IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
Patriotism of Vei-mont — Honorable Services of the Troops — Action at the First Call for
Volunteers — Company C (Rutland Light Guards) of the First Regiment — Its Re-
Enlistment in the Twelfth Regiment — Career of the Regiment — The Fifth and Elev-
enth Regiments, Vermont Brigade — Career of the Brigade — The Seventh Regiment —
The Tenth Regiment and its Career — The Ninth Regiment — First Regiment Vermont
Sharpshooters — Career of Company F, First Vermont Cavalry — Nine-Months Vol-
unteers— The Twelfth and Fourteenth Regiments — Second Battery Light Artillery —
— Roster of Officers from Rutland County. 75
CHAPTER X.
CIVIL LIST, COUNTY BUILDINGS, SOCIETIES, ETC.
Supreme Court Judges — County Court Judges — State's Attorneys — Clerks of County
Court — Sheriffs of the County — Judges and Registers of Probate — Senators from
Rutland County — Public Buildings — The Post-Offioe Building— The Town Hall —
The High School Building— Court-House and Jail — The House of Correction— Rut-
land County Historical Society — Agricultural Society. 140
Contents.
CHAPTER XI.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
The First Internal Improvements — Laying out of Roads — The Old Military Road and Other
Highways — Old Stage Lines — Effects of the Early Lack of Rapid Transportation —
The Champlain Canal and its Influence— Other Navigation Projects — The Railroad
Era — The Rutland and Whitehall Railroad and Bank — The First Railroad — The Ver-
mont and Canada Railroad Company — The Central Vermont Railroad Company —
Bennington and Rutland Railroad — The Delaware and Hudson Coal Company's Line
— Rutland and Whitehall Railroad — Great Changes. 154
CHAPTER Xn.
INDUSTRIES OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
Eflects of Industries-on Civilization — Earhest Industries and Tools — Characteristics of
the Pioneers — Clearing of Forests — The Food Supply — Early Agriculture — Mistakes
of Early Farmers — Introduction of Improved Farm Tools — Sheep Husbandry — Im-
ported Stock and its Improvement — Prominent Breeders of the County — Cattle
Raising — Horses and their Improvement — Early Manufactures — Causes of Decline
— Present Activity of Manufactures, 162
CHAPTER XHI.
MARBLE AND SLATE IN RUTLAND COUNTY.
Geographical Position — Geological Age — Mountains — Lakes and Ponds — Geographical
Order of Rocks — Rock Formation — Ice Period and Glacial Theory — Fossils — Min-
erals— Economic Minerals — Early Quarries and Mills — Analyses of Marbles — Com-
parative Strength of Marbles — Chronological List of Marble Quarries — Develop-
ment of Machinery — Slate Quarries — Chronological List of Slate Quarries — Iron —
Clays. 171
CHAPTER XIV.
RUTLAND COUNTY EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS.
Character of Early Settlers in Vermont — Their Reliance Upon the Church and The School-
House — Plymouth Colony Act Relative to Education — Further School Legislation —
Early County, or Grammar Schools — Rutland County Board of Trustees — Academic
History — Rutland County Academy — Brandon Academy — West Rutland Acad-
emy— Poultney Female Academy — Primary Schools — Provisions for their Support
— -The Pioneer School System and School-Houses — School Improvements — Normal
Schools — Graded and Union Schools — Present School Conditions. 201
CHAPTER XV.
THE PRESS OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
The Early Press — First Paper in Rutland County — Sketch of its Proprietor — The Second
Paper — The Rutland Herald — Sketches of Matthew Lyon, Judge Samuel WiUiams
and^ Dr. Samuel Williams — Succeeding Proprietors of the Herald — The First Daily
Paper in the County — The Rural Magazine — Other Rutland Journals — Newspapers
of Fairhaven — Poultney Journals — Castleton Journalism — Brandon Newspapers —
Danby and Wallingford Journals. 213
14 Contents.
CHAPTER XVI.
MEDICAL SOCIETIES AND THE PROFESSION.
The Castleton Medical College — Organization, Members of Corporation, Officers, etc. —
P'irst Medical Society — County Medical Societies — The Present Society and its Offi-
cers — Castleton Medical Society — Castleton Medical and Surgical Clinic — Society
of Alumni of Castleton Medical College — The Rutland Dispensary — Biographic
Memoranda in the Various Towns — Dr. James Porter — Dr. Lorenzo Sheldon — Dr.
Ezekiel Porter — Dr. James B. Porter — Dr. Cyrus Porter — Dr. Hannibal Porter —
Dr. James Ross — Deceased Physicians of the various Towns outside of Rutland. 235
CHAPTER XVn.
THE COURTS AND THE BENCH AND BAR OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
Absence of Courts in Early Years — The Old Superior Court — First Judges — The First
Docket — The Old Court Records — Jurisdiction of the First Supreme Court — The
First County Court — Its Jurisdiction — Subsequent Changes — Probate Courts —
Justices of the Peace and their Powers — The Records — An early Rule of the Court
— Whipping Posts — An Incident -Early PubUc House Licenses — Old Warrants,
Complaints, etc — De.scription of a Court Scene in Rutland — The County Bar. 255
CHAPTER XVin.
SECRET SOCIETIES.
Early Masonic Lodges — Organization of the G-rand Lodge of Vermont — Sketches of the
Grand Masters — Prominent Rutland County Masons -^Elective Officers of the Grand
Lodge from its Organization to the Present — History of Center Lodge — Its Reor-
ganization and Officers — Rutland Lodge No. 79 — Hiram Lodge No. 101 — Royal
Arch Masons — Lodges in the Various Towns — Odd Fellowship in Rutland County
— History of the First Lodge — Grand Array of the Republic. 284
CHAPTER XIX.
History of the Town of Rutland 302
CHAPTER XX.
History of the Town of Benson 454
CHAPTER XXI.
History of the Town of Brandon 473
CHAPTER XXII.
History ot the Town of Castleton 516
CHAPTER XXIII.
History of tlie Town of Cliittenden 547
CHAPTER XXIV.
History of the Town of Clarendon 554
CHAPTER XXV.
History of the Town of Danl.y 575
Contents. 15
CHAPTER XXVI.
History of the Town of Fairhaven 591
CHAPTER XXVn.
History of tlie Town of Hubbardton G16
CHAPTER XXVni.
History of the Town of Ira 6.30
CHAPTER XXIX,
History of tlie Town of Mendou 635
CHAPTER XXX.
History of tlie Town of Middletown 641
CHAPTER XXXI.
History of the Town of Mount Holly 673
CHAPTER XXXII.
History of the Town of Mount Tabor 692
CHAPTER XXXIII.
History of tlie Town of Pawlet 697
CHAPTER XXXIV.
History of tlie Town of Pittsfteld 719
CHAPTER XXXV.
History of the Town of Pittsford 726
CHAPTER XXXVI.
History of the Town of Poultney 766
CHAPTER XXXVII.
History of the Town of Sherburne 795
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
History of the Town of Shrewsbury 802
CHAPTER XXXIX.
History of the Town of Sudbury 812
CHAPTER XL.
History of the Town of Tinmoutli 819
CHAPTER XLI.
History of the Town of WaUingford 831
CHAPTER XLII.
History of tlie Town of Wells 848
CHAPTER XLIII.
History of the Town of Westhaven 859
CHAPTER XLIV.
Biosraphioal .' 868
Contents.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Adams, Joseph, facing 608
Allen, Colonel Alonson, facing 592
Allen, Hon. Ira C, facing 612
Baird, Hiram, facing 872
Baxter, General Horace Henry, . . . .facing 870
Benson, Porter, facing 560
Bowman, John P., between 810-811
Bowman, Mrs. Jane E., between 810-811
Bowman, Ella H., between 810-811
Bresee, Albert, facing 620
Brigham, Charles W., M. D., facing 874
Cain, John, facing 222
Clark, Henry, facing 224-
Coat of Arms, Neshobe Island, 13
Cook, Nelson W., facing 676
Dikeman, George W., between 886-887
Dikeman, Mrs. George W., . .between 886-887
Dikeman, M. M between 884-885
Dikeman, Mrs. M. M., between 884-885
Dunn, James C, facing 438
Ellis, Zenas C, facing 600
Everts, Martin G., facing 146
Fort Warren, Plan of, 527
Francisco. M. J., facmg 412
Fri.sbie, Hon. Barnes, facing 264
Gilson, E. P., facing 184
Gray, A. W., between 670-671
Gray, Leonidas, between 670-671
Greeno, B. Pi., facing 320
Hanger, Ryland,
Holt^ Rufus,
Horton, Warren,
Huglies, Hugh G.,
Kellogg, Newton,
Kingsley, Harrison,
Kingsley, General Levi G.,.
Landon, W. C,
Lothrop, Henry F.,
Munson, Israel,
Munson. Mr.«. Lsrael,
Paov. lb
Pr.mt. II
Pro.h.i,
P..
ng
ag
ng
.between 840-
, between 840-
facing
facing
facina:
Rediiigton L. W., facing
Roberts, Colonel George T., facing
Rogers, Asa J., facing
Royce, George E., facing
Rumsey, C. S., facing
Sheldon, Charles, facing
Sheldon, John A., facing
Slason, C. H., facing
Smith, Warren H., facing
State House, View of Old, facing
Strong, George W., facing
Tarbell, Mar.shall, facing
Taylor, Daniel W., . . . ; facing
Wardwell, George J., facing
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Adams, Joseph, 868
AIIku, Colonel Alonson, 881
Allen, Hon. Ira C, 869
Bau-d, Hiram, «72
Baxter, General Horace Henry, 870
Benson, Porter, 873
Bowman, John P., 875
Bresoc. Albert 899
Bi-igham, Charles W.. M. D., 874
Cain. John 879
Clark. Hon. Merritt, 926
Cook, Nelson W., . . '. 876
Carrier, John McNab, M. D., 878
Dikeman, George W. and wife, 885
Dikeman, M. M. and wife, 8^.",
Duim, James C, 8sil
Ellis. Z.-iias C, ss-
Evcrt.s Martin G., ^S'<
Francisro. M. J 921
Frisbu-, Hon. Barnes, 889
Gilson, Edson P., 890
Grav, Albert W 891
Gray, Leonidas, .' 893
Greeno, Benjamin R., 894
Hanger, Ryiand 895
Holt, Rutus 896
Horton, Warren, 897
Hughes,- Hugh G., 898
Kellogg, Newton, 900
Kingsley, Harrison, 901
Kingsley, General Levi G., 925
Landon, W. C, 903
Lothrop, Henry F., 902
Munson, Israel, 904
Page, Hon. John B., 922
Prout, Hon. John, 905
Proctor, Hon. Redfield, 904
Redington, L. W., 907
Roberts, Colonel George T., 905
n.i- !-. Asa J, 910
l:-\<- . i;.di--e E., 908
l: .11 < ■. , I'hauncey S., 907
Shrl.lnll. ('l,;„-le,«, 912
Sheldon, John A 913
Slason. Charles H., 910
Smith, Warren H., 914
Stron ';.,.:, \V 911
Taii.: \' 927
T:y\i ' I',: . : w 916
WanlA. ,, I..O,,, .1,,.: 916
HISTORY
RUTLAND COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
SUMMARY OF EARLY HISTORY.
The Office of History — The Tioneers of New England — Discovery of the Territory of Rutland
County — The Five Powers — County Formation — A Dark Period — Vermont's Policy — Annexation
of Territory — Original Names of Rutland County Towns — Early Statistics — Military Posts — The
First County Seat— County Boundaries and Area — Towns of the County — Statistics — Territorial
Right of the Indians — Native Occupation — Causes t)f Delay in Settlement — Tide of Emigration —
Settlements — The French and English War — Vermont Charters — Date of Settlement of Rutland
County Towns — "Pitching" Before Purchasing — Pioneer Characteristics — The Land Claimants —
Ethan Allen's Resolute Stand — Sympathy of the New Hampshire Grants Settlers and New York —
General Early Condition of the County— Purpose of this Work.
TO trace the rise and progress of communities ; to follow the fortunes and
elucidate the character of those who have laid the foundations of com-
monwealths ; to preserve from decay the memory of the men who have trans-
ferred from one generation to another the arts of peace, the blessings of liberty
and the consolations of religion — these belong to the province of history.
" It is not the least debt," says Sir Walter Raleigh, " we owe unto history,
that it has made us acquainted with our dead ancestors and delivered us their
memory and fame. Besides, we gather out of it a policy no less wise than
eternal, by the comparison and application of other men's fore- passed mercies
with our own like errors and ill-deservings."
The histor)' of our ancestors is indeed of inestimable value to their de-
scendants, though by it our " ill-deservings " may perhaps stand out in more
prominent relief against their fore-passed mercies. But their example remains
for all time to come. Simple, unpretending, high-minded and pure of pur-
pose, the early men of New England had great objects in view.
- 17
i8 History of Rutland County.
The story of our origin, as the people of New England, is not obscure.
It is not traced back to the dim uncertainty of tradition and fable. The foun-
dations of society and the origin of institutions, both civil and religious, may
be correctly ascertained. The first settlements of New England and Vermont
came into being, as communities, with all the attributes of organized society
and all the restraints of good government and subordination. If any feeling
of which vanity forms a prominent part ever attains the dignity of a virtue, it
is that which is felt in an honorable history. It is a prescriptive right to recite
deeds and heroic acts of our ancestors. It is a high pleasure and a grateful
duty. Whatever is noble, whatever is heroic, is only so by comparison, for
the very terms themselves signify something above, beyond, higher than the
ordinary measures of human thoughts and action. In love of country, in de-
termined opposition to tyranny and oppression, in daring adventures, in forti-
tude under sufferings and steadiness of purpose, the early settlers of Rutland
county will not suffer in comparison with any pioneers of New England. Since
the peculiar circumstances in which they were placed no longer exist to call
into exercise like virtues in their descendants, nothing else will so effectually
stay the possibility of degeneracy in the latter as the remembrance and con-
templation of the fathers' elevated patriotism and devotion to the service of
the State.
The discovery of Lake Champlain by Samuel Champlain on the 4th of July,
1609, was without question the discovery of the territory now comprised in
Rutland county. The county has been subject to the nominal jurisdiction of
five difterent powers. The Indians; the French, by right of discovery in
1609 ; the English, by right of conquest and colonization ; Vermont, as an in-
dependent republic, from her declaration of independence January 15, 1777,
to her admission into the Union, March 4, 1 791 ; and the United States for
the last ninety-four years. Rutland county has been a portion, also, of five
different counties. In 1683 Albany county was first founded, its southern
boundary Sawyer's Creek, west of the Hudson, and Roeloffe Jansen's Creek
on the east. These creeks are in about the same latitude as the northern line
of the State of Connecticut, and Albany county included all Massachusetts
west of the Connecticut River and the whole of Vermont. In 1772 Albany
county was divided into three counties, one of which, Charlotte, extended over
the territory of which this work treats. The early settlers, in their deeds, de-
scribed themselves as being of the county of Albany, or Charlotte, according
to dates. In March, 1778, at the first organization of the State government
of Vermont, the State was divided into two counties, Unity on the east side,
and Bennington on the west side of the Green Mountains. In 1780 the name
of Washington was given to the territory north of the present Bennington
county and west of the mountains ; but this act of the General Assembly is
reported to have been written only on a slip of paper and never recorded.
Summary of Early History.
On the 13th of February, 1781, Rutland county was incorporated, embracing
the same territory as Washington county, its first officers to be elected March
4, 1 78 1. During the year 1781 Rutland county extended not only from Ben-
nington county to Canada, but also from the Green Mountains to the Hudson
River, including Lakes George and Champlain. The year of the organization
of the county, the commencement, was darkest in her history. She was
threatened with a sad fate by the neighboring commonwealths, with the inva-
sion of a well-armed British army, more in numbers than her manhood popu-
lation. Every continental soldier had been withdrawn ; New York had with-
drawn her last garrison. She had been solicited by British officers with bribes
to return to her allegiance to the crown. A letter by Lord Germain had been
published proclaiming that fact. Vermont at that period adopted a policy of
her own, which made futile the action of the British army and protected her
territory. Then it was she twofolded her territory, annexing thirty-five towns
from New Hampshire. Her Legislature met in that State. She annexed all
of New York farther north than Massachusetts, and east of the Hudson River
and east of a line due north from the source of the Hudson River to Canada.
Several towns in New York and New Hampshire were taxed in Vermont and
were represented in her Legislature. At that time the towns of Brandon,
West Haven, Middletown, Mount Tabor, Mount Holly, Mendon, Sherburne
had not an organization under their present titles. Mount Tabor was " Har-
wich ; " Mendon was " Medway ; " Sherburne was " Killington ; " Chittenden
was " Philadelphia." Several of the towns were not inhabited. The popula-
tion of the county was a little over four thousand, and the appraisal of prop-
erty for taxation was considerably less than one hundred thousand dollars.
There were several military forts scattered about the count}', with a few hun-
dred troops. Tinmouth was selected as the county seat and remained so un-
til 1784, when the seat was removed to Rutland ; the courts where held in the
bar-room of a log hotel. Li the formation of Addison county in 1785, Rut-
land county was brought to its present limits, with the exception of the town
of Orwell, which was annexed to Addison county November 13, 1847.
The county lies between 43° 18' and 40° 54' north latitude, and between
3° 41' and 4° 18' longitude, east from Washington. Following are the pres-
ent boundaries of the county: north by Addison county; east by Windsor;
south by Bennington, and west by Washington county, N. Y., and Lake Cham-
plain. It is forty miles long and thirty wide. The area is nine hundred square
miles. It has twenty-five towns, one more than any other county in the
State. The towns are Benson, Brandon, Castleton, Chittenden, Clarendon,
Danby, Fair Haven, Hubbardton, Ira, Mendon, Middletown, Mount Holly,
Mount Tabor, Pawlet, Pittsfield, Pittsford, Poultney, Rutland, Sherburne,
Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Tinmouth, Wallingford, Wells and West Haven. Thir-
teen towns in the county have an aggregate of less than twelve hundred in-
History of Rutland County.
habitants. Rutland has over fifteen thousand inhabitants. The population of
the county falls little short of forty-five thousand, more than seven thousand
greater than that of any other county in the State. The latest fixed valuation
was over twelve million dollars, nearly two millions larger than anj' other
county in Vermont.
The territory of Rutland was, beyond question, subject to the nominal
jurisdiction of the Indians, by priority right of discovery. At the time when
the French and English began to effect lodgments in Canada and the north-
ern part of the present United States, they found the country in possession of
two distinct and wide-spread native peoples, speaking two different languages,
which were heard in the different dialects of the tribal divisions. These two
peoples, or nations, were the Abenakis, a name signifying "the people of the
east," or, " those first seeing the light of the rising sun," and the great west-
ern confederacy of the Five Nations (later the Six Nations), to whom the
French gave the general name of the Iroquois. The Abenakis, under their
various tribal names and organizations, were found in possession and un-
doubted ownership of the present New England States bordering on the At-
lantic. It is not the purpose to give a connected history of this occupation,
further than this general conclusion deduced from an investigation: it is be-
yond dispute at this period, that the Iroquois came into possession of the ter-
ritory of which we are writing some short time previous to 1540, and held it
and lived on it until the settlement of the State by our ancestors between
1740 and 1760.
During the colonial and Indian wars, the territory of Rutland county was
a thoroughfare through which most of the hostile expeditions proceeded. The
situation was such that it was exposed to the depredations of both English and
French and was at times the lurking place of their Indian allies. From this
cause settlements were regarded dangerous and impracticable, and it was not
until after the complete conquest of Canada by the English in 1760 that any
considerable settlements were made. Several points had howe\-er been previ-
ously occupied as military posts. Previous to that time the whole territorj'
comprising the present count)' was substantially an uncultivated wilderness.
The men of New England who had participated largely in the wars had fre-
quently passed over it in their expeditions against the French and Indians, and
becoming well acquainted with its soil and general aspects, had imbibed a
strong desire to settle upon it ; and no sooner was the territory opened for safe
occupation, by the favorable results of war, than the tide of emigration set
strongly toward it from the New England provinces. The settlement of towns
in a wilderness region like that within the then limits of Rutland county is influ-
enced in some measure by laws similar to those which govern the spread of
epidemics. The proxiniit_\- v{ neighbors and distance to other settlements are
weighty considerations with him wIkj seeks a home where " the war whoop of
Summary of Early History.
the savage might wake the sleep of the cradle," and where great care and vigi-
lance would be necessary to guard his little flock from destruction by the wild
beasts of the forest. Hence, the settlements on the west side of the Green
Mountains, which began at the southern extremity of the State, progressed
northward from town to town with considerable regularity, in the order of
time. A similar order of time is noticeable in the issuing of patents, with the
exception of the town of Bennington, which was chartered in 1749, when
there occurred an interval of twelve years before any town north of it received
a patent.
It was during this interval that the French war broke out (1755), which
extended in its operations from Canada to the adjoining colonies of New Eng-
land, New York and Pennsylvania and which finally terminated by the bloody
battle on the Plains of Abraham, near Quebec, September 13, 1760, in which
the British arms were victorious. The French, disheartened by their losses,
were thrown into great confusion, and on the 13th of September the remainder
of the troops and the city of Quebec were surrendered into the hands of the
English. General Amherst, who had previously taken Ticonderoga and
Crown Point, arrived before Montreal September 8, 1760, which place, with
the whole province of Canada, was surrendered to the British.
The event at once attracted attention to the territory of Vermont, the ad-
joining province, which had been transformed from a hostile to a friendly
neighbor. Applications for charters of towns were now made in rapid succes-
sion to Benning Wentworth, the colonial governor of New Hampshire, who
was disposed to grant them on the most liberal terms; so that the principal
towns in Rutland county were chartered in 1 76 1. In most of these towns
there was an interval, however, of several years between the time when the
patents were granted and the commencement of settlements. By the terms of
the charters an ear of Indian corn was required to be paid annually by the
trustees of each town until December, 1772; after which, one shilling procla-
mation money was to be paid annually for each hundred acres.
In ten towns of Rutland county, whose charters were granted between the
26th of August and the 20th of October, 1761, settlements were made at the
following periods; Pawlet, 1761 ; Clarendon and Rutland, 1768; Castleton
and Pittsford, 1769; Poultney and Wells, 1771, and Brandon in 1772. In
similar progression of settlement, the settlements north of this county, with
very few exceptions, were commenced at a later period. But the settlers who
came before the Revolutionary War all left immediately after its commence-
ment, and did not return until it was over. While women and children, how-
ever, were thus compelled to abandon their new homes, and return for a sea-
son to whence they came, the men generally joined the army, substituting
for a time the weapons of war for the implements of husbandry.
" Pitching " before purchasing was the common practice of the settlers for
HisTcjRY OF Rutland County.
several years. Indeed, the purchase money, or consideration, was at that early
day of such small amount as to deter no one from a settlement who had made
up his mind to seek a home in the wilderness. Beside, the purchase of a pro-
prietor's right, or any number of acres on such a right, gave to the purchaser
no advantage over any one else who had not purchased of selecting any par-
ticular lot until surveys were authorized to be made. It will be observed from
this statement of the customs obtaining in the early settlements of this part of
Vermont that it was the policy of the proprietors to encourage settlements by
the most liberal means. The general rule observed in all the towns was " that
such man shall hold his lot by 'pitching' until he can have opportunity to sur-
vey it." Although many " pitches " were made before title could be obtained
to any particular U"act, or lot, the settlers had no fears of being ousted or dis-
turbed in their possessions, as the whole country was open to newcomers, with
the exception of a few spots here and there, which were indicated by the
smoke issuing from log houses or the burning of a fallow. But few, if any, of
the original proprietors made settlements.
Such, then, was the mode in which the pioneer settlers and those who came
at a later period selected their homesteads, and this was the condition of affairs
at the time of the first actual settlement of the territory covered by Rutland
county. A hundred and twenty-five years had elapsed since the Puritan first
placed his foot on Plymouth Rock, and the English colonies had extended
along the Atlantic from Maine to Georgia. More than a century had passed
since the English had settled at Springfield on the Connecticut, the French at
Montreal, the Dutch at Albany, and up to this time no white man had made
his cabin in this local solitude. This was rather the hunting-ground of the
fierce Pequods of the South, the warlike Iroquois of the West, and the blood-
thirsty Algonquins and Coosucks of the Northwest. The bloody battles that
may have been fought upon this soil between these warlike and hostile tribes
can never be known, as no pen has ever described them. The thunder of the
cannon from Forts William Henry, Crown Point and Ticonderoga announced
that armies had met in deadly hostilit}- in the solitude of the wilderness. The
hunter-soldier, with his knapsack on his shoulder, had passed through the val-
leys and over the hills on the old Crown Point road to the fields of conquest,
looking upon the fertile lands that bordered the Otter Creek ; yet no settle-
ment was made, for it remained disputed and dangerous ground until Wolfe
scaled the rock at Quebec.
The early settlers brought their families and effects with them, mainly in
midwinter, upon sleds drawn by their horses and oxen. They did not settle
in neighborhoods, but frequently miles intervened between their cabins. The
pioneers were energetic men, equal to the task before them ; of athletic frames
and rugged constitutions, they faced the dangers and hardships of a settlement
in the wilderness and gained for themselves a home.
Summary of Early History. 23
Soon after the War of the Revolution had ended, and the settlers had re-
turned to their homes, flattering themselves that they might enjoy in peace and
safety their possessions, at least what was left to them, and which they had
secured only through the severest struggles and hardships, they were annoyed
by a party of land claimants, who were nearly as destructive of the peace and
happiness of the settlers as were the Indians and Tories in the time of war.
Ejectments were served upon the settlers without discrimination ; for years
they were kept in an unsettled, agitated state, in embarrassment and suspense,
spending their time and money examining titles, gathering evidence, employ-
ing attorneys, attending upon the courts, with the consequent costs, surround-
ing their claims with boundaries, and even often purchasing new titles to land
which they had supposed their own ; while all their earnings were demanded
in making improvements and the support of their families. The embarrass-
ments, losses and distresses of the first settlers and the confusion and contest
of claims resulted in many selling out and abandoning their landed possessions
and removing to other sections, mainly to the northward and to the more quiet
possessions along the shores of Lake Champlain. The troubles in New York
were another source of hindrance to settlements. As there were double claim-
ants to the title to the soil in many towns, buyers hesitated to invest, and the
progress of settlement was consequently slow, until Burgoyne was defeated at
Saratoga, and what was left of the British forces were driven south of the Hud-
son. This, together with the resolute stand taken by Ethan Allen in with-
standing the claims of New York, encouraged settlements, and the towns rap-
idly filled up. Many Revolutionary soldiers who, in the course of their service,
had visited this section of country, were pleased with it, and on their release
from the army became permanent settlers.
The settlers generally on the New Hampshire Grants sympathized with
each other in the controversy with New York. They banded together, con-
stituted committees of safety and prepared to resist with force the execution
of New York writs of ejectment. When New York officials crossed the border
to execute legal processes they were seized, and those who would not respect
the great seal of New Hampshire were stamped with beech seal, impressed from
the twigs of the woods, on their naked backs. Some of the land owners were
arrested and sent to the jail at Albany.
These preliminary observations from the general history of the early settle-
ment of Rutland county indicate that the period of settlement was one in
which the elements were surcharged with contention. It was just preceding
the War of the Revolution. The liberties of the State and nation were at
stake. The territory was claimed by two rival States, New York and New
Hampshire, with neither of which were the people willing to unite. The set-
tlers were, however, equal to the situation. The spirit they exhibited in a
threefold contest is the spirit which the people have continued to manifest; it
is the spirit which now burns in the bosoms of their descendants.
24 History of Rutland County.
People of this generation cannot have a very adequate idea of the situation
of the country when Rutland county was organized. There was no means of
travel but to walk or ride on horseback. There were a few sleighs and sleds,
which served them well in winter, but there was not a wheel carriage in the
limits of the county except ox carts or rough lumber wagons, and the condi-
tion of the roads was such that they could not be driven faster than a man
could walk. Most of the way the trees were cut down and moved out of the
path, leaving all the roots, stones and knots to be run over. It was a greater
task to move a family hither from Connecticut or Rhode Island than it is now
to move one to the Pacific coast.
A Puritan element settled Rutland county. From Connecticut, Massachu-
setts and Rhode Island they came here to seek their fortunes. Their virtues,
their hardihood and their enterprise is to be recorded, as well as the growth
and extent of these infant communities. The Christian home now stands where
the wild beasts laid down a century and a quarter ago. Property is power and
property is the daughter of industry. The people own the land in fee simple
and till it with free labor. The county is made up of a cordon of similar
towns. P2ach town is a little republic by itself and the most perfect republic
in the world. Public sentiment settles everything, and these sister towns act
and react upon each other " as diamonds are polished by diamonds."
The purpose of this work is to seek out buried facts illustrating olden times;
call up some forgotten life that is worthy of remembrance; identify places
associated with important and stirring events ; tell the story of some venerable
house that has sheltered many generations and been the witness of a hundred
years of human happiness and human sorrows; gather up the traditions which
the old people still hold in memory, but which will soon be swept into oblivion
unless caught from their trembling lips and put into permanent records, and to
thus make a history worthy of a county that has done so much for the progress
and glorv of the commonwealth.
CHAPTER II.
N.\TUR.\L CH.AR.\CTERISTICS.
General Character of the Surface of the Country — Geological Features — Description of "Sea
Beaches," or Terraces, and their Location — Marine Fossils Discovered in the County — Unstratified
Rocks — Other Interesting Deposits — List of Mineral Deposits in the County and their Location —
The Marble Deposit — Clays and Pigments — Iron Ores — Copperas — Topography — Description of
Prominent Mountains — Streams of the County — Mineral Springs — Lakes of the County.
IN advance of presenting the colonial history of the county, it is the purpose
of this chapter to give in brief the topography of Rutland county, its geo-
logical formation, its rivers, lakes, mountains, mineral resources and general
natural characteristics, with sketches of interesting phenomena.
Natural Characteristics. 25
The face of the county is generally uneven and the eastern portion moun-
tainous. The range of the Green Mountains, which give name to Vermont,
extends through the county from south to north and rises in several places to
a height exceeding four thousand feet above the level of the sea ; but they are
I not generally precipitous, and are most of them covered with timber to their
summits. The loftiest of these summits are Killington, Shrewsbury and Pico.
Among these mountains arise a number of streams which follow their declivi-
ties into the Connecticut River on the east, or Lake Champlain on the west.
The general surface of the county is not unlike that of the main portion of
western Vermont, while its natural capacities and resources far excel those of
many other sections. The first range of townships bordering upon Lake
Champlain and the State of New York is pleasantly diversified with ridges and
valleys, having few elevations of considerable height worthy of notice. These
isolated hills rise usually in spherical form, are easily ascended and from their
summits afford fine views of the surrounding country; the cultivated fields,
the flocks and herds, the farm-houses, orchards and groves; the dark forests
rising upon the mountain side and the mountains themselves, the serrated
peaks, all combine to form a picture not easily copied by human artist.
Beyond the first range of townships the country becomes more uneven
and broken, yet it is valuable either for tillage or pasture, until the base of the
Green Mountains is reached, which cover the extreme eastern part of the
county and ascend to nearly the highest point of land in the State. Between
the spurs of the mountains there are valuable tracts of land for timber and
pasturage ; far more valuable indeed for the dairy and the raising of neat stock
than they have generally been reputed. As the ascent to the mountains be-
gins, the timber begins to gradually diminish in height, and finally an altitude
is reached where vegetable life does not receive sufficient heat and moisture to
support it, except here and there a few starved and stunted lichens that find a
dreary abode in some niche or crevice in the rocks.
When this section was first visited by the Europeans, it was covered by one
unbroken forest. The lakes and rivers were shaded by a growth of pine and
elm, while the uplands were heavily timbered with maple, beech, birch and
spruce; these largely constitute the timber of to-day, except th pine, which
is rare, even on the summits of the mountains, which were covered with a per-
petual verdure of hardy evergreens. In those early days the forests and mar-
gins of the lakes and streams were well stored with deer, bears, wolves, otter,
beaver and a variety of other animals, which undoubtedly made this region
the favorable hunting-ground of the natives; but the pursuit of the chase by
successive generations has left the woodlands with but a limited quantity of
game.i
1 Five years ago an effort was made through the enactment of protecting laws to re-stoclc the
mountains with deer, which has proved somewhat successful, and they are frequently seen out upon
the cleared fields on the outskirts of the forests.
26 History of Rutland County.
The geological formations as they exist in the county are pecuHar and in
some regards distinct from those of other sections. To give a full account of
their characteristics would require far more elaboration of detail than can be
compressed into a single chapter. The county excels many others in the ag-
ricultural capabilities of its soil, through the existence of lime in almost all her
rocks in such a state that natural processes bring it out as needed for vegeta-
tion This is a characteristic which Providence has hidden in the earth and
provided for its elimination, creating a great source of wealth to our agricul-
tural population. Most of the valuable rocks and minerals run lengthwise
across the country, and are thus made accessible to most of the inhabitants.
This is the case with .he marbles, the slates and the iron, and others of less
value. The main mineral resources seem inexhaustible in quantity and are of
such kinds as will be in perpetual and increasing demand, as the population of
the county increases. Coming generations will, therefore, excel the present
in the development of local mineral resources, and constant explorations bring
to light new facts of much scientific interest. The elucidation of science up to
this period leaves us the right to presume upon a future general increase of
knowledge in the geology of Rutland county. For our present purpose, only
the main features of this topic can be noted.
Perhaps to the general reader the terraces, or "sea beaches" as thev are
often called by the scientific geologist, present a subject of the greatest inter-
est. They are objects of common observation in Rutland county, and remark-
able for their number, form and symmetry. Though valleys are so common
in Vermont, the people do not enquire in reference to their formation, nor why
their sides are lined with the terraces ; but they make practical use of these
eligible situations furnished by nature, as sites for pleasure grounds, dwellings,
villages and cemeteries. Many of our towns are cliiefly indebted to these ter-
races for their beauty. In Rutland county Pawlet, Poultney, Brandon and
Pittsford, are located along prominent rivers, and the beauty and attractiveness
of their dwellings and public grounds arise substantially from their terraced
sites. On Poultney River there are fine terraces for nearly five miles north of
its junction with Lake Champlain at Whitehall. There are two terraces also
on the Vermont side in West Haven ; these are composed of clay of blue and
reddish material and extend some eighteen feet in height above the river in
terrace form. In the northern part of Fair Haven there is a terrace one hun-
dred feet high, on the east side of the river. It is at a point where the river
changed its course in 1783. At the village of Poultney there is a wide plain
which is bounded by a terrace. Upon Lewis Brook in the north part of the
town is a terrace more prominent than any other on the river. Hubbardton
River has three terraces upon its banks in the town of West Haven ; and there
is a distinct basin of terraces on Castleton River, embracing the villages of
Castleton and Castleton Corners. At these villages the terraces are broader
Natural Characteristics. 27
than those of any other section, thus forming the \illage sites. Occasionally
a. third terrace is seen upon Castleton River before reaching West Rutlanci,
where the river has cut through the Taconic range of mountains. In West
Rutland, near the celebrated marble quarries, this stream runs through a low
meadow ; there are no other terraces upon it.
Otter Creek rises in Dorset, flows through Rutland and Addison counties,
and discharges its waters into Lake Champlain at North Ferrisburgh. The
lower part of its course is over Champlain clays, where the descent of its bed
is slight, except an occasional fall over ledges of rocks. The upper part of its
course is through an undulating country, near the western limit of the quartz for-
mation and over calcareous rocks, except where it crosses a range of quartz
rock in Rutland.
In the northeast part of Danby are well- developed terraces. Just above
South Wallingford ledges of rocks form the banks of the creek, which may be
considered the boundary between two basins of terraces. These terraces upon
both sides of the creek extend from Wallingford to Clarendon village. Be-
tween East Wallingford and Cuttingsville are large terraces of sand and gravel.
At Cuttingsville Mill River cuts through a high ridge of rocks, forming a deep
gorge in plain sight of the Rutland railroad. In the town of Rutland are ter-
races of more than a mile in width, which are traversed by two railroads. The
railroad in Rutland village is situated upon a terrace. Upon both sides of East
Creek near the depot may be seen two terraces which extend to the northeast
corner of the township. Very fine terraces are found in Mendon, but not equal to
those in Chittenden and Pittsford. On Furnace Brook, in Pittsford, they are
well developed ; here is also a curious tower of limestone. About two miles
north of Pittsford there is a fine basin of terraces ; the scenery in the vicinity
is quite picturesque. A very distinct beach continues to Brandon, upon which
the village is situated; this extended terrace, like almost everything in Bran-
don, is well formed and attractive to the eye. The course of the Otter Creek
from this point to Lake Champlain is serpentine, a feature due to the loamy
character of the meadow lands through which it flows.
The location of these various terraces have been thus given because they
are constantly attracting more attention, not only from the tourist, but the in-
habitant who has heretofore little understood their locations. It ma}' be added
that throughout the State along the principal rivers are numerous terraces,
presenting a feature of deep interest.
Marine fossils have been found at Rutland on the Otter Creek five hundred
feet above the ocean, and on Castleton River four hundred and seventy-five
feet ; at West Haven, near Whitehall, N. Y., at one hundred feet. It is a re-
markable fact that in the building of the Rutland railroad in 1848, one of the
most interesting fossils ever found in New England was brought to light in
the town of Mount Holly, comprising the remains of an elephant. The rail-
History of Rutland County.
road crosses the mountain at this point, at an elevation of one thousand four
hundred and fifteen feet above the level of the ocean, and the fossilized bones
of the elephant were found at that height, in a peat bed east of what is now
called the Summit Station. The basin in which the peat is located appears to-
have been originally filled with water. A large proportion of the material which
formed the lower part of the peat consisted of billets of wood about eighteen,
inches long, which had been cut off at both ends, drawn into the water and di-
vested of the bark. The peat was fifteen feet deep before the excavation was-
made for the railroad. In making this excavation the workmen found at the-
the bottom of the bed, resting upon the gravel which separated the peat from-
the rock below, a huge tooth. The depth of the peat at this point was eleven'
feet. Soon afterward one of the tusks was found about eighty feet from the
location of the tooth. Subsequently the other tusk and several of the bones-
of the animal were found near the same place. Professor Agassiz, who vis-
ited the spot, pronounced them to be the bones of an extinct race of elephant.
They were presented to the Museum of Natural History of the University of
Vermont, at Burlington, for preservation and for an illustration of the fossil
geology of the State. The grinder tooth weighed eight pounds, and the
length of its grinding surface was about eight inches. The tusks were some-
what decayed and one was badly broken. The most perfect tusk measures-
about eighty inches in length and its greatest circumferance was twelve inches.
Other fossils have been discoved in the county, markedly in a cave in Chit-
tenden, where the bones of small animals have been found, such as are now-
extinct.
Unstratified rocks occur at Mount Holly fourteen hundred feet above the-
ocean, or thirteen hundred feet above Lake Champlain, and there are other
similar ones on Danby Mountain. At the latter point marble quarries are
opened at various heights, one as high as fifteen hundred feet above the valley.
Hematite, manganese, beds of ocher and pipe clay exist in several sections at
Brandon, Chittenden and Wallingford. Brown iron ore, which is important in
making steel, is found in Brandon, Chittenden, Pittsford, Tinmouth and Wal-
lingford. Yellow ocher is found in immense quantities in Brandon.
Among the novel geological products is one kind of asbestos, or, as it is-
sometimes called, "mountain leather." It occurs in paper-like masses, lying
between different portions of a rock, and the fibres are so small and closely
interlaced that the whole bears the appearance of leather. Another name
given to what is essentially the same thing is mountain or rock cork, from the-
fact that its specific gravity is so light that it will float in water.
Kaolin, or porcelain clay, is found in several places in the county. Trap-
pean rocks are found nowhere in Vermont except in the form of dikes in the
towns of Clarendon and Mount Holly. The rock appears to be a greenstone,
constituting one of those freaks of nature found in all hillv and mountainous-
Natural Characteristics. 29
country. The dikes in this county are exceedingly numerous and vary much
in their composition and character. Some of them consist of well-character-
ized greenstone ; others consist almost entirely of white or yellowish feldspar.
The greenstone, or trap dikes, are generally straight and of uniform width, and
may be frequently traced through a considerable distance. The other class of
dikes are often crooked in character. In West Rutland is a dike running
nearly east and west, and another of the same character in Pittsford. There
are others in Danby and Wallingford ; the latter is the widest greenstone in
Vermont. There are a few more important dikes, of which detailed descrip-
tion would be too lengthy for these pages.
Heretofore in tliis chapter an effort has been made to avoid technical and
scientific expressions. In giving information, however, of the useful and val-
uable minerals found in the several towns, it becomes necessary in some in-
stances to use scientific and unfamiliar names. The following list gives the lo-
calities of the minerals of value in Rutland county: —
Brandon. — Hematite, pipe clay, yellow ocher, braunite, marble, plumbago,
galena, copper pyrites.
Castleton. — Roofing slate, slate pencils, jasper, manganese ore.
Chittenden. — Brown iron ore, specular and magnetic iron, galena, iolite.
Clarendon. — Iron ore, marble and asbestos, or "mountain leather."
Danby. — Marble, stalactites, galena.
Fair Haven. — Roofing slate, iron pyrites.
Mount Holly. — Asbestos, chlorite.
Pittsford. — Hematite, manganese ores, plumbago, marble.
Poultney. — Roofing slate, peat.
Rutland. — Gold, copperas, marble, brown iron ore, pipe clay.
Sherburne. — Limestone, brown iron ore.
Shrewsbury. — Magnetic iron, copper pyrites, iron pyrites, smoky and
milky quartz.
Sunbury. — Statuary marble.
Tinmouth. — Hematite, iron pyrites, magnetic iron, marble.
Wallingford. — Marble, hematite, manganese ores.
Wells. — Roofing slate.
West Haven. — Roofing slate.
This list comprises the more valuable and conmiercial minerals. Galena
and quartz crystals have, however, been found in Mount Tabor and calcite at
West Rutland and Danby. Galena is found in several towns of the county.
A portion of the lead reduced from this ore gives a small quantity of silver.
Professor Charles B. Adams said of a quantity found at Brandon, which he an-
alyzed : " It was equal to one-fifth of one percentum, which is four pounds of
silver to the ton of metal. This quantity will be well worth working, provided
the lead is abundant. Probablj- one pound of silver in a ton of lead would
30 History of Rutland County.
more than repay the cost of extraction, as lead yielding only four ounces to
the ton is said to be profitably cupelled in Great Britain."
Quick lime, a valuable product, is scattered with beneficent profusion
throughout the county, there being scarcely a town in which it is not found,
either in a state of comparative purity or in combination with other rocks.
Except upon rich cultivated meadows no portion of the State is so fertile as
that upon the limestone of this section. Perpetual kilns are erected, and the
business of manufacture is extensively carried on during all seasons of the
year. The purest limestone is selected and the product of the kilns is as white
as chalk. Most of the perpetual kilns are built contiguous to railroads, and
thus the expense incident to transportation by team is avoided. At Brandon
about 25,000 barrels of lime are obtained per annum by one company. Its
purity renders it very valuable for bleaching and other similar purposes to
whicii it is applied.
As the marble quarries and industries are to be considered in another
chapter, only brief reference will be made to the subject here. Marble is a
name applied to those varieties of carbonate of lime that can be quarried in
large blocks destitute of fissures and sufficiently compact and uniform in struc-
ture to receive a good polish. The value of marble, when found in workable
quantit)', depends upon the purity of its whiteness, or upon the beauty or
agreeable association of color in the variegated kinds. Many varieties are often
fjund in the same quarries — the white and gray, the mottled and striped;
but each is restricted to certain " tiers," " layers," or " beds," and generally
continues with them sometimes several hundred feet. The variety of marble
most extensively worked in Rutland county is the white granular variety, in
structure and color similar to the Carrara marble of Italy. The translucent
white marble, so highly held in regard by the ancients, has its equivalent in
small quantities in the fine translucent marbles of Brandon. Quarries of the
white marble arc found in Rutland, Siidbur}', Brandon, Pittsford, Clarendon,
Wallingford, Tinmouth and Danb\-. It may be proper to here remark that
until 1804 marble was not sawed in New England, but quarries were selected
where "sheets" could be split off, which afterward were worked smooth and
to the desired shape with chisels in the hands of workmen. Then the plan of
the marble workers who lived in the time of Pliny was adopted, and the fiist
marble in this section was sawed with a smooth strip of soft iron, with the help
of sand and water — the plan now universally adopted. There have been many
improvements, however, both in sawing and cutting marble that will be de-
scribed in the chapter before alluded to, and .sketches of the various enterprises
in quarrying and working marble will be given in the history of the towns in
which they exist.
The roofing slate of Vermont exists in three distinct divisions, the largest
ami most vahiahlc being confined to Rutland coiintv. The western division
Natural Characteristics. 31
extends through the towns of Castleton, Fair Haven, Poultney, Wells and
Pavvlet, and passes into the State of New York at Granville. The color resem-
bles that of Wales, being of a dark purple with occasional layers of green inter-
mixed. There are also strata in which pea green is the prevailing color, from
which large quantities of that shade are obtained. Slate of a red color is also
found. It now forms one of the leading industries of the county and proves
remunerative to those who have embarked in the enterprise of working the
quarries. In 1845 Hon. Alanson Allen, of Fair Haven, began the working of
slate, and for several years limited his business exclusively to manufacturing
school slates, turning out one hundred per day. In 1847 '^^ began the manu-
facture of roofing slate. In 1850 a new vigor was given to the slate business.
Intelligent Welshmen, accustomed to working slate, emigrated to Fair Haven,
Castleton and Poultney, made purchases of slate lands and opened quarries,
and such was the character of the slate produced that the prejudice which had
existed in various localities against the Vermont product disappeared. Im-
proved machinery was introduced and the price of roofing slate in the market
was so materially reduced as to seriously affect those who did not rely upon
the cheap labor of Europe. At the present time the production per annum
exceeds three times the whole amount of slate imported from all foreign coun-
tries. Sawing and planing slate for black boards, billiard tables and tile have
also been introduced. In 1855 the process of enameling slate was begun and
now mantelpieces, bracket shelves, tables and other articles are largely manu-
factured. They excel in beauty or finish the finest marbles and sell at about
one-fourth the price of the marble which they quite faithfully represent. A
description of the different slate industries will be given elsewhere.
Kaolin, or porcelain clay, commonly known as " pipe clay," " paper clay "
and " putty," is found in several places, associated with ochers of iron and
manganese. Unlike most clays, it is of snowy whiteness, slightly coherent
and does not change color upon being burned; it is extensivel)' used in the
manufacture of stone ware, fire-bricks, white earthen ware, paper, vulcanized
India rubber, porcelain and other like articles. The largest and best deposit
in this county is at Brandon, where fire-bricks are made, and large quantities
of it are sold under the name of paper clay and used in paper-making. The
bed at Brandon has the greatest thickness of any in the State. It is also found
in small quantities in Chittenden and Wallingford. Clay for bricks is found in
nearly every town of the county.
Pigments of various kinds are found in different parts of the county, and in
such quantity as to be profitably worked. Paints have been extensively manu-
factured in Brandon, and in this town there is found a greater variety of mate-
rials suitable for pigments than in any otiier in the State; possibly greater
than in any other in New England. The several colors of paints produced are
yellow, brown, red, roofing paint, and raw and burnt umber. The Brandon
History of Rutland County.
paints have been thoroughly tested and approved and they are recognized as
among the best in the market. There are other points where manganese is
found in isolated beds, independent of iron ore. Ocher beds often exist where
workable ore is not found. Manganese is found in Brandon, Chittenden, Pitts-
ford and VVallingford, and probably at other places.
The rocks of Rutland county, whose ages are determined by their imbedded
fossils, are too old to contain workable beds of coal ; but persons unacquainted
with geology, and perhaps regarding the occurrence of coal as accidental and
governed by no fixed laws, have vainly sought for it among the silurian rocks
of the Otter Creek valley, confiding more in the evidence upon the glazed sur-
face of the black slate than in well-settled facts of science. Brown coal, com-
posed of carbonaceous matter capable of sustaining combustion and emitting
heat, is sometimes found. At Brandon it has been discovered in a bed having
an area of twenty- five feet square, which has been penetrated to the depth of
eighty feet perpendicularly and the coal removed and used as fuel in driving
an engine.
Many of the iron ores are found in this county, of which the hematite is the
most abundant and valuable for smelting. We cannot attempt more than a
brief description of the principal beds and veins in the county. At South Wal-
lingford iron ore is found, and has been worked, but the beds are now aban-
doned. In Tinmouth the Chipman Bed was successfully worked more than
thirty years, but this is also now abandoned. Another bed known as the Phillip
Iron Mine, was opened and worked fifty years ago, and was not abandoned
until a few years since. It is favorably situated for working and the ore ob-
tained of good quality, but the ore has probably been mostly removed. In
Pittsford and Chittenden beds of ore are still worked and considerable com-
mercial value is put upon them. Iron ore was first discovered in Brandon in
1 8 10, and soon afterward a forge was built and bar iron of a superior quality
was manufactured for several years. In 1820 a furnace was built for reducing
the ore, which met with success ; it is to this furnace that Brandon is indebted
for an impetus then given to its business growth and prosperity, the influence
of which is still felt. The Blake Ore Bed, near Forestdale, was successfully
worked for many years, but is not now in operation. To describe minutely
the numerous beds of bog ore found would be a difficult task, for they e.xist in
every town, but not one would, as far as known, produce iron enough to pay
the expense, nor of a quality valuable for smelting.
At Cuttingsville is found a deposit of copperas ore, a name given to pyrites
of iron and copperas. The beds have been worked, but were abandoned many
years ago, although favorably situated, being upon a hillside and within a few
rods of the railroad. Veins of tin exist in this belt where it has been explored
at sufficient dei)th. No silver has been found in the county, except as before
stated, allhough fabulous stories have been told of its existence and some e.x-
Natural Characteristics. 33
plorations have been made in past years in Wallingford. Native gold has been
found in small quantities in the beds or on the beaches of some of the smaller
streams.
No county of the same extent in Vermont equals Rutland in the amount of
its agricultural productions. The soils, although varying materially in their
construction and composition, are invariably such as are favorable to the growth
of grass, and the rocky hillsides, which would fail to remunerate those who
would attempt their cultivation, afford excellent pasturage, and, unlike some
others, the very hill tops as well as the valleys beneath, have in midsunmier a
greenness which makes the name vert mont appropriate.
It has been our intention to briefly present the geological features of the
county in such a manner as to be understood by the unscientific reader, and
hence we have avoided as far as possible all technical terms. It will have been
seen that this subject is one of interest and importance in this locality, and the
same may be said of the mineralogy of the county. Therein lies largely the
source of future wealth and prosperity, and, therefore, if for no other reason, it
is a subject to be studied by all into whose hands this work shall fall.
Topography. — Upon the nature of the geological formations of a country
depend, in a great measure, the salubrity of the atmosphere and its tempera-
ture, the purity of the water, the fertility of the soil, and the aspect of its nat-
ural scenery. A brief outline only can be attempted of the topography of the
county, its mountains, streams and lakes, or ponds, and a few of the more in-
teresting views and objects, which aid to form the beautiful and charming scen-
ery for which Rutland county is so generally distinguished.
The county is situated between the parallels 43° 18' and 43'^ 54' north lat-
itude, and between 3° 41' and 4° 19' longitude east from Washington. The
mean temperature of the climate is about 43°, while the rain fall averages forty
to forty-three inches a year.
The most striking and characteristic feature in the scenery of Rutland
county is the range of Green Mountains that extends through its entire length,
in which tower heavenward peaks of great altitude and grandeur. The range
is unbroken and forms a water-shed from which flow eastward some of the
tributaries of the Connecticut and those of the Hudson River and Lake Cham-
plain to the westward. There are no rivers breaking through the mountains,
as in the more northerly parts of the range, affording good opportunities for
roads, but occasional small streams merely indicate a passageway ; the roads
are consequently laid over the rugged mountains, not unfrequently passing
across the range at an altitude of two thousand feet above the ocean. The
pass at Mount Holly, one of the most favorable in the south part of the range,
was selected for the course of the Rutland Railroad, and is one thousand, four
hundred and fifteen feet above tide water at the " Summit " Station.
The highest elevation in the county is Killington Mountain, or Peak, which
34
History of Rutland County.
latter is its popular name. It is situated in the towns of Sherburne and Men-
don and about ten miles distant from Rutland, and has within the last few years
become a place of popular resort. The admeasurement of the distinguished
Professor Guyot makes its height 4,221 feet above the ocean.
Shrewsbury Peak, which lies south of it, is 3,845 feet in height. Pico Peak
lies to the north, is cone-shaped, and 3,954 feet in height. Although much
difference of opinion existed at a former day as to which was the highest of
these mountains, Professor Guyot conclusively settled the question, and a per-
son standing on the highest point of Killington will be easily convinced that
its altitude is much greater than that of the surrounding peaks, upon which he
can look down. Shrewsbury at the southeast lifts its wooded sides, while,
crowding close on Killington, towers Pico, the dense forests of which have never
been broken by the woodman's ax. The scenery is grand and impressive.
The view from the summit is as extensive as that at Mount Mansfield in the
nortliern part of the State, the height of which is 4,430 feet above tide water,
and exhibits a landscape of far greater diversity. Instead of Lake Champlain
with its numerous bays and verdant islands and the intervening cultivated farms,
there is spread out before the beholder a scene more wild, solitary and rural.
To the west thriving villages are in full view even to the banks of the Hudson
and a portion of Lake Champlain, while to the north can be traced the ser-
pentine windings of the Otter Creek, with numerous prosperous villages and
substantial farm-houses upon its fertile banks. Turning the gaze to the east-
ward the view of the wild surroundings of the mountain is quite as extensive.
A hotel has been erected near the summit and a good road constructed ; in the
seasons stages run daily from Rutland and many persons visit the mountain
top in their own conveyances. Within eight rods of the summit are three
springs of water, such as are found on nearly all the peaks of the Green Moun-
tains, cool, pure and limpid and well calculated to refresh and invigorate the
traveler.
Among the most interesting natural curiosities of this section are the Calico
or White Rocks in Wallingford, where the water-worn quartz pebbles are piled
and cemented together. In a ravine opening to the southwest ice exists dur-
ing the entire year. These White Rocks are 2,532 feet in elevation and, although
not so high as some other points, afford a view of great beauty. There are
rugged precipices, and rocks piled on rocks, presenting a scene of wild gran-
deur. This is sometimes called the home of eagles, on account of the weird
ruggedncss of the beetling cliffs and dizzy heights. Mount Tabor is an ele-
vated point of this range, but it has no especial attractions except some natural
ponds. Nearly two-thirds of the mountain are still in a primeval state, and
upon its heights are some of the largest charcoal kilns in the country.
West of the Green Mountains and nearly parallel with them is a rano-e
known as the Taconic Mountains, which extentl from Massachusetts and enter
Natural Characteristics. 35
the county at Danby, continuing as far north as Brandon. In thi.s range are
numerous passes affording opportunity for roads, notably in tlie valleys of the
Pawlet, Poultney and Castleton Rivers. So numerous are these gaps that the
range is given the appearance of a series of isolated mountains wholly indepen-
dent of each other. The measurement of several peaks in this range shows
that they rise to the height of 3,000 feet or more above tide water. The tops
and sides are often clothed with variegated verdure, scarcely ever seen on the
western slopes of the Green Mountains. The most important peak in the
Taconic range is Bird Mountain, in the town of Ira, a distance of a few miles
from Castleton and some six miles from Rutland. Its elevation above the
ocean is nearly 2,500 feet.i The sides of this mountain are so precipitous as
to render ascent difficult, except on the northeast side ; at this point, even,
the ascent is so steep as to preclude the possibility of going on horseback the
entire distance ; foot-paths, however, lead to the top, which is not more than a
mile distant from the wagon road. The summit consists of rock and is nearly
destitute of soil and vegetation. In this respect it differs from other mountains
of the range. The prospect is not as extensive as from many other summits,
yet it embraces many interesting scenes. There is on every hand an agree-
able diversity of landscape — hills and valleys, woods and cultivated fields.
Herrick Mountain, also in the town of Ira, about two miles eastward from
Bird Mountain, is 2,661 feet in height. This peak forms a prominent feature
of the landscape and presents an outline the peculiarity of which is well calcu-
lated to arrest the attention ; it has the appearance of two mountains with a
chasm between. There are other mountains in this range worthy of notice,
although less prominent than those noted. Danby Mountain, lying mainly in
that township, is one celebrated for its quarries of marble, situated twelve hun-
dred feet above the valley, to which the product is transported by a railroad
down the mountain. The view from this peak is somewhat limited, but quite
picturesque. Haystack Mountain, in the town of Pawlet, is a notable eminence
in the southwest part of the town. It rises to a height of about 2,000 feet and
the sides are so steep as to lorm an angle in many places of at least sixty de-
grees. Its summit is sharp and rugged, while other peaks more rounded in
contour are thrown around it, producing a scene of rare beauty. Jl.J.3GJ_33
1 The tradition concerning the name of this mountai . is to the effect that in the spring of 1767
Colonel Amos Bird and others visited this region, before unknown to them. They journeyed from
Connecticut to Bennington and Manchester by well-known paths ; thence all was a wilderness and
they sought their way by marked trees, following the Battenkill and OUer Creek until Clarendon was
reached. They soon came upon the old military road leading from Charlestown, N. H., to Crown
Point, N. Y., and passed along the northern border of the t: wn of Castleton and so on to Ticonderoga.
There they replenished their stock of provisions and went down Lake Champlain to Whitehall. In
their travels they had passed by Castleton, the point for which they set out. The tradition says that
in surveying the town Colonel Bird lost his way and in wandering about reached the top of a high
niguntain, where he passed the night. From this circumstance the mountain took its name — " Bird
Mountain." There are other traditions upon this question, but this one is believed to be most
authentic.
36 History of Rutland County.
Moose Horn Mountain, in Wells, on the banks of Lake St. Cathrine, is
among the most pecuHar of the Taconic group. The eastern side slopes gradu-
ally from the summit to the valley beneath ; the western face presents a bold
and almost startling aspect, from its abruptness. A barren rock, with its front
cut straight in the direction of its length and nearly perpendicular from foot to
crown, adds beauty, even to the lake lying at its foot. There are many other
elevations in the county that lend beauty and grandeur to the locality, but fur-
ther detailed descriptions of their characteristics would far exceed the space
allotted here to the landscape scenery that has given the county a wide fame.
Streams. — With the somewhat severe climate of Rutland county and her
rugged surface, her general agricultural prosperity must be attributed more to
the skill and industry of her husbandmen than to any native generosity of
Mother Earth. Her geographical inland position offers little opportunity for a
great commercial center. Though her quarries of marble and slate are unsur-
passed, her mineral resources dwindle into insignificance when compared with
those of other counties of equal extent in the Middle and Western States.
Wanting in _those elements that form a foundation for the prosperity of the
State, nature, as if mindful of her neglect, has placed at our disposal one of the
mightiest of visible motors, a gift too precious to be carelessly squandered.
To the many visitors who annually seek this region to recuperate health
and pass the season in idleness it scarcely occurs that from these hills and val-
leys flow scores of streams, furnishing along their course the foundation and
source of wealth. Nature, at best, makes but few spontaneous contributions to
the wealth and prosperity of nations. The amount of property possessed by a
people will always depend greatly upon the skill and labor they apply in de-
veloping natural resources. Rutland county has not to any considerable e.xtent
improved the advantages at her command ; but as they have been improved,
so has she prospered. More than three-fourths of the water power of the
county is still undeveloped.
The Otter Creek is the longest stream in Vermont, extending ninety-one
miles and watering about 900 square miles. It originates in Mount Tabor,
Peru and Dorset, within a few rods of the head of the Battenkill, and runs
through the entire length of the county. The curious fact exists that these
two rivers, which rise within a few rods of each other, are of about equal
length ; the Battenkill running south to the Hudson River and the Otter Creek
north into Lake Champlain. The latter offers along its course important and
valuable water power. At Sutherland Falls, Middlebury and Weybridge are
valuable falls which would afford power for the use of millions of dollars in
manufactures. There are already located upon its banks some of the finest
nianufaciuring establishments in the State. In the lower part of its course its
rate of descent is very small, except an occasional fall over ledges of rocks ;
the upper part of its course is over an undulating country. There are moraine
Natural Characteristics. 37
or glacier terraces on botii sides of the creek from Danby to Clarendon. In
Wallingford the valley is narrow and quite deep, but is much wider at Claren-
don. At Sutherland Falls the creek passes over rocks, finally tumbling down
a precipice. These falls afford one of the most valuable mill privileges in the
State, and the surroundings are picturesque and beautiful. The spot is well
worthy of a visit from those who justly appreciate attractive scenery. A wide-
spread and beautiful valley opens to the north, thickly studded with comfort-
able and ofttimes elegant farm-houses, with well-fenced and highly-cultivated
fields, beyond which and still farther northward the landscape presents a pano-
rama of rare beauty. From this point commences a meadow often over two
miles wide and extending to Middlebury. Here it begins to narrow and in
this condition extends to Vergennes, where it is interrupted by a ledge of
rocks, after which it continues uninterrupted to Lake Champlain.
There are numerous tributaries to Otter Creek, of which the following are
the more important: Mill River, which rises in Mount Holly, following the
route of the Rutland Railroad to Cuttingsville where it turns west to Otter
Creek. At this point it cuts through a high ridge of rock, forming a deep
gorge. East Creek joins the Otter Creek in the village of Rutland, having its
rise in Chittenden; just below South Chittenden on the creek is a fine mo-
raine terrace of considerable breadth. Furnace Brook rises in Chittenden
and joins the creek in Fittsford. The village of North Chittenden is located in
a fine basin hollowed out of the highest terrace. Between these and Pittsford
the stream passes through a rocky gorge and the scenery in the vicinity is
quite picturesque. Tinmouth River empties into the Otter Creek near Center
Rutland. Its source is in Danby and it flows through a narrow valley which,
after reaching Rutland, begins to expand. Poultney River rises in Tinmouth
and traverses Middletown, Poultney, Fairhaven and Westhaven and falls
into East Bay, an arm of Lake Champlain ; its length is about twenty-five
miles. It affords many valuable mill sites. At Carver's a peculiar change in
the channel took place in 1783 ; the stream cut a gorge at that point one hun-
dred feet deep, lowering the bed of the river for some distance above and car-
rying immense quantities of earth into East Bay. The meadows upon this
stream are extensive and fertile. Among its tributaries are Codman's Creek
in Westhaven, Hubbardton River and Castleton River. Upon the latter
there is a distinct basin of moraine terraces, embracing the villages of Castleton
and Castleton Corners. On this river, before it reaches Ira, where the stream
has cut through the Taconic range of mountains in West Rutland, is a terrace.
Near the celebrated marble quarries the stream runs through a meadow, quite
low and marshy, forming an extended terrace. It is remarkable that so lim-
ited a stream should rise east of a range of mountains one thousand feet high,
and, after flowing to the south seven miles, suddenly bend its course at right
angles and cut through the mountain ; especially is this true when an obstruc-
38 HisroKV ok Rutland County.
tion of a few feet in the gorge would divert the stream southeast to the Otter
Creek. This gorge runs east and west, contrary to the usual direction of ex-
cavated valleys in Vermont, and as it is in the region of curious and gigantic
disturbances of the underlying strata, it is probable that the valley of the
stream through Ira was formed in some other way than by erosion. Pawlet
River in the southwestern part of the county is the only other important
stream to be named ; it affords many excellent mill sites which were useful in
the olden times. It rises in Dorset Mountain and passes through that town-
ship and Pawlet to Whitehall, N. Y. At West Dorset the meadows along its
banks expand and are especially fertile. At the village of Pawlet, where Flower
Creek joins Pawlet River, the view of terraces is unusually instructive and adds
beauty to the scenery.
There are several other minor streams which will find mention in subse-
quent to.vn histories.
Mineral S/>niigs. — There are many mineral springs of various qualities
and characteristics scattered through the county. The most famous are the
Clarendon Springs, which are doubtless among the finest ever visited for their
medicinal virtues, and about a quarter of a century ago were probably more
resorted to than any others in the State. A tradition exists that their medi-
cinal character was first discovered in 1776 by Asa Smith, who resided in the
eastern part of the township. As report has it, he dreamed of a spring in the
western part of the town, and, full of faith, started through the wilderness and
over the high liills in search of the fount to furnish the water that should re-
store him to health. Arriving at this point he recognized it as the spring that
was the object of his dream, and from the use of its waters regained his health.
This is the narration of the discovery as it has come down through the genera-
tions. The first current use of the waters began in 1794; in 1798 a frame
hotel was built, and since 1800 the spring has been constantly visited by many
persons suffering from cutaneous diseases, and large quantities of the water
have been conveyed away in jugs and barrels by people of the surrounding
country. From fifteen hundred to two thousand persons have in some years
visited these springs for health and recreation. Through the discovery of
other mineral springs of similar medicinal qualities the number of visitors has
fallen off in the past twenty years. An excellent hotel and several boarding
houses now afford accommodations for visitors. The waters resemble the
springs of Germany, and their curative qualities result more from gaseous than
mineral characteristics.
The Middletown Springs, that for a time gained celebrity for curative prop-
erties, were first made use of in 1S62, although it is claimed that their mineral
qualities were known to physicians prior to 1811. They are located on the
north bank of I'oultney River. In 1868 several parties reported cases that
had been benefited by the use of the water for various disorders. Their fame
Natural Characteristics. 39
spread rapidly and many wanted their waters at all seasons of the year. A
large bottling establishment was erected and the water was shipped to all sec-
tions of the country. That the waters possess mineral and curative qualities
there is no doubt and in some cases are valuable as a remedial agent ; but ex-
aggerated statements on this point have been made. In 1870 the Mont Vert
Hotel was erected, which annually accommodates se\'eral hundred guests who
come to the springs for rest, recuperation or pleasure.
Lakes of Rutland County ^ — Lake Bombazine lies in a basin of Georgia,
or argillaceous slate. It is eight miles long form north to south, and two and
one-half miles wide at its widest part. Three-fourths lie in the town of
Castleton, and one fourth in Hubbardton. That portion in Hubbardton is
very marshy and muddy, while that in Castleton, in some places, is very deep
and the shores are rocky, or gravelly. It receives its waters from the slopes
of the adjacent country through Hopkins, Beaver Meadow, and Sucker Brooks
on the east side ; Johnston's Brook and the outlet of Screw-driver Pond on
the west side; Jelliff's and Rumsey's Brooks in the town of Hubbardton; and
other rills without names along the shores. The waters flow southward and
empty through the creek into Castleton River at Hydeville.
The lake has long been called " Bombazine." It is uncertain when or how
it received this name, but tradition says that when the country was new the
lake was surrounded 'by a heavy growth of green forest trees, which reflected
upon the surface of the water a green shade resembling the cloth called bom-
bazine, and by common consent it thus came into general use.
Another tradition says that soon after the town commenced to be settled
a .peddler crossed the lake on the ice having several webs of bombazine on his
sled ; one web was unrolled and trailed on the ice nearly the whole distance
across the lake, which ruined the piece. The peddler then named the lake
Bombazine. Whichever explanation is the correct one, it evidently is derived
from the name of the cloth then known as bombazine. The name is spelled
on William Blodgett's map of Vermont Bombazon. But the first time it is
mentioned as Bombazine is in a deed from Samuel Moulton July 23, 1S04, in
the Castleton land records. From that period up to the present the word oc-
curs occasionally. In some of the deeds it is spelled " Bombazine," in others
" Bombazeen." In the earliest Castleton land records, and even up to quite
recently, the lake has been called "The Pond," " Castleton Pond," " The Great
Pond," " The Grate Pond."
About 1867, or a little later, Mr. R. M. Copeland, who had purchased con-
siderable land property at West Castleton, and who was somewhat identified
with the slate interests there, and who was a great admirer of the scenery of
that region, claimed that the name was taken from the famous Norridgewock
chief, Bomazeen, who was killed in 1724, and in some way the lake in Castle-
1 Prepared and contributed by Dr. John M. Currier, of Castleton.
40 History of Rutland County.
ton was named after him, and had been misspelled " Bombazine." Through his
influence, no one interposing an objection to his authority, the word " Bomo-
seen," instead of " Bomazeen," came into general use. But there was not the
least foundation for his assertion as to the relationship of the Norridgewock
chief to the lake in Castleton. Bombazine is the name given that body of
water when mentioned as a lake by the early settlers of the town, and the one
that has been generally adopted by common usage, and the one which should
be now used.
The east side of the lake is skirted with fertile and slightly elevated slate
ridges. On the west side parallel with the lake runs the West Castleton range
of mountains, which affords an inexhaustible supply of roofing s.late. In many
places the waters of the lake wash the foot of the mountain, making it im-
practicable building a road along its shore.
Commencing on the east side of the outlet of the lake, following the shore
around, the various points of interest are as follows : The " Indian Fields " is a
plateau of over twenty acres of sandy land, about ten feet above the level of
the lake, on which many Indian relics have been found. This was the site of
an Indian village, of which tribe we have no authentic record, yet some of the
older settlers remember seeing Indian families return in the summer season to
visit the homes of their childhood. The specimens were all upon the surface.
Green Bay is north of the " Indian Fields," and was so called from the
evergreens growing upon the shore.
Hopkins Brook is a small stream that empties into the lake north of Green
Bay. It is named after an early proprietor of the farm through which it
runs.
Mason's Point is a rocky ledge that runs into the lake still farther to the
north. It was named after Robert Mason, a native of Simsbury, Conn., who
bought the land in 1782.
Shaw's Bay lies to the east of Mason's Point. It derives its name from Dr.
Samuel Shaw, one of the early physicians of Castleton, who owned the ad-
joining property.
" Josh Billings's Pulpit " is a round knob of slate ledge a few rods south of
Shaw's Bay. It was so named by the Rutland County Historical Society in
1882, by the consent of Henry Shaw (Josh Billings), who is a grandson of Dr.
Samuel Shaw.
Birch Point is so named from the white birch that grew upon it.
Bishop's Bay lies to the east of Birch Point. It received its name from
Joseph Bishop, who moved on to the adjoining farm in 1843, and was instru-
mental in developing boating on the lake. Beaver Meadow Brook empties
into this bay. It receives its name from its source being in the large Beaver
Meadow about one- half mile east.
Town Farm Bay is about one mile farther to the north. It receives its
Natural Characteristics. 41
name from the town farm situated in the immediate vicinity. Sucker Creek
empties into this bay. Diamond Ledge and the famous Slate Pencil Quarry
are also in the immediate vicinity.
Goodwin's Bay sets into the land about one-half mile north of the town
farm. It is named after the owner of the adjoining land.
Diamond Point separates Goodwin's Bay from the main channel of the
lake. It is named from the character of the point, which is an angular ledge
of slate.
The Johnson Bridge spans the narrow channel of the lake between the
Goodwin farm on the east and Johnson farm on the west. The marshy por-
tion of the lake lies north of this bridge. Stannard's Cove is about one-half
mile south of the the bridge on the west side of the lake. It received its name
from the owner of the farm in the vicinity. Stannard's Point is south of the
cove.
Watch Point is still farther south ; it is a point of ledge about fifteen feet
above the surface of the lake, and covered with a growth of small trees. It
received its name from the custom of the early settlers concealing themselves
in the evergreens on the point and watching for the deer when they came down
to drink, or to cross the lake.
Johnson's Brook empties into the lake west of Watch Point. It rises among
the hills to the northwest.
Eagle's Bay is situated between Watch Point and Cedar Mountain. It is
about one mile in length, and is so called because of the eagles that have built
their nests on the cliffs of Cedar Mountain from time immemorial, and have
been observed to hover over this portion of the lake during the summer and
autumn, watching the fish-hawk and robbing it of its prey.
Cedar Mountain rises abruptly about three hundred feet above the surface
of the lake. It is one mass of slate rock and a conspicuous object from nearly
all points on the lake. It has borne this name for over one hundred years,
which it received from the abundance of cedar growing upon it. Slate is quar-
ried at the foot of the mountain.
West Castleton Bay is situated between Cedar Mountain and Rocky Point.
Here is the widest part of the lake. Williams's Brook and the outlet of Screw-
driver Pond empty into this bay.
Rocky Point is south of West Castleton Ba)'. Its name indicates its phys-
ical features. It is a rocky bend into the lake, though covered with a dense
forest.
Cookville Ba\' extends from Rocky Point southward. The lake is about
two miles wide at this place.
There are two islands in Lake Bombazine : Rabbit and Neshobe. Rabbit
island is situated in the north end of Eagle's Bay, containing an area of about
three acres. It is a ledge of slate rock, lightly covered with soil, on which is a
42 History of Rutland County.
delightful grove of shrubbery and trees. It takes its name from the fact that
rabbits collect on the island to feed upon its foliage in the winter season and
get imprisoned there when the ice melts out of the lake in the spring. The
island is long and narrow. It never was used for an\- other purpose than as a
temporary resort for fishing and camping parties. It is very probable that it
was a favorite resort for the Indians in prehistoric times, as a great variety of
implements have been found upon the southern extremity.
Neshobe Island is situated about in the center of the lake, and contains an
area of about ten acres. This, too, is a solid mass of slate rock, but its surface
is covered with a deeper soil than Rabbit Island, and has a heavier growth of
trees. It was named by the Rutland County Historical Society on July 4,
1 88 1, after the Indian scout, Neshobe, mentioned in Thompson's novel The
Greefi Moiaitain Boys.
Neshobe Island was first cleared about 1790, by Robert Mason, and planted
to corn ; but was allowed to grow up to bushes until 18 10 when it was again
cleared by the Shaws, who then lived upon Mason's Point east of the Island.
After three or four years it was again allowed to grow up to bushes, some of
which still stand as ornamental shade trees to a summer resort. From the first
settlement of the town of Castleton this island has been a favorite resort for
fishing parties. In 1835 a rough board house thirteen feet square was erected
on the southern extremity of the island by S. H. Langdon, who also put in
cooking utensils, and had an ice-house built and filled every winter for sum-
mer use, which was free to all parties who might desire to sojourn there. For
several years these accommodations were amply sufficient to supph' the wants
of those who went to that enchanted island grove to re\-el in fish-chowders, St.
Croix, and other favorite brands of choice liquors. This was the first boat-
house on the lake. This building was burned by incendiary fire several years
afterwards. In about 1840 a party of revelers who visited the island christened
it " Chowder Island," when they served a chowder and had other festivities.
But the name was mentioned only by the members of the party or their imme-
diate friends, and it soon fell into disuse.
In 1877 John A. Leggett bought the island of Mr. S. H. Langdon who
owned it and had kept it fitted many years for festive occasions, and the next
year erected a two story hotel of wood. Mr. Leggett became insolvent and in
1880 the premises went into the possession of Jane Barker; since which time
the island has been very much beautified and the buildings much improved.
The place is now one of the most delightful summer resorts in New England.
In 1884 the Rutland county historical society adopted for the island a coat-of-
armsi which is described as follows: Dexter chief, ermine ; sinister base, ar-
gent. On ermine an annulet gules, in which is Neshobe Island vert, above
waves azure. On argent is a deer purpura, at gaze, between a flock of wild
1 Proceedings of RtdhinJ County Historical Society, Vol. 2, page 69.
Natural Characteristics.
•geese or, and a brace of arrow-heads gules. On a bend sinister sable, a fish
or, natant between a pond-lily bud argent, and the American eagle or, perch-
ing.
Crest: Indian gules, paddling a birchen canoe or, between two drakes vert,
natant, on waves azure.
Motto: " But Neshobe dieth never."
Neshobe dieth never.
Screw-driver Pond lies west of West Castleton and the village ot West Cas-
tleton. It was so called from its resemblance in shape to the screw-driver that
was used with the flint lock guns. The name has been in use for this body of
water more than one hundred years, as it appears in the land records of the
town of Castleton as early as 1785. It is scarcely more than one-fourth of a
mile in length and much less than that wide. It is surrounded by scraggy slate
rock and forest groves, with clean shores, making it a lovely gem. It empties
into Lake Bombazine. In about 1867 Mr. R. M. Copeland, referred to in con-
nection with the re-naming of Lake Bombazine, gave to this little pond the
name of Glen Lake. Both names, however, are in common use at the present
time. There are several small ponds to the northwest of Lake Bombazine,
which act as feeders to the latter.
There are three villages on the shores of Lake Bombazine, viz : Hydeville,
Cookville and West Castleton. Hydeville is situated at the falls on the outlet
of the lake. It was formerly called Castleton Mills. Cookville is situated on
Cookville Bay or the west shore of the lake. It is a village built up by those
44 HisToRV OF Rutland County.
working- in the slate quarries in that vicinity. It derives its name from Mr.
Cook who was largely concerned in the development of the slate interest there.
West Castleton is situated between Screw-driver Pond and Lake Bombazine.
Its principal business is quarrying slate.
Up to 1878 there were no hotels along the shores of the lake to accommo-
date tourists, who might wish to stop for any length of time. Travelers had
to be entertained at the farm-houses bordering on the lake. There were seve-
ral small buildings, called " boat-houses," along the shore of rude construc-
tion, which served as shelters in case of storm. The owner kept several boats
to let for fishing, sailing or rowing. Visitors to the lake were usually picnic
parties for one day only, or family parties who furnished their own tent and
provisions, and who came in from the surrounding country.
Since 1878 five hotels have been erected and several farm-houses have
been enlarged and fitted up for the accommodation of travelers and summer
boarders, since which time several hundred regular boarders stop every sum-
mer at the various houses.
In 1878 a small steamer was put upon the lake, which makes regular trips-
from Hydeville through the lake and return, stopping at the various places of
resort.
Lake Champlain should not be omitted in a sketch of the waters of Rut-
land county, as the southern portion skirts the western boundary of the county
from Whitehall, forming the west line of the towns of Westhaven and Ben-
son, a distance of sixteen miles to Orwell; the latter was, until twenty- five
years ago. one of the towns of Rutland count)-. The lake is quite narrow at
this point and resembles a river in appearance. Its width varies from one to
three-fourths of a mile until it reaches Crown Point. It is one of the most in-
teresting and attractive bodies of water in this country. An account of its
discovery by Champlain has been given in a preliminary chapter. The beau-
tiful scenery and the historic associations on the Vermont shore opposite Ti-
conderoga make that point one of interest to visitors. Mount Independence,,
in Orwell, is a small elevation formerly included in the limits of Rutland
county, opposite Fort Ticonderoga, upon which St. Clair erected fortifications-
which were connected with the fort by a floating bridge across the lake, twelve
feet wide and more than a thousand feet in length. This bridge had twenty-
two sunken piers to give it strength and durability, remains of which are occa-
sionally found at low water.
Lake St. Cathrine, lying in the towns of Poultney and Wells is five miles-
in length and one mile wide in its greatest breadth. Recent authorities ac-
count for the name St. Catiirine as being given to this body of water by a party
of Jesuit fathers who, at an early date, had a mission among the Indians and
were stationed upon the shore of this lake. This statement is well authenti-
cated by Catholic authority. The lake is called " St. Augustine " in Thomp-
Natural Characteristics. 45
son's history. It is authenticated by record that it bore this name as early as
1767. Governor Hall, in speaking of the name, says: "It appears from the
New York land papers in the office of the Secretary of State at Albany, that
on the 27th of April, 1767, a survey was returned of five thousand acres of
land for Colonel Maunsell, in the county of Albany, on the west side of ' Lake
Cathrine ' and that the same land was granted to him, March 7, 1771. On a
map published in London in 1779, on which are located the several grants
made by the governors of New York up to the time of the Revolution, Maun-
sell's tract is marked as lying on the west side of a body of water designated as
'St. Cathrine.'" The present name was undoubtedly the original one;
although it has been called at various periods by different names, among them
being " Lake Austin," or "'Wells Pond." It covers an area of about two
thousand acres, lying in two parts which are connected by a channel about
three-fourths of a mile in length and from three to eight rods in width ; the
lower portion is called the Little Lake, and is about three-fourths of a mile in
length by one-half in breadth. It is a beautiful sheet of water, surrounded by
mountains ; the water is clear, abounds in fish, and it has become a favorite
resort for visitors in summer. Several hotels ha\'e been erected for their ac-
commodation and a small steamer plies its waters.
There are many lesser bodies of water that should be mentioned, some of
which are even designated as lakes, and the majority as ponds, and many are
in remote and unfrequented parts of the county. Among them are Martin's
Pond in Benson, two miles long and the same in width. Inman Pond, a ro-
mantic body of water in the north part of Fairhaven, deriving its name from
Isaiah Inman, who settled near it. In Hubbardton there are twelve ponds
wholly or in part within the limits of the township, some with and others
without names. Beebe's Pond is one mile long and three-fourths of a mile
wide. Lake Hortensia, which is three miles long and a half mile wide; its
original name was "Gregory's Pond," and afterwards " Horton's Pond." It
is near the village of Hortonville. Jackson Pond, near Mechanicsville in Mount
Holly, is a mile long and half a mile wide ; it was first occupied by Abram
Jackson, one of the first settlers, as a mill site, but is now utilized by a large
manufacturing establishment. There is a natural pond on the height of the
mountain on the line between Mount Tabor and Peru. From this pond flows
a stream called Big Branch, which enters into the Otter Creek at Danby ; the
whole distance traversed by it is about seven miles. The town of Rutland has
several small bodies of water, but none that have assumed any importance or
value. There are two considerable ponds in the south part of the town of
Shrewsbury, one of which is now known as Shrewsbury Pond; it is a roman-
tic spot and is used for the cultivation of fish. Chapman Pond, in Tinmouth,
is a mile and a half long and half a mile wide; has some celebrity as a fishing
resort. There are three considerable ponds in the town of "V^'allingford, the
46 History of Rutland County.
longest of which is called Spectacle Pond, and sometimes "Lake Hiram;" it
is two miles long and a mile wide. Another pond covers about fifty acres and^
is not far from the one just mentioned. West of the Otter Creek, about a mile
from the village, is Fo.x Pond, which is three-fourths of a mile in length and
half a mile in width. These three bodies of water are beautifully located and
picturesque in all of their surroundings. These lakes and ponds, surrounded
by the mountains, their placid surfaces in attractive contrast with the rugged
steeps, add materially to the beauty of the landscapes of Rutland county.
1 .\benalds -
- Claims
of the Indians to I
.arrds -
-1
Before
the
Revoluti
on — First Records
of Expl.
It Deb.-i
table
■ Ground
in the French War
— Mi
lila
Zxmvn :
Point
. — Elias
PLiU's Statement.
CHAPTER III.
THE COLONI.\L PERIOD.
Indian Occupation — The Iroquoi?
of Irotiuois Occupation — Rutland Coi
Cross and Melvin's Expeditions — Ve
— The Road from Charlestown, .N. H.
IN the preliminary chapter of this work considerable allusion has been made
to the colonial history of this region ; this fact, and the no less important
one that the details of that period have passed into general histor\- aiid are in-
scribed in hundreds of brilliant pages, must be an e.xcuse for the cmiipai atively
brief space which we here devote to the subject.
The rich alluvial lands along the Otter Creek and other streams of this
region offered the most favorable fields for hunting and fishing, and some of
the Indian tribes doubtless made this country a place of residence or resort.
At the time of the first discovery of Vennont by the French nobk man, Sam-
uel Champlain, in 1609, the powerful Iroquois were its nominal possessors;
they were probably trespassers on the territory of the Abenakis, or Canadian
Indians, by whom they were eventually expelled. Evidence of its original
populousness does not rest entirel)- on tradition. Indian mounds, tombstones
and various memorials of aboriginal life and death were found on the territory
occupied by them. Along the valleys and over the mountains doubtless passed
successive generations of aboriginal inhabitants, with no chronicler to note their
comings and goings. In this district of the country they planted their corn,
hunted, lighted their council fires, planned their tribal wars, wooed, wed and
wasted away in age and death, as inuch unheeded and unknown by the civil-
ized world as the successive growths of the dark and, gloom}' forests they
inhabited.
Freqtient petitions have been made to the Legislature by the descendants
The Colonial Period. 47
of tlie Iroquois asking remuneration for lands once owned by their nation. Tlie
first petition was presented in 1798, a second in 181 2, and renewed in 1853.
A commissioner was appointed wlio made a full report upon the Indian claims,
and they were registered. This territory has also been claimed by the Caugh-
nawagas, a branch of the Mohawks, whose principal seat was at Albany, though
they had temporary residences here, to which they annually repaired for the
purpose of hunting and fishing. Their descendants now exist in tribes at St.
Regis, in Franklin county, N. Y., and at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal.
They claimed a conveyance of a tract of territory, the boundaries of which are
thus described : " Beginning on the east side of Ticonderoga, from thence to
the great falls on the Otter Creek, and continues the same course to the height
of land that divides the streams between Lake Champlain and the River Con-
necticut, from thence along the height of land opposite Missique, and thence
to the bay."
There are evidences that every year large numbers of these tribes were seen
in their canoes ascending the Otter Creek to their favorite hunting grounds,
wherein they constructed small huts and there took up their abode during the
season favorable for the prosecution of their usual employment. The question
what Indian nation first occupied and owned western Vermont has not to this
day been fully settled, and still remains an historical problem.
Notwithstanding the patient investigation of the subject of the original In-
dian occupation, much that is unreliable has doubtless been handed down in
tradition from generation to generation, especially in respect to the earlier
dates; but in regard to the origin of the Iroquois, the localities of their resi-
dence, and their principal wars and conquests, the successive transmitters of
their history could hardly fail of being essentially correct. We may, therefore,
confirmed as it is by many circumstances found to exist on the advent of the
Europeans, set it down as an established fact that the Iroquois originated in
the northwest and gradually extended themselves over the southeastern por-
tions of New York to the upper parts of the Hudson and finally to Lake Cham-
plain, and some distance at least into the country east of it. The conclusion
is also established that they could not have reached and become possessed of
western Vermont much before the French found their way into the St. Law-
rence in 1535, since their conquest of the Mohegans did not take place till
about the time North America was discovered by the whites, and it may be
reasonably supposed that many years elapsed after their conquest and posses-
sion of the rich and extensive Mohegan territory southeast of the upper Hud-
son before they pushed northerly on to Lake Champlain to engage in a new
war with the Abenakis, which should wrest from them their territory in the
Cliamplain and Otter Creek valleys. It is equally evident they relinquished
their possessions between 1 740 and 17G0 or about the period of the settlement
of the State.
48 History of Rutland County.
Rutland county prior to the Revolution was unsettled and was predatory
ground. Up to 1760 the territory was almost an unbroken wilderness. A
few men from Massachusetts had located at " Dummer's Meadows," on the
Connecticut River, near Brattleboro ; others had built a few block-houses and
commenced clearings at several points farther north. Some French Canadians
had built temporary residences at Chimney Point, on the shore of Lake Cham-
plain, in the present town of Addison. But till the commencement of the
French War a large proportion of this region was little known to- civilized men,
few of whom had ever penetrated its mountain fastnesses. Such was the con-
dition of this section of. the country and such were its inhabitants at the first
approaches of civilization. The only known and authentic records of the ex-
plorations of the territory embraced in this county were the diaries kept by
James Cross and Eleazer Melvin. The former made his journey in April and
Ma}', 1730, and the latter in May, 1748, but this region of country did not be-
gin to be gcnerall)' known till 1754, when a series of operations began which
eventually changed its whole physical aspect and brought a hardy race of
civilized men to settle and open the territory.
Mr. Cross made his tour of observation, starting from Fort Dummer, April
27, 1730 ; he traveled up the banks of the Connecticut to Bellow's Falls, to the
falls in the Black River at Springfield, and thence by Ludlow and Plymouth
Ponds, until Arthur's Creek — Otter Creek — was reached, on Sunday, the 30th.
The party then made canoes and sailed down the creek to Gookin's Falls, at
Center Rutland, and thence to Sutherland Falls and onward down the creek
until Lake Champlain was reached. The canoes were carried around all
the falls.
The Melvin expedition, composed of eighteen men, passed through this
territory eighteen years afterward, and followed nearly the same route ; he
started on a military expedition May 13, 1748, from Fort Dummer, continued
up the Connecticut to Number Four (Charlestown), and then followed the
Black River. On the 19th the party " crossed several large streams, being
branches of the Otter Creek." Saw many signs of the enemy, both old and
new, such as camps, trees girdled, etc. On the 20th they marched over the
Otter Creek and around the Sutherland Falls. Further along they found sev-
eral camps of the previous winter and beaten paths made by the enemy. On
the 24th they came upon a camp fenced in with a very thick fence, where was
found a keg of about four gallons which appeared to be newly emptied of
wine, as plainly appeared by the smell, and about twelve pounds of good
French bread. They reached Lake Champlain and this point on the 28th, and
had a skirmish with a party of Indians. They then began a retreat, being
pursued by about one hundred and fifty of the enemy. They again came to
the banks of the Otter Creek, in Pittsford, about a mile below Sutherland
F'alls and marched to Center Rutland where they camped. Thence they fol-
The Colonial Period. 49
lowed up the Otter Creek to the head of one of its branches Before arriving
at Fort Dummer Captain Melvin's party had another skirmish with the enemy,
and his party was scattered and four men killed, one wounded and one taken
prisoner.
During the struggle between France and England for territorial possession
the settlements of the French were separated from the colonies of New York
and New England ; Vermont only separated them. Its territory was, there-
fore, frequently passed over by military expeditions to Canada, the American
soldiers traveling the wilderness by means of paths indicated by marked trees.
Army supplies could only be transported in packs on horseback, and even this
was accomplished with much difficulty. The route from Canada to the Con-
necticut was by the way of Lake Champlain and Black River. There was an
old path which was called Indian Road. Massachusetts, feeling the necessity
of a road for facilitating the military operations of the government, in 1756
considered the feasibility of constructing a military road between the Connect-
icut River and Lake Champlain opposite Crown Point, and the Legislature of
that State made provision for a survey to ascertain "the distance and practica-
bility of a communication between Number Four, on the Connecticut River,
and Crown Point by the way of Otter Creek," and that the course of the
creek, its depth of water, its falls, the nature of the soil and the growth of
woods near it, should be reported. A fort was also projected on the height of
land between the Black River and the Otter Creek, the surveys were made to
the top of the Green Mountains, but there was no attempt to build either tlie
road or the fort, the pending hostilities rendering it hazardous. In 1759, how-
ever, a military road was laid out by General Amherst, from what is now
Charlestown, N. H., to Crown Point. The enlisted men of New Hampshire
and Massachusetts were quartered at Crown Point, and the object of building
the road was for transporting troops and baggage between the two localities
named. Two hundred men, under the command of Captain John Stark, en-
tered upon the construction of the road. The work began at Crown Point and
a good wagon road was first constructed to the Otter Creek. Lieutenant- Col-
onel Hawks then cut a bridle path over the mountain, but did not complete
the work ; the reason for his abandoning his purpose has never been explained.
In 1760 New Hampshire soldiers constructed a new road from Number Four
to Ludlow where the bridle path of Colonel Hawks ended. They followed
the bridle path to Otter Creek and thence on to Crown Point. They could
transport the military stores in wagons to Ludlow and thence by bridle on
horses. There were two branches, and the first branch was only in use prior
to 1759, passing through Rutland, from what was called the Little Falls, and
Center Rutland. The second branch ran north from what is now Main street
in Rutland, going north and intersecting the first branch in Pittsford.
Mr. Elias Hall, whose father was in the army of General Amherst, made
50
History of Rutland Countv.
some years ago substantially the following statement : When nineteen years of
age he accompanied his father to look over the scenes of his father's military
service. Crown Point and Chimney Point being only half a mile apart, the old
French road starting on the Vermont shore of the lake, his father traveled
the route on his way home from the fort in 1759, and passed through East
Shoreham and Whiting. Fort Mott, at Pittsford, was on the line of his route
and near the road from Pittsford to the corner of Main and West streets in
Rutland, where another fort is understood to have been located ; thence the
route ran through Clarendon, Shrewsbury, and Mount Holly, Ludlow, Caven-
dish and on to Number Four, (or Charlestown, N. H.) This is a description
in brief of the route of the old French or military road connecting Crown
Point with the Connecticut River. The details of this route along the various
points it passed and its boundaries will receive further attention in subsequent
pages. Many towns, however, have claimed to have been on the line through
which it did not go, especially in the western section of the county.
CHAPTER IV.
the new YORK CONTROVERSY.
The Grounds of the Controversy — Issue of Conflicting Patents— Schedule of Patents and Date of
Issue— Difficulties Engendered in Attempts to Eject Settlers— A Military Organization under Ethan
Allen — Lydius's Claim and Grants under it — The First .\rrest and Trial — Other Incidents — Benjamin
Hough's Offense and Punishment — Proclamations and Counter-Proclamations — The Controversy
Quieted by the Opening of the Revolutionary Struggle.
BUT a brief reference can be made to the long and bitter controversy with
the authorities of New York, which caused so much annoyance and trouble
to the early settlers on the New Hampshire Grants. It was a controversy
which was to decide the strength of New York laws and the fate of the settlers
on the territory now constituting the county of Rutland, as well as the sur-
rounding Vicinity. The situation of affairs that led to this historical contro-
versy may be briefly stated as follows : —
On the loth of April, 1765, a proclamation was issued bj- Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor Colden, of New York, giving a copy of an order of the king in council
of the 20th of July preceding, declaring the boundary line between New Hamp-
shire and New York to be the Connecticut River, and notifying his majesty's
subjects to govern themselves accordingly.
That a twenty mile line from the Hudson, extending northerly to Lake
Champlain, was the eastern boundary of New York, is proven bj' the charter
The New York Controversy. 51
title of the Duke of York upon his accession to the throne in 16S5, making
New York a royal province. The disputed territory had been repeatedly and
uniformly recognized by the king's government as belonging to the Province
of New Hampshire, and never to that of New York.
The king, in 1 741, commissioned Benning Wentworth governor of New
Hampshire, describing his province as reaching westward " iintil it met his
other governments " thus bounding it westerly by New York. Governor Went-
worth, with authority from the king to grant his lands, issued charters of over
one hundred townships, each of six miles square, within such territory. Among
these charters nearly all the land in the present Rutland county had been
granted in sixteen different townships, viz. : Brandon (by the name of Neshobe),
Castleton (by the name of Harwich), Pawlet, Pittsford, Poultney, Rutland, Sher-
burne, Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Tinmouth, Wallingford and Wells.
Meanwhile, and soon after the issue of the proclamation of Lieutenant-
Governor Golden, he began the issue of patents in the present territory of Rut-
land county, and by the following November had granted about twelve hun-
dred acres under what were termed military patents, chiefly in Benson, Fair-
haven and Pawlet. The military patents entire that were granted in the
county embraced more than 26,000 acres, all of which patents, except one
thousand acres, were made in direct contravention of the order of the king,
of July 24, 1767, forbidding the New York governors from making such grants.
The last patents embraced lands in Pawlet, Wells, Poultney, Castleton, Fair-
haven and Benson. Although these military patents were ostensibly a re-
ward for military service, they were in reality made for the benefit of land
speculators. The grants made for purposes of settlement were not to exceed
one thousand acres each, and to only one individual ; these were termed civil
grants. The following compilation from the records of New York patents
shows the date of each patent, the name of the leading patentee, the location
of the tract and the number of acres as far as relates to Rutland county : —
1770, May 20, Kelso, Tinmouth, 21,500 acres; August i, Hutton, Shrews-
bury, 12,000 acres; September 8, Wm. Faquar, Benson, 5,000 acres.
1 77 1, February 28, Adam Gilchrist, Poultney, 12,000 acres; April 3, So-
cialborough, Rutland, Pittsford ant! Clarendon, 48,000 acres; June 12, Hales-
borough, Brandon, 23,000 acres; June 24, Newry, Shrewsbury, Sherburne and
Mendon, 37,000 acres; June 28, Richmond, Wells and vicinity, 24,000 acres.
1772, January 7, Durham, Clarendon and Wallingford, 32,000 acres ; Feb-
ruary 20, John Tudor, Danby, 1,000 acres; November 6, Henry Van Vleck,
Ira, 5,000 acres ; June 19, John Thompson, Pawlet, 2,000 acres. Making in
all 222,500 acres.
The patent of Socialborough bore date April 3, 1771, and the grant covered
about 48,000 acres, as stated, forming a tract thirteen miles in length and six
in width, and was nearly identical with the New Hampshire townships of Rut-
52
History of Rutland County.
land and Pittsford. The patent of Durham, which was issued by Governor
Tryon, bore date January 7, 1772, and included most, if not all, of the land in
the township of Clarendon, which had been chartered by New Hampshire Sep-
tember 5, 1761.
It was well known in New York that these lands had long been granted by
New Hampshire, and were actually occupied under such grants, and the new
patents were procured in utter disregard of the rights and claims of the settlers.
So all attempts to survey the new patents, or to eject the present holders, were
met with sturdy resistance on the part of the settlers, and thus it came about
that those who opposed the authority of New York were stigmatized as " riot-
ers," " conspirators," and " wanton disturbers of the public peace," while the
" Yorkers " were in turn called " land jobbers," " land pirates," etc.
Of the many personal collisions that grew out of this state of affairs, we can
refer to only a few ; others will be found described in the various town his-
tories. Committees were appointed for local protection from the operations of
the New York speculators, and towards the latter part of the year 17713 mil-
itary organization was instituted with Ethan Allen in command. The duties
of this body were to watch for and report in their several neighborhoods any
hostile movements of their adversaries, and to hold themselves in readiness to
move to any part of the threatened territory whither they were directed for the
defense of the interests of the settlers.
The first settlement was made in Clarendon about 1768, under a lease from
one John Henry Lydius, an Indian trader and native of Albany. He claimed
title to a very large tract of land on Otter Creek, by virtue of a deed from some
Mohawk Indians, dated in 1732, and a pretended confirmation by the king
through Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts, in 1744. This claim aroused the
" Green Mountain Boys," who at once determined to put a stop to this en-
croachment. They determined that none of the New York officers living in
the disputed territory should be permitted to perform any official acts, and that
in order to separate the interests of the inhabitants of Durham from those of
their New York associates, the latter should be required to acknowledge the
validity of the New Hampshire title by purchasing and holding under it ; and
that if mild measures should not be found sufficient to carry into effect these
resolutions, forcible means should be resorted to.
This soon led to open hostilities against the New York adherents, and es-
pecially Benjamin Spencer, of Clarendon. Under the lead of Ethan Allen and
Remember Baker, on Sunday night, the 20th of November, a party of twenty
or thirty men took Spencer into custody and kept him until Monday morning,
by which time the number of Green Mountain Boys had increased to over one
hundred. Before beginning Spencer's trial, Allen addressed the people, in-
forming them that he and others had been appointed " to inspect and set things
in order, and to see that there should be no intruders on the grants, and de-
The New York Controversy. 53
daring that Clarendon [then Durham] had become a hornet's nest that must
be broken up." The trial then began, Spencer being accused of " cuddling
with the land-jobbers of New York to prevent claimants of the New Hamp-
shire rights from holding the lands which they claimed, and with issuing a war-
rant as justice of the peace contrary to orders ; and with endeavoring to seduce
and inviegle the people to be subject to the laws and government of the colony
of New York."
Spencer was found guilty and his house declared to be a nuisance, and sen-
tence was passed that it should be burned to the ground, and that he should
promise that he would not in the future act as a justice of the peace under au-
thority from New York. On an appeal from Spencer the sentence was recon-
sidered, and it was decided that the house should not be wholly destroyed, but
only the roof should be taken off and might be put on again, provided Spencer
should declare that it was so put on under the New Hampshire title, and should
purchase a right under the charter of that province. Spencer, promising com-
pliance with these terms, the Green Mountain Boys proceeded to remove the
roof " with great shouting, much noise and tumult." On a further promise
that he would not act again as magistrate, Spencer was discharged from cus-
tody. A part of the company then visited the house of the New York coro-
ner, named Jenny, and finding him absent and his house deserted, set it on fire
and it was burned to the ground. Most of the inhabitants of Clarendon who
held under the New York patents were also visited, and, upon their being
threatened, agreed to purchase under the New Hampshire title. The New
York narrative of this invasion of Clarendon said : " The men composing the
mob conducted themselves in a coarse, boisterous and blustering manner, using
very violent as well as profane language, threatening destruction and death to
those who should fail to acknowledge the New Hampshire title and become its
advocates."
These incidents serve to illustrate the measures of the Green Mountain
Boys during those troubled times, as well as the spirit of the people and the
temper of the period of the long and bitter controversy. Many manifestoes,
appeals and other documents were issued and negotiations attempted, and vio-
lent measures adopted against the New York claimants, until they, in general,
became unwilling to further incur the displeasure of the Vermonters.
One notable instance, which occurred in Rutland county, will serve to illus-
trate the punishments inflicted at times on the interlopers and sympathizers
with the hated authority. Benjamin Hough not only occupied land in Claren-
don under a New York patent, but during his residence, from 1773, had been
an odious advocate of that title, although he claimed to have agreed for that
of New Hampshire. In 1774, after a visit to New York, he returned with a
commission as justice of the peace, and was loud in his denunciations of rioters
and active in the exercise of his office as a magistrate. He was warned verb-
54 History of Rutland County.
ally and in writing to desist from the further exercise of his official authority,
and threatened with punishment if he persisted. He set these warnings at de-
fiance and the indignation against him became very great, and it was deter-
mined to make an example of him such as would silence him and deter others
from a similar course. He was accordingly seized by a party of his neighbors
in Clarendon, placed in a sleigh and taken thirty miles to Sunderland, where
he was kept for three days under strict guard, until Monday, the 30th day of
January, 1775, when he was tried. He was found guilty and sentenced "to
be tied to a tree and receive two hundred lashes on the naked back, and then,
as soon as he should be able, should depart the New Hampshire Grants and
not return again until his majesty's pleasure should be known in the premises,
on pain of receiving five hundred lashes." This sentence was read to him by
Ethan Alien and immediately put into execution. He was then given a pass
couched in the following terms : " This may certify to the inhabitants of the
New Hampshire Grants that Benjamin Hough hath this day received a full
punishment for his crimes committed heretofore against this country, and our
inhabitants are ordered to give the said Hough free and unmolested passport
toward the cit)- of New York, or to the westward of our grants, he behaving as
becometh."
This chastisement of Hough seems to have been the last act of personal
violence to which the claimants under New York, as such, were subjected by
the Green Mountain Boys in this county during the colonial period, and open
resistance ceased from that time.
Another prominent feature of the controversy was the issuing of proclama-
tions by the New York authorities, which only served to increase the antipathy
of the settlers. The proclamation for the arrest of Allen and his associates was
treated by them with defiant contempt, and in return they issued and exten-
sively circulated in this county a burlesque proclamation over their own sig-
natures, of which the following is the text : —
"25 Pounds Rcivard.
" Whereas, James Duane and John Kempe, of New York, have by their
menaces and threats, greatly disturbed the public peace and repose of the hon-
est peasants of Bennington, and the settlements to the northward, which peas-
ants are now and ever have been in the peace of God and the king and are
patriotic and liege subjects of George HI, any person will apprehend those
common disturbers, viz., James Duane and John Kempe, and bring them to
Landlord Fay's at Bennington, shall receive £\l reward for James Duane and
£\o for John Kempe, Paid by
" Ethan Allen,
" Remember Baker,
" Robert Cockran.
" Dated Poultney, Feb'y 5, 1772."
The Revolutionary Era. 55
Many of the most stirring events of this bitter controversy occurred in tliis
county, the records of which have passed into general liistory, and aroused the
people of the New Hampshire Grants to put forth their highest efforts for the
protection of their homes and their rights. The intellectual, as well as the
physical, nature and strength of the leaders was developed. In perusing the
records of those transactions the living expression of the times is caught. The
actors therein were men of courage and intellect ; they were a plain, industri-
ous, hardy race of men, who emigrated hither to cultivate the soil and secure
a competency for themselves and their children. They cared not under what
government they came, if permitted to enjoy unmolested the hard-earned fruits
of their industry.
The opening of the Revolutionary War found the inhabitants of this section
thus engaged in the controversy for the title to their lands and the government
which they chose, and it is difficult to conceive what would have been the issue
of the controversy had not its progress been arrested by the great struggle for
freedom, which dwarfed all minor troubles. The inhabitants hereabouts soon
began to feel their importance in the oncoming contest ; and their own imme-
diate safety, as well as a strong sympathy with the general hostility to the
mother country, led them to take an early and prominent part in the com-
mon cause.
CHAPTER V.
THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA.
Inherent Patriotism of the People — Prepared for the First Call — Capture of Ticonderoga — Dif-
ferent Sentiments Existing Among and Actuating the Inhabitants — Effect of the Approach of Bur-
goyne's Army — Mercilessness Shown to Tories — Results in Vermont of Burgoyne's Surrender —
Faithfulness of Vermonters to the Cause of Patriotism.
THE opening of the Revolutionary War found the people of Rutland county
substantially independent, obeying only the orders and decrees of com-
mittees, conventions and town meetings. The inhabitants of this region took
an active and patriotic part in the war. The leaders had been well prepared
to enter with enthusiasm and vigor into the contest for American liberty, by
sharing in the general hostility to the arbitrary measures of the British crown
and ministry, and by sympathy with their friends in Massachusetts and Con-
necticut, whence they had emigrated.
The people were well aware of the great importance of the posts on their
frontier in the approaching conflict. When, therefore, a few days after the
56 History of Rutland County.
battle of Lexington, messengers arrived from Connecticut for the purpose of
collecting forces to make an attack on Ticonderoga, they found a body of men
with their spirits and minds already prepared for the expedition. The old
military corps which had done effective service in guarding the territory from
the intrusions of the emissaries of the New York government was speedily
mustered and on the march. The immediate result of this expedition was the
well-known surrender of the fortress, the importance of which at that critical
time can scarcely be over-estimated ; its details and an account of the battle
of Hubbardton are given a little farther on.
The prescribed limits of this work will not admit of an extended account
of the part taken by the people of this county, as individuals, in the great strug-
gle that gave the country its liberty. Their deeds, and those of their com-
patriots, are written in ever-living lines on the pages of general history. Some
of the more prominent features of the contest, bearing a local character, may,
however, be alluded to.
There were, perhaps, at the opening of the Revolution, one-half of the
people to whom the coming contest was grateful. There were those, too,
who in the troublous times had neglected their own private affairs and were
now in embarrassed circumstances. Habits in a measure forced upon them,
had unfitted some for a quiet occupation. These were, of course, ready for
any change by which something might possibly " turn up." There were a
few who took a comprehensive view of the whole subject and, from truly pa-
triotic motives, were ready to risk everything for the great principles of polit-
ical freedom. Unfortunately these were not generally men of influence and
property. But when a British army of more than seven thousand men came
marching from the North, the leading men of the county were filled with in-
dignation, to say nothing of other feelings that animated them. The progress
of that army was slow, but so much the better calculated to spread alarm.
Tories began to declare themselves in proportion to the nearness of its ap-
proach. Names of men suspected or known as Tories, who lived in all parts of
this region, were spoken, the Council of Safety met often and the several towns
in this county received especial attention, as well as those surrounding.
As Burgoyne's army approached, the excitement increased. Companies
of men on both sides were scouring the country in search of recruits and pro-
visions. The houses and fields of suspected Tories were mercilessly plun-
dered. Clothing and other necessary articles of furniture were carried off.
Every contrivance was resorted to for concealment. Cattle were driven to the
mountains. The family supplies of beef and pork were buried in the earth.
Even the less perishable articles of furniture were disposed of in the same
manner. It was a period of great anxiety and alarm. The settlers along
Lake Champlain and as far south as Manchester, had either submitted to Bur-
goyne and taken his protection, or were abandoning their positions and re-
The Revolutionary Era. 57
moving to the southward. When it became knou-n that an army of Hessians
and Indians were approaching, the people flocked towards Bennington, taking
with them such of their most valuable property as could be hastily collected
and transported. The more timid and prudent passed on beyond, while others
made such preparations as they could for a sudden removal and waited further
developments. Any attempt to describe the painful anxiety that prevailed
during that period as to the result of the near contest would be vain. That,
as well as the rush of overwhelming joy and exultation which followed the vic-
tory, can only be imagined. The victory was a proud one for the people of
the country, and an ominous presage of the later overthrow of Burgoyne.
Although the capture of Burgoyne and his army in the fall of 1777 was a
most fortunate event in the Revolutionary struggle, it left Lake Champlain
and the strong fortresses of Ticonderoga and Crown Point in the possession of
the enemy, and Vermont, during the remaining five years of the war, constantly
exposed to their incursions. The occupation of those forts by a strong Brit-
ish force also gave countenance and encouragement to the loyalists in northern
New York and Vermont and kept the inhabitants of Rutland county in a state
of almost continual apprehension and alarm.
During the remaining period of the war the State was under the necessity
of maintaining a permanent guard on the borders of her territory, to which the
people of Rutland county contributed their full proportion of men and means.
They were also subject to orders to march in a body to the frontier on many
occasions of apprehended or actual invasion by the enemy. Vermont at that
period was weak in numbers, but she was strong in the justice of her cause, in
nerve and in patriotism. From the morning of May loth, 1775, when the
dawn found Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga, until the evening of the last day of
the Rc\olution, the men of Rutland county were found, whenever and where
ever the enemy appeared, foremost in attack and last in retreat. In 1775 a
regiment was sent to Canada ; its brilliant exploits at Longuiel form a page of
heroic history. In 1776, when the Continental army was formed under Colo-
nel Warner, they served with honor throughout the war. The men of the
county were in constant service, and when their own territory was invaded,
the whole population was under arms Ticonderoga, Longuiel, Hubbardton,
Bennington and Saratoga, bear testimony of the patriotism and valor of the
people of Rutland count)'.
58 History of Rutland County.
CHAPTER VI.
THE BATTLE OF HL BBARDTOX.
Effects of Uie Battle —
(■nndilion of the I'eojile Immediately Tieceding the Affair — Colonel War-
ner's Appeal to the Vermc
mt Convention — General St. Clair's Appreciation — Effects of the .\ban-
Monment of Ticomlerog.-i —
The Retreat — The Attack — .\nen's Detailed Description of the Battle —
Incidents.
THE events at Hubbardton in July, and Bennington in August, 1777, caused
the flood tide of invasion from the North to ebb. They led immediately
to the important results at Saratoga in October ; also the appreciation by the
courts of Europe of the powers of the American soldiery and the ability of the
colonists to maintain the cause of independence. It led to an open treaty of
alliance between the United States and France just seven months after the bat-
tle of Hubbardton. It was the prophecy of the surrender of Yorktown.
A brief statement of the condition of the people just preceding this engage-
ment will be of interest as preliminary to an account of the battle. The peo-
ple of Western Vermont were in much alarm from the apprehension of an in-
vasion by the British army from Canada, under General Burgoyne, for which
preparations had been made under the direction of the English ministry. An
army often thousand veterans, one-half of them German hirelings, equipped
and furnished with every warlike material that wealth and skill could' supply,
had been collected in that province and attended by a formidable body of sav-
ages, and a corps of Tories, was approaching the American post at Ticonder-
oga. Its commanding general confidently expected, after an easy conquest
of that post, to march triumphantly through the country to the seaboard,
crushing all opposition to British rule. General St. Clair, who commanded at
Ticonderoga, had sent Colonel Seth Warner to gather reinforcements from the
militia; Colonel Moses Robinson's regiment was already at Hubbardton, and
others were on their way.
On the second of July Colonel Warner wrote the State Convention, then in
session at Windsor, that he had just received an express from General St.
Clair, who expected an attack at any hour and who had ordered him to call
out the militia of this State, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and join him
as soon as possible. This letter also asked all the men that could possibly be
enlisted, saying that the safety of the post depended on the exertions of the
country ; that their lines were extensive and but partially manned for want of
men. Warner, in the same communication, makes this graphic appeal : " I
should be glad if a few hills of corn unhoed should not be a motive sufficient
to detain men at home, considering that the loss of such an important post
can hardly be remedied." On the receipt of this letter by the convention, a
The Battle of Hubbardton. 59
communication was sent to the General Assembly of New Hampshire, then in
session at Exeter, enclosing Warner's appeal for help, and adding that the mi-
litia from this State were principally with the officer commanding the Conti-
nental army at Ticonderoga, the remainder on their march for the relief of
that distressed post, and requesting further aid from that State. Colonel
Joseph Bowker, of Rutland, president of the convention, immediately wrote
General St. Clair, giving information of what had been done and the exertions
being made to aid him.
The efforts of the Vermont Convention for the relief of Ticonderga were
duly appreciated by General St. Clair. He wrote a letter from Colonel Mead's
in Rutland, dated July 7, giving a brief explanation of the necessity he was
under to evacuate the post at Ticonderoga, in which he remarks: "The exer-
tions of the convention to re-enforce us at Ticonderoga merit my warmest
thanks, though they have been too late to answer the good purpose for
which they were intended." In another letter General St. Clair says : " I have
just now received a letter from General Schuyler, directing that Colonel War-
ner's regiment, of your State, should be left for the protection of the people."
He gave information to the Vermont Convention that he was proceeding to
join General Schuyler as fast as possible, and hoped that there would be suffi-
cient force called to check the force of the enemy, and added that " your con-
ventions have given such proofs of their readiness to concur in any measure
for the public safety, that it would be impertinent to press them now."
By the retreat of the American army from Ticonderoga, the whole west-
ern frontier of the State north of Massachusetts, comprising more than half of
the inhabitants residing west of the Green Mountains, was left wholly unpro-
tected and exposed to the immediate ravages of the enemy. General Bur-
goyne had issued a boastful proclamation threatening ruin and destruction to
all who should oppose him, but offering protection and security to those who
should remain peaceabl}- at their homes, and payment in gold for any provi-
sions they might furnish. Many who were not his well-wishers, in the dis-
tressed and apparently desperate condition in which they suddenly found
themselves, felt it necessary to accept his written proclamation, while others,
more patriotic or in a better situation to remove, fled to the southward with
such of their effects as they were able to take with them. Some of these fu-
gitives stopped with their friends in the south part of the State, while others
passed further on. No part of the territory could be considered safe against
any rapid incursion of the enemy, especially as a considerable number in their
midst were believed to be friendly to the invaders, and alarm and confusion
everywhere prevailed.
By the 5th of July Colonel Seth Warner had reached Ticonderoga with
nine hundred militia, mostly from Vermont, but the fort even after this re-en-
forcement was altogether untenable against the well-appointed army of Bur-
6o History of Rutland County.
goyne. On the evening of that day a council of war dictated that the fort
should be abandoned before daylight the next morning, which was done. All
the cannon and most of the provisions and military stores fell into the hands of
the enemy, and the army retreated rapidly toward Castleton.
The retreat began about two o'clock in the morning of the 6th, when St.
Clair and the garrison left the fort, and about three o'clock the troops on
Mount Independence were put in motion and a part were conveyed to Skenes-
boro (now Whitehall) in bateau.x, while the main body of the army proceeded
by land on the old military road, which had been cut during the preceding war
from Number Four, now Charlestown, N. H., to Ticonderoga. The retreat
was conducted in silence, unobserved by the enemy, until a fire by acci-
dent was set which illuminated the whole of Mount Independence, and at once
revealed their movements to the enemy. At about four o'clock the rear guard
of the American army left Mount Independence and were brought off b}' Col-
onel Francis in good order. When the troops reached this place they were
halted about two hours. Here the rear guard was placed under the command
of Colonel Seth Warner, with orders to follow as soon as those behind came
up. General St. Clair, with the main body, reached Castleton on the 6th of
July.
The retreat from Ticonderoga was no sooner discovered b)' the British than
a pursuit was made by General Fraser, who was soon followed by General
Reidsel with a greater part of the British forces. Fraser continued the pur-
suit during the day, and having learned that the Americans were not far off,
he ordered an encampment for the night. Early on the morning of the 7th
he renewed the pursuit and at seven o'clock the engagement commenced.
General Fraser made an attack upon tlu- Americans while they were at break-
fast. The force under Warner's command consisted of Green Mountain Boys,
Colonel Haile's regiment of Connecticut River men, with a Massachusetts reg-
ment under Colonel Francis, amounting to nearly 1,000 men. Those under
General Fraser were 2,000 strong, according to the account given by Ethan
Allen in his narrative Much reliance is to be placed on Allen's statements,
as he undoubtedly had it from Warner himself as well as from the confes-
sions made to him while a prisoner in England by officers of the English
army.
The following description of the battle is in Allen's ]>eculiarly graphic and
descriptive language.
He says: "The 6th day of July, 1777, General St. Clair and the army un-
der his command evacuated Ticonderoga and returned with the main body
to Hubbardton into Castleton, which was six miles distant, when his rear guard,
commanded by Colonel Seth Warner, was attacked at Hubbardton by a body
of the enemy about 2,000 strong, commanded b)' General Fraser. Warner's
commanil consisted of his own and two other resjiments, viz., Francis and
The Battle of Hubbardton. 6i
Haile, and some scattered and enfeebled soldiers. His wTiole number, accord-
ing to information, was near or quite i,000 men, part of which were Green
Mountain Boys. About 700 were brought into action. The enemy advanced
boldly and the two bodies formed within about sixty yards of each other.
Colonel Warner, having formed his own regiment and that of Colonel Francis,
did not wait for the enemy, but gave tiiem a heavy fire from his whole line,
and they returned it with great bravery. It was by this time dangerous for
those of both parties who were not prepared for the world to come. But Colonel
Haile, being apprized of the danger, never brought his regiment to the charge,
but left Warner and his men to stand the blowing of it and fled, but luckily fell
in with an inconsiderable number of the enemy, and to his eternal shame, sur-
rendered himself a prisoner. An English account gives their loss in killed
and wounded at 183 including among the former twenty officers. The Amer-
ican loss is estimated at about 324 killed, wounded and prisoners.
The conflict was very bloody. Colonel Francis fell in the battle, but Col-
onel Warner and the officers under his command, as also the soldiery, behaved
with great resolution. The enemy broke and gave way on the right and left,
but formed again and renewed the attack. In the mean time the British gren-
adiers in the center of the enemy's line maintained the ground, and finally car-
ried it with the point of the bayonet, and Warner retreated with reluctance.
Our loss was about thirty men killed, and that of the enemy amounting to three
hundred killed, including a Major Grant.
After Warner's men had thrown them into disorder, they formed and again
advanced upon the Americans, who in their turn fell back. At this critical
moment General Reidsel arrived with a reinforcement, and led them immedi-
ately into action, and decided the fortunes of the day.
The battle of Hubbardton, although the number engaged was compara-
tively small, was one of the most determined and severe on record. If it was
a British victory it was dearly purchased. But had it been an American vic-
tory it would not have lessened the sorrow for the fall of the gallant Colonel
Francis.
The general account of this engagement has passed into the history of the
county and more of the details and documentary evidence need not be given.
A few personal incidents, however, will be of interest to illustrate the charac-
ter and sufferings of the people of this section in the few days of terror before
and after the battle.
About half a mile east of Castleton village on the northwest corner of the
east and west road and the Hubbardton road, stood the house of George Foote,
where religious worship was held on the Sabbath. Upon the corner opposite
was a school-house. A mile and a half north of this, on the Hubbardton road,
lived Captain John Hall. Still further north, on what is known as the Ransom
farm, was a building appropriated to recruits. On the Sabbath, July 6, while the
62 History of Rutland County.
people were gathered for religious worship, the alarm is given that the enemy-
is approaching. At the same time the recruits come flying down the road and
take shelter in the school-house and in the house of Mr. Foote. Women and
children take shelter in the cellar. There is brisk firing from both sides for a
considerable time, but the casualties are few, the one party covered by the trees
of the forest. There is a closer conflict. Captain Williams, a volunteer from
Guilford, Vt., is wounded in the groin, but will not yield ; and in a hand to-
hand fight, deals a heavy blow upon a British lieutenant. He is then bay-
oneted through the body, and expires in a few moments. Captain John Hall
receives a shot in the leg, and as he lies profusely bleeding calls for water. As
his wife is bringing it to him, a Tory named Jones kicks the dish from her
hands. Captain Hall died of his wounds not long after. One of the British
infantry was mortally wounded and another shot through the body ; but re-
covered through the kind attention of Mrs. Hall — rendering good for evil. One
of Captain Williams's sons was wounded in the heel in the early part of the
engagement and fled to the woods. He finally reached Rutland in a famish-
ing condition. Two sons of Captain Hall, Elias and Alpheus, George Foot
and others, were taken prisoners and carried to Ticonderoga, but made their
escape after a few weeks. The body of Captain Williams, wrapped in a blanket,
without a coffin, was rudely buried at the foot of a tree near by. Forty-four
years after his remains were disinterred and the bones carefully gathered and
laid together in e.xact order by Luther Deming — a man perfectly blind — and
reburied in the village graveyard with appropriate ceremonies. Captain Wil-
liams had been at Ticonderoga during the French War, and was anxious to
go there again.
After this most unequal conflict, in which the British, Tories and Indians
outnumbered nearly ten to one, the victorious part}- returned to Hubbardton,
rifling houses and gathering plunder on their way. It was on this same day
that General St. Clair evacuated Ticonderoga, and marched his forces to Cas-
tleton. His route was by the old military road to Hubbardton, thence south
by the Hubbardton road. The van of St. Clair's army encamped that night
near the place where Williams and Hall had just fallen. One division of the
army under Colonol Bellows encamped about two miles south of Hubbardton.
The foraging party engaged in the skirmish at Castleton came near falling into
the hands of St. Clair's army on their return ; but meeting some of his soldiers
who were straying in advance, they learned of the approach of the army, and,
taking these prisoners, they turned into the woods, and so escaped. They en-
camped that night within a short distance of Colonel Warner's command — so
near, says Mr. Hall, one of the prisoners, that the noise of the battle was dis-
tinctly heard, and great anxiet}- was felt as to who were the combatants and
what the result. The same party commanded bj- Captain Sherwood took
several more [prisoners in Hubbardton, all of whom they carried to Ticon-
deroga.
The Battle of Hubbardton. 63
There is a question who was the commander of this foraging party. Lieu-
tenant Hall, a prisoner with the party, says it was commanded by Captain
Fraser. Thompson's history says the same. Other authorities say that Cap-
tain Fraser was certainly on the west side of the lake, a few days before, lead-
ing the attack on the American lines.
Besides, Captain Sherwood is said to have been the commander of the
foraging party in Hubbardton which was probably the same as that at Cas-
tleton.
A single incident may here be stated. Sometime in 1828 Rev. Joseph
Steele, pastor of of the Congregational Church at Castleton, met an aged man
in Kingsboro, N. Y., a worthy deacon in the Congregational Church, who was
in the battle, and who gave him the following particulars. He stated that his
mess were just making their breakfast, when they were saluted by a volley of
musketry. That the nemy came up over a rise of ground on the west, and
rushed down upon their encampment. The Americans were soon formed,
and the battle raged fiercely. Compelled to retreat, they fled eastward down
through the valley and then up a steep hill ; halting occasionally and firing
upon their pursuers — and that passing over the hill or mountain, they made
their way to Rutland. " When climbing the hill," he added, " my coat col-
lar was cut away by a musket ball." He had not visited the p-lace since, but
his description of the ground was perfect. After this battle, St. Clair proceded
to Fort Edward and joined General Schuyler. The British forces advanced
to Castleton, where they remained for several weeks — one regiment, under
General Fraser, encamping in the west side of the town, the other, under Gen-
eral Riedsel, a little to the east of the village, where the skirmish had been.
During the events above described there were times of great excitement, and
some families fled in alarm ; but the greater part remained. The year follow-
ing the battle of Hubbardton a fort was built near -the spot where the first
blood had been spilled in Castleton, furnished with two cannon, and garri-
soned under different commanders till the close of the war. All able-bodied
men in the settlement were enrolled as minute-men, ready to repair to the fort
at the call of the signal gun. " Many soldiers' graves, whose names have long
since been forgotten, a few years ago were visible near the site of the fort."
The following incident will illustrate the trials of those trying days: Very
early one morning the alarm gun is heard and Mr. Lake, living a mile and a
half from the fort, shoulders his gun and obeys the summons, leaving his wife
and two children unprotected in their log cabin, remote from any neighbor.
Soon a Mrs. Eaton who lived one-fourth of a mile distant, came flying in with
her two children hurried from their bed, greatly alarmed. In her haste she
had left her bread in the oven and her children without anything to eat. What
can these mothers do ? Terrified and alarmed they resolved to flee for safety,
although it was still dark and raining fast. With all possiblle haste they make
64 History of Rutland County.
their way over hills through the woods, quite to the southern border of the
township to the house of a Mr. Richmond. It was a difficult and fatiguing
tramp, wet and weary, the children crying from hunger and cold ; they rejoice
at the sight of a habitation, and hope for shelter and warmth. As they ap-
proach the door, the voice of prayer from within fills them with joy. They
listen — but what is their dismay when they hear loud and earnest petitions
for the triumph of the British arms, and the overthrow and destruction of all
who oppose. It is the prayer of a Tory. Wet and weary as they are — and
the children crying for bread, they turn away with indignation to look for some
more kindly shelter. Many other incidents equally touching there were, no
doubt, which have not been preserved, but from this we get a glimpse of those
trying times.
It should be remembered the battle of Hubbardton occurred at a dark
period of the Revolution. When General Burgoyne commenced his campaign
Washington had been driven from New York and the American forces from
Canada.
Colonel Warner ordered his men to meet him at Manchester, when the
remnant of the regiment, mustering about one hundred and fifty effective
men, assembled a few days afterward. General St. Clair, with the main body
of his army, took a circuitous route to the Hudson River by way of Rutland,
Dorset and Arlington, and joined General Schuyler at Fort Edward on the
1 2th.
Colonel Seth Warner was a prominent figure in this battle ; he was a
Connecticut man whose life is so interwoven with the early history of this sec-
tion, that history almost accords him a residence here. As a military leader
he was honored and confided in by the people above all others, and his bravery
and military capacity appear to have always been appreciated by intelligent
officers of both armies.
In the evacuation of Ticonderoga he was in command of the rearguard, by
which he was involved in the action at Hubbardton. This description of him
has been given : " Colonel Warner was of noble personal appearance, very tall,
not less than six feet two inches ; large frame but thin in flesh and apparently
of great bodily strength. His features were regular, strongly marked and indic-
ative of mental strength, a fixedness of purpose, and yet of much benevolent
good nature." Colonel Moses Robinson, Bennington, who, with his regiment,
participated in the battle, was one of the famons Council of Safety that carried
Vermont successfully through the bloody campaign of 1777. He was chief
justice of the Supreme Court and governor.
After the battle the bones of those who fell were all buried in one grave,
which remained until the last half of the century unmarked. Money was sub-
scribed in 1858 for the erection of a monument, which was unveiled July 7,
1859, with appropriate ceremonies. On the base is the following inscription:
County Organization — War of 1812. 65
" Hubbardton battle fought on this ground July 7, 1777." On the north side,
" Colonel Warner commanded, Colonel Francis killed. Colonel Hale captured.
The Green Mountain boys fought bravely." On the south side, "This monu-
ment was erected by the citizens of Hubbardton and vicinity." On the west
side, "The only battle fought in Vermont during the Revolution." The cen-
tennial was observed with commemorative services July 7, 1877.
CHAPTER Vn.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION — WAR OF 1S12.
Vevmont's Record in the Revolution — Bennington County and its Extent — Formation of Rutland
County — First County Officers — Addison County Taken From Rutland — Courts — War of 1S12 —
Vermont's Active Measures— Mmority Oppositon — The W'ar Productive of Internal Dissensions in
Rutland County— Hearty Response to Call for Men at the Battle of Plattsburg — Peace and Pros-
perity.
THE great events with which the closing years of the Revolutionary strug-
gle were filled did not so nearly approach the locality of which this work
treats, although the settlers of Vermont continued to perform their share of
the work which was to secure freedom to the nation. Their valorous deeds
and those of the colonies at large, are recorded on many a historic page of
general history and need not be traced in detail here.
It was while the people of the county were still oppressed by the war
which had overwhelmed the country for six years, that the organization of
Rutland county was effected. On the 13th of February, 1781, Bennington
county, then comprising the entire territory west of the Green Mountains, was
given its present boundaries, while all the region northward and west of the
mountains was given the name of Rutland county. The first officers of this
county were as follows : Increase Moseley, of Clarendon, chief judge ; Thomas
Porter, of Tinmouth, Joseph Bovvker and Benjamin Whipple, of Rutland, side
judges; Obadiah Noble, of Tinmouth, clerk; Abraham Ives, of Wallingford,
sheriff; Nathaniel Chipman, of Tinmouth, State's attorney ; Joseph Bowker,
of Rutland, judge of probate.
Rutland county retained its original boundaries until 1787, when Addison
I county was formed, reducing it to its present limits, with the exception of the
transfer of the town of Orwell to Addison county in 1847. The county is about
fifty-five miles centrally distant from Montpelicr, the State capital ; is fort)'-
two miles long from north to south and thirty-four wide from east to west
and contains 958 square miles of territory.
66 History of Rutland County.
After the organization of the county its courts were held in Tinmouth un-
til 1784, that town having been selected as the county seat; that town was
then about the center of population in the county and the home of many of
the prominent men. The early courts were held and public business trans-
acted in the public house of Solomon Bingham, on the "Tinmouth Flats,"
where the family lived in one part of the log building and the other part suf-
ficed for the court- room. Here the first jail was also located and built of logs.
In 17,84 Rutland was made the shire town and the courts were transferred
thither. Details of these matters will appear in subsequent chapters.
As the reader will learn from a perusal of the various town histories herein
and the chapters treating upon other topics, the people of the county pursued
their vocations in peace and in a fair degree of prosperity until the mutterings
that presaged another war with England were heard in unmistakable tones. Of
this prominent event in the history of the country, a short account must be
given.
War 0/ iS 12-1 4. — The causes which led to the second war with Great
Britain are well understood, and a brief reference to them and to the events
which transpired in this immediate vicinity, will serve the purpose of these
pages. Causes of complaint against the mother country had e.xisted for sev-
eral years, and as early as 1 809 led to the passage by Congress of a law inter-
dicting all commercial intercourse with Great Britain. On the 3d of April,
1812 Conoress laid an embargo on all shipping within the jurisdiction of the
United States for ninety days, and on the i8th of June following an act was
passed declaring war with Great Britain. The principal causes which led to
the adoption of this measure were declared to be the impressment of American
seamen by the British, and the plundering of American commerce.
On the assembling of the Vermont Legislature in October, the governor,
Jonas Galusha, in his message urged the members to second the measure of
the general government, and provide means for defending the borders and for
sustaining the national rights and honor. The Assembly majority concurred
in the sentiments thus expressed, while a minority entered a protest. A law was
passed prohibiting all intercouse between the people of Vermont and Canada,
without a permit from the governor, under a penalty of $1,000 fine and seven
years' confinement at hard labor in the State prison. A tax of one cent per
acre was laid on the lands of the State, in addition to the usual assessments,
and other acts were passed relating to the payment of the militia.
These regulations proving oppressive to the people, many of the supporters
of the war went over to the opposition. As the election of 1813 approached,*
both parties exerted their utmost endeavor to preserve their ascendency. No
governor was elected by the people. The Legislature elected a governor
whose opinions were in direct opposition to the war. The laws relating to the
support of, and providing ways and means for, the war were repealed. The
County Organization — War of 1812. 6y
party spirit ran so high that opponents branded each other with opprobious
epitliets. The impartial administration of justice was endangered. Opposi-
tion to the measures of the government became so strong that the laws of Con-
gress, especially the act relating to customs duties, were treated as a nullity, and
so general became the practice of smuggling cattle and other supplies into
Canada and bringing out goods of English manufacture in return, that it was
regarded less as a crime than as a justifiable act.
The people of Rutland county were in no degree behind those of other
sections of the State, nearer to the scenes of actual hostility, in the virulence
and bitterness of their political animosities. So far was the question of peace
or war with England carried into the political contests between the rival par-
ties, that it became the chief topic of contention and the source of the bitterest
enmity. Families and friends were separated and stood in hostile array against
each other ; a man's politics constituted his passport or his mark of rejection
at his neighbor's door, and matters reached such a pitch that the dread of civil
commotion hung heavily on the minds of the more considerate portion of the
community.
On this question, which seemed to both parties to involve the greater ques-
tion of our independence, we find on one hand in Rutland county such men as
Nathaniel Chipman, Chauncey Langdon, Charles K. Williams and their polit-
ical friends. On the other, Moses Strong, Robert Temple, Jonas Clark and
Rollin C. Mallary, and their associates ; these men arrayed against each other,
and with leaders of such marked ability and influence, it is no matter of sur-
prise that the feelings of the people of the county should have been w orked
up with increasing intensity, as the decision in Congress on the question of
peace or war culminated ; and when war was actually declared, on the i8th
of June, 1812, the excitement was intense. Rumors of every nature were
abroad. The news was disseminated with almost telegraphic rapidity, flying
from town to town by express riders and speeding from one scattered settle-
ment to another throughout Western Vermont.
Notwithstanding this hostility, even up to the brink of civil war, the spirit
of patriotism and devotion to the Union burned in every soul with its accus-
tomed fervor. All were ready, when the hour of trial came, to defend the
country with their lives, if necessary, from external foes; and when the British
army and fleet moved out of Canada to Plattsburg, to crush our defenses there
and invade the soil of a sister State, that moment the bitterness and clamor of
party were hushed and, so far as the grounds of contention were concerned,
hushed forever.
On that occasion the people of Rutland county, without distinction of party,
and in common with the people of adjacent counties, volunteered their services
to repel the common enemy. With such weapons as they had at command,
they hurried from their homes and within a few days after the first alarm were
68 History of Rutland County.
on their way to join their New York friends on the banks of the Saranac. But
few of the volunteers from this county reached Plattsburg, as the news of the
battle and the decisive American victory met them on their way, and they
quietly returned to their homes and disbanded. Companies of volunteers were
formed in Benson, Brandon, Castleton, Danby, Fairhaven, Hubbardton, Mid-
dletown, Orwell, Pawlet, Pittsford, Poultney, Rutland, Tinmouth, Wallingford,
Weils, and portions of companies in other towns. They were on the march in
two days after the first call, and a few of them reached Middlebury ; but the
majority received intelligence that their services were not needed on reaching
Sudbury, Whiting and Salisbury.
After the battle of Plattsburg nothing further occurred in this vicinity
worthy of particular mention during the war. In October the Legislature
assembled. No governor had been elected by the people ; Martin Chittenden
was accordingly again elected by a small majority. Many accusations were
made against the governor, a number of which were presented from Rutland
county, because the militia was not ordered out for the defense of Plattsburg,
instead of being called out as volunteers. He replied that a call upon our pat-
riotic citizens for their voluntary services was, in this case, considered to be the
only method by which timely and efficient aid could be afforded.
The war had ceased ; the gloom which had hung over the people disap-
peared, and a general congratulation prevailed, as the soldiery returned to their
homes as citizens, and again turned the implements of war into the instruments
of husbandry. The violence of party spirit declined ; the sentiment of the
people became united and the peaceful pursuits of business were renewed.
Peace and Prosperity. — Peace again spread her beneficent wings over the
country and every hamlet in the land felt its benign influence. The inhabitants
of Rutland county again gave their undivided attention to the cultivation of
their farms and building up the early industries. This reign of peace and gen-
eral prosperity has not been interrupted since in any manner worthy of par-
ticular mention here (except as will appear in the details given in subsequent
pages), until the breaking out of the great Rebellion, which plunged the coun-
try into a monstrous civil war. The inhabitants have wisely administered their
public affairs, and by their energy have made the most of their private indus-
tries. Schools, churches and benevolent institutions have not been neglected
in the often more absorbing pursuit of wealth ; and the result is a community
which, for general intelligence and morality, will favorably compare with any
in the country.
Social History. 69
CHAPTER Vin.
Philosophy of Social History— Natural Desire of Humanity for Association —Social Intercourse
in its Early Development — Real Social Character of "the Good Old Times," as Compared with
Present Customs — The Old Fire- Pla?e — Corn Huskings — Amusements Therewith Connected —
"Kitchen Digs"— Other Amusements.
NATHANIEL CHIPMAN, long the eminent jurist of Vermont in our early
history, pubHshed a work on The Principles of Government. In that work
first principles are elaborately and philosophically investigated. In his second
chapter he says : "The first thing which strikes the mind in the course of our
inquiry, is an appetite for society. Man desires to associate with man, and
feels a pleasure at the approach of his kind. The appetite is so universally
prevalent it cannot be denied that it originates in his nature." The next step
of Judge Chipman seems to be to show that "mutual wants" and "mutual
defense" create a necessity for organization. Hence come our civil institutions
— government and the varied associations of civilized life, all showing that man
in his nature was fitted for society.
The first settlers of our county and State had this social nature. We have
a tradition that Ethan Allen and his compatriots, prior to the Revolutionary
War, as they traveled on foot from Bennington to Burlington through the for-
est, had places on their route for social intercourse with the settlers. One of
those places was at the log- house of Heber Allen (a brother of Ethan, then liv-
ing in Poultney), where the patriots who had settled in the vicinity assembled
and held social interviews, intense in their character, noisy, demonstrative and
determined, and, in effect, fired the hearts and nerves of those old patriots to
their strongest tension.
The early settlers of Vermont were very friendly with each other ; they
had no "poor-house"; they raised no tax to support the poor, but the few
unfortunate persons of that class were cared for by neighborhood comity.
Horace Greeley, in his opening chapter on the American conflict, says rela-
tive to the early history of our country: " Social intercourse was more general,
less formal, more hearty, more valued than at present. Friendships were
warmer and deeper. Relationship by blood or marriage was more profoundly
regarded. Men were not ashamed to own that they loved their cousins better
than their other neighbors and their neighbors better than the rest of mankind."
The old folks almost universally say: "When I was young, people were
more friendly than now ; neighbors were more intimate, more ready to help
each other ; visited each other more from house to house," and they all end
1 Prepared and contributed to this work by Hon. Barnes Frisbie, of Poultney.
70 History of Rutland County.
with a sigh for " the good old times." But the modern philosopher has it that
there has been social progress, as well as progress in the material world, pro-
gress in everything which pertains to civilization. Is not this so ? I think it
is and that history conclusively proves it. Now can we reconcile this with the
language quoted from Greeley and the theory of the old folks? Greele)', in the
same chapter, gives us the key: " Our fathers moved in a narrower round than
we do." One readily ought to see that two, three, or a half dozen families in
log- houses in the forest, and comprising the entire population of a newly-settled
town, would naturally have more intimate and friendly relations with the few
neighbors they had, than families who live in an older and more densely popu-
lated town would have with their neighbors. Secluded as the former would
be, the social propensity must be gratified by intercourse with a few. Not so
with the latter, as perhaps an hundred avenues would be open to them for the
exercise of their social natures, where there would be one with the former.
Our space will not permit us to elaborate upon this thought and, while we
concede that social intercourse was more general, less formal, more hearty, more
valued than at present in olden times, we shall assume that we have at least in-
dicated the reason for this and that it does not necessarily follow that the people
have degenerated in their social virtues. " Now the means of communication
are such and the business of modern life so changed that our thoughts, affec-
tions and aspirations take a wider range." Of course, when the social affections
of our fathers and mothers were centered upon a few objects, so far they would
be more intense than could ordinarily be now entertained in the best of society.
It is the purpose of the writer to bring out in this chapter some portion of
our history bearing upon the social element, so that the reader may peruse the
same with a view to cause and effect, in other words, to the philosophy of his-
tory, the foregoing has been written as preliminary.
The writer has already in another historical work, expressed himself as
follows: " Many now living have not forgotten the 'old-fashioned fire-place;'
this was the fire-side, indeed, with all that the term implies in prose, poetry or
song. At the bottom of the flue which led up through a large chimney to the
open air, was this fire-plaee. The bottom was on a level with the kitchen floor,
and spacious enough to take in a back log of four feet in length and two feet
in diameter, with another stick top of that half or two-thirds its size ; and in
front of these a fore-stick eight inches, or a foot, in diameter resting upon a
pair of andirons made when iron was plenty and cheap, with space enough
between the forestick and backlog for the kindling and small wood. At the
bottom and in front of the fire-place, reaching out from two to four feet into
the room, was a hearth made of flat stones as smooth and regular in form as
could be obtained from the fields. With all the wood, large sticks and small,
well on, the fire so lighting up the room that the tallow candle could be dispensed
with, a mug of cider at one corner of the fire-place, and a large dish of apples
Social History.
at the other corner, with the family and perhaps a few neighbors or visitors,
all animated and cheerful under the influence of the blazing fire and social chat
and forming a semicircle in front of and facing the bright and glowing fire,
and we have a view of the farmers' kitchen sixty years ago." Here they spent
their evenings, instead of going to the lecture-room, the concert, or to some
place of amusement so common in these daj-s. Then there were no such pub-
lic entertainments.
Corii-Hiiskings. — These were very common in the first half century of our
existence as a State and were resorted to for two purposes : first, to get the
work done ; and, second, for a neighborhood visit, and " a good time." It
appears elsewhere in this work that corn grew and yielded heavily on our lands
during this period of our history. The farmers then all raised an abundance of
this crop. After it was cut up, put into " stooks " and stood a few days in the
field, it was drawn to the barn and husked. It was a sort of common law, or
rather a common custom, that every farmer should have a " husking." When
his " stooks " were sufficiently dried (cured) in the field, he would go about
among his neighbors and invite all, old and young, to attend a husking at his
place on an evening named. During the day preceding the appointed evening,
he, with his help and team, would be engaged in hauling the corn to his barn,
barn-yard or some other place on his premises, setting it up and arranging it
for the husking in the evening. At the same time his " women folks " would
be making the pumpkin pies, indispensable at corn-huskings, and putting the
house in order for the evening entertainment. Those corn-huskings came
down to a period within the recollection of the writer. Speaking in the first per-
son, I can distinctly recollect five or six of them which I attended, and if I de-
scribe those, or a part of them, it may answer for a description of the whole ;
they were all of the same general character in this county. Not long after 1820
my father, who lived in Middletown and was a farmer, had a husking. I was
not old enough to give much attention to it, but well remember that my mother
kept the old brick oven hot for two or three days and turned out, among other
eatables, a large number of pumpkin pies. The evening came ; a crowd of
men and boys collected at the barn and began husking, their work lighted only
by a tin lantern in which was a tallow candle. As I was but a child my father
soon drove me to the house, which seemed filled with females of all ages and
all talking at the same time, each one without regard to what the others were
saying. I was put to bed at once and told to " go to sleep." I went to sleep,
but when the men and boys came in from the barn I was awakened, and, de-
spite of parental orders, got out of my bed in time to see the pumpkin pies dis-
appear down the throats of a jolly company. This repast taken, it was pro-
posed by some of the company to " run 'round the chimney."
This was a very common play by the young people in our early history,
and quite often followed corn-huskings the same evening. The construction
72 History of Rutland County.
of the dwelling-house, which followed the temporary log cabins, has been de-
scribed elsewhere — a house of one story, a huge chimney in the middle, sur-
rounded by a kitchen, two "square rooms" off the kitchen and an entry way
between the latter rooms, and with the doors all open formed a passage way
for the boys and girls to chase each other round the chimney in this play.
" Running 'round chimney " had been for thirty years a very frequent occur-
rence with the young at the time, and was a very common pastime with them
for ten years or more after. I was present on several of those occasions after
the one at my father's. The play began something in this wise : A young man
would say, " I have an action against Susan, or Harriet," or whoever she might
be. The girl thus accused, under the code of the play, was required to choose
some one to judge between them, and the sentence of the judge would be that
the accuser run after the accused around the chimney until he caught her. The
two would then start, the girl a few steps in advance, and after a few rounds he
would catch her and kiss her. This would settle that action. This couple
would retire and another would be introduced in the same way. I do not re-
member all of the technicalities that governed this play, but I do remember
that often a female ran after a male, and I remember that the pursued, whether
male or female, was always caught and kissed after a few rounds.
This play was coarse and rude in its nature, but the society of that time ap-
proved, adopted and practiced it for thirty or forty years and until the old
houses with the big chimneys in the middle were superseded by those of mod-
ern style, and society substituted more refined amusements for the young.
In connection with the corn-huskings, other amusements often followed. I
was present at one husking where a dance was held in the house after the corn
was husked at the barn. The services of a noted fiddler of those days, Jerud
Ives, of Tinmouth, had been secured. Mr. Ives was present with " the fiddle
and the bow," and organized for a dance as soon as the pumpkin pies had been
disposed of The dances in those days have been known as "kitchen digs."
" What the white men call cotillon " had not then come into use in this county.
Mr. Ives was full of music and had advanced as far as his contemporaries in
the science as a conductor of dances. He was a large muscular man and drew
the bow with uncommon vigor; he indicated the emphatic parts of his music
by a stamp of the foot and a motion of his head ; indeed, his countenance and
his every motion indicated great enthusiasm and spirit, which seemed to give
him perfect control of the parties on the floor. Jig dances required more of
muscular power and endurance than the modern dance, but there has been
nothing like the former to stimulate physical action. The dancers would hop,
and jump, and skip, exerting every nerve to the utmost, being sure to always
strike the floor in the right time.
The social amusements of a former generation were not as numerous as
they are now, but they were of a positive character, what there were, and
Social History. 73
they drew more upon the physical powers than do the modern amusements.
Ball-playing, pitching quoits, apple-parings and quiltings were very common,
and it is to the credit of our fathers and mothers that their amusements were
in the main productive in effecting the performance of necessary labor, and
let it here be remembered that the kind and character of those amusements
were simply the offspring of society as it then was.
Let it not be inferred here that plays, sports and amusements made up the
lives of our ancestors. There was much of domestic life, much in their social
relations and habits that we can but admire, and from which we may, if we
will, find potent causes of our remarkable progress in the last half century.
Emerson well said : " If a man wishes to acquaint himself with the real history
of the world, with the spirit of the age, he must not first go to the state-house or
the court-room; the subtle spirit of life must be sought in facts nearer." Cus-
toms, habits, anecdotes, facts, all which go to show the social status of the
common people, unmistakably indicate their true character as a whole, and to
form a just estimate of their history these must be consulted.
Our early history, more than that of any other period, emphasizes " Home,
Sweet Home." There their affections were then centered. As a rule they
made home happy, and they made it so by promptly and faithfully attending
to their work, in-doors and out, and keeping up a social, friendly intercourse
in the family. An old friend of mine, whose father and mother were early
emigrants from Canterbury, Connecticut, once said to me that his mother
would keep that old wheel of hers whirling all day and tell Canterbury stories
from morning till night. And often, more often than now, subjects of conver-
sation took a serious and practical turn in the families and with visitors when
present. A larger proportion of the inhabitants were then professors of relig-
ion and members of churches than now. The Sabbath-day was more strictly
kept, and the Sunday services attended largely in excess of the present time
in proportion to population. An afternoon visit was almost a weekly occur-
rence, at which all the ladies of a given neighborhood would assemble and
" take tea " with one of their neighbors. The next week, or as soon as con-
venient, they would assemble at some other neighbor's, and thus keep up that
friendly, neighborhood intercourse which so marked our people in the long
time ago. Husbands sometimes accompanied their wives, and clergymen,
deacons and their wives were in the habit of visiting the several families in
their congregations, and at those visits the subject of religion would be a lead-
ing topic of conversation. There was very little of class or caste in the society
of those early years. The mode of dress was simple and plain, and for the most
part homespun. There was very little of formality ; it was not considered an
intrusion to call on a neighbor without an invitation. If a half dozen, more or
less, should call on a neighbor for a visit, it was not then a " surprise party " —
there was no surprise about it; it was an every-day occurrence, and was ex-
74 HisTuRv OF Rutland County.
pected. The good lady of the house could cheerfully receive company in her
washing-dress. My grandmother, who lived in Brandon during her married
life, once said to me that she once called on a lady of her acquaintance and
found her making soap — that she sat about helping at once. " We got out a
barrel of soap," she said, " and I never had a better visit in my life."
In our early history Rutland county had abler men in the professions ; bio-
graphical sketches of many of them will appear elsewhere, and allusions to some
of them will be made here only to bring out their social characteristics. Na-
thaniel Chipman was hardly less distinguished as a conversationalist and wit
than as a jurist. General Jonas Clark, for half a century a leading member of
the Rutland county bar, had no superior, if an equal, in his time for genuine
social qualities and ready wit. In his practice at the bar, he often had to meet
sallies from opposing counsel, but seldom failed in a response which left him
the better man in the encounter. Moses Strong, Robert Temple, Gordon
Newell and Edgar L. Ormsbee were also noted examples of the early Rutland
county bar, for their wit and repartee, and their social faculties.
Among the clergymen who possessed social qualifications of a high order
we can call to mind Lemuel Haynes, Henry Bigelow and Stephen Martindale.
Some are now living who remember those noted clergymen of Rutland county
in a former day and generation. They were men of great power in the pulpit,
strictly orthodox, intensely devoted to their calling, but woe to the man who
crossed swords with them in sallies of wit or in repartee.
If space could be allowed many anecdotes might be given of those early
professional men, lawyers and clergymen, which might be entertaining if not
instructive. It is the opinion of the writer that the real wit and humor of
those times were superior to that of the present ; but it was the offspring of
that age — of the society which then existed. This opinion of the writer might
be sound and at the same time concede progress in civilization. No such
poetry as Milton, Pope, Dryden or Goldsmith wrote an hundred years ago and
more, has been written in this age, nor could it be. The works of the poets
named were the products of that age ; they could have been produced in no
other. Yet, what a change, what a wonderful advance has been since made in
civilization.
It has already appeared in this chapter as the opinion of the writer that
society is capable of improvement — that it has improved and advanced as
material interests have advanced. Judge Chapman, in his work alluded to in
the opening of this chapter, lays dow^n the fundamental principle that the pro-
pensity to Society is not limited to the number of its objects, but " is adapted
to the occasions, the powers and faculties of men, and admits of general exten-
sion by improvement." We cannot go back to the " good old times," as the
old folks understand it ; that is impossible. To illustrate this : We can never
again have an " old-fashioned thanksgiving." We can make chicken pies,
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 75
roast turkeys, and call the family together from far and near. But this would
now be mechanical — it would be mere imitation. The social element which
gave character to the thanksgi\-ing of olden time is not with us now, and no
art or device can make it. It is possible to get up a military drill and parade
on the first Tuesdaj' of June ; but the "June trainings" of yore will never be
witnessed again. We may celebrate our nation's birthday for all time to come,
and I hope we shall, but " the spirit of '76," as exhibited during the first half
century of our existence as a nation, will never be thus exhibited again.
As we progress changes occur — social changes as well as others, and the
social element must adapt itself "to the occasion." It must adapt itself to
the much wider and extended range which modern life has given it. But it
" admits of improvement." Society is a vital element in nations and states, and
he who neglects the study of it can have but a partial knowledge of our his-
tory, and but an imperfect idea of what holds our republic together.
CHAPTER IX.
RUTLAND COUNTY IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. i
Falriotism of Vermont — Honorable Services of the Troops — Action at the First Call for Volun-
teers — Company C (Rutland Light Guards) of the First Regiment — Its Re-enlistment in the Twelfth
Regiment — Career of the Regiment — The Fifth and Eleventh Regiments, Vermont Brigade — Career
of the Brigade — The 'Seventh Regiment — The Tenth Regiment and its Career — The Ninth Regi-
ment— First Regiment Vermont Sharpshooters — Career of Company F, First Vermont Cavalry —
Nine-Months Volunteers — The Twelfth and Fourteenth Regiments — Second Battery Light Artillery
— Roster of Officers from Rutland County.
NO State in the Union came out of the great struggle for the preservation
of our national government with greater glory and a more honorable rec-
ord than Vermont. With almost unexampled promptitude and unselfish prod-
igality she sent her best blood to baptize the southern fields and languish in
deadly prisons, and lavished her treasure in support of the noble cause, and to-
day no one can do the memory of her heroes, dead and living, too much honor.
The sharp anguish of sudden loss of father, husband or brother may have be-
1 In the very limited space allotted us in this work for this subject, we can attempt little more than
the gathering into condensed and convenient form of the military statistics of Rutland county, as pre-
served in the remarkably complete records preserved in the reports of the adjutant and inspector-gen-
eral of the State. The subject merits, perhaps more than any other, the fullest and ablest treatment
by the historian, with such facilities at his command that the work may reach the masses of the peo-
ple ; and it is a pleasure to know that there is now in course of preparation by G. G. Benedict, esq., of
Burlington, a work on the subject which will, without doubt, bear the most critical examination and
justify the anticipations of all who feel an interest in it.
y6 History of Rutland County.
come softened by the kindly hand of time ; but the vacant places around thou-
sands of hearthstones are still there and must for many more years awaken
mournful memories in innumerable hearts and bring the occasional tear to many
an e3'e.
Rutland county, being the largest in respect of population in the State, felt
tlie awful ravages ofithe war with greater severity tlian any other. No sooner
did the first traitorous gun send its fateful shot upon Fort Sumter than her cit-
izens aroused themselves to action for that energetic support of the govern-
ment which never flagged until the last shot was fired against the old flag. Of
the 34,238 patriotic men who went to the front from this State, her quota was-
promptly and freely contributed, almost without a semblance of compulsion
through conscription, and the most liberal measures were successively adopted
for the payment of bounties and the aid of soldiers in the field and their fam-
ilies at home.
When the first call of the president was issued for 75,000 men to serve three
months, immediate steps were taken in Rutland county towards the organiza-
tion of a regiment ; and so energetically was the work prosecuted that a regi-
ment was recruited, organized and mustered into the service on the 2d day of
May, 1 861 — less than a month after the first gun of the Rebellion was fired.
In this regiment one company (K) was recruited entirely in Rutland county^
and another (G) contained sixty volunteers from here. The commissioned
officers of the latter company were Joseph Bush, captain ; William Cronan, first
lieutenant, and Ebenezer J. Ormsbee, second lieutenant, all of Brandon. Com-
pany K retained its old name of " Rutland Light Guard," and was officered as
follows: William Y. W. Ripley, captain; George T. Roberts, first lieutenant;
Levi G. Kingsley, second lieutenant ; William G. Edgerton, John A. Sheldon,.
Walter C. Landon and Truman B. Lamson, sergeants ; Stephen G. Staley,.
William B. Thrall, Edgar M. Rounds and Edward Coppins, corporals. The
field and staff" officers of the First Regiment were as follows : J. Wolcott Phelps^
Brattleboro, colonel ; Peter T. Washburn, Woodstock, lieutenant-colonel ;
Harry N. Worthen, Bradford, major; Hiram Stevens, Enosburgh, adjutant;
Edmund A. Morse, Rutland, quartermaster ; E. K. Sanborn, Rutland, surgeon ;
Willard A. Child, Pittsford, assistant surgeon ; Levi H. Stone, Northfield,.
chaplain ; Charles G. Chandler, St Albans, sergeant-major (captain of Com-
pany C from May 24) ; Thomas R. Clark, Chester, drum-major ; Martin Mc-
Manus, Rutland, quartermaster-sergeant ; J. C. Stearns, Bradford, sergeant-
major (from May 24) ; Ransom Clark, Rutland, hospital steward.
Company K of this regiment, to which allusion [has been made, was made
up almost entirely of the old Rutland Light Guard, of the State uniformed,
militia, which was organized November 13, 1858, and long bore the reputation
of being one of the finest and best disciplined companies of the militia. The
late General H. H. Baxter was the first captain, and in 1861, at the time of its.
»
•r^ '
f^f
Rutland County in the Rebellion. -jj
•enlistment in the volunteer service, the company was in command of Captain
Wm. Y. W. Ripley. At a meeting held February 9, 1861, all of the company
who were present but one expressed themselves ready to volunteer in aid of
the government ; nine who were absent were vouched for for the same pur-
pose, and thirteen others were absent. Fifty-two responded as ready for en-
listment. This being the first company that enlisted in the town of Rutland
we will give their names here, although they will appear elsewhere in this chap-
ter in the general lists : H. J. Bradford, A. C. Blaisdell, C. Barrett, S. T. Buel,
G. E. Croft, C. Claghorn, S. M. Clark, R. Clark, W. H. Davis, G. E. Davis, C.
P. Dudley, W. J. Dorrance, J. Donnelly, G. J. Everson, J. Everson, jr., F.
Fenn, J. C. Gaines, W. R. Gilmore, G. H. Griggs, N. J. Green, F. Gee, G. M.
Gleason, D. M. Gleason, Z. Geru, M. Goslin, I. S. Hall, F. T. Huntoon, C. F.
Huntoon, E. B. Hicks, J. N. Howard, C. K. Hills, G. P. Hills, L. D. Kenney,
S. H. Kelley, M. Lyman, G. A. Lee, M. W. Leach, R. Moulthrop, J. G. Moore,
W. T. Nichols, P. R. Newman, G. W. Newcomb, A. Parker, H. D. Rouse, R.
Rounds, J. W. Ross, E. Reynolds, J. E. Post, J. F. E. Smith, A. D. Smith, A.
Spencer, A. W. Spaun, T. Southard, H. G. Sheldon, W. B. Thompson, G. F.
Thayer, W. H. Thayer, D. B. Thrall, R. R. Thrall, S. Turrell, G W. Warren,
H. Webb, A. W. White, E. Whitney, M. V. B. Bronson.
On the 13th of May the regiment arrived at Fortress Monroe from New
York, at which city they arrived on the 10th. On the 23d of May the regi-
ment encamped at Hampton and on the 25 th received orders to embark the
following morning on the gunboat Monticello for the James River Landing
was made the same day at Newport News and the regiment began work on
fortifications at that point, continuing two weeks. On the loth of June oc-
curred the battle of Big Bethel, in which five companies of the regiment, in-
cluding the Light Guards, were engaged. This was the first of the many oc-
casions when Vermont troops were under fire. The losses in killed and wounded
in the First Regiment were forty-five. The regiment remained at Newport News
until the expiration of its term, when it returned home and was mustered out
at Brattleboro on the 15th of August, 1861.
In this immediate connection it will be proper to finish what needs to be
said of the Rutland Light Guard. Under the call of the president for nine-
months volunteers in 1862, the Twelfth Regiment was recruited in this State.
Down to this period the organization of the Light Guard had been kept alive,
an election of officers on August 11, 1862, resulting as follows: L. G. Kings-
ley, captain; W. C. Landon, first lieutenant; S. G. Staley, second lieutenant,
and subsequently large numbers of members were elected to fill the ranks of
the company in the vacancies caused by repeated enlistments. On the 19th
of August the company voted to offer its services again to the State, and they
were accepted. Meanwhile the deaths of Captain Edward Reynolds, of the
Sixth Vermont Regiment, who fell at Lee's Mills on the 17th of April, and of
78 History of Rutland County.
Colonel George T. Roberts, of the Seventh Vermont, who died of wounds re-
ceived at Baton Rouge, were appropriately noticed by the campany, of which
they had been officers during the term of service of the First Regiment.
The Light Guards were assigned to the Twelfth Regiment and arrived in
Brattleboro and went into camp on the 26th of September; it was given its
old letter (K). After arriving at Brattleboro Captain Kingsley was elected
major of the regiment ; Lieutenant W. C. Landon was promoted to captain ;
Second lieutenant S. G. Staley was promoted to first, and Sergeant E. M.
Rounds to second lieutenant. (Other promotions of Rutland county men are
noticed a little further on). The composition of the company when the regi-
ment left for the front was as follows : sergeants, M. W. Leach, Ed. Coppins,
W. H. Davis and Milo Lyman ; corporals, Martin Goslin, R. R. Thrall,
Theo. Southard, George E. Davis, Charles Claghorn, George H. Griggs, D.
M. Gleason and Ruel Rounds ; drummer, Charles Mason ; fifer, W. M.
Smith. The records show that the enlistments in Company K were seventy-
three in Rutland, six in Clarendon, three each in Ira, Mendon and Pittsford
and one in Wallingford. The names of the rank and file when the company
left for the South were as follows : J. Hardy, H. Barney, C. Barrett, C.
P. Bateman, N. T. Birdsall, A. B. Bissell, J. M. Bixby, N. Bourasso, J. D. Brad-
ley, A. B. Burnett, W. H. Button, F. F. Cady, W. Campbell, H. L. Capron,
H. W. Cheney, D. Chittenden, E. Clark, M. C. Clark, S. H. Clifford, T. Clifford,
W. Connors, J. Constantine, J. H. Davis, J. H. Dyer, A. W. Edson, M. C. Ed-
son, W. W. Felt, A. W. Field, R. A. Field, J. Fridett, J. S. Frink, A. Fuller,
J. Fuller, F. Gee, W. H. Gleason,- D. L. Gould, H. L. Gould, C. H. Granger.
W. E. Harkness, C. A. Hathorn, D. B. Haynes, L. H. Hemenway, E. C. Jack-
son, W. C. Jackson, W. H. Jackson, M. Kennedy, H. H. Lee, P. Loesel, E.
Lyston, J. D. Lyston, J. P. Mailhoit, L. A. McClure, J. A. Mead, J. G. Moore,
T. A. E. Moore, W. A. Mussey, E. S. Nelson, W. Oney, A. Parker, J. H.
Patch, L. L. Persons, J. Phalen, C. Plumer, C. J. Powers, G. H. Ray, T. E.
Reynolds, C. H. Ripley, W. Rock, A. D. Ross, W. B. Shaw, M. Sherry, S.
Sherry, M. Slatterly, C. R. Spaulding, A. W. Spaun, E. M. Tower, H. C. Tower,
M. C. VVardwell, C. Waterhouse, G. A. Wilkins, J. Wilson, P. Winter.
It will be seen that a large majority of these men were members of Com-
pany K of the P^irst Regiment. The other enlistments in this regiment from
Rutland county comprised forty-one in Compan\- G, of whom three were from
Chittenden, one from Hubbardton, twenty-five from Pittsford, one from Rut-
land and eleven from Sudbury.
The recruits for the regiment from Rutland count)' were distributed among
the various towns about as follows: Brandon, Co. G, 41 ; Chittenden, Co. G,
6; Clarendon, Co. K, 7; Hubbardton, Co. G, i; Ira, Co. K, 3; Mendon,
Co. K, 5 ; Middletown, Company K, 2 ; Paulct, Co. K, i ; Pittsford, Co. G,
25 ; Co. K, 3 ; Rutland, Co. K, -j-j ; Co. I, 1 ; Co. G, i ; Sudbury, Co. G. 1 1 ;
Wallingford, Co. K, i.
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 79
The following brief record of the career of the Twelfth Regiment is con-
densed from a historical article printed in the Burlington Review of Septem-
ber 13th, 1879 : —
"October 7, 1862, left for Washington and arrived on the 9th. On the
29th the Second Vermont Brigade, then comprising the Twelfth, Thirteenth,
Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Regiments,^ all nine- months men, broke
camp at East Capitol Hill and crossing the Potomac encamped on the Lee
farm beyond Arlington Heights. November 9 they changed camp, locat-
ing near Fort Lyon, two miles from Alexandria, and went into winter quart-
ers, General Stoughton taking command of the brigade. December 12 they
left their comfortable shanties and marched to Fairfax Court- House. From
the 17th to and including the 20th the Twelfth Regiment did picket duty
at Centerville. December 21 General Stoughton encamped the brigade in
a pine grove near Fairfax Court-House. On the night of December 28, 1862,
the Twelfth Regiment was under arms all night, and the next morning a body
of rebel cavalry attempted unsuccessfully to break through the line. January
21, 1863, the Twelfth and Thirteenth marched to Wolf Run Shoals, arriving the
next day. The first snow storm, which was a severe one, occurred January
28. February 15 Captain W. C. Landnn resigned; First Lieutenant Staley
was appointed captain ; Second Lieutenant Rounds was made first lieutenant,
and Orderly Sergeant Leach second lieutenant. On March 9 the commander
of the brigade was captured. Sunday, May 3, the regiment took the cars
at Union Mills and rode to Catlett's Station, where Companies K and G were
left; the remainder of the regiment went to Bealton. There was a cavalry
fight at Warrenton Junction near Catlett's Station. May 26 all engaged
in entrenching, Hooker in command, and June 15 the army was in motion ;
on the 17th the last train passed of Hooker's army and the regiment moved
back to Wolf Run Shoals and encamped near Mrs. Wilcoxen's. On the 25th
broke and began a march, no one knowing where the brigade is bound. That
night encamped beyond Centerville. This was the commencement of the
march into Maryland and Pennsylvania, after Lee, who had evaded Hooker.
It rained all day. June 26 rain also continued and so did the march, march,
march of the brigade. Encamped at Haniden Station for the night. On Sat-
urday, the 27th, crossed the Potomac River, leaving camp at 5 A. M.. and
camped at Pottsville for the night Sunday the brigade was still engaged in
its tramp, tramp, tramp, stopping near Adamstown. Monday marching all
day in the rain ; men dropping by the wayside, footsore and weary. Passed
through Frederick, Md., at noon and camped two miles north for rest. Tues-
day, June 30, up early but found the heavens still weeping, and all day the
brigade tramped on in a drenching rain through muddy roads, many of the
men leaving blood in their tracks. At night encamped near Evansburgh, Md.
1 See also in later pages of ihis chapter further details of the career of this brigade.
8o History of Rutland County.
" The tramp, tramp, tramp of the Union armies had now brought them near
the rebels and on the memorable 1st of July the Second Vermont Brigade
broke camp at lO A. M., and the Twelfth Regiment, together with the Fifteenth,
was ordered by Sickles to guard the First Corps train, the brigade being a part
of the First Division, First Corps. It rained hard all day and in the middle of
the afternoon they arrived within three miles of Gettysburg. We drop the
record. On the 5th (Sunday) the regiment started for Baltimore as escort of
two thousand prisoners, which they handed over to the authorities there. On
the 9th they arrived at Brattleboro, and were mustered out July 14, 1863,
Company K reaching Rutland on the 1 6th. During the march after Lee, after
breaking camp in Virginia, the regiment marched one hundred and twenty-
five miles in eight days, during every one of which it rained." Of Company
K Charles Barrett, corporal, and privates J. H. Bradley, Augustus Fuller and
H. L. Gould died in service.
While we cannot in any sense attempt to give biographical notices of those
who honorably performed their part in the great drama of the war, and earned
promotion or fell in the line of duty, it may not be out of place to briefly men-
tion some of the more deserving of Company K. William Y. W. Ripley, who
went out as captain of Company K, First Regiment, was subsequently ap-
pointed lieutenant-colonel of the First Sharpshooters, and was in command of
the regiment in nearly all of the battles of the peninsula, often distinguishing
himself by acts of bravery. At the battle of Malvern Hill he was severely
wounded in the leg and was discharged in August, 1862, for promotion to the
colonelcy of the Tenth Vermont Regiment, an office which he was forced by
his disability to resign. (See history'of the Sharpshooters).
Lieutenant George T. Roberts went out as first lieutenant of Company K,
First Regiment, and was appointed colonel of the Seventh Regiment. He was
killed in the battle of Baton Rouge, August S, 1862. In Colonel Holbrook's
history of the Seventh Regiment he reports Colonel FuUam as saying, in con-
nection with the circumstances surrounding the death of Colonel Roberts: "As
soon as I had executed this order (referring to his instructions to go back to
the officer in charge of the guns) I attempted to rejoin the regiment. On the
way I met and caught the horse of Colonel Roberts, and was leading him up
the road when I was assailed by a shower of bullets. The horse was frightened
and broke away from me, while my own was seriously wounded." The writer
then adds : " During the absence of Colonel Fullam, our heroic and ever-to-be
lamented colonel was borne from the field in the thickest of the fight, mortally
wounded." Colonel Roberts was first wounded in the neck, and while being
carried to the rear was again struck by a minnie ball in the thigh ; this proved
a mortal wound. The history says : " Dr. Blanchard soon reached the spot to
which the colonel had been removed and gave him all the medical aid possible.
Having no ambulance, a one-horse cart or dray was obtained, in which uncom-
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 8i
fortable conveyance, on a thin litter of hay, he was taken to the hospital. I
met him on the way, as I was returning from the picket line on the right flank.
He was cheerful and bright, although seemingly suffering some pain. I ex-
pressed much sorrow that he, of all others, should have been stricken. He
replied that he did not consider his wounds serious, and hoped to soon be on
duty again. The wound in the thigh proved fatal, the ball having glanced up-
ward, penetrating the vital organs. Two days afterward he quietly, and ap-
parently painlessly, passed from among the living." (See biography in this
work.)
Edwin F. Reynolds was commissioned captain of Company F, Sixth Ver-
mont Regiment, having served as a private in Company K, of the First Regi-
ment. He fell at the battle of Lee's Mills, at the head of his company. He
was a true soldier, a brave and capable officer, and won the respect of all who
knew him.
Charles P. Dudley was a private in Company K, First Regiment, and was
commissioned captain of Company E, Fifth Vermont, and promoted to major
October 6, 1862, and lieutenant-colonel May 6, 1864. He died May 21, 1S64,
of wounds, having lost an arm while cutting his way through the rebel lines at
the battle of the Wilderness ; he died a few days afterward.
Among others who went out at the first call for volunteers, and were after-
ward honorably promoted, may be mentioned Levi G. Kingsley, second lieu-
tenant Company K, First Regiment, who re-enlisted and was commissioned
major of the Twelfth and was mustered out with the regiment ; W. C. Landon,
sergeant in the First Regiment, was elected first lieutenant of Company K,
Twelfth Regiment, and promoted to captain ; Corporal Stephen G. Staley, of
Company K, First Regiment, was first sergeant in the Twelfth, promoted to
first lieutenant and then to captain ; he died in 1875 ; and many others, whose
names will further appear in the course of this record.
The reader is referred to the subsequent brief account of the Second Ver-
mont Brigade for further details of the history of the Twelfth Regiment.
Tlie Fifth and Eleventh Regiments, Vermont Brigade — The Fifth Vermont
Regiment was mustered into the service September 16, 1S61. Nearly 350 of
its members were from Rutland county, distributed about as follows: Benson,
Co. B, 9; Co. H, 8; Co. K, i. Brandon, Co. A, i ; Co. H, 66; Co. G, 3.
Castleton, Co. G, 3 ; Co. L 2. Chittenden, Co. B, i ; Co. G, 4 ; Co. H, 3.
Clarendon, Co. B, I ; Co. G, 8. Danby, Co. E, 2 ; Co. F, i. Fairhaven, i.
Hubbardton, Co. A, i ; Co. H, 4. Ira, Co. G, 6. Mendon, Co. E, i ; Co. G,
14. Middletown, Co. B, i ; Co. I, i. Mount Holly, Co. C, i ; Co. G, 7 ; Co. I, 7.
Mount Tabor, Co. E, i. Pawlet, Co. E, 14 ; Co. G, i ; Co. I, i. Pittsfield, Co.
G, 6 ; Co. D, I. Pittsford, Co. C, i ; Co. G, 18 ; Co. H, 3. Pouhney, Co. H,
I ; Co. I, 29 ; Co. E, i ; other companies, 3. Rutland, Co. G, 47 ; Co. A, i ;
Co. B, I ; Co. E, 2 ; Co. I, i ; Co. H, 2. Sherburne, Co. G, 2 ; Shrewsbury,
82 History of Rutland County.
Co. G, 3; Co. I, 8. Sudbur)-, Co. H, 19. Tinmouth, Co. G, 4; Co. I, 5.
Wallingford, Co. E, 12; Co. I, 7. Wells, Co. E, 2; Co. I, 2. Wcsthaven,
Co. B, 2.
There were reported as having enhstcd in this regiment after September 30,
1864, 3 from Brandon, I from Castleton, I from Fairhaven, 2 from Hubbard-
ton, I from Sudbury, and I from WalHngford.
The field and staff officers at the time it was mustered into the service were
as follows :
Colotiel. — Henry A. Smalley. He was a regular army officer on leave of
absence, and his leave was revoked September 10, 1862, and Lewis A. Grant
was promoted to the colonelcy.
Lientcftant- Colonel. — Nathan Lord, jr. Promoted to colonel of the Sixth
Regiment September 16, 1861.
Major. — Lewis A. Grant. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel September 25,
1861; wounded December 14, 1862; promoted to brigadier- general April
27, 1864.
Adjutant — Edward M. Brown. Promoted lieutenant-colonel Eighth Ver-
mont January 8, 1862.
Quartermaster — Aldis O. Brainerd. Resigned May 28, 1862.
Surgeon — William P. Russell. Honorably discharged October 11, 1862,
for disability.
Assistant Surgeon — Henry C. Shaw. Died September 7, 1862, at Alex-
andria, Va.
Chaplain — Volney M. Simons. Resigned in March, 1862.
The Fifth Regiment rendezvoused at St. Albans, remaining there about two
weeks, when they started for Virginia, going into camp first on Meridian Hill,
near Washington, and two days later to Chain Bridge. Remaining there a
short time, they moved to Camp Griffin, three miles distant, and remained
through the winter ; in the spring they entered the peninsula campaign. On
the i6th of April the regiment took part in the battle of "The Chimneys," or
Lee's Mills. The Fifth, now a part of the " Vermont Brigade," comprising the
Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Regiments, was in command of Briga-
dier-General W. T. H. Brooks. In this engagement the Fifth was not so
actively employed as some of the other regiments. In his report General
Brooks says, after stating that the skirmishers of the Third and Fourth Regi-
ments opened on the enemy : " A company of picked men from the Fifth was
deployed in front of the chimneys and advanced under a heavy fire of shell and
canister down the slope to the water's edge below the dam, where they remained
sheltered during the day and were in position to greatly harass the enemy in
working his guns." Again in his report General Brooks says : " Colonels
Hyde and Smalley (the latter of the Fifth Regiment) are also deserving of
notice for their activity and the dispositions of their regiments during the day."
Two men were killed in the regiment and seven wounded.
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 83
The next engagement in whicli tlie Fifth took part was the battle of Wil-
liamsburg, on the 5th of May, 1862. General E. D. Kej'es was then in com-
mand of the brigade. The brigade previous to the opening of the battle was
bivouacked near the enemy and occupied a portion of the front during the suc-
ceeding action, and was in support of Mott's Battery. The report that the
enemy had evacuated their works at this point reached tlie Union forces Sun-
day morning of the 4th ; the brigade was placed under arms and, on the 5th,
under command of Lieutenant Grant, sent across the dam on Skiff Creek; the
enemy was not discovered and the troops were bivouacked. On the fol-
lowing day the brigade was in reserve to support Hancock's brigade, not being
actively engaged. June 29 Colonel Lewis A. Grant was promoted to briga-
dier-general and took command of the brigade.
In the succeeding operations about Golding's Farm, Savage's Station and
White Oak Swamp, at each of which points engagements were fought, the Fifth
was honorably employed. At the first named point the Second, Fifth and
Sixth Regiments were brought up to support the Fourth, which became hotly
engaged while supporting Hancock's brigade on picket duty. Although under
heavy fire during their approach to their position, they did not become act-
ively engaged. These movements occurred on the 27th, and on the 28th the
brigade was subjected to heavy shelling, which became so destructive that a
change of camp was made prior to the change of base to the James River. On
the 29th the brigade left its camp at Golding's Farm for the grand movement.
After passing Savage's Station the division to which the brigade was attached
was ordered to return to that point to repel an attack. This was done and the
brigade formed as follows : The Fifth, Lieutenant- Colonel Grant, in line on
the right ; the Sixth, Colonel Lord, deployed to the left ; the Second, Colonel
Whiting, in column in support of the Fifth ; the Third, Lieutenant-Colonel W.
G. Veazey, in column in support of the Sixth. Passing through a wood into
an open field, the Fifth encountered a regiment of the enemy, which was routed
in brilliant style. As soon as the firing began the Second and Third Regi-
ments deployed and became hotly engaged. General Brooks says in his re-
port: "The conduct of the troops in this action was generally very commend-
able. Of those that were under my own eye I take pleasure in mentioning
the names of Colonel Lord, Lieutenant-Colonel Grant, Lieutenant-Colonel
Blunt, Lieutenant-Colonel Veazey," followed by many other names. After
the engagement the brigade crossed the White Oak Swamp, and reached its
new encampment without further incident.
The brigade was engaged in the battle at Crampton Gap, on the 14th of
September, and Antietam on the 17th, but in the former the Fifth Regiment
was not in active conflict. At Antietam the brigade lay under fire for forty-
eight hours, the casualties being quite numerous from artillery and sharp-
shooters.
84 History of Rutland County.
In the first battle at Fredericksburg, in December, 1862, the brigade, then
commanded by Colonel Henry Whiting of the Second Regiment, was distin-
guished for its gallantry. The losses were twenty-six killed and one hundred
and forty-one wounded ; ten of the killed and thirty of the wounded were from
the Fifth Regiment. At the second battle of Fredericksburg, May 3, and at
Banks's Ford on the 8th, the conduct of this brigade could not be excelled. In
the face of a terrific fire they stormed and carried the Fredericksburg Heights
on the 3d, and the next day, while protecting the rear of the Sixth Corps in
its crossing of the river, large bodies of the enemy were repeatedly hurled
against them, but in vain. They were attacked by and repulsed three brigades
of four regiments each, thus saving the Sixth Corps. The total killed were
thirty and wounded two hundred and twenty-seven ; of these the Fifth Regi-
ment lost three killed and eleven wounded.
On the 5th of June the brigade again crossed the Rappahannock at Fred-
ericksburg and assaulted and carried the rebel works, taking many prisoners.
At the battle of Gettysburg the brigade was not actively engaged. On the
lOth of July, near Funkstown, Md., they met the enemy in superior force and
gallantly repulsed them, holding a skirmish line of three miles in length, with-
out supports within assisting distance, against repeated attacks by strong lines
of infantry.
The brigade moved with the Army of the Potomac into Virginia, in pursuit
of the enemy, and were then detached and. sent to New York City to aid in
enforcing order at the elections of that year. Returning they were stationed
near Culpepper, Va.
In summing up the operations of the Vermont Brigade thus far, the adjutant-
general said : " Too much honor cannot be awarded by the people of Vermont
to the officers and men of this gallant brigade. They are the men who re-
sponded among the earliest to the call of the nation for assistance in suppress-
ing the Rebellion and restoring and preserving the national existence. They
have fought gallantly in every battle in which the Army of the Potomac has
been engaged since the war commenced. Distinguished alike for bravery and
discipline, they have acquired for themselves an imperishable record in history,
and have won for the troops of the State in the field a reputation for unflinching
courage and dashing bravery, which is only equaled by the distinction which
the people of the State have earned for persistent loyalty to the Union, which
is their proudest boast."
The constitution of the brigade remained as before until the 15th of May,
1864, when the Eleventh Vermont Regiment was added to it; it also remain-
ed a part of the Second Division of the Sixth Corps. October i, 1863, found
the brigade encamped near Culpepper, Va., whence they marched on the 8th to
the Rapidan, fifteen miles; thence on the lOth to Culpepper, fifteen miles;
thence on the iith to Rappahannock Station, twelve miles; thence on the
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 85
1 2th to Brandy Station, five miles; thence, October 13, to Kettle Run, near
Bristow Station, thirty miles; thence on the 14th to Little River Pike, near
Chantilly, fifteen miles, and thence on the following day, to Chantilly, two
miles. Here the brigade rested after these arduous marches until the 19th
of October, when the march was made to Gainesville, twelve miles,
where the Sixth Regiment, while on picket, had a slight skirmish with
the enemy's cavalry, but without loss. On the 20th the brigade led the ad-
vance of the Sixth Corps, driving back the enemy's cavalry to Warrenton,
twelve miles. Here the brigade remained encamped until November 7,
when they advanced to Rappahannock Station, where the enemy was met in
force. The brigade, however, was not engaged, but was under heavy artillery
fire all of the afternoon ; no casualties. On the 8th the brigade crossed the
Rappahannock and advanced to Brandy Station, where they went into camp
on the 9th and remained until the 27th ; on that day they moved four miles
and supported the Third Corps in the battle of Locust Grove ; the brigade
was only under artillery fire and suffered little. On the 2d of December they
recrossed the Rapidan and went into camp at Brandy Station, remaining there
with little of incident until the last week of February, when they accompanied
the Sixth Corps on a week's reconnaissance to near Orange Court-House.
The old camp was then resumed and kept until the 4th of May, when the brig-
ade recrossed the Rapidan at Germania Ford and went into camp two miles
to the south of the ford. The 5 th and 6th the brigade was actively engaged in
the battle of the Wilderness. On the morning of the 5th the rebels were en-
gaged in a movement to cut off Hancock's Corps (which had crossed the river
below the Ford) from the main army. To prevent this the Vermont and two
other brigades were detached from the Sixth Corps. As the brigade came to the
crossing of the " Brock " Road and the turnpike, they found the rebel advance
driving the Union cavalry before them. The brigade was formed at the cross-
ing and hastily threw up slight entrenchments. The order was then given to
advance to the attack, a movement which the enemy was at the same time be-
ginning. The two lines met in a thick wood, where little of either opposing
force could be seen by the other, and the great batde of the Wilderness began.
The Vermont Brigade held the key to the position and seemed to realize the
fact. Unflinchingly they met and returned the galling fire of the enemy,
while their ranks were rapidly thinning. Every assault was gallantly repulsed,
notwithstanding every regimental commander in the brigade, except one, was
either killed or wounded. A thousand brave officers and men fell in the brig-
ade that day, and the living slept amidst the bloody horrors of the field.
The fierce struggle was renewed on the morning of the 6th, the enemy having
fallen back a short distance and slightly entrenched. Again and again
during the day was the Vermont Brigade assaulted with the most determined
vigor, but the heroic troops of the Green Mountain State were equal to every
86 History ok Rutland County.
demand upon their bravery, and after signally repulsing the last attack, retired
to the entrenchments they had thrown up on the Brock Road ; late in the af-
ternoon another desperate attack was made by the enemy upon this line, but
this time they were again repulsed and defeated. On the morning of the /th
a strong skirmish line from the Sixth Regiment was sent out and drove back
the enemy's skirmish line, revealing the fact that the main body of the rebels
had fallen back. Soon after dark the flank movement towards SpottS)'lvania
was begun.
The brigade crossed the Rapidan on the 4th with 2,800 effective men ; the
losses in the two days' fighting were 1,232, of which the Fifth Regiment lost
twenty-eight killed, one hundred and seventy-nine wounded and seventeen
missing. Of the officers in this regiment Captains Alonzo R. Hurlburt, George
D. Davenport and Charles J. Ormsbee, and Lieutenants Orvis H. Sweet and
Watson O. Beach, were either killed or wounded ; Ormsbee and Sweet were
both killed. Lieutenant- Colencl John R. Lewis, commanding the Fifth, was
severely wounded.
During the whole of the night of the 7th of May the brigade was on the
march, arriving at Chancellorsville the next morning ; here they were detailed
to guard the Sixth Corps' train. About four o'clock p. m. they were ordered
to the front ; a forced march of four miles was made and the battle-field
reached just before dark. The 9th was spent in fortifying the position of the
brigade and on the loth the skirmish line was advanced, driving back those of
the enemy, the Fourth Regiment receiving high commendation for its conduct.
During the day the Second Regiment, the Fifth, under command of Major C.
P. Dudley, and the Sixth (the whole under the command of Colonel Thomas
O. Seaver), formed a part of the column which charged the enemy's works, the
Vermont troops being in the rear line. The front lines were at first successful,
capturing the works and many prisoners, but were driven back. The Vermont
troops mentioned then advanced under a terrible fire and occupied the rebel
works, the other regiments falling back. Orders were now given for all to fall
back, but they failed to reach the Second Regiment, which refused to retire until
they were positively ordered to do so. It was in this charge that the brave
Major Dudley fell of wounds which caused his death. The brigade retained
its position, constantly under fire through the i ith of May, and early on the
1 2th moved with the corps to the left to co-operate with Hancock's Corps.
The latter had captured the enemy's works at that point and the rebels were
engaged in a desperate attempt to regain them, when the Vermont Brigade
marched into position under a heavy fire. Two lines were formed on the ex-
treme left and skirmishers thrown out under a brisk fire. To quote from the
report of the adjutant- general : "At this time the enemy were making the
most determined effort to retake the line of works carried by Hancock and
now held by the Sixth Corps, the key of the position being at the angle in the
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 87
center, and that being the point at which the most desperate attacks were
made. Brigadier- General Grant, with the regiments of the second line, was
ordered to the right to assist General Wheaton, and Colonel Seaver was left
in command of the front line and the skirmishers. General Wheaton, with
his brigade, was endeavoring to advance through thick brush, and in the face
of a deadly fire from the enemy's rifle pits, and the Vermont regiments moved
up promptly to his support, the Fourth Regiment taking and holding the front
line. It was found impracticable to carry the enemy's works upon the right
by a direct attack, and the enemy were gaining advantage in the center.
Leaving the Fourth Regiment in its position. General Grant returned to the
center, and being joined by Colonel Seaver with the residue of the brigade, the
whole were put into the engagement, except tlie Sixth Regiment, which was
held in reserve."
This was a critical point and a critical time for both armies and the fighting
was of the most desperate character ; the combatants were separated by a
mere breastwork of logs and rails, and the conflict was practically hand to
hand. The terrible struggle continued for eight hours, when the Vermont
Brigade was relieved ; the works were held, but the losses were heavy. The
brigade camped for the night on the extreme right.
On the 13th the brigade, with small exception, was not actively engaged
and took a position towards night on the left near the scene of its former strug-
gle. During the 14th the Vermont Brigade held the extreme left. On the i6th
Colonel Seaver with his regiment and one from Massachusetts, made a recon-
naissance in the direction of Spottsylvania Court-House, gallantly driving in
the enemy's skirmishers and accomplishing the duty to which he was assigned.
On the morning of the i8th the Second and Sixth Corps charged the enemy's
works, advancing about half a mile, under heavy artillery fire. The Vermont
Brigade held the front line for some time, when the whole were ordered to fall
back. Early on the morning of the 19th the brigade advanced with the corps
about a mile and fortified its position, remaining there two days. At noon of
the 2 1st the brigade moved about three-fourths of a mile to the rear, leaving
a strong skirmish line in their works. Just before nightfall the enemy in strong
force broke through this skirmish line and Colonel Seaver was ordered out with
his regiment to re-establish it ; the task was gallantly performed. That night
the corps marched towards Guinness's Station. The total losses of the Fifth
Regiment from the time of the crossing of the Rapidan to this date were thirty-
eight killed; two hundred and twenty-nine wounded and fifty-one missing —
a total of three hundred and eighteen. The losses in the brigade were one
thousand six hundred and fifty, more than one-half of the entire force that
crossed the river.
On the 15th of May the brigade was joined by the Eleventh Vermont Reg-
iment, which had been mustered into the service September i, 1862, and con-
History of Rutland County.
stituted the First Regiment of Vermont Heavy Artillery after December lO,
1863. Almost all of its companies contained at some period of its history, re-
cruits from Rutland county, which were distributed about as follows : Benson,
Co. C, 13 ; and 3 not credited to a company. Brandon, Co. B, i ; Co. F, i ;
Co. M, I ; Castleton, Co. C, 32 ; Co. M, 5 ; i not credited to a company. Clar-
rendon, Co. C, 5 ; Co. L, i ; Co. M, 2 ; Chittenden, Co. C, i ; Fairhaven, Co.
C, 15; Co. L, I ; 3 not credited to companies; Hubbardton, Co. C, 2; Ira,
Co. C, 3 ; Middletown, Co. C, i ; Co. M, 2 ; Mount Holly, Co. M, 2 ; Mount
Tabor, Co. C, i ; Pawlet, Co. C, 6 ; Co. G, 2 ; Co. L, 2 ; Co. M, i ; 2 not
credited to company ; Pittsfield, Co. B, 4 ; Pittsford, Co. C, 3 ; Co. L, 2 ;
Co. M, 2; Poultney, Co. C, 16; Rutland, Co. A, i ; Co. B, i ; Co. C, 13;
Co. D, I ; Co. E, 7; Co. G, i ; Co. M, 4; Co. K, 10; Sherburne, Co. H, 5 ;
Shrewsbury, Co. C, 4; Co. E, 2; Sudbury, Co. C, 3; Co. L, 3; Co. M, i;
Tinmouth, Co. C, i ; Co. L, i ; Wallingford, Co. C, 7 ; Co. E, i ; Co. M, i ;
I not credited to company ; Westhaven, Co. C, 9.
A few words as to the career of the Eleventh Regiment previous to its as-
sociation with the Second Brigade. After its muster it left Brattleboro and
was first stationed at F"ort Lincoln, near Bladensburg, Va., in the northern de-
fenses of Washington for about two months. It was then (December 10, 1862)
transferred to the Heavy Artillery branch of the service and occupied Forts Ste-
vens, Slocum and Totten, near Silver Spring, D. C. Two additional companies
(L and M) were recruited for the regiment in 1863, giving the regiment one
thousand eight hundred men. It performed duty in that vicinity, without
memorable incident, until May, 1864, when it was assigned to the Verm.ont
Brigade, as stated.
Starting on the night of the 21st from Spottsylvania the brigade made ar-
duous marches to Guinness's Station, thence to Harris's store on the 22d ; to the
North Anna on the 23d ; crossed the river on the 24th, and two days later
advanced to Little River, destroying the railroad at that point ; on the night
of the 25th they recrossed the North Anna and marched in the mud to Ches-
terfield Station on the Fredericksburg Railroad ; continued the march on the
26th and on the 27th crossed the Pamunky River three miles above Hanover
Town and moved to the right two miles towards Hanover Court-House, where
they remained entrenched two days. On the 29th the brigade marched to a
new position on the Tolopotamy River where they remained two days. Major
Chamberlain's battalion of the Eleventh Regiment being engaged in skirmish-
ing nearly the whole of one day.
On the 1st of June the brigade marched to Cold Harbor and participated
in tlie attack on the enemy, holding the extreme left, the Fifth Regiment be-
ing in suppoit of a battery. A charge was made by the Second Regiment
and Major Fleming's battalion and Captain Sears's company of the Eleventh,
under a destructive fire, displaying great gallantry. On the following day the
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
division containing this brigade held a portion of the enemy's works which had
been captured, under a destructive fire. In the general attack on the enemy
on the 3d, the Third and Fifth Regiments were in the front line of battle and
greatly exposed ; their losses were heavy. During the night the Third and
Fifth Regiments and two battalions of the Eleventh, under Colonel Seaver, re-
lieved a portion of the front line. The casualties in the Fifth, from the 21st
of May to the 5th of June were eight killed ; twenty-two wounded ; one miss-
ing. In the Eleventh, thirteen killed ; one hundred and twenty-one wounded.
Captain Merrill T. Samson, of the Fifth, Lieutenant Hiram C. Bailey of the
Second, and Lieutenant Henry C. Miller, of the Third, fell in the engagement
on the 3d. From the 3d of June to the i ith the brigade held the front line at
two important points, and on the evening of the 12th moved back to a new
line of works, a mile in the rear, leaving the Fourth Regiment in the front as
skirmishers, and about midnight started on the march for Petersburg. For
twelve days the brigade had been under almost incessant fire, evincing the
most heroic bravery and almost marvelous endurance. Major Richard B.
Crandall, of the Sixth Regiment, a gallant young ofl^cer, fell on the 7th. From
the 4th to the lOth of June the Fifth Regiment lost three wounded and the
Eleventh two killed and seventeen wounded.
Regarding the conduct of the Eleventh Regiment, which was new to active
service in the field, it is but just to quote from the reports of Brigadier-
General Grant, who said: " Special mention ought to be made of the officers
and men of the Eleventh for their gallant bearing in the charge of May 18.
This was the first time they had been under fire, but they exhibited the cool-
ness and noble bearing of the ' Vermonters,' and fairly stood beside the veteran
regiments of the old brigade."
June 13 the brigade crossed the Chickahominy after a march of twenty-four
miles, and encamped. The march was resumed next da\' and on the 17th they
occupied the rebel works near Petersburg which had been captured. During
the day the enemy was attacked in his new position and driven back, the Sec-
ond and Fifth Regiments holding the skirmish line. The lines at Petersburg
were held under heavy artillery fire until the evening of the 20th, when the
brigade was moved to the left, relieving a division of the Second Corps. From
the II th to the 20th of June the Fifth Regiment lost two men killed and
wounded and the Eleventh five. On the evening of June 21 the Sixth Corps
was moved six miles to the entire left of the army, and on the night of the 22d
the Vermont Brigade took position about a mile from the Weldon Railroad.
The 23d was occupied in the destruction of the road, during which the enemy
made an attack from the woods on the right and closing on the rear of the
Fourth Regiment and Major Fleming's battalion, cut them off. A desperate
fight ensued and the men surrendered only when driven to the last extremity.
Captain William C. Tracy, of the Fourth, and Merritt H. Sherman, of Major
90 History of Rutland County.
A. F.Walker's battalion of the Eleventh Regiment, were killed during the day.
Between the 20th and the 26th of June the Eleventh Regiment lost nine killed
and twent}'- seven wounded, with two hundred and si.xty- three reported
missing.
On the 29th of June the Vermont Brigade led the advance of the Sixth
Corps to Reams's Station on the Weldon Railroad. After one day out they
occupied their former position until July 8, when they marched to City Point
and on the 9th embarked for Washington. On the 13th the brigade marched
to Poolesville, Maryland, where the rear guard of the enemy was overtaken
and routed ; thence they marched to Snicker's Gap and on the 23d returned
to the capital. On the 26th they again left Washington for Harper's Ferry,
going into camp on Bolivar Heights on the night of the 29th. On the 30th
they returned to Frederick City, Md. This was Sunday, and Major Aldace F.
Walker, in his admirable little book on The Vermont Brigade in the Shcnan-
doali Valley, says: "It was the hardest day's march we ever made. The heat
was intense ; the day was the very hottest of all the season ; the clouds of dust
were actually blinding ; the pace almost a gallop ; the poor men struggled
bravely, ambulances were crowded, shady spots covered with exhausted sol-
diers, men falling out of the ranks at every rod, overpowered by the heat and
positively unable to proceed ; actual cases of sunstroke by the score and by the
hundred ; a great scarcity of water ; but no halt or chance for rest until to-
ward night we reached Frederick City." No more vivid and truthful picture
could be drawn in a few words of a forced march under a southern sun.
August 5 the brigade proceeded to Harper's Ferry and up the Shenandoah
valley to Strasburgh, where in a skirmish the Second Regiment lost two men
on the 14th. The i6th the brigade returned to Charlestown, Va., remaining
until the 21st, when they were attacked by the enemy. The brigade was sub-
jected to a destructive fire from 9 a. m. until dark. The loss of the Fifth Regi-
ment was six killed and wounded and in the Eleventh thirty-two, including
the gallant Lieutenant-Colonel George E. Chamberlain, who was wounded
early in the day, while bravely leading his battalion, and died soon afterward.
In the report of Colonel J. M. Warner, in command of the Eleventh, he pays
high tribute of praise to Captain A. Brown, jr., of the Fifth, and Major Aldace
F. Walker of the Eleventh, as well as to many others in the brigade.
The brigade lay at Harper's Ferry from the 22d to the 29th of August,
when it moved to Charlestown, remaining in that vicinity until September 19,
making in the mean time a reconnaissance to the Opequan River, where a slight
skirmish was had. On the 19th the brigade crossed the Opequan in early morn-
ing and went into position under heavy shelling on the Winchester pike. In
front was a section of rolling country, the crests being held by the enemy so as
to command the valleys through which our forces must pass to the attack. The
advance was therefore made rapidly over the crest in face of a galling musketry
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
fire, and the enemy were driven baci< in confusion. About one o'clock tlie
brigade was compelled to fall back half a mile, having suffered severely. About
3 p. m. the entire line again advanced. The Vermont Brigade was e.\posed,
from the time when they reached within a mile from Winchester, to a heavy
niusketr)' fire in front and an enfilading fire from a battery on the left. More
than two hundred prisoners were captured by the brigade. The casualties in
this engagement were two hundred and fifty-six total, twenty-two of which in
killed and wounded occurred in the Fifth Regiment and eighty- five in the
Eleventh. Captain Charles Buxton and Lieutenant Dennis Duhigg of the
Eleventh were killed ; both excellent officers and recenti}' promoted, the
former to major and the latter to a captain.
The brigade participated in the engagement at Fisher's Hill on the 2 1st and
22d and at Mount Jackson on the 23d. October 1 they were in camp at Har-
risonburgh, and on tlie 5th moved to New Market ; the 6th to Woodstock ; on
the /th to Strasburgh ; on the loth to near Fort Ro\'al ; on the 13th to Mill-
town, and on the 14th to Middletovvn. On the 19th of October the army lay
upon the easterly side of Cedar Creek, the Sixth Corps on the right, and the
Vermont Brigade holding the extreme right, except one brigade. At daybreak
the enemy attacked in strong force on the left ; the Si.xth Corps was moved to
that part of the line and formed nearly at right angles to its former position,
there being now but one brigade on the left of the Vermont. Before the troops
could take position Major Walker's battalion of the Eleventh Regiment and the
Fifth and Sixth Regiments, under command of Major Johnson, of the Second,
were thrown forward as skirmishers and drove in the rebel skirmish line. The
brigade then advanced with the division and were soon engaged in a desperate
struggle, checking for a time the impetuous advance of the enemy. About this
time the right gave way and the division fell back a short distance, the Vermont
Brigade in the center, the First Brigade, under Colonel Warner, of the Eleventh
Regiment, the right, and the Third Brigade the left. Upon this line the enemy
made a desperate attack, the brunt of which fell on the Vermont Brigade. Gen-
eral Ricketts, commanding the corps, being wounded, and General Getty, who
commanded the Second Division, taking his place. General Grant assumed com-
mand of the division, and Lieutenant-Colonel Tracy, of the Second Vermont,
who was then the ranking officer in the brigade, took command of the brigade_
Again the enemy assaulted the lines and were repulsed with great loss, and the
left of the brigade suffered severely. The persistent and gallant resistance of
the Sixth Corps, of which the brigade was a part, gave opportunity for proper
preparations for the final stand in the engagement. Up to that time the tide
had been against the Union forces, and the losses had been very heavy. The
enem\' now made a most determined attack, the Eighth and Sixth Corps
receiving the heaviest of it; the whole line soon gave way and were pressed
backward toward Newtown.
92 History of Rutland County.
At this crisis General Sheridan made his memorable appearance on the field.
Riding down the pike he halted in front of the Second Brigade and asked what
troops they were. " The Sixth Corps !" " The Vermont Brigade !" was-
shouted simultaneously from the ranks. "Then we are all right !" he exclaimed,
and swinging his hat over his head he rode away to the right amid the shouts-
of the men. Upon his return General Wright took command of the Sixth
Corps, General Getty of the Second Division and General Grant of the Vermont
Brigade. During the remainder of the engagement the Vermont Brigade shared
in the heaviest of the fighting, holding a position much of the time far in ad-
vance of the other troops until the enemy was finally driven back and across-
Cedar Creek, their lines entirely broken up. Reaching Cedar Creek, the in-
fantry was reorganized, and there also the Vermont Brigade, after a pursuit of
the retreating enemy a distance of three miles, was found in advance of the
remainder of the troops. The casualties in this engagement were two killed
and seventeen wounded in the Fifth Regiment, and nine killed and seventy-
four wounded in the Eleventh. Among the killed was Lieutenant Oscar Lee,
of the Eleventh. Lieutenant Edward P. Lee, of the Eleventh, was among the
wounded, and Lieutenant Thomas Kavanagh, of the Fifth.
The brigade moved to Strasburgh on October 21, and remained until the
9th of November ; thence to Newtown, and thence on the loth to Kearntown,.
where they performed picket duty until December 9. They were then trans-
ported to Washington and thence to City Point ; thence to Meade's Station
and on the 13th moved out on the Squirrel Level Road to works occupied
previously by the Fifth Corps. Here the brigade went into winter quarters ;
but the picket duty was very severe. On the 25th of March the corps charged
upon F'ort P'isher, capturing nearly the whole of the enemy's picket line. One
man was killed in the Fifth Regiment and seven wounded ; and in the Elev-
enth one killed and twelve wounded ; one of the latter was Lieutenant Wm.
G. Dickinson, of the Eleventh.
On the second day of April the Vermont Brigade was hotly engaged in
the struggle which resulted in the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond.
In the night of the ist the brigade moved out from camp and took posi-
tion near the skirmish line entrenchments which had been captured from
the enemy a few days earlier. The Second Division was in the center of
the Sixth Corps and the Vermont Brigade on the left of the division. At
one o'clock the corps was in position and laid down to await the attack.
About two o'clock a heavy fire was opened along the entire skirmish line,
which was vigorously replied to by the enemy. During this fire Brevet
Major- General L. A. Grant was wounded, and the command of the brigade
devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Tracy, of the Second Regiment. At the
signal agreed upon the brigade moved out of the entrenchments and pressed
forward toward the enemj-'s line, driving in their skirmishers ; then with a cheer
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 93
the command charged forward towards the enemy's works, five hundred yards
distant. When half the distance was passed they were assailed by a heavy rain
of musket balls with an enfilading artillery fire from the forts on either hand.
The line wavered momentarily, but again pushed on under terrific fire, all vie-
ing with each other in the race to be first at the works. The enemj^ could not
withstand the assault and fled ; two earthworks, one on the right of a ravine
■containing four guns, and the other on the left with two guns, were captured.
The honor of being the first to break the enemy's line was awarded to the Ver-
mont Brigade, and Captain Charles G. Gould is said to have been the first man
of the Sixth Corps to mount the enemy's works. His regiment was in the first
line of the brigade, and in the charge he was far in advance of his command.
Upon mounting the works he was severely wounded in the face by a bayonet
thrust and was struck by clubbed muskets ; but he slew the man who wielded
the bayonet, and retired only when his command had come to his assistance
and the rebels were routed. Beyond the works the brigade was halted briefly
to re-form, and then the pursuit of the flying enemy continued for about four
miles to near Hatcher's Run — a charge that must go down into history as
one of the most brilliant and successful of the war. Nothing could withstand
the onward pressing troops. Brevet Major Elijah Wales, of the Second Regi-
ment, with two men, captured a piece of artillery and turning it on the enemy,
fired a charge which the rebels themselves had placed in the gun. Major Wm.
J. Sperry, of the Sixth, and Lieutenant George A. Bailey, of the Eleventh, with
a few men, captured two guns and turned them on the routed enemy. Cap-
tain George G. Tilden, of the Eleventh, with about a dozen men, captured two
pieces, eleven commissioned officers and sixty-two men of the F"orty-second
Mississippi. Sergeant Lester G. Hack, of Company F, Fifth Regiment, charged
a squad of rebels surrounding a stand of colors, knocked down the bearer and
captured the flag. Corporal Chas. W. Dolloff, Company K, Eleventh Regi-
ment, also captured a stand of colors ; but there were too many deeds of in-
dividual heroism to mention here. About 9 o'clock A. M. the brigade moved
back along the line of works to a point about three miles south of Petersburg
and formed in line of battle with the Eleventh on the right, the Second, Third,
Fifth, Sixth and Fourth Regiments on its left, in the order named. An ad-
vance was made and a battery of artillery captured in the yard of the Turn-
brell House, where General Lee had his headquarters. Captain Robert Tem-
pleton, with a squad of men of the Eleventh, was conspicuous in planning and
executing the feat. That night the brigade established its headquarters at the
Turnbrell House. The last stand of the enemy before Petersburg was ended.
The casualties among the Rutland county men were six killed and thirty-four
wounded in the Fifth Regiment, and five killed and forty-five wounded in the
Eleventh. Among the killed was Lieutenant Geo. O. French, of the Eleventh,
who fell in the first assault, and Charles C. Morey, of the Second. Major-
94 History of Rutland County.
Genera! Meade, in his official report, speaks of the gallant attack of the Sixth
Corps on the Second of April, as " the decisive movement of the campaign."
Petersburg was evacuated that afternoon and Riclimond the next morning.
The brigade joined in the pursuit of Lee, exhibiting the same endurance
and patience on that hard march that had before characterized their move-
ments. Reaching Farmville on the 7th, the brigade was detailed to guard sup-
plies and remained there until the surrender of Lee on the 9th. From there
they returned to Burkesville Junction, where they remained until the 23d of
April, when they left for Danville; here they remained until May i8th, when
they were transported to Manchester, Va., and there remained to the 24th.
They then marched to Washington and remained in camp near Munson's Hill
until mustered out. On the 28th of June the Vermont Brigade, one of the
grandest organizations of the army, ceased to exist as an organization. Battal-
ions of the Second, Third and Fourth Regiments, remaining in the service,
were assigned to the Third Brigade, First Division, of a Provisional Corps and
a battalion of the Eleventh Regiment was transferred to the defenses of Wash-
ington.
We have given this noble brigade liberally of our limited space, perhaps to
the detriment of the records of other organizations ; but the heroic service of
this organization seems to demand that no less should be said ; indeed, it should
be far more. Its full history is yet to be written.
The Seventh Regiment. — This organization, numbering 1,014 officers and
men, was mustered into the service at Rutland on the 12th of Februar)', 1862,
under command of Colonel George T. Roberts (see notice of Twelfth Regi-
ment in preceding page). It was recruited almost entirely in Rutland county
and all of the towns were represented in its ranks, substantially according to
the following statement : Benson, Co. A, i ; Co. C, i ; Co. I, 4 ; i not recorded
to a company. Brandon, Co. B, 50 ; Co. E, i ; Co. F, 3 ; Co. H, i ; Co. K,
3 ; 2 not recorded to a company. Castleton, Co. A, 6 ; Co. C, 4 ; Co. D, i ;
Co. I, 9. Chittenden, Co. B 17; Co. C, i ; Co I, 3. Clarendon, Co. A, 1 ;
Co. B, 10; Co. C, 2 ; Co. D, 5 ; Co. I, 7 ; Co. K, 2 ; i not recorded to a com-
pany. Danby, Co. B, i ; Co. D, 17 ; Co. G, 3 ; Co. I, 8, Fairhaven, Co. C,
14 ; Co. D, 2 ; Co, G, 4 ; Co. I, 2. Hubbardton, Co. A, i ; Co. D, i ; Co. H,
I ; I not recorded to a company. Ira, Co. D, 2 ; Co. G, I ; Co. I, 2. Mendon,
Co. B, 2 ; Co. D, 9 ; Co. H, i ; Co. K, i ; Co. I, 4. Middletown, Co. D, i ; Co.
I, 3. Mount Holly, Co. A, i ; Co. D, 3 ; Co. G, 5 ; i not recorded to a com-
pany. Mount Tabor, Co. D, 3. Pawlet, Co. B, i ; Co. D, 17; Co. H, 2;
Co. E, I ; Co. K, 2 ; Co. I, 8 ; 2 not recorded to a company. Pittsford, Co,
A, 2 ; Co. B, 24 ; Co. C, 3 ; Co. G, 3 ; Co. I, 5 ; i not recorded to a company.
Pittsfield, Co. C, I. Poultney, Co. C, i ; Co. B, i ; Co. D, i ; Co. i, 25 ; Co.
K, I ; I not recorded to a company. Rutland, Co. A, 6 ; Co. B, 24 ; Co. C,
3 ; Co. D, 40 ; Co. E, 16 ; Co. G, 4 ; Co. H, i ; Co. I, 22 ; Co. K, 3 ; 5 officers.
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
Sherburne, Co. B, I ; Co. D, 3 ; Co. H, 5. Shrewsbury, Co. D, 2 ; Co. G, 2 ;
Co. I, 8. Sudbur)', Co. B, 3. Tuimouth, Co. C, i ; Co. D, 3 ; Co. I, 2.
Wallingford, Co. A, 3 ; Co, B, i ; Co. D, 14; Co. H, i. Wells, A, i ; Co. C,
I ; Co. D, I ; Co. I, 7 ; 5 not recorded to companies. Westhaven, Co. C, 2 ;
Co. I, 3.
The field and staft" officers of the Seventh, when organized, were as fol-
lows : —
Colonel, George T. Roberts ; lieutenant-colonel, Volney S. FuUam ; major,
William C. Holbrook ; adjutant, Charles E. Parker; quartermaster, E. A.
Morse ; surgeon, Francis W. Kelley ; chaplain, Henry M. Frost ; sergeant-
major, George Brown ; quartermaster-sergeant, Samuel F. Buel ; commissary-
sergeant, George E. Jones ; hospital-steward, Cyrus P. Rising.
The companies were originally officered as follows : —
Company A, Burlington. — Captain, David B. Beck ; first-lieutenant, Will-
iam L. Harris; second-lieutenant, Hiram B. Fish.
Company B, Brandon. — Captain, William Cronan ; first-lieutenant, Darwin
A. Smalley ; second- lieutenant, Jackson V. Parker.
Company C, Middlebury. — Captain, Henry M. Porter; first-lieutenant, E.
V. N. Hitchcock ; second-lieutenant, John O. Dickinson.
Company D, Rutland. — Captain, John B. Kilburn ; first-lieutenant, Will-
iam B. Thrall ; second- lieutenant, George E. Croft.
Company E, Johnson. — Captain, Daniel Lanclon ; first-lieutenant, George
W. Sheldon; second-lieutenant, Richard T. Cull.
Company F, Swanton. — Captain, Lorenzo D. Brooks; first-lieutenant,
Edgar N. BuUard ; second-lieutenant, Rodney C. Gates.
Company G, Cavendish. — Captain, Salmon Dutton ; first-lieutenant, George
M. R. Howard; second-lieutenant, Leonard P. Bingham.
Company H, Woodstock. — Captain, Mahlon Young; first-lieutenant,
Henry H. French ; second-lieutenant, George H. Kelley.
Company I, Poultney. — Captain, Charles C. Ruggles ; first-lieutenant,
Charles Clark ; second-lieutenant, Austin E. Woodman.
Company K, Northfield. — Captain, David P. Barker ; first-lieutenant, John
L. Moseley ; second-lieutenant, Allen Spaulding.
It was supposed that this regiment would form part of an expedition under
General Butler, having for its field of action New Orleans and vicinity ; but
many of the regiment would have preferred to join the army of the Potomac
with other Vermont regiments. Through efforts of General Butler, as be-
lieved, the regiment was finally placed under his command, much to its future
sorrow. The regiment left for New York March 10, and after a long and
uncomfortable voyage reached Ship Island on the 5th and lOth of April. No
sooner had the regiment landed than the unjust conduct of General Butler be-
gan ; the quartermaster was placed under arrest because he disembarked the
96 History of Rutland County.
men with their baggage, instead of the men only, as ordered. Little of im-
portance occurred up to the 1st of May, at which time the Union forces oc-
cupied New Orleans and the regiment was soon afterward ordered there. ^
They were then ordered to Carrollton, eight miles from the city, reaching there
May 1 6th, where they were placed under command of Brigadier-General J.
W. Phelps, the former colonel of the First Vermont ; many of his old com-
mand were in the Seventh Regiment, and the reunion was very grateful. -
On the 6th of June the regiment was ordered to Baton Rouge, but did not
reach there until the 15th. On the 19th orders were recived to embark on
transports and take part in a campaign against Vicksburg under General Will-
iams. The force with which the capture of the city was expected to be ac-
complished numbered only about 3,500 men. Vicksburg was reached on the
25th and there Colonel Roberts rejoined the regiment and took command.
Much sickness followed, and the regiment set to work on the famous " cut off,"
which resulted in failure. In his history of the Seventh Regiment, Colonel
William C. Holbrook refers to this period as follows: " After a majority of our
entire command had been brought down with malarial diseases, from inhaling
the fumes and vapors which arose from the soil as it was excavated and ex-
posed to the air and sun, a large auxiliary force of negroes, gathered from the
surrounding country, was set to work. But notwithstanding, the expedition
was a failure. The river persisted in falling, and we were not able to dig fast
enough to keep pace with it, and so, much to our relief, wc were ordered to
abandon the enterprise."
Sickness in the regiment increased until, after the first fortnight, there were
seldom one hundred men fit for duty, while almost every day one or two died.
On the 15th of July the rebel ram Arkansas ran through the squadron of Far-
ragut, only to be followed by the passage of the latter's vessels by the rebel bat-
teries to his original position below Vicksburg. On this occasion occurred the
death of Captain Lorenzo Brooks, of Company F, who was killed on the trans-
port Cc-res, while in command of a squad of soldiers who had been sent to re-
turn the negroes employed on the Butler ditch.
As an evidence of the deplorable condition of this regiment relative to its
health, it should be noted that a few days before the abandonment of the
Vicksburg expedition. Captain John B. Kilburn, of Company D, was detailed
to take the sick of the regiment to Baton Rouge. They were embarked on
board the Morning Light and for three days were detained there awaiting or-
ders and a convoy. There were 350 sick on the boat ; the weather was in-
1 Among the sick left on the island was Captain Charles C. Ruggles, of Company I. He was suli-
sequently sent to the hospital at Carrollton and when able assumed command of the convalescents in
camp, .\ctuated by a desire to do more than he was able, he suffered a sunstroke, from the effects of
which he died on the 24th of July, 1862. He was a favorite and brave officer.
2 General Phelps was finally forced to resign, chiefly, it is claimed, from the persecution of General
Butler, which raised a long controver.sy into which we cannot here enter.
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 97
tensely hot and great suffering was experienced. The boat grounded on the
first night of the passage, and while striving to get afloat two of the sick died;
they were buried in their blankets on the shore. Although Dr. Blanchard was
on board, he was unable to do much for the sick, as he had no medicines.
Reaching Baton Rouge, the sick were got ashore, but six died during the re-
moval. The main body of the expedition left Vicksburg on the evening of
the 24th, the Seventh Regiment forming the rear guard. The organization
that had started out thirty-six days previous nearly eight hundred strong, had
now less than one hundred fit for duty, and at a review tliat occurred a few
days before the battle of Baton Rouge, two or three of the companies were
not represented at all, their services being needed in burying the dead.
Among those who fell victims to the climate and exposure was Lieutenant
Richard T. Cull, a faithful officer. He was buried at Baton Rouge with mil-
iary honors.
The battle of Baton Rouge was fought on the 5th of August. The action
opened with firing from rebel skirmishers immediately in front of the Seventh,
in the early morning before it was light. This was followed by a general at-
tack, and the Union fojce being outnumbered was driven from stand to stand
and finally forced to fall back on the main body, when the action became gen-
eral. At this stage of the engagement there seems to have been no general
understanding of the character of the attack ; the Seventh Regiment was drawn
up in line of battle in front of its camp, according to orders, and while waiting
further instructions the firing on the left became very heavy. Colonel Roberts
moved the regiment in that direction, through the thick fog and smoke. Here
the men were subjected to the somewhat indiscriminate firing of artillery in
the rear, and to prevent casualties from this circumstance. Colonel Roberts
moved the regiment back to its former position. It was during this movement
that the brave officer fell, as detailed in an earlier page of this chapter. When
the regiment reached its former position the battle was raging furiously in
front of its camp and that of the Twenty-first Indiana. The fog and smoke
were so dense that objects could not be seen ten feet distant. Colonel Roberts
had hesitated to order his men to begin firing, fearing the Twenty-first Indi-
ana might be directly in front. General Williams at this juncture rode up in
a somewhat excited manner and peremptorily ordered the firing to open. The
colonel promptly gave the order, and firing began. Only a few volleys had
been fired when it was learned that the Indiana regiment was suffering from
the shots, as Colonel Roberts had feared would be the case. Colonel Roberts
did not hesitate to give the order to cease firing. This was his last command,
as he immediately fell with a severe wound in his neck. From this time
through the engagement the regiment, commanded temporarily by Captain
afterward Major) Porter, bore an honorable share. Colonel N. A. M. Dudley,
in command of the right wing, which embraced the Seventh, said in his report :
g8 History of Rutland County.
" It cannot be expected that I should mention the brave exploits of persons,
or even regiments, particularly when all did so well. On no occasion did I
see a single regiment misbehave ; all seemed to act with coolness and determi-
nation that surprised even ourselves after the excitement was over.
Captain Manning (after having fallen back) quickly rallied his men and went
into battery on the right of the Indiana Twenty-first, well supported on the
right by the Seventh Vermont. ... In the mean time the enemy ap-
peared in strong force directly in front of the Indiana Twenty-first, Vermont
Seventh and Massachusetts Thirtieth. At one time these three brave regi-
ments stood face to face with the enemy, within forty yards, for full one hour.
The contest for this piece of ground was terrific." Other reports corroborated
these statements in full. Many of the officers and men, among them Captain
Peck, left their hospital beds to join the fight.
Colonel Roberts died on the 7th, two days after the battle. The following
appeared in the New Orleans Delta, and it is but just to his memory that it
should be copied here : " . . The Seventh Vermont Regiment, which had
just returned from severe service at Vicksburg, participated in the battle of
Baton Rouge. It is sufficient evidence that they were at their post discharg-
ing faithfully the trust reposed in them, that their gallant colonel, George T.
Roberts, fell mortally wounded in the thickest of the fight. He was a true
patriot and an honorable, high-minded man. He first went into the service as
a lieutenant in Company A, of the First Vermont Volunteers. When the Sev-
enth was called for he was tendered the colonelcy, and in every particular has
proved the selection a good one, and, though dying in a glorious caus^, his loss
will be severely felt, both by his regiment and his many friends in his native
State, where he was so well and widely known." Colonel Roberts's remains
were brought to Rutland where his obsequies were very largely attended.
On the 20th of August Baton Rouge was evacuated and the Seventh Reg-
iment returned to Carrollton, going into camp there with other troops. This
was another most unhealthy locality, and soon acquired the name of the
"camp of death." On the 26th Lieutenant-Colonel Fullam resigned and Will-
iam C. Holbrook was made colonel. Captains Peck and Porter were promot-
ed, the former to lieutenant-colonel and the latter to major of the regiment.
Captain E. A. Morse, the efficient quartermaster, also resigned to accept pro-
motion. On the 8th of September Surgeon Francis W. Kelley resigned, and
Assistant Surgeon, Enoch Blanchard was promoted to the office.
When the Seventh reached Carrollton, it was reported that statements de-
rogatory to the conduct of the regiment at Baton Rouge had emanated from
some of the Indiana officers. Upon the strength of such reports as reached
General Butler, he revised his official reports as far as they referred to the con-
duct of the Seventh and issued his childish and unjust " Order 62," in which he
condemned the regiment for its alleged conduct at Baton Rouge. It must
^.^^^i^^
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 99
suffice for us to merely state that history will accept Colonel Dudley's report,
written by an officer who smv what he wrote about, as against General Butler's
tirade, based upon prejudiced reports of others. A long and bitter contro-
versy followed, ending in a court of inquiry, the findings of which were such
as to entirely exonerate the regiment from all blame and sustain its honor and
bravery in every particular. General Butler thereupon, perforce, issued his
" Order 98," in which he retracted his charges and insinuations.
We have alluded to the unhealthiness of the camp at Carrollton. Sickness
followed until the regiment was practically unfit for duty ; but the men were
forced to remain there until September 30, when they were moved to Camp
Kearney, a short distance below Carrollton, a slightly more wholesome place.
On the 4th of November another move was made to New Orleans. A few
days later orders were received to start for Pensacola, Fla., and on the 13th
of November the regiment embarked for that point. The destination was
reached the following day, after a most uncomfortable trip. Here the climate
and salubrious air soon improved the condition of the men. In Colonel Hol-
brook's history of the regiment is given the following tabular statement of deaths
in the regiment from 1862 to 1866, inclusive, showing how great a mortality
from sickness was reached in the first year, as compared with the casualties of
subsequent years : —
1862. 1S63. 1S64. 1S65. 1S66. Total.
Commissioned Officers
Non-Commissioned Officer
Company A
Company B
Company C
Company D
Company E
Company K
Company G
Company H
Company I
Company K
7
2
26
1
3
I 7,2,
32
2
2
45
14
5
4
23
20
3
27
:.b
I
7
4S
24
3
3°
31
3
45
44
5
4
57
37
3
4
47
26
J
6
S
43
Total 295 31 39 41 I 407
The period of about a month was passed by the regiment in building a
stockade in anticipation of an attack predicted by the redoubtable General Neal
Dow, then in command at that point. The attack was not made, and on the
29th of December the regiment, with other troops, engaged, in an armed recon-
naissance to Oakfield ; no enemy was encountered.
Early in January Lieutenant Henry French died of fever contracted in the
fatal Vicksburg campaign, and his remains were sent home.
Scouting parties were the order of the service until spring. On the 17th
of February Companies B and G, under Captain Dutton, started on one of
these expeditions. Near Oakfield they were attacked by the enemy's cavalry;
a skirmish, which degenerated into a running fight, ensued, until Oakfield was
reached, when the enemy retired. About this time orders were received to
evacuate Pensacola, and on the 20th of February the regiment proceeded to
History of Rutland County.
Fort Pickens, on Santa Rosa Island. On the 28th of March Companies A, D
and G were detailed for duty as artillerists in this fort, which had previously
been garrisoned by United States Regulars. Nothing of importance occurred
to the command while on this island, and on the 19th of June, when Colonel
Holbrook was placed in command of the troops of Western Florida, the regi-
ment, excepting the companies last named, was removed by him to Barrancas,
where a pleasant camp was formed and named " Camp Roberts" in honor of
the dead colonel of the regiment. Little active service was seen by the regi-
ment during the summer and autumn. On the 6th of September Colonel Hol-
brook sent out a reconnoitering party under Captain Mahlon M. Young and
Lieutenant Jackson V. Parker ; they captured a party of rebels at the head-
quarters of the Spanish consul, Morino, who was in sympathy with the South.
An attempt was made and repeated to secure the release of these prisoners,
from both Captain Young and later from Colonel Holbrook, but the efiforts
failed ; it was claimed that they entered the town under a flag of truce and that
they were under the protection of the Spanish consulate.
On the loth of September an accident of a serious nature occurred at the
fort. The picket line had been repeatedly fired upon in front of the fort, and
the gunners were in training to get the range of the woods whence the firing
came, when an eight-inch howitzer exploded while being served by a detach-
ment of Company I ; the discharge was caused by the carelessness of the cor-
poral whose duty it was to thumb the vent of the gun. Private Robert Ripley,
of Company I, had his right arm blown off and sustained other injuries which
caused his death within a few days, and Private James B. Royce was blown
into the air and picked up for dead ; to every one's surprise, however, he sur-
vived, with a badly shattered left arm, which was subsequently amputated.
He was also badly burned and bruised.
During the month of September yellow fever was developed in that region
and on the 5th of November Corporal Lucius O. Wilkins, of Company B, died
of the disease, and on the 17th Lieutenant Rollin M. Green, one of the best
officers in the regiment, was stricken down from the same cause.
On the 7th of November Colonel Holbrook was relieved by Brigadier-
General A. Asboth, and assigned to the command of the First Brigade, then
consisting of the Seventh Vermont (less the detached companies) under Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Peck, and two colored regiments. From this time until spring
nothing of especial moment, outside of several successful scouting expeditions,
occurred in the regiment.
On the 13th of February, 1864, Lieutenant Frank N. Finney, of Company
D, returned from Vermont with one hundred and ten recruits for the regiment.
During the same month all of the enlisted men of the regiment remaining from
those originally mustered in, except fifty-eight, re-enlisted for three years fur-
ther service, or for the war, the War Department having previously decided that
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
the original term of service would expire June i, 1864. By the provisions of
this order the re-enlisted men were entitled to a thirty days' furlough. The
embarkation for this furlough was made August 10.
During the spring and early summer there were some changes of minor im-
portance in the duties of the regiment, and while the rebels were busily strength-
ening position, Farragut was preparing for an attack on Forts Morgan and Gaines
at the entrance of Mobile Bay. The rebel reinforcements and supplies passed
over the railroad running from Pollard and beyond to Mobile. General Asboth
conceived a scheme for the destruction of this then important line. An expe-
dition was fitted out consisting of four companies. A, B, E and H, of the Sev-
enth Vermont, Schmidt's New York Cavalry, the First Florida Cavalry, the
Eighty-third and Eighty- sixth United States Colored Regiments and two
mountain howitzers, the latter under command of Adjutant Sheldon. Barran-
cas was left by the expedition July 21. The enemy was encountered at Gon-
zales Station in a rude square redoubt, and were gallantly assaulted by A and
E companies under Captains Moseley and Smalley. The charge was so gal-
lantly conducted that the rebels fled from their works. Colonel Holbrook says:
" Although this affair can hardly be called a battle, yet for over an hour the
Seventh was exposed to a severe musketry fire. No troops could have be-
haved better than they did." Owing to the fact, which was learned from a
deserter, that Colonel Maury was marching towards General Asboth's force
with four thousand men, it was decided to retreat, and Barrancas was safely
reached on the 24th.
The Seventh Regiment reached their homes after a long and tedious voyage
on the 26th of August, and were handsomely received by Governor Smith and
the citizens of Brattleboro. On the 13th of September Lieutenant John Q.
Dickinson, who had for some time acted as quartermaster of the regiment, re-
ceived his commission as such. He was subsequently made captain of Com-
pany F, and was honorably discharged for disability October 10, 1865. He
remained in the South after the close of the war, and having taken some part
in political affairs in Florida, was warned by the Ku Klux to leave the State.
He paid no attention to the threats made in case he disobeyed the warning,
and was shot by cowardly assassins who were hidden in darkness. His remains
were returned to his northern home.
On the 30th of September the regiment again turned its face southward,
reaching New Orleans on the 13th of October, 1864. During the absence of
the regiment at home. Captain Mahlon Young was killed while leading a charge
against the enemy in the streets of Marianna. Colonel Holbrook says of him:
" Captain Young was a fine specimen of the volunteer soldier. Always cool
and collected, his advice was invariably sound and valuable. He was cour-
ageous as a lion and ever ready to go wherever he felt that his duty called
I02 History of Rutland County.
While stationed at Annunciation Square, New Orleans, the Seventh Regi-
ment was principally employed in guard duty. On the 19th of February the
Regiment was ordered to Mobile Point, to take part in the operations against
that city. The regiment was assigned to Brigadier-General Benton's division
of the Thirteenth Corps, and on the 17th of March began a march to flank the
defenses of Mobile on the western shore and operate against those on the east-
ern shore. This march, which was one of almost unparalleled difficulties in
the way of mud, rain, and exposure, continued until the 23d, when the regi-
ment went into camp on the north fork of Fish River. On the 25th another
forward movement was made which continued through the 26th, involving con-
siderable skirmishing with the enemy. On the 27th preparations were made
to attack the " Spanish Fort." Benton's division, embracing the Seventh,
moved forward in the morning, each regiment in line of battle, directly towards
the fort, wath other corps on the right and left. The brigade to which the
Seventh was attached was not halted until within six hundred yards of the
rebel earthworks, and midway between the old Spanish Fort and Red Fort,
the guns of which commanded the position through a long ravine. Here the
regiment lay all day long, exposed to a heavy fire of musketry and artillery.
The men lay on the ground most of the time. Soon after the first halt in the
morning Captain Salmon Button was ordered with his company (G) to relieve
a portion of the skirmish line. He remained out till after nightfall, several of
his men being wounded, when he was relieved by Captain George E. Croft,
with Company D. They were in turn relieved by Companies I and H, both
of which were exposed to heavy firing during the day. During the 28th the
regiment was exposed to heavy shelling at a point a little in rear, where it had
camped after being relieved by the Ninety-first Illinois. On the evening of
the 28th Companies F (Captain Edgar M. BuUard), and C (Captain Henry
Stoweli) were ordered on the skirmish line, with instructions to advance as far
as possible, entrenching as they proceeded. This duty was thoroughly per-
formed. From this time to April 12 the siege of the fort progressed with the
utmost vigor and determination, and every day the Seventh Regiment was en-
gaged in dangerous picket duty, labor in the trenches or repelling sorties by
the enemy. We cannot here enter into the details of all of these operations,
which are graphical!)' desbribed in Colonel Holbrook's history of the regiment.
The chief occurrence in the Seventh was the capture of Captain Stearns with
twenty men on the skirmish line on the night of the 31st, where he had with
great bravery maintained a most dangerous position. Captain Stearns was
paroled and sent to the parole camp, Vicksburg. After thirteen days of act-
ive operations the fort was abandoned and the works occupied by the Union
forces on the 8th of April.
I'^arly on the morning of tiie 9th the regiment was ordered to Blakely,
which had been, since April 2, besieged by General Steele and his force from
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 103
Pensacola. As the regiment drew near Steele's line, heavy firing was heard.
The Seventh did not share in the subsequent assault by which the rebel works
were carried. On the morning of the I Ith, the division containing the Seventh
marched back towards Spanish Fort to Stark's Landing, where they embarked
on transports. During this march news of the fall of Richmond reached the
troops. On the 12th they proceeded to Mobile City where arrangements had
already been made to turn the place over to the Union forces. The following
morning Benton's division was ordered in pursuit of the fleeing enemy; they
marched through the city and to a station on the Mobile and Ohio railroad
called Whistler, where the shops of the road were located. The Seventh was
in the advance with the Fiftieth Indiana. Colonel Day, just before reaching
the station, turned to the left, leaving the Seventh and Fiftieth to proceed along
the track. Firing was soon heard in the direction taken by him, and he sent back
for support. The Seventh and the Indiana regiments were hurried forward at
a double quick and they were soon under a heavy fire, but somewhat protected
by woods. The rebels were on a slight eminence beyond a marsh over which
was a bridge ; this bridge had been fired and the Ninety-first Illinois in at-
tempting to get through the marsh was fairly stalled. Colonel Holbrook at-
tempted, but unsuccessfully, to form the Indiana regiment, and then formed
the Seventh, which rushed ahead under a heavy fire and was soon at the bridge.
Here they were changed into column and hurried across the burning bridge.
Across the bridge line of battle was again formed and firing begun ; but the
enemy soon retreated precipitately.
The regiment remained at Whistler till the 19th when the division was
marched to a place on the Tombigbee River, about forty miles from Mobile, and
went into camp. Here came the news of the assassination of the president.
Although Lee surrendered on the 9th and Johnston on the 27th, operations in
the southwest still continued. General Taylor with his force of rebels was in
the immediate front of the division, and to him notice was sent that the exist-
ing truce must end, as the United States government did not approve of the
Sherman-Johnston armistice. On the morning of May 2 Colonel Holbrook,
with the Seventh and Fiftieth Indiana, was ordered out on a scout ; but nego-
tiations for Taylor's surrender were renewed and no action followed ; the two
regiments returned, and the next day the division proceeded to Mobile.
Colonel Holbrook resigned on the 2d of June, 1865, and from that time
until the regiment returned north it was in service in Texas. The command,
under Lieutenent-Colonel Peck, sailed for Brazos where they arrived June 5
and went into camp, remaining until the 14th, when they proceeded to the
mouth of the Rio Grande and went into camp. On the 14th of July the one
year recruits were mustered out. August 2 the regiment broke camp and
marched to Brownsville, about thirty miles up the river, and remained there in
camp until mustered out in March, 1866. On the 26th of August Colonel
I04 History of Rutland County.
Peck resigned and Lieutenant-Colonel Porter was commissioned colonel, Ma-
jor Bullard, lieutenant-colonel, and Captain Smalley, major. Subsequently
Major Smalley resigned and Captain George E. Croft was commissioned major.
On the 14th of March the regiment was mustered out at Brownsville, but
proceeded in a body to New Orleans and thence to Brattleboro, Vt, where it
disbanded. A grand and merited reception was given the veterans at Brattle-
boro. The regiment was the last volunteer organization of Vermont to be dis-
banded. No more gallant regiment than the Seventh was ever sent out by
the State.
The Tenth Regiinoit. — This regiment was recruited in the summer of
1862, simultaneously with the Eleventh. A little over one hundred and fifty
of its members were from Rutland county, distributed as follows : Brandon
Co. C, 6. Chittenden, Co. C, 3 ; Co. H, i. Clarendon, Co. C, 4 ; Co. F, 4, and
one not recorded with company. Danby, Co. C, 3 ; Co. H, 3. Mendon, Co. C,
2. Middletown, Co. C, 24. Mount Holly, Co. H, 3 ; Co. D, 2 ; Co. C, 2.
Mount Tabor, Co. C, 3. Pawlet, Co. C, i. Pittsfield, Co. C, 6 ; Co. F, i. Pitts-
ford, Co. C, 14; Co. E, I. Rutland, Co. C, 14; Co. D, i ; Co. F, i, and two
officers and four not recorded with companies. Shrewsbury, Co. C, 3. Tin-
mouth, Co. C, 8. Wallingford, Co. C, 14, two officers; Wells, Co. K, i.
Of the field and staff" officers from this county John A. Salsbury, of Tin-
mouth, went out as first lieutenant of Company C, commission dating August
5, 1862; captain Company I, November 7, 1862 ; brevet major, October 19,
1864, for gallantry before Richmond and in the Shenandoah Valley ; mustered
out of service as captain of Company I, June 22, 1864 ; promoted major Jan-
uary 2, 1865.
John A. Sheldon, credited to the town of Castleton, went out as captain
of Company C, which, as above seen, was recruited in this county, and was
promoted captain and commissary of subsistence June 28, 1864.
Captains. — John A. Hicks, jr., of Rutland, was made sergeant-major Sep-
tember I, 1862; second lieutenant Company B, December 27, 1862 ; first lieu-
tenant Company B, June 6, 1864; honorably discharged May 2, 1865, for dis-
ability.
Henry W. Kingsley, Rutland, regimental quartermaster ; sergeant, Sep-
tember I, 1862 ; second lieutenant Company F, December 27, 1862; wounded
severely November 27, 1863; first lieutenant Company F, June 6, 1864;
appointed captain and commissary of subsistence January 23, 1865.
First Lieutenants — Daniel G. Hill, Wallingford, regimental commissary-
sergeant September i, 1862; second lieutenant Company H. January 19,
1863 ; died of wounds received at Opequan, Va., September 19, 1864.
Second Lieutenants — William H. H. Sabin, Wallingford, promoted first
lieutenant Company C, November 8, 1862.
Henry H. Adams, Wallingford, private Company C, July 16, 1862; cor-
^^^^«^<g^
fc^c^
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 105
poral, September i, 1862 ; sergeant August 6, 1863 ; regimental quartermas-
ter-sergeant, July I, 1864; mustered out of service as quartermaster-sergeant
June 22, 1865 ; commissioned second lieutenant, February 9, 1865.
The companies other than Company C were distributed through the State
as follows: A, Saint Johnsbury ; B, Waterbury ; D, Burlington ; F, Swanton ;
G, Bradford; H, Ludlow; I, Saint Albans; K, Derby Line.
The field and staff officers were as follows : Colonel, A. B. Jewett ; lieu-
tenant-colonel, John H. Edson ; major, W. W. Henry ; adjutant, Wyllys Ly-
man ; quartermaster, A. B. Valentine ; surgeon, Willard A. Childe ; assistant
surgeons, J. C. Rutherford, Almon Clark ; chaplain, E. M. Haynes.
The regiment went into camp at Brattleboro on the 15th of August, and
was mustered into the service on the 1st day of September, with one thou-
sand and sixteen men. It left the State on the 6th and preceded via New
York, Philadelphia and Baltimore to Washington, arriving on the 8th and the
next morning went into Camp Chase on Arlington Heights. Soon after the
second battle of Bull Run the regiment started on a march of forty miles up
the Potomac, to guard the Maryland shore of the stream. Taking positions in
that vicinity, the regiment remained from the 17th of September to the middle
of October. Here the duties of camp life were earnestly begun- and well
learned by the men.
While encamped in October at Seneca Creek the regiment passed through
a period of sickness that became almost an epidemic. While here the regi-
ment was brigaded with the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts, the Twenty-third
Maine and Fourteenth New Hampshire Regiments and placed under command
of Brigadier-General Grover. On the 13th of November he was displaced by
Colonel Davis of the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts, and the brigade took position
at Offut's Crossing, fifteen miles from Washington, where it remained until
December 21 without important incident. Many deaths occurred here from
the same apparent causes of the previous mortality ; twenty-five men died in
five weeks. On the 21st of December the brigade was marched to Pooleville.
thirty miles from Washington, and there, divided into three sections, the regi-
ment remained through the remainder of the winter. Here Colonel Jewett
succeeded to the command of tlie brigade.
On the 24th of June, 1863, the regiment started, according to General
Hooker's orders, for Harper's Ferry, which place was reached on the 26th, and
the command went into camp on Maryland Heights. June 30 this position
was evacuated and the regiment marched to Frederick, Md., where it was brig-
aded with the Sixth New York Heavy Artillery, One Hundred and First New
York Infantry and Fourteenth New Jersey. On the 8th the regiment was
made a part of the Third Division, Third Corps. During the battle of Gett}-s-
burg the regiment lay at Monocacy Bridge (July ist-3d), and on the 9th
joined the Army of the Potomac. Trying marches of several days brought
io6 History ok Rutland County.
the regiment to Sharpsburg, the last day's tramp being in a burning sun which
left scarcely a battalion in the brigade when it came to a halt. More severe
marches followed, and the 26th of July found the regiment at Warrenton and
a halt of five days was made near the town. Beginning with August i, the
regiment lay for five weeks near the famous Sulphur Springs of Virginia, with
light duty to perform, On the Jlh of September the Third Corps was re-
viewed by General Meade. None of the brigade regiments had yet fought a
battle, although they had been a year in the field. September 13 the brigade
crossed the Rapidan, but Meade's contemplated battle was postponed and the
command was again idle twenty-three days.
The active movements, though not of great importance, which occurred
from this time to the 19th of October, need not be detailed here ; on that date,
while Lee had begun his retreat along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad,
the brigade was in pursuit. The railroad was destroyed for thirty miles;
but the Tenth aided in its energetic reconstruction, and on the 19th it was
done and the rebel army was faced by the Union forces on the Rappahannock.
The enemy was again driven, the Tenth doing duty in support of artillery ;
after dark the corps crossed the Rappahannock and the next morning advanced
up the river, continuing the next day to Culpepper. From the 14th of No-
vember for one week the regiment remained here.
On the 26th the whole army was again on the move, and the Tenth Regi-
ment crossed the Rapidan. The next day was fought the engagement at
Orange Grove. In this battle the Tenth bore a conspicuous part ; it was,
moreover, its first real engagement, which renders its conduct still more admi-
rable. A brilliant charge to dislodge the enemy posted behind a fence was
made b\' the Tenth, which was especially complimented in subsequent orders.
Colonel Jewett, Major Charles G. Chandler and Captain Samuel Darrah were
personally mentioned for bravery.
On the following night the army was headed toward the Rapidan and the
Tenth Regiment was placed on picket far towards the front. Here they lay
until two o'clock of the morning of December 2, when they cautiously crept
away, to escape the shots of the rebel sharpshooters who were near at hand.
On the same day a march of twent}-- three miles was made to Brandy Station.
Here the regiment lay through the winter without especial incident. About
the middle of March the Third Corps was broken up and the Tenth Regiment
became a part of the First Brigade, Third Division in the Sixth Corps. Most
of the members were satisfied with the change, as it would associate them,
although in another division, with the famous "Vermont Brigade." The other
regiments of the new brigade were the Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania^ the One
Hundred and Sixth New York, the One Hundred and First New York, and
the Fourteenth New Jersey.
On the 25th of April Colonel Jewett resigned, much to the regret of the
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 107
Tegiment, and a few days later, on the 4th of May, began the movement which
■opened the great battles of the Wilderness. From this date until the i8th,
through the Wilderness fight and at Spottsylvania, the regiment was under
fire every day, and yet its losses, from surrounding circumstances, were com-
paratively small. On the second day of the battle the First Brigade was held
in reserve; one officer and si.\ men were killed in the brigade and tvvent}--one
taken prisoners, and not a gun fired by them. This is one of the severest tests
of the soldier's courage. During the three days' fighting the regiment lost but
three killed and nine wounded ; but its services were none the less important.
In the first three days at Spottsylvania the position of the Third Division
was on the right of the corps, -on a crest, from which their line extended into a
valley ; and although constantly under fire, the losses were not heav\'. On
the iith the Tenth Regiment was placed on the skirmish line. On the 1 2th
the corps was moved to the left to support General Hancock in his famous
assault, but was held in reserve, and the losses were not heavy — twenty- three
killed and one hundred and thirty-three wounded during the entire action.
On the morning of the 13th the Third Division took its old position on the
right, and on the following day the corps was moved around to the extreme
left of the army A charge was made by the First Brigade at dusk on the 4th,
the men wading the N\' River to their arm- pits and gallantly carrying the
crest of a hill which had been stubbornly held by the rebels against a brigade
of the First Division. From that time until the 21st the brigade was not
brought into serious collision with the enemy ; and then while withdrawing
from the works to cross the North Anna, the First and Second Divisions were
struck on the flank and a number of prisoners captured ; the rebels were
quickly driven into retreat.
From the 21st to the 25th the brigade was marched southward and reached
the Virginia Central Railroad, which they destroyed, and the Tenth Regiment
went on picket at night. During the ten days in which this corps confronted
the rebels at this point it was not engaged, except in slight skirmishes.
At Cold Harbor on the 1st and 3d of June the Tenth Regiment and its
associates were actively engaged and suffered severely. In the engagement
the First Brigade was on the left of the division. The advance was made
through a belt of pine woods where the enemy had erected slight works. Ser-
geant, afterwards Captain, S. H. Lewis, of the Tenth, sprang over these works
and single-handed captured a major, lieutenant and several men ; and later the
regiment captured the Fifty-first North Carolina Regiment. The 3d of June,
in the general assault on the rebel line, the Tenth suffered severely, and on the
6th Captain Samuel Darrah was killed by a sharpshooter. In these engage-
ments the Tenth lost twenty-seven killed and one hundred and forty-six
wounded. Lieutenant-Colonel Henry was wounded on the 1st and the com-
mand of the regiment devolved upon Major Charles G. Chandler. Lieutenants
io8 History of Rutland County.
Ezra Stetson and Charles G. Newton were killed on the 1st, and on the 3d
Captain Edwin B. Frost was killed.
The Tenth had now acquired the experience of veterans and had uniformly-
acquitted itself with honor, as shown by the published reports. At sundown
on the 13th the regiment crossed the Chickahominy and on the 15th embarked
on transports for City Point ; without disembarking there they proceeded to^
Bermuda Hundreds, arriving on the i6th. Here a position was occupied in
rear of Butler's fortified line. On the 19th of June the regiment crossed the
Appomattox and moved around to the rear of Petersburg. On the 22d and
23d they took part in the well-known raid on the Weldon Railroad, but with-
out loss, and on the 6th of July the Third Division was detached from the
Sixth Corps of the Army of the Potomac and ordered to Harper's Ferry, to
meet the rebel advance into Maryland. The division went via City Point and
Baltimore and at eight o'clock of the 9th was at Monocacy Junction, where it
shared in the battle that ensued. In this engagement, the details of which are
too lengthy for these pages, the Tenth was actively engaged and lost four
killed and twenty-six wounded. The night of the 9th the regiment marched
to New Market, where it joined the division, and the next day was sent to the
Relay House, and on the nth to Baltimore.
On the 14th of July the regiment took the railroad for Washington and the
next day marched on through Georgetown, crossed the Potomac on the i6th
and camped on the Leesburg pike. On the evening of the 17th the regiment
joined the remainder of the Sixth Corps and the next day marched through
Snicker's Gap and reached the Shenandoah River. The 20th, the rebels on
the opposite side of the river having disappeared, the regiment crossed and the
same night reforded the stream and started for Washington and thence to
Harper's I'erry. Another severe march brought the regiment to Frederick,
where it remained to the 5th of August, when it moved to Monocacy Junction,
where the Shenandoah Valley campaign was inaugurated.
The movements in which the Tenth took part in the valley, up to the battle
of Winchester, cannot be followed in detail ; they are matters of general his-
tory. The battle of Winchester was fought September 19. Orders reached
this brigade on the i8th to be ready to march at a moment's notice, and early
on the following morning the troops were on the move. In the engagement
the Third Division was in the front line of battle and in the onset were thrown
into confusion and became mingled with the second, with which they then
moved forward. The battle waged hot and at one time seemed lost, but Gen-
eral Russell, with the First Division and Upton's Brigade, came up and
charged the enemy on the flank, driving them back. General Russell was
killed. At three o'clock the enemy had taken a new position near Winchester,
where they were vigorously attacked by Crook's command, with Merritt's and
Averill's divisions of cavalry on the flank, and the main army in front, with
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 109
Sheridan cheering them on. A simultaneous charge was made in front, flank
and rear, and the enemy broke and fled through the town in hopeless rout.
Among the killed in the Tenth was Major Edwin Dillingham, a brave officer.
Lieutenant Hill was wounded and died a few weeks later in hospital. Lieu-
tenant Abbott was severely wounded and Captain Davis slightly. After the
fall of Major Dillingham the command of the regiment was turned over to
Captain (afterward Major) Hunt.
The engagement at Fisher's Hill followed closely on (September 21, 22).
Here the enemy was posted on the crest of the hill behind fortifications. On
the evening of the 20th the Sixth Corps filed into the woods north of Stras-
burgh and lay there over night. The 21st was spent in reconnoitering for po-
sition. The next day the Third Division formed the extreme right of the
army. Sheridan's line covered a mile and a half in length, but not continu-
ous, and thus the opposing armies confronted each other on the morning of
the 22d. General Crook was sent on a flank movement similar to that at Win-
chester, to cover which the Third Division was swung out from the right,
cleared away the rebel skirmishers and formed a line threatening their flank.
The following narration of the actual incidents of the engagement is from
Chaplain Hayne's history of the regiment : —
" Say now it is four o'clock. Crook has toiled with his command westward
up the steep side of the Blue Ridge, and then moved south far enough to gain
the rear of the rebel works; then facing east, crawled stealthily yet rapidly to
his assigned position. He is now in the edge of the timber, his whole column
lapping the enemy's flank, ready to rush upon his rear. An instant more,
wholly unexpected, he dashes out and leaps forward. At the same time
Ricketts's Division, seconding Crook's command from the position taken in the
morning, and, in anticipation of this very thing, sprang forward, quickly trav-
ersed the field before them, mounted the rebel works in front and cleared them
instantly. The work here was done. The rebels, those who did not at once
yield themselves as prisoners, fled terrified, leaving everything that might en-
cumber their flight. In the mean time the troops on our left were nobly car-
rying out their part of the programme. Under a heavier storm of deadly
missiles — and they were under it, for it was quite impossible that the rebels
should keep up a perfect range on this uneven ground — they rapidly closed in
and helped to complete the victory. For the enemy it was a terrible rout.
We captured sixteen pieces of artillery, sixteen stand of colors, and
eleven hundred prisoners. Our division claimed to have captured four hun-
dred prisoners and six pieces of artillery. The Tenth Regiment lost only five
wounded and less than that number killed. Captain John A. Hicks, acting on
the First Brigade staff from this regiment, was severely wounded."
After the succeeding operations in the valley, principally by the cavalry
arm, the Sixth Corps started on the march for Washington on the loth of Oc-
History of Rutland County.
tober. While about crossing the Shenandoah River on the 13th, it was or-
dered baciv to Middleton into position on the right of the army, left by it some
days before. The battle of Cedar Creek followed on the 19th of October. The
Tenth Regiment went into this engagement with seventeen officers and twa
hundred and sixty men. Soon after daylight the regiment with the Sixth
Corps was formed in line of battle at right angles to tlieir original position.
The enemy had broken the left and the fugitives were constantly passing the
line. About 7:30 the enemy opened heavy firing of artillery and musketry
from a commanding crest in front of the line and the latter fell back to a low
ridge four hundred yards in the rear. The rebels then advanced to seize three
pieces of artillery which had been left. Seeing this, a charge was ordered and
the Tenth rushed up to the guns and recovered them. Sergeant William Ma-
honey, Company E, was the first to reach the guns. The enemy rallied and
poured in a heavy musketry fire from front and right, and as the troops fell
back the division was soon exposed to a fire from that flank also. The losses
here were very severe, and the line fell back to the second ridge, where a stand
was made and the enemy was again repulsed from the crest in front ; but our
line was again flanked and forced to fall back a mile. Reaching a cross-road,
the line was re-formed ; the rebels came on and again the line was withdrawn.
After the arrival of General Sheridan the regiment, with the division, moved
forward through woods to an open field, halted a few moments and then again
pushed on, until the rebels reached and stood in a strong position on a contin-
uous ridge, along the crest of which was a stone wall. Here the fire was con-
stant and heavy for half an hour, when a general charge was ordered and the
enemy was driven and routed. The Tenth Regiment passed over the battle-
ground of the morning and after dark occupied their old camp. The casual-
ities in the regiment were fourteen killed and sixty-si.K wounded. Among the
killed was Captain Lucian D. Thompson, of Company D, and the brave Color-
Sergeant Mahoney, who fell in the final charge. Among the wounded were
Adjutant Wyllys Lyman, First Lieutenant George E. Davis, Company D, and
Second Lieutenant James M. Read, of the .same ; Second Lieutenant B. Brooks
Clark, Company E, who subsequently died of his wounds ; Captain Chester
F. Nye, Company F ; First Lieutenant William White, and Second Lieuten-
ant Charles W. Wheeler, Company I ; First Lieutenant George P. Welch, and
Second Lieutenant Austin W. Fuller, Company K.
From the 19th of October, 1864, to November 9 the regiment was en-
camped near Cedar Creek, and then marched to Camp Russell, near Kearns-
town. On the lOth a part of the regiment, being on picket, were attacked,
but repulsed the enemy after a sharp skirmish. The regiment remained in
camp to the 3d of December, when the)- proceeded by wdv of Washington to
City Point, and went into camp near Warren Station on the 5tb. In this im-
mediate vicinit)' the regiment lay, with<nit important action, until the 25th of
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
March, when the grand closing operations of the army began. On the date
mentioned about one hundred and sixty of the Fourteenth New Jersey and
two hundred and thirty of the Tenth Regiment, the latter on the left, were
placed on a picket line in front of Forts Fisher and Welch, for the purpose of
attacking the enemy's pickets ; the latter were strongly entrenched. A sup-
porting column was placed in rear. At three o'clock p. m. the whole line
moved forward at double quick ; the position of the enemy was reached at
several points, but the fire was too severe to withstand and the line retired.
The attacking force was strengthened, another advance made and nearly the
whole picket force captured and the entrenchments held. The casualties in
the Tenth were two killed and four wounded.
On the 2d of April the Tenth Regiment participated in the assault of the
field works in front of Fort Welch, in which the fortifications bearing that
name were captured, the Tenth, with the brigade, making a rapid advance,
through abattis and over rough ground, capturing line after line of strong
earth-works, and many prisoners It was a day of trying service and the col-
ors first inside of the captured works were those of the Tenth. The casualties
were three killed and forty-one wounded. Among the latter was Adjutant
James M. Read, who died four days later, a great loss to the command. Lieu-
tenant James S. Thompson, Company H, was also wounded. Major Wyllys
Lyman received especial mention by the commanding officer as having been
the first to enter the rebel works with the color-bearer.
Prom Petersburg the regiment marched with the Sixth Corps to Sailor's
Creek where it was engaged on the 6th of April, taking active part in the c!e-
cisive flank movement which closed the action. The regiment then marched
to Appomattox Court-House where the rebel army surrendered on the 9th ■
thence they returned to Burkesvilie Station and thence to Danville, Va., where
they remained three weeks. At the end of this period the regiment moved to
Washington via Richmond and remained in camp near Ball's Cross- Roads until
mustered out. The original members of the regiment and the recruits whose
terms of service would expire previous to October i, 1865, were mustered out
June 22; their number was 451 men and thirteen officers. They left Wash-
ington and arrived at Burlington June 27 and were paid off and discharged July
3d. The remaining members, fourteen officers and 136 men, were transferred
to the Fifth Regiment and were mustered out June 29, 1865. The Tenth
Regiment, although its losses in the field were not so heavy as those of some
other Vermont organizations, served the country in the most creditable and
honorable manner, and its officers and men still living deserve the gratitude of
the State ; the dead have secured a merited place of honor in history.
The Ninth Regiment. — This organization was mustered into the service
on the 9th of July, 1862, for three years. Company B was entirely recruited
in Rutland county, with scattering enlistments from the county in other com-
112 History of Rutland County.
panics to the number of about one hundred and seventy, distributed among
the various towns as follows : Brandon, Co. B, 5 ; Co. C, 4. Benson, Co. C,
I ; Co. B, I. Castieton, Co. B, 2; Co. D, i. Chittenden, Co. B, 4; Co. D,
I ; Co. H, 3. Clarendon, Co. B, 7. Danby, Co. B, 4 ; Co. C, i. Fairhaven,
Co. B, I. Hubbardton, Co. C, i. Ira, Co. B, 3 ; Co. F, 2. Mendon, Co. B,
7. Middletown, Co. B, i. Mount Holly, Co. B, 13 ; Co. D, 5 ; Co. G, i. Mount
Tabor, Co. B. i. Pawlet, Co, B, 3 ; Co. H, i. Pittsfield, Co. C, 2. Pittsford,
Co. B, 4. Poultney, Co. B, 6; Co. D, 2. Rutland, Co. A, i ; Co. B, 15:
Co. C, 2 ; Co. D, 2 ; Co. F, 3 ; Co. K, 7. Sherburne, Co. B, i ; Co. D, i.
Shrewsbury, Co. B, 1 1 : Co. K, 2. Sudbury, Co. B, 4. Tinmouth, Co. B, 7 ;
Co. C, 3. Wallingford, Co. B, 6. Wells, Co. B, i ; Co. C, i ; Co. E, i ; Co,
F, I. Westhaven, Co, B, 5 ; Co. D, 3.
The officers of Company B, recruited in Rutland county, were as follows :
Captain, Edward H. Ripley ; major, March 20, 1863 ; lieutenant-colonel. May,
16, 1S63 ; brevet-brigadier-general, August I, 1864; mustered out June, 13,
1865.
First lieutenant, Samuel H. Kelley ; promoted, captain Company B, May
I, 1863.
Second lieutenant, Alfred C. Ballard; promoted first lieutenant, May i,
1863.
The Ninth Regiment rendezvoused at Brattleboro, whence they departed
for the front on the 15th of July, 1862. Their first camp was in Virginia and
not far from Fairfax Court- House. There they remained two weeks, when
they removed to Winchester and remained about six weeks. After the battle of
Antietam was fought the regiment moved to Bolivar Heights at Harper's Ferry.
In the fighting which occurred near that point the regiment was in support of
artillery. It formed a part of the large Union force that was surrendered to
the Confederates by General Miles on the 15th of September and on the i6th
proceeded to parole camp at Annapolis, Md. From there the regiment was
sent to Chicago, arriving on the 28th ; they were camped at what was called
Camp Tyler until the loth of December, when they moved to Camp Douglas,
remaining until January 9, 1863, when they were exchanged. From that date
to April I, the regiment was employed in guarding prisoners; on the latter
date a large body of prisoners was taken by the regiment to City Point. They
were then moved to Camp Hamilton at Fortress Monroe, remaining, however,
but a few days, when they marched to Suffolk and participated in the siege at
that point ; thence they moved to Bottom's Bridge and then to Yorktown,
reaching there a little before the 1st of November, 1863.
The regiment remained stationed at Yorktown until the 24th of October,
suffering during that period very severely with malarial diseases, which were
prevalent in that locality. Thus far in its career the regiment had seen little
of actual battle in the field ; but the unusual sickness which attacked the men
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
at Yorktown was far more demoralizing than would have been an active cam-
paign. At one time out of three hundred and fifty men present, but thirty-six
privates were fit for duty.
On the 24th of October the regiment sailed for Newbern, arriving on the
29th, and were ordered into Newport barracks, at the junction of the coast mail
route with t4ie railroad, where they performed garrison and picket duty with
ten detached companies of artillery and cavalry. Colonel E. H. Ripley, of the
Ninth, in command of the post.
On the 1 2th of November a detachment of one hundred men went on a
reconnaissance to Cedar Point, N. C, twenty miles distant, returning on the
1 5th. On the 2d of December the regiment met with a severe loss in the death
of Major Charles Jarvis, who died of wounds received in a slight skirmish in
which he was endeavoring to effect the capture of a squad of rebels. He was
a brave and patriotic officer. He went out as captain of Company D.
On the 24th of December Colonel Ripley, with a portion of the regiment,
accompanied by Colonel Jourdan and a portion of the One Hundred and Fifty-
eighth New York and two gun boats, went on an expedition down the coast,
which resulted in the destruction of e.xtensive rebel salt works and the bringing
in of a large body of negroes.
On the 31st of January the regiment, in company with the troops in the
sub-district of Beaufort, under Colonel Jourdan, engaged in an expedition to
Onslow county, N. C, and returned after an arduous march of seventy-five
miles in the mud, having captured a lieutenant and twenty-seven privates, with
considerable valuable property.
On the 2d day of February the enemy made an advance upon Newport
with about 2,500 infantry, a dozen pieces of artillery and 400 cavalry. The
outposts, then held by companies H and B, were first attacked, followed by an
advance upon the barracks. At the time of the first attack the new recruits
which had joined the regiment were still unarmed, and the Ninth itself num-
bered less than 200 muskets. Before the attack reached the post arms were
placed in the hands of the recruits, they were hastily instructed in loading, and
with their pockets full of cartridges were taken to the skirmish line. A gallant
resistance to the attack was made and the position held until dark, when the
regiment was forced to fall back across the bridges and burn them to escape
capture by the rebels ; the command then retired to Morehead City by way of
Beaufort. In this affair the regiment lost two lieutenants and sixty-four men
killed, wounded and missing. The regiment was commanded on this occasion
by Captain Kelley of Company B, Lieutenant-Colonel Barney being in com-
mand of the post and Colonel Ripley having just left for Fortress Monroe with
prisoners and dispatches for General Butler. The regiment was reinforced and
returned to Newport on the 5th of February. The losses on the 2d were con-
siderable, Lieutenant Bolton, Company C, being among the wounded, and
114 History of Rutland County.
Lieutenant Holman, Company G, missing. The official reports say that the
Ninth Regiment fought well and did itself great credit.
On the 1 6th of March Major Amasa Bartlett died. He went out as cap-
tain of Company E and had but a short time previous received his well-earned
promotion.
On the 26th of April Captain Kelley, Company B, with twenty men cap-
tured a fishing party of six on Bogue Bank, sent out by the rebel commissary
department ; and on the 29th, with forty men, he made a dash into Swansboro,
capturing a lieutenant and sixteen men, with horses, arms and other stores.
On the 20th of June the regiment, in company of other troops, marched
seventy-five miles into the interior, with the object of cutting the Willmington
and Weldon railroad. The e.xpedition was absent a week, but returned with-
out accomplishing its object.
On the nth of July four companies under Major Brooks were ordered to
Newbern and assigned to duty on the various outposts, and during the succeed-
ing ten days the remainder of the regiment followed.
On the 3 1st of August the regiment was ordered to Bermuda Hundreds and
they soon entered upon a more active campaign. They arrived on the 15th
of September and were assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division of the
Eighteenth Corps. On the 17th the regiment was joined by 170 recruits,
bringing its efiective strength up to nearly 875.
On the 29th of September the battle was fought at Chapin's Farm. The
regiment broke camp at i o'clock a. m. and crossed the James River at Aiken's
Landing at daybreak. The advance of four miles to Chapin's Farm was made,
where the brigade (comprising the Eighth Maine and the Ninth Vermont
regiments) was ordered to charge one of the rebel works at that point. The
Maine regiment became entangled in a swamp and the Ninth made the charge
alone, over a half mile of rough brush-covered ground, carried the work and
captured two guns and about fifty prisoners. The regiment was under fire the
entire day and every man behaved with the utmost bravery. The casualties
were seven killed and thirty- eight wounded.
The Ninth Regiment remained stationed in this vicinity, with some unim-
portant changes, until the evacuation of Richmond. On the 27th of October
they participated in the engagement on Williamsburgh road (Fair Oaks), fully
sustaining the record for bravery already acquired by them. Early in Novem-
ber the regiment was transferred to New York city, where they performed ex-
cellent service during the troubled times of the election of that year, and on
the 17th of November they returned to the brigade. During this time Colonel
Ripley was in command of the brigade; in December he resumed command of
the regiment.
When the reorganization of army corps occurred in December the Ninth
was attached to the Second Brigade, Third Division, Twenty- fourth Corps. At
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 115
the inspection of regiments, under general orders of January 17, 1865, to de-
termine which were the best regiments in brigades and divisons, the Ninth
Vermont gained the post of honor in its division On the 20th of February
the regiment was first pronounced the best in the brigade, and under provisions
of a general order was excused from all picket and outside detail for one week.
On the 6th of March they were again pronounced the best in the brigade and
excused again from all picket and outside duty for a week ; and on the loth
of March, after careful inspection at division headquarters, they were announced
in orders to be the best regiment in the division, — a division comprising
twenty regiments and which was, in the opinion of the corps commander, "as
completely fitted for the field as a command could well be, " — and the regi-
ment was again excused from details for an additional week. The officers and
men of the regiment were justly proud of the distinction thus obtained, not
merely on their own account, but for the honor thereby conferred upon their
State. Before the period had terminated during which the regiment had been
excused from details, the men of the regiment made application to be allowed
to again go upon duty to relieve their comrades of the brigade whose duties
were rendered exceedingly arduous by the excuse of this regiment. This act
of genuine good-will called forth another complimentary order from division
headquarters.
The regiment was one of the first to enter Richmond after its evacuation
and was stationed at that city until mustered out. On the 13th of June the
original members of the regiment and the recruits whose terms of service were
to expire before the 1st of October, were mustered out. The remaining members
of the regiment were consolidated into a battalion of four companies, which was
stationed at Richmond for a time, and then moved to Portsmouth, Va., and
mustered out December i, 1865.
Fiist Regiment Sharpshooters, Company F. — This company was recruited
in Rutland county, being distributed through the various towns about as
follows: Brandon, 4; Castleton, 2; Clarendon, 5; Danby, 12; Fairhaven, 5 ;
Ira, 4; Mendon, i ; Mount Tabor, 10; Pawlet, 6; Pittsfield, i ; Pittsford, 10;
Poultney, 4; Rutland, 19; Sherburne, 3; Shrewsbury, 2; Sudbury, i ; Wal-
lingford, 5. These figures were increased so that the company numbered one
hundred and fifteen men ; it was mustered into the service at Randolph on
the 13th of September, 1861, for three years. The company ofificers were as
follows: Captain, Edmund Weston; first lieutenant, C. W. Seaton ; second
lieutenant, M. V. B. Bronson ; first sergeant, H. E. Kinsman ; second ser-
geant, E. W. Hindes; third sergeant, Amos H. Bunker; fourth sergeant, Milo
C. Priest ; fifth sergeant, L. J. Allen ; first corporal, Daniel Perry ; second cor-
poral, P'red. E. Streeter ; third corporal, Ai Brown ; fourth corporal, VV. C.
Kent; fifth corporal, H. J, Peck ; sixth corporal, W. H. Taft ; seventh corpo-
rall, C. D. Merriman ; eighth corporal, C. W. Peck ; bugler, Calvin Morse ;
wagoner, Edward F. Stevens.
ii6 History of Rutland County.
The company left the State on the same day they were mustered and went
into camp at Weehawken, near New York. September 24 they proceeded to
Washington and on the 26th went into an instruction camp a short distance
from the capital. Some of the field officers of the regiment proved incompetent,
and on the 29th of November, 1861, William Y. W. Ripley (now of Rutland)
was appointed lieutenant- colonel, vice Frederick Mears resigned. Colonel
Ripley had seen service for a brief period in Company K, First Vermont Reg-
iment, as heretofore mentioned. The regiment remained at the camp of in-
struction through the whole of the winter, perfecting itself in discipline, drill,
marksmanship, etc. On the 20th of March, 1862, the regiment received or-
ders to report to Major-General Fitz John Porter, at Alexandria ; and from
this time on, so varied were the services of the sharpshooters that we can
only mention in the merest outline its important movements. Meanwhile the
regiment was armed with Colt's revolving rifles, a weapon that proved entirely
inefficient.
March 22 the regiment embarked on steamer for Fortress Monroe, arrived
safely and on the 28th led the advance at Great Bethel; Company F was the
first to come under fire. No loss was suffered by the regiment. April 4 the
advance upon Yorktown was made, the sharpshooters again in the advance.
In the skirmishing at the opening of the long siege of Yorktown, the sharp-
shooters were in the line and Company F was very active and efficient in silenc-
ing the enemy's artillery. Corporal C. W. Peck was here severely wounded.
The regiment was highly complimented the next day by General Porter.
During the battle of Williamsburgh, May 5, Companies A and C of the reg-
iment bore honorable part; but Company F was held in front of Yorktown.
In the battle of Hanover Court- House May 27, the sharpshooters accom-
panied the troops that destroyed the railroad bridges over the North and
South Anna Rivers, and headed the column that turned upon the rebel force
which had come between the expedition and the main army. In the severe
fighting that ensued Company F was prominent and the regiment suffered
considerable loss — about twenty men killed and wounded ; three of the latter
were from Company F — Sergeant Lewis J. Allen, Benjamin Billings and W.
F. Dawson ; the latter died from his wound on the 1st of June.
Between June 25th and 30th occurred the engagements on the Chicka-
hominy, at Mechanicsville, Gaines's Mill and Charles City Cross-Roads, in all
of which the sharpshooters were conspicuous for efficient services. For mi-
nute details of this period of action we must refer the reader to General Rip-
ley's admirable little book on the career of Company F, and to other works.
On the 27th at Gaines's Mill the company suffered heavily, losing B. W. Jordan
and James A. Read, killed, and E. H. Hindes wounded.
On the 30th of June the sharpshooters reached Malvern Hill and that
ni"-ht bivouacked on the ground over which they were to fight on the follow-
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 117
ing day. At dawn they took the front skirmish line, covering the left of the
Union army. Here the midday attack was awaited and about noon on came
the rebel columns. Artillery firing opened the battle and soon became heavy.
At half-past two the rebel infantry rushed from the edge of a forest. Bugler
Morse, of Company F, was ordered to sound the order to begin firing, and
from the unerring rifles of the sharpshooters was poured such volleys that the
advance was checked and the enemy sent back to the cover of the wood. It
was, however, but a momentary repulse, for another line soon appeared from
the trees. Still the sharpshooters clung to their ground, firing rapidly and
thinning the rebel ranks. At this juncture a line of the enemy's skirmishers
began firing at point blank on the right flank from the shelter of a roadway,
and the sharpshooters were forced to retreat far enough to escape the assault.
Now the enemy's artillery came dashing out into the open field and made des-
perate efibrts to open their firing, but under the storm of musket shots which
fell upon them, the artillerists were swept away, leaving their guns on the field
without having fired a shot. The advanced position of the sharpshooters was
now no longer tenable and they were withdrawn to the rear of the Fourth
Michigan Regiment. At the critical moment in the final desperate assault of
the rebels under Magruder in the afternoon, which was heroically repulsed, the
sharpshooters, having been placed in line on the right of the Michigan regi-
ment named, bore a conspicuous part. Repeatedly did the enemy come on
to attack and as often were they repulsed. In the second attack the sharp-
shooters found their ammunition gone and they were withdrawn from the
front. In this battle the regiment lost many officers and men. Colonel Rip-
ley, Captain Austin and Lieutenant Jones, the last two of Company E, were
among the wounded, with Lieutenant C. W. Seaton, Jacob S. Baile}' and Brig-
ham Buswell, of Company F.
After the Peninsular campaign the army lay at Harrison's Landing, and
there the following changes occurred in Company F : Sergeant Amos H.
Bunker, Azial N. Blanchard, William Cooley, George W. Manchester and
Charles B. Odell were discharged on surgeon's certificates of disability, and
Brigham Buswell was discharged on account of disability resulting from
wounds. Benjamin W. Jordan and James A. Read died of wounds received
at Gaines's Mill, and W. S. Tarbell, of disease. E. F. Stevens and L. D. Gro-
ver were promoted sergeants and W. H. Leach and Edward Trask were made
corporals. At this camp also Captain 'Weston resigned and Lieutenant C. W.
Seaton was appointed captain ; Second Lieutenant M. V. B. Bronson was
promoted first lieutenant and E. W. Hindes second lieutenant. Major Trepp
was promoted lieutenant-colonel, vice William Y. W. Ripley, and Captain
Hastings of Company H, was made major. The regiment remained at Har-
rison's Landing until the army left the Peninsula.
On the 28th of August the sharpshooters reached Bristow's Station and
History of Rutland County.
on the 29th took part in the battle of Gainesville ; they were the last to leave
an advanced position and then only because they were out of ammunition.
Corporals H. J. Peck and Ai Brown and private W. H. Blake, of Company F,
were wounded.
At Antietam Septemher 17, and Blackburn's Ford, the 19th and 20th, the
sharpshooters were engaged, but suffered no losses. They remained near
Sharpsburgh, Md., until October 30, in the mean time being reclothed, and on
the date named they crossed the Potomac at Harper's Ferry and moved south
towards Warrenton ; the same night of their arrival they were placed on
picket at Snicker's Gap. Thence they proceeded to Warrenton, where Mc-
Clellan, much to the regret of the men, was relieved of his command. The
sharpshooters were at Fredericksburg December 13, but did not cross the
river and were not actively engaged. The regiment wintered at Falmouth,
and in the spring, when Hooker reorganized the army, were transferred to the
Third Corps, under General Sickles. In February Lieutenant Bronson re-
signed and was succeeded by Lieutenant E. W. Hindes, while Sergeant C. D.
Merriman was promoted second lieutenant.
At the battle of Chancellorsville, May 1-5, the sharpshooters were again
especially utilized, generally in the front as skirmishers and often so closely
drawn up as to form a practical line of battle. Such was the case of the 2d,
when, after having swept back one line of the enemy, the regiment
changed front to the left, where a hotly contested position was finally taken by
them, with the capture of nearly the whole of the Twenty-Third Georgia Reg-
iment. In this affair Edward Trask and A. D. Griffin, of Company F, were
wounded. On the third day of the battle the sharpshooters, and particularly
Company F, won the highest encomiums for brave and determined services ;
they were always in front. Michael Cunningham, J. S. Bailey and E. M.
Hosmer, Company F, were wounded on this day. On the fourth day Com-
pany F was relieved from picket duty, rejoined the regiment, which led Whip-
ple's Division in a brilliant charge. In the fighting that followed General
Whipple was killed. On the 5th of May the regiment was again placed in
front on picket. Martin C. Laffie was slightly wounded later in the day. The
sharpshooters now returned to their Falmouth camp.
Here the regiment remained until the I ith of June, when they broke camp
and left their temporary home for the third time. On the 25th, after rapid
marching, the Potomac was crossed at Edwards's Ferry. On the 29th the
march to Tanej-town was made, and the next day to near Emmetsburgh. On
the morning of July I they heard the guns at Gettysburg and started for the
field of action, which was reached at sunset. The fighting of that day was
over. We cannot follow the command through this memorable battle ; it must
suffice to say that the service performed by the sharpshooters was, as usual, of
the most valuable and heroic character. On the 2d of July Company F lost
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
Sergeant A. H. Cooper, killed, and George Wooley and W. H. Leach wounded.
In the two days succeeding the regiment suffered severely and L. B. Grover
and Charles B. Mead, of Company F, were wounded. On the 19th the
sharpshooters had returned to Snicker's Gap, their former halting place.
On the 23d the sharpshooters took the advance in the Wapping's Heights
affair. Proceeding southward the 31st of July found the regiment near White
Sulphur Springs where they lay until September 15. They then marched ten
miles farther south to Culpepper, and remained to October 10. On the 13th
they took port in the Cedar Run engagement, Edward Jackson being wounded,
and the ne.xt encampment was made at Catlett's Station, where the sharpshoot-
ers lay until November 7. On that day was fought the engagement at Kel-
ly's Ford, in which Captain Merriman and Company F captured over five hun-
dred of the enemy inside a line of works. Patrick Murray was killed and Eu-
gene Mead, Watson P. Morgan and Fitz Green Halleck wounded. For their
gallantry in this affair the sharpshooters were highly complimented.
In the battle of Locust Grove, November 27, the regiment was again con-
spicuous, and E. S. Hosmer, of Company F, was killed ; and A. C. Cross,
Eugene Payne, Sherod Brown, and Corporal Jordan wounded. Three days
later the regiment was engaged on the skirmish line at Mine Run, and drove
the enemy three-fourths of a mile. December i they went into winter quar-
ters at Brandy Station, remaining until May without important action.
On the 4th of May, Company F, numbering two officers and forty-three
enlisted men, crossed the Rapidan with the main army, and the following day,
in the Wilderness, they were deployed on the left of the Vermont 'Brigade,
Company F having the right. The troops on the right being forced back, the
sharpshooters were attacked in flank, the force of the blow falling on Company
F. They were forced to retire, their loss in five minutes being five killed or
mortally wounded, and two taken prisoners. Corporal David M. French, W.
J. Domag, and E. E. Trask were killed on the field ; A. C. Cross and William
Wilson were mortally wounded, and M. Cunningham, Spaftbrd A. Wright,
John C. Page, S. M. Butler, and William McKeever were severely wounded.
The next day the were engaged in the severe battle on the Plank Road, losing
one man killed, Jacob Lacoy. On the 7th Company F, and one other com-
pany, were deployed on the right of the road, the remainder of the regiment
being on the left and advanced about a mile, driving in the enemy's pickets
and advancing within forty yards of their entrenchments. Here the were or-
dered to charge ; but the enemy opened a heavy fire, and they were forced to
retire about a hundred yards to the rear, until a general movement to the left
was made. In Company F Edward Giddings and Joseph Hagan were killed,
and Lieutenant Kinsman, D. R. Bareau, Henry Mattocks and Edward Lyman
wounded.
The regiment was engaged in skirmishing daily until the 12th, on which
History of Rutland County.
day the Second Corps charged upon the strongest position of the enemy at
Spottsyivania, capturing several thousand prisoners. Company F was en-
gaged during the entire day and Henry Mattocks (whose former wound was
slight), Thomas Brown and John Bowen were killed, and Amos A. Smith and
J. E. Chase wounded.
On the 2 1st of May the regiment marched twenty-eight miles, crossing the
Mattapony, skirmishing more or less, and on the 23d reached the North Anna,
where they were engaged on the skirmish line every day until the evening of
the 27th, when they marched to the Pamunky River, and crossed it on the
28th. Here they were further engaged until June i, when they moved to Cold
Harbor. In this battle, from the 1st to the 5th, the sharpshooters took part,
but suffered no losses. Picket duty followed to the 13th of June, when they
marched to the James River, crossed on the 14th, and the next day marched
twenty-five miles to Petersburg. From the i6th to the 20th of June they
were engaged every day in important service. On the i6th Caspar B. Kent,
Company F, was killed, and on the following day fell Corporal Charles B.
Mead. Henry E. Barnum was mortally wounded and died on the 14th of
July ; John Quinlan was severely wounded. On the next day Silas Giddings
was wounded, and in the severe fighting of the 21st, Barney Leddy and Peter
Lafflin were killed ; Watson P. Morgan was wounded and taken prisoner, and
Sergeant Grover and David Clark were wounded. From this time to the 26th
of July the regiment was employed much of the time on picket, but without
important incident.
On the afternoon of the 27th the corps, with the sharpshooters, crossed the
James River, marched a little northward where they were in camp to the 12th
of August ; then the march towards City Point began. No one knew their
destination. Down the river on transports, then after some hours at anchor,
again turning up the stream, the troops landed on the morning of the 14th at
Deep Bottom. On the 15 th the regiment was detached from the Second and
ordered to the Tenth Corps. Moving toward the front they found themselves
in the afternoon on the extreme right of the army, where they were deployed
against the rebel skirmishers, who were repulsed. Again on the i6th severe
fighting occurred, but without loss to Company F, although the regiment at
large suffered considerably. On the 17th the regiment rejoined the Second
Corps, and marched towards the James River, which was crossed on the night
of the 19th and the regiment took its position in the lines surrounding Peters-
burg, relieving the Fifth Corps. On the 20th of June Companies C and A
were discharged, their term having expired. Of the original one hundred and
three men mustered in with Company F, there were now left only twenty-five,
present and absent. Of these six had re-enlisted; the remaining nineteen
were as follows: C. D. Merriman, Spafford A. Wright, Curtis P. Kimberley,
W. C. Kent, Eugene Payne, Cassius Peck, Fitz Green Halleck, H. E. Kins-
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
man, Edward E. Robinson, William McKecver, Almond D. Griffin, E. F.
Stevens, Watson N. Sgrague, James M. Thompson, Thomas H. Turnbull, W.
W. Cutting, David O. Daggett, George H. Ellis, and H. B. Wilder ; of these
nine only were present with the company for muster out.
During the few days remaining of their term of service the sharpshooters
were almost constantly engaged, skirmishing by daylight and on picket at
night. On the 2ist of August they drove the enemy from a rifle-pit on their
front, capturing forty prisoners, just four times as many as were in their own
ranks.
The small remnant of a company kept up an organization under Sergeant
Cunningham, and on the 27th of October were heavily engaged at Burgess's
Mill. Here from the few men left Daniel E. Bessie and Charles Danforth were
killed, and Volney W. Jenks and Jay S. Percy wounded and left on the field.
Again on the 1st of November the little squad were in action and Friend
Weeks was mortally wounded.
December 23 the remaining men were transferred to Company E, of the
Second Sharpshooters, and Company F had ceased to exist as an organization.
With Company E the transferred men participated in the Hatcher's Run en-
gagement December 15. February 25 the consolidated battalion of sharp-
shooters was broken up and the Vermonters assigned to Company G, Fourth
Vermont Volunteers, where they served to the close of the war.
Of Company F thirty-two of its original members died from wounds
received in action, of whom twenty-one were killed on the field. Its record is
a most honorable one.
First Vennont Cavalry. — About one hundred and seventy men from Rut-
land county joined this organization, distributed among the towns about as
follows: Benson, 6; Brandon, 2; Castleton, 19; Chittenden, 10; Clarendon,
10; Danby, 6; Fairhaven, 5 ; Ira, 2 ; Mendon, 2 ; Mount Tabor, i ; Pawlet,
6; Pittsford, 3; Poultney, 9; Rutland, 61; Shrewsbury, 2 ; Tinmouth, 5 ;
Wallingford, 14; Wells, 4 ; Westhaven, i.
The regiment was mustered into the service November 19, 1861, for three
years. The original members, not veterans, were mustered out November 18,
1864. The recruits for one year and recruits whose term of service would e.x-
pire previous to October I, 1865, were mustered out June 21, 1865. The
remaining officers and men were then consolidated into a battalion of si.x com-
panies, which was mustered out August 9, 1865.
Of the officers who were from Rutland county Charles A. Adams was sec-
ond lieutenant of Company H from October 19, 1861 ; first lieutenant Com-
pany H October 30, 1862; captain of Company H April 1, 1863 ; wounded
July 3, 1863, and October 11, 1863 ; prisoner of war from October II, 1863,
to March 5, 1865 ; mustered out June 21, 1865.
John H. Hazleton went out as a private in Company H, and was made
History of Rutland County.
company quartermaster-sergeant November ig, 1 86 1 ; first sergeant August
I, 1862; second lieutenant Company H October 30, 1862; first lieutenant
Company H April i, 1863 ; captain of Company M July 6, 1863 ; mustered
out August 9, 1865.
Emmet Mather went out as private in Company H, and was made corporal
November 19, 1861 ; sergeant December 4, 1861 ; first sergeant May i, 1863 ;
wounded July 3, 1863; first lieutenant Company H July 6, 1863; captain of
Company H April 14, 1865 ; transferred to Company F June 21, 1865 ; mus-
tered out August 9, 1865.
Selah G. Perkins, captain of Company H, killed in action September 22,
1862.
Franklin T. Huntoon went out as second lieutenant of Company H, and
was promoted to captain October, 1862, and honorably discharged March 26,
1863.
Gilbert Steward went out as private in Company G ; made second lieuten-
ant of Company G October 4, 1862 ; commissioned first lieutenant of Company
G April 28, 1863 ; wounded July 6, 1863, and died July 29, 1864, of wounds
received in action at Stony Creek Station, Va., June 28, 1864.
James Barrett went out as private in Company G ; was made bugler and
re-enlisted December 30, 1863 ; made first sergeant November 15, 1864; pro-
moted to second lieutenant May 9, 1865 ; mustered out June 21, 1865.
Carlos A. Barrows, private in Company H, was made first sergeant Novem-
ber 19, 1861; commissioned second lieutenant April i, 1863; mustered out
June 21, 1865.
To attempt to give a history, however brief, in these pages of the extended
career of this organization is utterly impossible. The history of cavalry regi-
ments is always replete with stirring incidents — rapid marches, fearless and
brilliant charges, and desperate hand-to-hand encounters, the details of which,
while often of paramount interest, require ample space for their proper descrip-
tion. We are, therefore, forced to confine ourselves here to mere statistics.
The long list of engagements in which the First Cavalry shared honorable and
often the most important part, tells the brief story of what they did and en-
dured. Beginning with Mount Jackson, they served in engagements of more
or less importance at Port Republic, April 27, 1862; Middletown, May 24,
1862; Winchester, May 25, 1862; Luray Court-House, July 2, 1862; Cul-
pepper Court-House, July 10, 1862; Orange Court-House, August 2, 1862 ;
Kelley's Ford, August 20, 1862; Waterloo Bridge, August 22, 1862; Bull
Run, August 30, 1862 ; Ashby's Gap, September, 1862 ; Broad Run, April i,
1863 ; Greenwich, May 30, 1863 ; Hanover, Pa., June 30, 1863 ; Huntersville,
Pa., July 2, 1863 ; Gettysburg, July 3, 1863 ; Monterey, July 4, 1863 ; Light-
ersville, Md., July 5, 1863; Hagerstown, Md., July 6, 1863 ; Boonesborough,
Md., July 8, 1863 ; Hagerstown, July 13, 1863 ; Falling Waters, July 14, 1863;
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 123
Port Conway, August 25, 1863; Port Conway, September i, 1863; Culpep-
per Court-House, September 13, 1863 ; Somerville Ford, September 14, 1863 ;
Raccoon Ford, September 26, 1863 ; Falmouth, October 4, 1863 ; James City,
October 10, 1863 ; Brandy Station, October 5, 1863 ; Gainesville, October 18
and 19, 1863 I Buckland Mills, October 19, 1863; Morton's Ford, November
28, 1863; Mechanicsville, March I, 1864; Piping Tree, March 2, 1864;
Craig's Church, May 5, 1864; Spottsylvania, May 8, 1864; Yellow Tavern,
May II, 1864; Meadow Bridge, May 12, 1864; Hanover Court-House, May
31, 1864; Ashland, June i, 1864; Hawe's Shop, June 3, 1864; Bottom
Bridge, June 10, 1864; White Oak Swamp, June 13, 1864; Malvern Hill,
June 15, 1864; Reams's Station, June 22, 1864; Nottaway Court House, June
23, 1864; Keyesville, June 24, 1864; Roanoke Station, June 25, 1864; Stony
Creek, June 28 and 29, 1S64 ; Reams's Station, June 29, 1864 ; Ridley's Shop,
June 30, 1864; Winchester, August 17, 1S64; Summit Point, August 21,
1864; Charlestown, August 22, 1864 ; Kearneysville, August 25, 1864 ; Ope-
quan, September 19, 1864; Front Royal, September 21, 1864; Mooney's
Grade, September 21, 1864; Milford, September 22, 1864; Waynesborough,
September 28, 1864; Columbia Furnace, October 7, 1864; Tom's Brook,
October 9, 1864; Cedar Creek, October 13, 1864; Cedar Creek, October 19,
1864; Middle Road, November 11, 1864; Middle and Back Road, November
12, 1864; Lacy's Springs, December 20, 1864; Waynesborough, March 2,
1865 ; Five Forks, April i, 1865 ; Namozine Church, April 3, 1865 ; Appo-
mattox Station, April 8, 1865 ; Appomattox Court-House, April 9, 1865.
The total losses in this regiment during the term of service embracing the
above list of actions was three hundred and ninety-seven by death; sixty- three
of these were killed in action. No other cavalry regiment bears a better rec-
ord than the First Vermont.
Ths Nine-Months Men. — Under the call of the president for 300,000 nine-
months volunteers, made August 4, 1862, five regiments were recruited in the
State. In two of these, the Twelfth and Fourteenth, were companies of Rut-
land men. In the Twelfth we have already given the enlistment of the Rut-
land Light Guard, as Company K. Of this regiment the colonel was Asa P.
Blunt, of St. Johnsbury ; lieutenant-colonel, Roswell Farnham, of Bradford ;
major, Levi G. Kingsley, of Rutland ; the subsequent promotions of these offi-
cers will be found in the closing pages of this chapter.
Of the Fourteenth Regiment four companies were recruited in this county —
Company B, Captain John C. Thompson, Wallingford ; Company F, Castleton,
Captain Joseph Jennings, : Company H, Rutland, Captain Walter C. Dunton ;
Company K, Danby, Captain Alonzo N. Colvin. The colonel was Wm. T.
Nichols, of Rudand ; lieutenant-colonel, Charles W. Rose, of Middlebury ;
major, Nathaniel B. Hall, Bennington ; adjutant, Harrison Prindle, Manches-
ter ; quartermaster, Charles Field, Dorset ; surgeons, Edwin H. Sprague, Mid-
124 History of Rutland County.
dlebury, and Adrian T. Woodward, Brandon ; assistant surgeon, L. C. Ross,
Poultney ; chaplain, Wm. S. Smart, Benson. The subsequent promotions of
these officers, as far as they belonged to this county, are given in the closing-
pages of this chapter.
The following statement shows the distribution of the Rutland county vol-
unteers in this regiment among the various towns: Benson, Co. D, 22. Cas-
tleton, Co. F, 34. Chittenden, Co. H, 10. Clarendon, Co. B, 9. Danby, Co..
B, 20; Co. K, 5. Fairhaven, Co. F, 28. Hubbardton, Co. F, 12; Co. D, i.
Ira, Co. H, 7. Mendon, Co. H, 2. Middletown, Co. B, 7. Mount Holly,
Co. H, II ; Co. B. I. Pawlet, Co. K, i ; Co. B, 24. Pittsford, Co. H. 3.
Pittsfield, Co. H, 5. Poultney, Co. F, 19; Co. K, 4. Rutland, Co. H, 33.
Sherburne, Co. H, 11. Shrewsbury, Co. H, 4; Co. B, 20. Sudbury, Co. F,.
I. Tinmouth, Co. B, 4. Wallingford, Co. B, 15 ; Co. K, 3 ; Co. H. i. Wells,.
Co. K, II. Westhaven, Co. F, 7 ; Co. D, 4.
Wheelock G. Veazey was appointed colonel of the Sixteenth Regiment, and
Redfield Proctor of the Fifteenth, recruited under this call. The regiments as
fast as recruited went into camp at Brattleboro, the Twelfth on September 25 ;
the Thirteenth, September 29 ; the Fourteenth, October 6 ; the Fifteenth, Oc-
tober 8 ; the Sixteenth, October 9. They were brigaded together as the Sec-
ond Brigade and placed under command of Brigadier-General Edwin H.
Stoughton. He was subsequent!}^ captured, when the command was for a time
assumed by Colonel Asa P. Blunt, of the Twelfth Regiment. In April, 1863,
Brigadier- General George J. Stannard was assigned to the command until the
expiration of the term of service.
Until June, 1863, the brigade was stationed in front of Washington, the
various regiments being located in the vicinity of Fairfax and Wolf Run
Shoals, and engaged principally in picket duty. On the 25th of June the brig-
ade left the line of works, under orders to report to Major-General Reynolds,,
commanding the First Corps. On the evening of July I the brigade joined
that corps at Gettysburg, after an exhausting march of seven days, during
which they made more than one hundred and twenty-five miles.' The Twelfth
and Fifteenth Regiments were ordered to the rear to protect wagon trains and
did not participate in the battles of the Second and Third, although the Fif-
teenth, under Colonel Proctor, was advanced towards the front after the first
order to the rear ; to the Twelfth and Fifteenth the order was given that the
regiment numbering the most men should go to the front, and the Fifteenth
slightly out-counted the Twelfth, but the service of the latter proved fully as
important as that of the other ; the Fifteenth being again sent to the rear the
next day. On the evening of the 2d of July the remaining regiments of the
brigade were moved to the front line, to fill the place of troops that had been
shattered b\' the onslaughts of the enemy. To give the reader an idea of the
very important and gallant service of this brigade in the Gettysburg battle of
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 125
the 3d we cannot do better than reproduce a portion of the official report of
General Stannard, as follows: —
" Before reaching the ground, the Twelfth and Fifteenth Regiments were
detached by order of General Reynolds as a guard to the corps wagon train in
the rear. The Fifteenth rejoined the brigade next morning, but was again
ordered back for the same duty about noon of that day. After the opening of
the battle of the 2d the left wing of the Thirteenth Regiment, under Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Munson, was ordered forward as support to the skirmishers in
our front. While stationing them Captain A. G. Foster, assistant- inspector-
general of my staff, was seriously wounded by a ball through both legs, de-
priving me of his valuable services for the remainder of the battle. Just
before dark of the same day, our army line on the left of the center having
become broken, under a desperate charge of the enemy, my brigade was or-
dered up. The right wing of the Thirteenth Regiment, under command of
Colonel Randall, was in advance and upon reaching the breach in the line was
granted by General Hancock, commanding upon the spot, the privilege of mak-
ing effort to retake the guns of Company C, Regular Battery, which had just
been captured by the enemy.
"This they performed in a gallant charge, in which Colonel Randall's horse
was shot under him. Four guns of the battery were retaken, and two rebel
field pieces, with about eighty prisoners, were captured by five companies of
the Thirteenth in this single charge. The front line thus re-established, was
held by this brigade for twenty-six hours. About two o'clock of the 3d in-
stant the enemy commenced a vigorous attack upon our position. After sub-
jecting us for an hour and a half to the severest cannonade of the whole battle
from nearly one hundred guns, the enemy charged with a heavy column of in-
fantry. The charge was aimed direcdy upon my command, but owing appar-
ently to the firm front shown them, the enemy diverged midway and came
upon the line on my right. But they did not thus escape the warm reception
prepared for them by the Vermonters. As soon as the change of the point of
attack became evident, I ordered a flank attack upon the enemy's column.
Forming in the open meadow in front of our line, the Thirteenth and Sixteenth
Regiments marched down in column by the flank, changed front forward at
right angle to the main line of battle of the army, bringing them in line of bat-
tle upon the flank of the charging column of the enemy, and opened a destruc-
tive fire at short range, which the enemy sustained but a very few minutes be-
fore the larger portion of them surrendered and marched in, not as conquerors,
but as captives. They had hardly dropped their arms before another rebel
column appeared charging upon our left. Colonel Veazey, of the Sixteenth,
was at once ordered back to take it in its turn upon the flank. This was done
-as successfully as before. The rebel force, already decimated by the fire of the
Fourteenth Regiment, was scooped almost en masse into our lines. The Six-
126 History of Rutland County.
teenth took in this charge the regimental colors of the Second Florida and
Eighth Virginia Regiments, and the battle-flag of another rebel regiment.
"The Sixteenth was supported for a time, in the now advanced position it
occupied after the charge, by four companies of the Fourteenth under com-
mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Rose.
" The movements I have briefly described were executed in the open field
under a heavy fire of shell, grape and musketry, and they were performed with
the promptness and precision of battalion drill. They ended the contest on the
center and substantially closed the battle.
"Officers and men behaved like veterans, although it was for most of them
their first battle, and I am content to leave it to the witnesses of the fight
whether or no they sustained the credit of the service and the honor of our
Green Mountain State. "
Little need be added of the brilliant part taken by this brigade in that
memorable battle. It is still characterized as a most important feature of the
engagement, particularly the action of the Sixteenth Regiment under Colonel
Veazey. The total killed in the brigade was reported as thirty-nine, and
wounded two hundred and forty-eight; of these the Fourteenth Regiment lost
seventeen killed and sixty-eight wounded.
The terms of service of the regiments in this brigade soon expired and they
were mustered out, the Twelfth on the 14th of July; the Thirteenth, July 21 ;
the Fourteenth, July 30; the Fifteenth, August 5; and the Sixteenth, Au-
gust 10.
Second Battery Light Artillery. — This account would be scarcely complete
without some honorable mention of this organization. The battery was mus-
tered into the service December 16 and 24, 1861, for three years. The origi-
nal members not veterans were mustered out September 20, 1864; the excess
of recruits being then organized as the first company of Heavy Artillery, Ver-
mont Volunteers, March i, 1865. This battery was mustered out July 31,
1865. In the batterj' were about eighty-seven men from Rutland county,
distributed among the towns about as follows: Benson, I ; Brandon, 34; Cas-
tleton, 7 ; Chittenden I ; Clarendon, I ; Hubbardton, I I ; Ira, I ; Pittsford, I ;
Poultney, 6; Rutland, 9 ; Sudbury, 13; Wallingford, i.
The officers in the battery from Rutland county were John W. Chase, of
Brandon, who went out as second lieutenant and was promoted first lieutenant
November 1, 1862.
John A. Quilty, second lieutenant, also of Brandon ; resigned August 26,
1862.
Henry F. Tower, of Ira, went out as a private; was made corporal March
28, 1864; and quartermaster-sergeant September I, 1864.
The battery left the State for New Orleans on the 6th of February, 1862.
Its entire operations were confined to the Department of the Gulf, of which we
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
have but meagre details. In March, 1863, they were at Baton Rouge, and
during the latter part of the same year and down to the time of their muster
out, they were estabUshed at Port Hudson, in the siege of which position they
did lionorable and valuable service. The losses of the battery were fifty-four
total by death, forty-seven of whom died from disease. After the muster out
of the original members the battery was largely reinforced, and thus retained
its organization.
The battery was mustered out at Burlington on the 31st of July, 1865.
To conclude this necessarily brief record of the immense services of the men
of Rutland county in suppressing the most gigantic rebellion the world has
ever known, it should be stated that many recruits from this county and vicin-
ity were enlisted in other organizations, the records of which it cannot be ex-
pected we should follow in these pages ; their history will be properly traced
by abler hands in other volumes
In order that the individual promotions of Rutland county men whose
deeds brought them commissions as officers may be understood by the reader,
we give space to the following roster. In the absence of more detailed per-
sonal sketches, for which space in these pages cannot be allowed, the record
will be of great value. It should also be remembered that complete rolls of
enlisted men in the various towns in the county will be found in the histories
of the towns in later pages of this work. They are placed in that position in
order to render each of the town histories complete in itself, and in connection
with this chapter, form a very perfect military record of the county : —
ROSTER OF OFFICERS.
Charles A. Adams, of Wallingford, age 23, second lieutenant, Co. H, First
Cavalry, October 19, '61 ; first lieutenant, October 30, '62; captain, April i,
'6t,\ major, November 18, '64; wounded, July 3, '61 and October 11, '6^\
prisoner of war from October 11, '6^ to March 5, '65 ; mustered out of service
June 21, '65.
Henry H. Adams, of Wallingford, age 20, private, Co. C, Tenth Regiment,
Jul)^ 16, '62; corporal, September i, '62; sergeant, August 6, '6'^; regimental
quartermaster-sergeant, July I, '64; mustered out of service June 22, '65.
Charles T. Allchinn, of Pittsford, age 33, first lieutenant, Co. G, P^ifth Reg-
iment, September 4, '61 ; resigned Novemmber 22, '61.
George C. Babcock, of Poultney, age 19, private, Co. F, Sixth Regiment,
September 26, '61 ; sergeant, October 15, '61; wounded April 16, '62 ; first
sergeant, December 28, '63 ; re-enlisted January 31, '64; first lieutenant, April
14, '64; killed in action at Wilderness, Va., May 5, '64.
Charles C. Backus, of Brandon, age 24, private, Co. G, Sixth Regiment,
September 23, '61 ; sergeant, October 15, '61 ; second lieutenant, June 14, '62 ;
first lieutenant, November i, '62; mustered out of service October 28, '64.
128 History of Rutland County.
Hiram Bailey, of Brandon, age 35, private, Co. B, Second Regiment, May
17, '61 ; corporal, June 20, '61 ; sergeant, March 7, '62; second lieutenant,
November 24, '62 ; killed in action at Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, '64.
Edwin M. Baldwin, of Wallingford, age 24, second lieutenant, Co. M,
Frontier Cavalry, January ID, '65 ; first lieutenant, March 24, '65 ; captain,
April 6, '65 ; mustered out of service June 27, '65.
Wallace E. Baldwin, of Brandon, age 19, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment.
September 4, '61 ; sergeant, ; first sergeant, ; re-enlisted De-
cember 15, '63; wounded May 5, '64; first lieutenant Co. D, November 19,
'64; mustered out of service June 29, '65.
Alfred C. Ballard, of Tinmouth, age 28, second lieutenant, Co. B, Ninth
Regiment, June 20, '62; first lieutenant. May i, '6^; resigned June 27, '64.
Henry Ballard, of Tinmouth, age 24, second lieutenant, Co. I, Fifth Regi-
ment, September 12, '61 ; resigned July 30, '62.
James Barrett, of Rutland, age 22, private, Co. G, First Cavalry, Novem-
ber 19, '61; bugler; re-enlisted December 30, '6^; first sergeant, November
15, '64; second lieutenant. May 9, '65 ; mustered out of service June 21, '65.
Carlos A. Barrows, of Wallingford, age 27, private, Co. H, First Cavalry,
September 23, '61 ; first sergeant, November 19, '61 ; second lieutenant, April
I, '63 ; mustered out of service June 21, '65.
Adoniram J. Blakely, of Pawlet, age 28, first lieutenant, Co. B, August 17,
'62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '63.
William H. Bond, of Danby, age 21, private, Co. A, Second Regiment,
May 7, '61 ; corporal, January 16, '62; sergeant, November 19, '62; re-en-
listed December 21, '63 ; first sergeant, August 6, '64 ; wounded August 21,
'64; mustered out of service July 15, '65.
Julius H. Bosworth, of Fairhaven, age 34, first lieutenant, Co. F, Four-
teenth Regiment, September 3, '62 ; discharged July 29, '6^,, for wounds re-
ceived in action at Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, '63.
Charles W. Bourne, of Pawlet, age 24, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regiment,
August 12, '62; hospital steward, December 22, '62; assistant surgeon, No-
vember 15, '64; mustered out of service June 24, '65.
William H. Breed, of Pittsford, age 20, private, Co. G, Fifth Regiment,
August 21, '61; corporal, ; re-enlisted December 15, '63; sergeant,
February I, '64, wounded May 12, '64; first sergeant, March 27, '65 ; second
heutenant, June 4, '65 ; mustered out of service June 29, '65.
Martin V. Bronson, of Rutland, age 25, second lieutenant, Co. F", First
Regiment, U. S. S. S., August 15, '6i ; first lieutenant, August 2, '62; re-
signed February 21, '63.
Harry Brownson, of Rutland, age 34, quartermaster, Twelfth Regiment,
September 19, '62; mustered out of service, July 14, '62,.
Nathaniel A. Bucklin, of Sudbury, age 19, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment,
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 129
September 4, '61 ; corporal, September 16, '61 ; re-enlisted December 15, '63 ;
regimental quartermaster- sergeant, November i, '64; second lieutenant, Co. F,
June 4, '65 ; first lieutenant, Co. I, June 9, '65 ; mustered out of service as
quartermaster-sergeant, June 29, '65.
Samuel Buel, of Rutland, age 24, Seventh Regiment, quartermaster- ser-
geant, February 12, '62; second lieutenant, Co. D, March i, 'Ct, ; mustered
out of service, August 30, '64.
Joseph Bush, of Brandon, age 34, captain, Co. G, First Regiment, April
25, '61 ; mustered out of service, August 15, '61.
Carlos W. Carr, of Brandon, age 23, private, Co. E, Fourth Regiment,
September 4, '61 ; sergeant, September 21, '61; first sergeant; second lieu-
tenant, Co. I, July 19, '62; first lieutenant, Co. F, May 5, '64; transferred to
Co. A, by reason of consolidation of regiment, February 25, '65 ; transferred
to Co. C; paroled prisoner; honorably discharged May i, '65.
Harvey S. Castle, of Castleton, age 22, private, Co. M, .Eleventh Regi-
ment, August 15, '63; corporal, Februrary 21, '64; sergeant, June 8, '64;
transferred to Co. D, June 24, '65 ; second lieutenant, Co. A, June 26, '65 ;
mustered out of service August 25, '65.
John W. Chase, of Brandon, age ^6, second lieutenant Second Battery
Light Artillery, December 13, '61 ; first lieutenant, November i, '62 ; captain,
October 12, '63 ; mustered out of service July 31, '65.
Philip E. Chase, of Mount Holly, age 28, private Co. I, Second Regiment,
May 7, '61 ; sergeant, June 20, '61 ; first sergeant, October 15, '61 ; second
lieutenant, Co. A, January 24, '62 ; first lieutenant, Co. A, May 21, '62;
wounded May 5, '64; captain, Co. G, October 17, '62; mustered out of serv-
ice June 29, '64.
William H. Cheney, of Brandon, age 21, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment,
August 26, '61 ; sergeant, September 16, '61 ; wounded, June 29, '62 ; sec-
ond lieutenant, March i, '6^ ; mustered out of service September 15, '64.
Willard A. Child, of Pittsford, age 31, assistant surgeon, First Regiment,
April 26, '61 ; mustered out of service August 15, '61 ; re-entered the serv-
ice as assistant surgeon. Fourth Regiment, August 15, '61; promoted sur-
geon. Tenth Vermont Volunteers, August 6, '62 ; mustered out of service
June 22, '65.
Alanda W. Clark, of Rutland, age 28, first lieutenant Fourteenth Regi-
ment, September 10, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, 'Cs-
Charles Clark, of Poultney, age 23, first lieutenant, Co. I, Seventh Regiment,
February I, '62 ; captain Co. I, August 28, '62 ; resigned December 7, '63.
Lathrop J. Cloyes, of Brandon, age 26, second lieutenant, Co. G, Twelfth
Regiment, September 22, '62 ; first lieutenant, March 16, '63 ; mustered out
of service July 14, '63.
Henry N. Colburn, of Rutland, first lieutenant. First Battery Light Artil-
I30 History of Rutland County.
lery, January 15, '62 ; drowned in Neuse River, near Camp Parapet, La., Au-
gust 7, '62, while bathing.
Alonzo N. Colvin, of Danby, age 36, captain, Co. K, Fourteenth Regi-
ment, September 18, '62 ; resigned, February 10, '6^.
Daniel Conway, of Rutland, age 30, second lieutenant, Co. H, F'ourteenth
Regiment, September 10, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '6],.
Charles V. Cool, of Sudbury, age 29, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment, Au-
gust 28, '61 ; corporal, ; sergeant, ; re-enlisted December 15, '63;
sergeant-major, December 19, '64; first lieutenant, Co. B, March i, '65 ; mus-
tered out of service, June 29, '65.
George H. Cramer, of Brandon, age 22, private, Co. C, Seventh Regiment,
January lO, '62; wagoner, February 12, '62; commissary-sergeant, Decem-
ber 10, '62; re-enlisted February 18, '64; first lieutenant, Co. F, September
13, '64; honorably discharged May 23, '65, for disability.
George E. Croff", of Rutland, age 23, second lieutenant, Co. D, Seventh
Regiment, January 7, '62 ; captain Co. D, March i, '63 ; major. Seventh Reg-
iment, December 13, '65 ; mustered out of service March 14, '66
William Cronon, of Brandon, age 22, first lieutenant, Co. G, First Regi-
ment, April 25, '61 ; mustered out of service August 15, '61 ; re-enlisted as
captain, Co. B, Seventh Regiment, January 6, '62 ; resigned May 30, '6],.
George D. Davenport, of Brandon, age 29, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment,
September 2, '61 ; first sergeant, September 16, '61 ; first lieutenant, Co. G,
November 22, '61 ; captain, Co. B, December 2, '62; killed in action at Wil-
derness, Va., May 5, '64.
Willard G. Davenport, of Brandon, age 18, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment,
August 22, '61 ; corporal, September 16, '61 ; sergeant, ; sergeant-major,
February i, '63; wounded June 5, '63, and May 5, '64; first lieutenant, No-
vember I, '63 ; mustered out of service September 15, '64.
William A. Dodge, of Shrewsbury, age 18, private, Co. B, Ninth Regiment,
May 29, '62; sergeant, July 9, '62; second lieutenant, April 7, '64; wounded
September 29, '64, and October 27, '64; first lieutenant, October 19, '64;
resigned and honorably discharged as second lieutenant, June 7, '65, for
wounds.
James J. Doty, of Clarendon, age 21, private, Co. M, Eleventh Regiment,
July 13, '63; corporal, October 7, '63; sergeant, June 17, '65 ; transferred to
Co. D, June 24, '65 ; second lieutenant, Co. A, June 26, '65 ; mustered out of
service, August 25, '65.
David McDevitt, of Rutland, age 31, second lieutenant, Co. A, Thirteenth
Regiment, September 11, '62 ; mustered out of service, Jul)' 21, '63.
John O. Dickinson, of Benson, age 24, second lieutenant, Co. C, Seventh
Regiment, January 15, '62; first lieutenant, October 9, '62; quartermaster,
September 13, '64; captain, August 22, '65 ; honorably discharged as quarter-
master, October 10, '65, for disability.
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 131
Jolin W. Dickinson, of Rutland, age 22, private, Co. L, Eleventh Regiment,
December 7, '63; corporal, March 23, '64; sergeant, May 29, '64; first ser-
geant, second lieutenant, Co. B, June 4, '65 ; discharged as first sergeant, Co.
L, June 22, '65.
Walter C. Dunton, of Rutland, age 31, captain Co. H, Fourteenth Regi-
ment, September 10, '62; mustered out of service, July 30, '63.
Francis M. Edgerton, of Poultney, age 21, private Co. B, Second Regi-
ment, May 16 '61 ; sergeant, June 20, '61 ; second lieutenant, Co. F, Janu-
ary 25, '62; adjutant, August 4, '62; mustered out of service, June 29, '64.
Thomas Everetts, of Brandon, age 28, private, Co. B, Seventh Regiment,
November 30, '61 ; corporal, February 12, '62; sergeant, March i, '63; re-
enlisted February 30, '64 ; first sergeant, July 6, '65 ; second lieutenant, March
I, '66; mustered out of service as first sergeant, March 14, '66.
Edson H. Fifield, of Poultney, age 24, private, Co. B, Second Regiment,
May 8, '61 ; corporal, June 20, '61 ; regimental quartermaster- sergeant, April
26, '62; mustered out of service, July 15, '65.
Frank N. Finney, of Brandon, age 28, private, Co. B, Seventh Regiment,
November 16, '61 ; sergeant, February 12, '62 ; second lieutenant, Co. G, Sep-
tember 24, '62 ; first lieutenant, Co. D, March I, '62, \ captain, Co. H, Febru-
ary 28, '65 ; retained in service beyond muster-out of regiment, as mustering
officer ; mustered out of service, April 2, '66.
Cornelius H. Forbes, of Brandon, age 27, first lieutenant, Co. H, Fifth
Regiment, September 6, '61 ; adjutant, January 8, '62 ; mustered out of ser-
vice September 15, '64.
Henry S. Foot, of Rutland, age 23, second lieutenant, Co. C, Eleventh
Regiment, August 13, '62; resigned, December 8, '62.
George O. French, of Castleton, age 18, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regi-
ment, August 6, '62 ; sergeant, September l, '62 ; first sergeant, January 23,
'64; wounded October 19, '64; second lieutenant, June 28, '64; killed in
action before Petersburg, Va., April 2, '65.
Rollin M. Green, of Poultney, age 26, private, Co. I, Seventh Regiment,
January 9, '62 ; corporal, February 12, '62; sergeant, July 3, '62 ; second
lieutenant, October 9, '62 ; first lieutenant, Co. H, March i, '6^, ; died Novem-
ber 17, '63, at Barrancas, Fla., of disease.
Elbridge H. Griswold, of Brandon, age 31, first lieutenant, Co. G, Twelfth
Regiment, September 22, '62 ; resigned March 14, '6},.
William Goodrich, of Castleton, age 24, first lieutenant, Co. C, Eleventh
Regiment, August 13, '62; captain, July I I, '63; honorably discharged for
disability October 17, '64.
Charles S. Hale, Brandon, age 27, chaplain. Fifth Regiment, May 24, '62 ;
resigned May 25, '6^ ; re-enlisted August S, '63 ; mustered out of service
September 15, '64.
132 History of Rutland County.
Dan K. Hall, of Pittsford, age 19, private, Co. G, Twelfth Regiment,
August 18, '62; first sergeant, October 4, '62; second lieutenant, March 16,
'63 ; mustered out of service July 14, '63.
George R. Hall, of Rutland, age 24, regimental commissary sergeant. Fifth
Regiment, September 16, '61 ; second lieutenant, Co. I, August 9, '62 ; first
lieutenant, March i, '63 ; honorably discharged April 5, '64, for disability.
Henry M. Hall, of Danby, age 28, second lieutenant, Co. E, Second Regi-
ment U. S. S. S., October 7, '61 ; resigned March 16, '62.
William H. Hamilton, of Fairhaven, age 28, private, Co. F, Fourteenth
Regiment, September 3, '62 ; first sergeant, October 21, '62; second lieuten-
ant, Co. I, January 16, '63 ; died July 3, '63, of wounds received in action at
Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, '6^,.
Arthur W. Hathaway, of Tinmouth, age 24, private, Co. B, Ninth Regi-
ment, May 31, '62 ; sergeant, July 9, '62 ; first sergeant, February 10, '64;
second lieutenant, October 19, '64; mustered out of service as first sergeant
June 13, '65.
Edwin M. Haynes, of Wallingford, age 27, chaplain, Tenth Regiment,
August 18.
Eben S. Hayward, of Rutland, age 32, captain, Co. I, First Regiment,
April 23, '61 ; mustered out of service August 15, '61.
John H. Hazelton, of Rutland, private, Co. H, First Cavalry, September
18, '61 ; company quartermaster- sergeant, November 19, '61 ; first sergeant,
August I, '62; second lieutenant, October 30, '62; first lieutenant, April i,
'63 ; captain, Co. M, July 6, '63 ; major. May 23, '65 ; mustered out of service
August 9, '65.
Edwin B. Hendry, of Brandon, age 21, private, Co. B, Seventh Regiment,
November 27, '61 ; sergeant, February 12, '62 ; first sergeant, October 18, '62 ;
re-enlisted February 17, '64; first lieutenant, April 23, '65; honorably dis-
charged March I, '66.
Edwin H. Higley, of Castleton, age 19, private, Co. K, First Cavalry, Sep-
tember 30, '61 ; first sergeant, November 19, '61 ; second lieutenant, July i6,
'62; wounded June 23, '64; prisoner June 29, '64; paroled; mustered out
of service May 15, '65.
Daniel G. Hill, of Wallingford, age 18, commissary sergeant. Tenth Regi-
ment, September i, '62 ; second lieutenant, Co. H, January 19, '63 ; first lieu-
tenant, Co. G, June 17, '64; died of wound received at Opequan, Va., Sep-
tember 19, '64.
Ezbon W. Hinds, of Rutland, age 22, private, Co. F, U. S. S S., Septem-
ber 3, '61 ; sergeant, September 13, '61 ; second lieutenant, August 2, '62 ;
first lieutenant, February 21, '63 ; captain. May 15, '63 ; honorably discharged
November 7, '6],, for disability.
Erwin V. N. Hitchcock, of Pittsford, age 20, first lieutenant, Co. C, Seventh
Regiment, January 15, '62 ; captain, August 28, '62; resigned June i, '64.
Rutland County in the Rebellion.
Patrick Hobon, of Brandon, age 20, private, Co. C, Ninth Regiment, June
4, '62 ; corporal, July 9, '62 ; second lieutenant, Co. I, June 22, '6^ ; first lieu-
tenant, Co. F, May 8, '64; captain, Co. F, March 13, '65 ; transferred to Co.
B by reason of consolidation of regiment, June 13, '65 ; mustered out of .ser-
vice December i, '65.
David R. Hosford, of Poultney, age 26, private, Co. I, Fifth Regiment,
September 2, '61 ; corporal, September 16, '61 ; sergeant; re-enlisted Decem-
ber 15, '63; wounded May 12, '64; first sergeant, September i, '64; first
lieutenant, Co. I, November 10, '64; captain, Co. A, June 9, '65; mustered
out of service as first lieutenant, Co. I, June 29, '65.
John Howe, of Castleton, age 27, first lieutenant, Co. B, May 16, '61 ;
resigned August 14, '61.
Franklin T. Huntoon, of Rutland, age 20, second lieutenant, Co. H, First
Cavalry, October 19, '61 ; captain, October 20, '62 ; honorably discharged
March 28, '63.
Matthew Hussey, of Brandon, age 25, private, Co. C, Sixth Regiment,
October 3, '61 ; corporal, October 15, '61 ; sergeant, November 20, '61 ; first
sergeant, ; re-enlisted December 13, '63 ; second lieutenant, April
21, '64; wounded September 19, '64; first lieutenant, May 15, '64; mustered
out of service October 28, '64.
George C. Hutchins, of Sherburne, age 29, private, Co. E, Eighth Regi-
ment, January 10, '62; first sergeant, August i, '62,; re-enlisted Januarys,'
'64 ; second lieutenant, February 20, '64 ; first lieutenant, February 23, '65 ;
mustered out of service June 28, '65.
James T. Hyde, of Castleton, age 2i7 captain, Co. C, Eleventh Regiment,
August 13, '62 ; resigned November 20, '62.
Joseph Jennings, of Castleton, age 26, captain, Co. F, Fourteenth Regi-
ment, September 3, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '63.
Enoch E. Johnson, of Castleton, age 23, captain, Co. D, Second Regiment,
promoted major, June 17, '64; lieutenant-colonel, June 7, '65; mustered out
of service July 15, '65.
George E. Jones, of Rutland, age 21, regimental commissary-sergeant,
Seventh Regiment, February 12, '62; second lieutenant, Co. E, December 9,
'62 ; promoted captain and commissary of subsistence, U. S. Volunteers, May
15, '64.
Willis F. Keeler, of Pittsford, age 18, private, Co. H, Second U. S. S. S.,
December 11, '61 ; re-enlisted December 21, '63; corporal, March 12, '64;
wounded May, '64; sergeant, November i, '64; transferred to Co. H, Fourth
Vermont Volunteers, February 25, '65 ; second lieutenant, January 22, '65 ;
mustered out of service July 13, '65.
Edward L. Kelley, of Clarendon, age 22, private Co. B, Ninth Regiment,
June 18, '62 ; first sergeant, July 9, '62 ; second lieutenant, May I, '63 ; first
134 jHisTORY OP' Rutland County.
lieutenant, December 22, '63 ; captain, May 20, '65 ; mustered out of service
as first lieutenant, June 13, '65.
Samuel H. Kelley, of Clarendon, age 26, first lieutenant, Co. B, Ninth Reg-
iment, June 20, '62 ; captain. May i, '68 ; mustered out of service June 13, '65.
Samuel F. Kilborn, of Poultney, age 19, private, Co. I, Fifth Regiment,
August 29, '61 ; corporal, ; sergeant, ; re-enlisted Decem-
ber 15, '63; wounded May 5, '64; first lieutenant, Co. F, June 9, '64; cap-
tain Co. I, November 19, '64; mustered out of service June 29, '65.
John B. Kilburn, of Rutland, age 36, captain, Co. D, Seventh Regiment,
January 9, '62 ; resigned January 11, '62.
William P. Kimberly, of Brandon, age 19, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment,
August 22, '61 ; re-enlisted December 15, '63 ; corporal, December 24, '63 ;
sergeant, October 12, '64 ; first sergeant, April 2, '65 ; second lieutenant, June
4, '65 ; mustered out of service June 28, '65.
Henry W. Kingsley, of Rutland, age 22, quartermaster-sergeant, Tenth
Regiment, September i, '62; second lieutenant Co. F, December 27, '62;
wounded severely November 26, '63 ; first lieutenant, June 6, '64 ; captain,
February 9, '65 ; appointed captain and com. subsistence, U. S. Volunteers,
January 23, '65.
Levi G. Kingsley, of Rutland, age 28, second lieutenant, Co. K, First Reg-
iment, February 8, '60; mustered out of service August 15, '61 ; re-enlisted
major Twelfth Regiment, September 26, '62 ; mustered out of service July 14,
'63.
Charles C. Kinsman, of Brandon, age 21, private, Co. E, Fourth Regiment,
September 4, '61 ; first sergeant, September, 21, '61 ; second lieutenant Co. D,
May 15, '62 ; first lieutenant, September 23, '62 ; resigned April 17, '63.
Walter C. Landon, of Rutland, age 31, captain, Co. K, Twelfth Regiment,
September 27, '62 ; resigned February 9, '63.
Daniel H. Lane, of Mount Tabor, age 32, private, Co. I, Seventeenth Reg-
ment, February 27, '64; musician, April 12, '64; sergeant, January i, '65 ;
mustered out of service July 14, '65.
Moses W. Leach, of Clarendon, age 36, private, Co. K, Twelfth Regiment,
August 8, '62 ; first sergeant, October 4, '62 ; second lieutenant, February 14,
'63 ; mustered out of service July 14, '63.
Judson A. Lewis, of Poultney, age 22, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regiment,
Angust 11, '62; corporal, March 13, '63; regimental commissary-sergeant, Sep-
tember II, '63; second lieutenant, December 28, '63 ; wounded September 22^
'64; first lieutenant, December 2, '64; mustered out of service June 24, '65.
John H. Macomber, of Fairhaven, age 26, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regi-
ment, August 12, '62; corporal, September i, '62; sergeant, April 12, '63;
first lieutenant, Co. I, July 11, '63; wounded June 7, '64; brevet captain,
April 2, '65, for gallantry in the assault on Petersburg ; captain Co. L, May
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 135
23, '65 ; transferred to Co. C, June 24, '65 ; mustered out of service August
25, '65.
Asa F. Mather, of Fairhaven, age 24, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regiment,
August 9, '62 ; corporal, September I, '62 ; sergeant, October 30, '63 ; com-
pany quartermaster- sergeant, December 28, '6;i; second lieutenant. May 13,
'65 ; mustered out of service as quartermaster- sergeant, June 24, '64.
Emmet Mather, of Fairhaven, age 21, private Co. H, First Cavalry, October
5, '61 ; corporal, November 19, '61 ; sergeant, December 4, '61 ; first sergeant,
May I, '63 ; wounded, July 3, '63 ; first lieutenant, July 6, '63 ; captain, April
14, '65 ; transferred to Co. F, June 21, '65, by reason of consolidation of reg-
iment; mustered out of service August 9, '65.
John E. McGinnis, of Rutland, age 18, private, Co. B, Ninth Regiment,
December 16, '63 ; corporal, September 26, '64; transferred to Co. C, by rea-
son of consolidation of regiment, June 13, '65 ; first sergeant, June 15, '65 ;
first lieutenant, July 3, '65 ; died November 10, '65, of disease.
Martin J. McManus, of Rutland, age 22, second lieutenant, Co. G, Fifth
Regiment, September 4, '61 ; resigned November 22, '61.
William V. Meeker, of Poultney, age 22, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regiment,
August 5, '62 ; first sergeant, September i, '62 ; second lieutenant, March 29,
'6^ ; first lieutenant, December 28, '6;^ ; mustered out of service June 24, '65.
Edmund A. Morse, of Rutland, age — , surgeon. First Regiment, April 26,
'61 ; mustered out of service August 15, '61 ; re-enlisted, quartermaster. Sev-
enth Regiment, December 5, '61 ; resigned August 26, '62, to accept promo-
tion as captain and assistant quartermaster U. S. Volunteers.
Oliver P. Murdick, of Rutland, age 18, private, Co. D, Seventh Regiment,
December 9, '61 ; re-enlisted February 17, '64 ; sergeant, June i, '65 ; regi-
mental quartermaster-sergeant, February i, '66; second lieutenant, March i,
'66; mustered out of service as quartermaster-sergeant, March 14, '66.
Henry J. Nichols, of Sudbury, age 18, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regiment,
August 6, '62; sergeant, September I, '62; second lieutenant, Co. M, October
7, '6^ ; first lieutenant, Co. B, March 29, '64 ; brevet captain and brevet major,
April 2, '65, gallantry in the assault on Petersburg; captain, Co. D, June 26,
'65 ; mustered out of service August 25, '65.
Joel T. Nichols, of Brandon, age 24, private, Co. D, Seventh Regiment, Jan-
uary 6, '62; sergeant, February 12, '62; re-enlisted February 16, '64; first
sergeant May 2, '65 ; first lieutenant, August 22, '65 ; mustered out of service
March 14, '66.
William T. Nichols, of Rutland, age 2^, colonel Fourteenth Regiment, Sep-
tember 25, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '6;^.
; Thomas Noonan, of Clarendon, age 21, private, Co. G, Fifth Regiment,
September 7, '61 ; re-enlisted December 15, '63 ; sergeant, October 12, '64;
first lieutenant, November 10, '64; dismissed the service February 28, '65.
136 History of Rutland County.
Franklin Noyes, of Brandon, age 31, private, Co. F, Sixth Regiment, Oc-
tober 4, '61; sergeant, October 15, '61; second lieutenant, March 15, '63;
honorably discharged November 21, '63, for disability.
Charles J. Ormsbee, of Brandon, age 20, second lieutenant, Co. H, Fifth
Regiment, September 6, '61 ; captain, Co. D, September 7, '62 ; killed in action
at Wilderness, Va., May 5, '64.
Ebenezer J. Ormsbee, of Brandon, age 26, second lieutenant, Co. G, April
25, '61 ; mustered out of service August 15, '61 ; re-enlisted, captain, Co. G,
Twelfth Regiment, September 22, '62 ; mustered out of service July 14, '63.
Jackson V. Parker, of Brandon, age 27, second lieutenant, Co. B, Seventh
Regiment, January 6, '62 ; first lieutenant, December 9, '62 ; captain, October
22, '6^ ; mustered out of service March 14, '66.
Phineas C. Paul, of Wells, age 24, private, Co. K, Fourteenth Regiment,
September 18, '62 ; first sergeant October 21, '61 ; first lieutenant, February
15, '63 ; mustered out of service July 30, '63.
Robert Pratt, of Brandon, age 18, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment, Sep-
tember 3, '61 ; corporal, re-enlisted December 15, '63 ; sergeant, July i, '64;
first lieutenant, Co. H, November 10, '64; captain, Co. F, May 10, '65 ; mus-
tered out of service June 29, '65.
George P. Phalon, of Shrewsbury, age 21, private, Co. I, Seventh Regi-
ment, February 15, '62 ; corporal, March 19, '62 ; sergeant, November 28,
'62; first sergeant, March 23, '63; re-enlisted February 15, '64; first lieuten-
ant, July 13, '65; mustered out of service March 14, '66.
Edwin Philips, of Tinmouth, age 27, private, Co. G, Sixth Vermont Vol-
unteers, October 15, '61 ; assistant surgeon, Fourth Vermont Volunteers, Au-
gust 5, '62 ; surgeon, Sixth Vermont Volunteers, October 28, '63 ; mustered
out of service June 26, '65.
Nathan A. Priest, of Mount Holly, age 24, private, Co. I, Second Regi-
ment, May 7, '61; sergeant, June 20, '61; first sergeant, January 29, '63;
wounded July 21, '61, June 27, '62, and May 12, '64; first lieutenant, Febru-
ary 10, '63 ; mustered out of service June 29, '64.
John A. Quilty, of Brandon, age 23, second lieutenant. Second Battery
Light Artillery, December 13, '61 ; resigned, August 26, '62.
Charles] A. Rann, of Poultney, age 39, second lieutenant, Co. F, Four-
teenth Regiment, September 3, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '63.
Edwin F. Reynolds, of Rutland, age 32, captain, Co. F, Si.xth Regiment,
October 8, '61 ; killed in action at Lee's Mills, Va., April 16, '62.
Edwin H. Ripley, of Rutland, age 22, captain, Co. B, Ninth Regiment,
June 20, '62; major, March 20, '6^; lieutenant-colonel. May 16, '63 ; colonel.
May 22, '65 ; brevet brigadier-general, August i, '64; mustered out of ser-
vice June 13, '65. [He left Union College, Schenectady, while a senior to en-
list as a private.]
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 137
William Y. W. Ripley, of^ Rutland, age 28, captain, Co. K, first regiment,
October 21, '59; mustered out of service August 15, '61 ; re-enlisted, lieuten-
ant-colonel, First Regiment, U. S. S. S., January i, '62; wounded severely,
July I, '62 ; discharged August 6, '62 ; for promotion.
George T. Roberts, of Rutland, age 36, first lieutenant, Co. K, First Reg-
iment, October 21, '59; mustered out of service August 15, '61 ; re-enlisted
colonel. Seventh Regiment, December 5, '61 ; died August 7, '62, of wounds
received in action at Baton Rouge, La., August 6, '62.
William B. Robinson, of Brandon, age 22, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment,
August 25, '61 ; sergeant, September 16, '61 ; first sergeant, ; second
lieutenant, Co. K, April 19, '62 ; transferred to Co. G, ; first lieuten-
ant, Co. D, October 22, '61 ; wounded. May 5, '64; honorably discharged
August 8, '64, for wounds.
George Ross, of Brandon, age 22, private, Co. B, Seventh Regiment,
November 16, '61 ; sergeant, February 12, '62 ; second lieutenant, December
9, '62 ; first lieutenant, October 22, '63 ; prisoner of war from February 9, '64,
to March 7, '65 ; mustered out of service March 15, '65.
Lucretius D. Ross, of Poultney, age 34, assistant surgeon. Fourteenth
Regiment, October 8, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '6^.
Edgar M. Rounds, of Rutland, age 29, second lieutenant, Co. K, Twelfth
Regiment, September 27, '62; first lieutenant, February 14, '6^, ; mustered out
of service July 14, '63.
Charles C. Ruggles, of Poultney, age 23, captain, Co. I, Seventh Regi-
ment, February I, '62 ; died July 24, '62, at Carrolton, La., of disease.
Charles V. H. Sabin, of Wallingford, age 25, private, Co. F, First Cavalry,
October 20, '61 ; regimental quartermaster-sergeant, December i, '61 ; quarter-
master, December 20, '62 ; promoted, captain and assistant quartermaster U.
S. Volunteers, April 13, '64.
William H. H. Sabin, of Wallingford, age 19, second lieutenant, Co. C,
Tenth Regiment, first lieutenant, November 8, '62 ; resigned, January 19,
'63.
John A. Salsbury, of Tinmouth, age 34, first lieutenant, Co. C, Tenth Reg-
iment, August 5, '62 ; captain, Co. I, November 8, '62 ; brevet major, Octo-
ber 19, '64, for gallantry before Richmond, and in the Shenandoah Valley ;
mustered out of service as captain Co. I, June 22, '65.
E. K. Sanborn, of Rutland, age — , assistant surgeon. First Regiment,
April 26, '61 ; mustered out of service August 15, '61.
Charles W. Seager, of Brandon, age 22, captain, Co. H, Fifth Regiment,
September 6, '61 ; wounded June 29, '62 ; resigned November 17, '62.
Francis R. Shaw, of Pawlet, age 20, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regiment,
August 12, '62; corporal, October 10, '63 ; sergeant, December 28, '6^ ; first
sergeant, November 24, '64 ; second lieutenant. May 23, '65 ; mustered out
of service as first sergeant, June 24, '65.
138 History of Rutland County.
Harley G. Sheldon, of Rutland, age 22, private, Co. H, Fourteenth Regi-
ment, September 10, '62; first sergeant, October 21, '62; second lieutenant,
Co. K, March 12, '63 ; mustered out of service July 30, '63.
Elijah J. Sherman, of Brandon, age 30, second lieutenant, Co. C, Ninth
Regiment, June 24, '62 ; resigned January 7, '6^.
Merritt H. Sherman, of Clarendon, age 20, private, Co. C, Eleventh Regi-
ment, August 5, '62 ; sergeant, September i, '62 ; first sergeant, April 12,
'63 ; second lieutenant, December 28, '65 ; killed in action before Petersburg,
Va., June 23, '64.
John T. Sinnott, of Rutland, age 24, first lieutenant, Co. A, Thirteenth
Regiment, September 11, '62 ; died July, '63, of wounds received in action at
Gettysburg, Pa., July 3, '6^-
Darwin A. Smalley, of Brandon, age 20, first lieutenant, Co. B, Seventh
Regiment, January 6, '62 ; captain, Co. A, October 15, '62 ; major, September
I, '65 ; mustered out of service October 14, '65.
William S. Smart, of Benson, age 29, chaplain. Fourteenth Regiment, Oc-
tober 8, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '6^.
Claudius B. Smith, of Brandon, age 43, chaplain, Second Regiment, June
6, '61 ; resigned July 8, '62.
Henry F. Smith, of Castleton, age 32, assistant surgeon, Third Regiment,
September 15, '62; honorably dffecharged April 22, '64.
William H. Smith, of Clarendon, age 23, private, Co. I, Seventeenth Reg-
iment, December 5, '63; sergeant, April 12, '64 ; first sergeant, July i, '64;
first lieutenant, June 20, '65 ; wounded April 2, '65 ; mustered out of service
July 14, '65.
William P. Spaulding, of Poultney, age 36, first lieutenant, Co. I, Fifth
Regiment, September 12, '61 ; resigned July 7, '62.
Stephen G. Staley, of Rutland, age S7, first lieutenant, Co. K, Twelfth
Regiment, September 27, '62 ; captain, February 14, '63 ; mustered out of ser-
vice July 14, '65.
Gilbert Steward, of Clarendon, age 23, private Co. G, First Cavalr\', Octo-
ber 14, '61; second lieutenant, October 4, '62; captain, April 28, '63;
wounded July 6, '6;^ ; died June 29, '64, of wounds received in action at Stony
Creek Station, Va., June 28, '64.
Thomas J. Tarbell, of Mount Tabor, age 27, private, Co. E, Second Regi-
ment, U. S. S. S., October 16, '61 ; sergeant, November 9, '61 ; first sergeant,
December 31, '63 ; re-enlisted January 23, '64; second lieutenant, March 13,
'64 ; died October 9, '64, at Danby, Vt., of wounds received at Wilderness,
Va., May 6, '64.
Marquis E. Tenne}', of Mendon, age 18, private, Co. B, Second Regiment,
August 13, '62; wounded May 3, '6^; sergeant, August 22, '64; first ser-
geant, December 26, '64 ; second lieutenant, June 7, '65 ; mustered out of
service June 19, '65.
Rutland County in the Rebellion. 139
John C. Thompson, of Danby, age 31, captain, Co. B, Fourteenth Regi-
ment, August 27, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '6^.
William B. Thrall, of Rutland, age 27, first lieutenant, Co. D, Seventh
Regiment, February 12, '62 ; resigned September 27, '62.
Henry F. Tower, of Ira, age 28, private. Second Battery Light Artillery,
December 18, '6^; corporal, March 28, '64; quartermaster-sergeant, Septem-
ber I, '64 ; second lieutenant. May i, '65 ; mustered out of service July 31, '65.
Julius M. Wallace, of Sudbury, age 40, private, Co. H, Fifth Regiment,
August 29, '61 ; corporal, September 16, '61 ; sergeant, ; first ser-
geant, ; second lieutenant, Co. K, August 9, '62 ; first lieutenant,
January 24, '63 ; resigned March 17, '63.
RoUin C. Ward, of Castleton, age 23, private, Co. B, Second Regiment,
May 17, '61 ; sergeant, June 20, '61 ; first sergeant; wounded May 12, '62;
first lieutenant, October i, '62 ; captain, December 20, '62 ; mustered out of
service September 14, '64.
Austin E. Woodman, of Pawlet, age 32, second lieutenant, Co. I, Seventh
Regiment, February i, '62 ; first lieutenant, Co. I, August 28, '62; captain,
Co. I, December 21, '63 ; resigned June 28, '65.
John W. Woodruff, of Benson, age 38, first lieutenant, Co. D, Fourteenth
Regiment, August 29, '62 ; resigned April 13, '63.
Adrian T. Woodward, of Brandon, age 36, surgeon of Fourteenth Regi-
ment, February g, '63 ; mustered out of service July 30, '63.
Henry L. York, of Shrewsbury, age 30, second lieutenant, Co. B, Four-
teenth Regiment, August 27, '62 ; mustered out of service July 30, '63.
THE VERMONT VOLUNTEER.S.
Three cheers for the Green Mountain Boys, old Vermont.
Who fought for our country so dear.
When dangers were threatened they marched to tlie front.
Three cheers for each brave volunteer.
The thunder of Sumter aroused all their pride.
As its echoes fell sad on the ear.
And to join in the conflict each young hero sighed, _
Three cheers for tlie brave volunteer.
Thy valleys shall shout to their fnme, old Vermont,
And hilltops re-echo the cheer,
And granite and marble proclaim o'er their dust,
Thy love for the brave volunteer.
The spirit of Allen and Stark strung their nerves.
They never Unew failure nor fear.
And the Swiss love of freedom burned bright in the soul
Of each gallant and brave volunteer.
.■\h ! Dear to each heart was thy fame, old Vermont,
And the pathway of i/u/y was clear.
History of Rutland County.
By the deeds of each brave volunteer.
A halo of glory shall circle each brow,
The dead be embalmed in our tears,
And a country united, when victory is ours,
Shall honor thy brave volunteers.
Then hurrah for thy Green Mountain Boys, old Vt
Their bays shall grow green with the years ;
With patriot soldiers from each loyal State,
Side by side stood thy brave volunteers.
They struck for their country, for freedom and right,
And God for their help did appear,
And millions unborn, of the wise and the good.
Shall huzza for the brave volunteer.
—Rez: William Ford,
CHAPTER X.
CIVIL LIST, COUTV BUILDING, SOCIETIES, ETC.
Supreme Court Judges — County Court Judges — State's Attorneys — Clerks of County Court —
Sheriffs of the Couuty — Judges and Registers of Probate — Senators from Rutland County — Public
Buildings— The I'ost-Office Building — The Town Hall — The High School Building — Court-House
and Jail — The House of Correction — Rutland County Historical Society — Agricultural Society.
SUPREME COURT JUDGES. —(The judges of the Superior Court pre-
vious to the formation of the county are given in the chapter on the courts
and the bar. In the following Hst the name of the chief judge is given first in
each year.) For 17S1, Elisha Payne, Moses Robinson, John Fassett, jr., Beza-
leel Woodward, Joseph Caldwell. 1782, Moses Robinson, Paul Spooner, Jonas
Fay, John Fassett, Peter Olcutt, 1783, Moses Robinson, Paul Spooner, John
Fassett, Peter Olcutt, Thomas Porter. 1784, Paul Spooner, John Fassett, Na-
thaniel Niles, Thomas Porter, Peter Olcutt. 1785, Moses Robinson, Paul
Spooner, Nathaniel Niles, John Fassett, Thomas Porter. 1786, Moses Robin-
son, Paul Spooner, Nathaniel Niles, Nathaniel Chipman, Luke Knowlton. 1787,
Moses Robinson, Nathaniel Niles, Paul Spooner. 1788, Moses Robinson, Paul
Spooner, Stephen R. Bradley. 1789-90, Nathaniel Chipman, Noah Smith,
Samuel Knight. 1791-92-93, Samuel Knight, Elijah Paine, Isaac Tichenor.
1794-95. Isaac Tichenor, Lott Hall, Enoch Woodbridge. 1796, Nathaniel
Chipman, Lott Hall, Enoch Woodbridge. 1797, Israel Smith, Enoch Wood-
bridge, Lott Hall. 1798-99, 1800, Enoch Woodbridge, Lott Hall, Noah Smith.
1801-02, Jonathan Robinson, Royal Tyler, Stephen Jacob. 1803 to 1806 in-
clusive, Jonathan Robinson, Royal Tyler, Theop. Herrington. 1807-08, Royal
Tyler, Theop. Herrington, Jonas Galusha. I 809 to 1S12 inclusive, Royal Ty-
Civil List, County Buildings, Societies, Etc. 141
ler, Theop. Herrington, David Fay. 18 13-14, Nathaniel Chipman, Daniel
Farrand, Jonathan H. Hubbard. 1815, Asa Aldis, Richard Skinner, James
Fisk. 1 8 16, Richard Skinner, James Fisk, Wm. A. Palmer. 18 17 to 1820
inclusive, Dudley Chase, Joel Doolittle, Wm. Brayton. 1821, C. P. Van Ness,
Joel Doolittle, Wm. Brayton. 1822, C. P. Van Ness, Joel Doolittle, Chas. K.
Williams. 1823, Richard Skinner, Chas. K. Williams, Asa Aikens. 1824, Rich-
ard Skinner, Joel Doolittle, Asa Aikens. 1825-26, Richard Skinner, Samuel
Prentiss, Titus Hutchinson, Stephen Royce, jr. 1827, Richard Skinner, Sam-
uel Prentiss, Titus Hutchinson, Bates Turner. 1828, Richard Skinner, Samuel
Prentiss, Titus Hutchinson, Bates Turner, Ephraim Paddock. 1829, Samuel
Prentiss, Titus Hutchinson, Chas. K. Williams, Stephen Royce, jr., Ephraim
Paddock. 1830, Titus Hutchinson, Chas. K. Williams, Stephen Royce, jr.,
Ephraim Paddock, John C. Thompson. 1831-32-33, Titus Hutchinson, Chas.
K. Williams, Stephen Royce, jr., Nicholas Baylies, Samuel S. Phelps. 1834-35,
Chas. K. Williams, Stephen Royce, Samuel S. Phelps, Jacob CoUamer, John
Mattocks. 1836-37-38, Chas. K. Williams, Stephen Royce, Samuel S. Phelps,
Jacob Collamer, Isaac F. Redfield. 1839-40-41, Chas. Williams, Stephen
Royce, Jacob Collamer, Isaac F. Redfield, Milo L. Bennett. 1842, Chas. K.
Williams, Stephen Royce, Isaac F. Redfield, Milo L. Bennett. 1843, Chas. K.
Williams, Stephen Royce, Milo L. Bennett, Wm. Hebard. 1844, Chas. K.
Williams. Stephen Royce, Isaac F. Redfield, Wm. Hebard. 1845, Chas. K.
Williams, Stephen Royce, Milo L. Bennett, Wm. Hebard. 1846, Chas. Will-
iams, Isaac F. Redfield, Milo L. Bennett, Daniel Kellogg. 1847-48, Stephen
Royce, Milo L. Bennett, Hiland Hall, Charles Davis. 1849, Isaac F. Red-
field, Milo L. Bennett, Hiland Hall, Luke P. Poland. 1850, Stephen Royce,
Isaac F. Redfield, Hiland Hall, Luke P. Poland. 185 i, Stephen Royce, Isaac
F. Redfield. Daniel Kellogg. 1852, Stephen Royce, Isaac F. Redfield, Pier-
point Isham. 1853 to 1857 inclusive, Isaac F. Redfield, Pierpoint Isham, Milo
L. Bennett. 1858, Isaac F. Redfield, Luke P. Poland, Asa O. Aldis, John
Pierpoint. 1859, Isaac F. Redfield, Milo L. Bennett, Luke P. Poland, Asa O.
Aldis. i860, Isaac F. Redfield, Luke P. Poland, Asa O. Aldis, James Barrett.
1 86 1, Luke P. Poland, Asa O. Aldis, James Barrett, Loyal C. Kellogg. 1862-
63, Luke P. Poland, Asa O. Aldis, John Pierpoint, Asahel Peck. 1864, Luke
P. Poland, John Pierpoint, James Barrett, Asahel Peck. 1865, Luke P. Poland,
Asa O. Aldis, John Pierpoint, Asahel Peck. 1866 to 1869 inclusive, John
Pierpoint, Asahel Peck, Wm. C. Wilson, Benj. H. Steele. 1870, John Pier-
point, Asahel Peck, Benj. H. Steele, Hoyt H. Wheeler. 1871, John Pierpoint,
Asahel Peck, Homer E. Royce, Timothy P. Redfield. 1872 to 1874 inclusive,
John Pierpoint, Asahel Peck, Homer E. Royce, Jonathan Ross. 1875, John
Pierpoint, Homer E. Royce, Jonathan Ross, H. Henry Powers. 1876, John
Pierpoint, James Barrett, Homer E. Royce, H. Henry Powers. 1877, John
Pierpoint, James '^Barrett, Homer E. Royce, Timothy P. Redfield. 1878 to
142 History of Rutland County.
1880 inclusive, John Pierpoint, James Barrett, Homer E. Royce, H. Henry-
Powers. 1 88 1, John Pierpoint, Homer E. Royce, T. P. Redfield, Russell S.
Taft. 1S82, Homer E. Royce, T. P. Redfield, Russell S. Taft, John W. Rowell.
1883, T. P. Redfield, H. Henry Powers, Russell S. Taft, John W. Rowell.
1884, Homer E. Royce, Jonathan Ross, H. Henry Powers, Russell S. Taft.
1885, Homer E. Royce, H. Henry Powers, John W. Rowell, Wm. H. Walker.
Judges of the County Court. — 1781-82, Increase Moseley, Clarendon, chief
judge; Joseph Bowker, Thomas Porter and Benjamin Whipple, assistants.
1783, Increase Moseley, chief judge ; Joseph Bowker, Benjamin Whipple and
William Ward, assistants. 1784-85, Increase Mosely, chief judge ; Benjamin
Whipple, William Ward and Samuel Mattocks, assistants. 1786-87, Increase
Moseley, chief Judge; William Ward and Samuel Mattocks, assistants. 1788^
Thomas Porter, chief judge ; William Ward and Samuel Mattocks, assistants.
1789, Samuel Mattocks, chief judge; Ebenezer Marvin and Lemuel Chipman,
assistants. 1790, Ebenezer Marvin, chief judge ; Lemuel Chipman and Sim-
eon Smith, assistants. 1791 to 1794 inclusive, Ebenezer Marvin, chief judge;
Lemuel Chipman and Samuel Williams, assistants. 1795, Samuel Williams,
chief judge ; Samuel Mattocks and Abel Cooper, assistants. 1796, Samuel
Williams, chief judge ; Abel Cooper and Ebenezer Wilson, assistants. 1797
to 1800 inclusive, Samuel Williams, chief judge ; Ebenezer Wilson and Jonas
Safford, assistants. 1801, Theophilus Herrington, chief judge; Ebenezer Wil-
son and Jonas Safford, assistants. 1802-03, Theophilus Herrington, chief
judge; Ebenezer Wilson and James Witherill, assistants. 1804-05, James
Witherill, chief judge ; Ebenezer Wilson and Nathan B. Graham, assi-stants.
1806, James Witherill, chief judge; Nathan B. Graham and Pliny Smith, as-
sistants. 1807, Isaac Clark, chief judge ; Caleb Hendee and James Harring-
ton, assistants. 1808, Isaac Clark, chief judge; Pliny Smith and James Har-
rington, assistants. 1809 to 181 1 inclusive, Isaac Clark, chief Judge ; Pliny
Smith and Amos Thompson, assistants. 1812, Pliny Smith, chief judge;
Amos Thompson and John H. Andrus, assistants. 1813, Pliny Smith, chief
judge; Amos Thompson and Thomas Hammond, assistants. 1814, Pliny
Smith, chief judge; Amos Thompson and John H. Andrus, assistants. 1815,
Pliny Smith, chief judge; Amos Thompson and Chauncy Smith, assistants.
1816 to 1820 inclusive, Pliny Smith, chief judge; Amos Thompson and
Thomas Hammond, assistants. 1821, Amos Thompson, chief judge; Thomas
Hammond and Henry Hodges, assistants. 1822 to 1824 inclusive, Amos
Thompson, chief judge; Henry Hodges and Joseph Warner, assistants. 1825,
Moses Strong, chief judge ; Henry Hodges and John P. Colburne, assistants.
(From the last date a justice of the Supreme Court is annually designated
as chief judge of the Count}' Court within his judicial district.)
Judges since 1825. — Titus Hutchinson, 1826. Richard Skinner, 1827-28.
Bates Turner, 1829. Charles K. Williams, 1820 to 1847. Hiland Hall, 1847
Civil List, County Buildings, Societies, Etc. 143
to 1 85 I. Milo L. Bennett, in loco R. Pierpoint, 185 i, S. T. Jacob Collamer
and Asahel Peck, z;/ /^ci? Robert Pierpoint, 185 1, S. T. Asahel Peck, 1852,
A. T. Robert Pierpoint, 1852, S. T., to 1857. William C. Kittridge, 1857,
A. T., 1858, S. T. Asa Owen Aldis, 1857-59. John Pierpoint, 1859-61.
James Barrett, 1 86 1. Asahel Peck, 1S62. Loyal C. Kellogg, 1863. John
Prout, 1868. Hoyt H. Wheeler, 1870. Walter C. Dunton, 1877. W. G.
Veazey, 1880. Jonathan Ross, in loco 1880, S. T. W. G. Veazey, 1881, and
at present in office.
Assistant Judges since 1825. — 1826, Moses Strong, John P. Colburne.
1S27 to 1832 inclusive, Henry Hodges, John P. Colburne. 1833, Henry
Hodges, William C. Kittridge. 1834, Nathan T. Sprague, William C. Kitt-
ridge. 1835 to 1838 inclusive, William C. Kittridge, N. T. Sprague. 1839,
Zimri Howe, Nathan T. Sprague. 1 840 to 1S43 inclusive, Zimri Howe, Oba-
dia Noble. 1844, Zimri Howe, Ezra June. 1845 to 1847 inclusive, Ezra
June, Ambrose L. Brown. 1848, Gordon Newell, Isaac T. Wright. 1849,
Gordon Newell, Elisha Allen. 1850, Isaac T. Wright, Elisha Allen. 1851,
Elisha Allen, Samuel H. Kellogg. 1852, Samuel Kellogg, Barnes Frisbie.
1853 to 1855 inclusive, Samuel Kellogg, Benjamin F. Langdon. 1856-57,
Brazillai Davenport. 1858 to i860 inclusive, RoUin C. Hunter, Morris H.
Cook. 1861-62, Alanson Allen, Eben Fisher. 1863, Alanson Allen, Barnes
Frisbie. 1864 to 1867, Barnes F"risbie, Joel W. Ainsworth. 1868-69, Daniel
Crofoot, John Crowley. 1870, James K. Hyde, Bradley Fish. 1871, Jerome
B. Bromley, Bradley Fish. 1873-74, Isaac C. Wheaton, Hiel Hollister.
1875-76, C. S. Rumsey, Jacob Edgerton. 1877-78, Zenas C. Ellis, Seneca
M. Dorr. 1879 to 1882 inclusive, Martin C. Rice, Daniel W. Taylor. 1883,
David E. Nicholson, Barnes Frisbie.
States Attorneys. — Nathaniel Chipman, 178110 17S5. Darius Chipman,
1785 to 1796. Abel Spencer, 1797 to 1802. Darius Chipman, 1803 to 1806.
Nathan B. Graham, 1807 to 1810. Rollin C. Mallary, 1811 to 1813. Charles
K. Williams, 1814-15. Rollin C. Mallary, 1816. Jonas Clark, i8i7to 1829.
Selah H. Merrill, 1830 to 1835. Reuben R. Thrall, 1836. Solomon Foot,
1837 to 1842. William C. Kittridge, 1843 to 1845. Edgar L. Ormsbee,
1846-47. William C. Kittridge, I S48-49. Ezra June, 1850-5 i. Caleb Har-
rington, 1852. Martin G. Everts, 1853-54. Edwin Edgerton, 1855-56. An-
son A. Nicholson, 1857-58. William T. Nichols, 1859-60. John Prout,
1861-62. David E. Nicholson, 1863-64. Jerome B. Bromley, 1865-66.
Ebenezer Fisher, 1867-68. Horace G. Wood, 1869-70. Ebenezer J. Orms-
bee, 1871 to 1873. Martin G. Everts, 1874-75. George M. Fuller, 1877.
George E. Lawrence, 1879. John Howe, 1883. P. R. Kendall, 1885.
Clerks of the County Court. — Jonathan Brace, appointed April, 1 78 1.
Obadiah Noble, June, 1 78 1. Nathan Osgood, November. 17S9. Robert
Temple, December, 1804. Robert Pierpoint, June, 1820. Fred W. Hopkins,
March, 1839. Henry H. Smith, August, 1868, and now fills the office.
144
History of Rutland County.
Judges and Registers of Probate -
JUDGES. RESIIIENCE
Joseph Bowker, Rutland,
Elisha Clarke, Tinmouth,
James Harrington, Clarendon,
Joseph Randall, Wallingford,
Caleb Hendee, Pittsford,
William Harrington, Pittsford,
Obadiah Noble, Tinmouth,
R. Pierpoint, Rutland,
A. L. Brown, Rutland,
William Marsh, Shrewsbury,
William Hall, Rutland,
A. L. Brown, "
William Hall,
Harvey Button,
Ambrose L. Brown, Rutland,
Walter C. Dunton,
Charles Colburn,
Thomas C. Robbins,
District of Fairliaven : —
17811
17851
1810 I
District of Rutland : ■
riME. REGISTERS.
o 1784,
o 1803,
o 1805,
E. Clark, jr.,
Nathan Osgood,
[I, W. D. Smith,
iSiS to :
1836,
1837 to
1839,
1840 to
1835.
1838,
i 1847,
I86I,
1865,
1877,
William Ward,
Simeon Smith,
William Ward,
C. Langdon,
William Ward,
Erastus Higley,
Samuel Moulton,
Erastus Higley,
John Stanley,
Joh . Mea ham,
Almon Warner,
Cyrenus M. Willard,
J. B. Bromley,
Poultney,
Poultney,
Prultney,
Castleton,
Poultney,
Castleton,
Castleton,
Castleton,
Poultney,
Castleton,
Poultney &
Castleton,
1793.
17941
17991
. 1792,
1798,
i8i4to 1821,
1831 to 1862,
1862 to 1872,
William Page,
R. C. Royce,
F. W. Hopkins, -
F. W. Hopkins,
H. B. Towslee,
F. W. Hopkins,
Henry Hall,
James Brown,
Henry H. Smith,
Joel C. Baker,
Thomas C. Robbins,
Wayne Bailey,
C. Langdon,
John Brown,
"Selah Gridley,
lohn Stanley,
William Ward, jr.
C. Langdon,
S. 11. Merrill,
S. H. Merrill,
Almon Warner,
S. H. Merrill,
B. F. Langdon,
J. A. Warner,
None from
J. A. Warner,
Gilbert H. Mann,
1803
1811 to 1814
1815 to 1825
1825 to 1832
1833 to 1836
1837 to 183S
1839
1840 to 1861
1862 to 1866
1872
1877
1885
1797
1793
1796 1
17991
1 801 to 1803
1803 to 1813
1814 to 1815
1815 to 1823
1824 to 1829
1830 to 1839
1839 to 1845
1846 to 1847
1847 to 1850
1851 to i860
1861 to 1862
1862 to 1865
1866 to 1867
Henry L. Clark,
Sheriffs. — We appropriate the sketch of the sheriffs of the county from
the paper prepared for the County Historical Society by J. C. Williams, on
account of its biographical value, as well as the fact that it constitutes a com-
plete list : —
Abram Ives, of Wallingford, was the first sheriff, elected in 1781, and
served four years, or until 1785. He was one of the early settlers of Walling-
ford, and kept a hotel there for many years. He is said to have been a good
citizen, and also kept a model hotel. He was a personal friend of Ethan Allen,
at whose house the latter often visited. On account of some irregularity in
selling the tract of land known as Mendon, and fearing prosecution, he re-
signed his office and went back to Connecticut, where he died at an advanced
age.
Jonathan Bell, of Tinmouth, was the second sheriff, elected in 1785, and
served to 1802, a period of seventeen years. He was a good sheriff and popu-
lar with the people, and hence his re-election to the office for so many years.
Tinmouth previous to 1785 was the county seat, where the jail and court-house
were situated. He came to Tinmouth in 1778, and was for many years one
of the prominent men of that town.
Civil List, County Buildings, Societies, Etc. 145
Arunah W. Plyde, of Castleton, was the third sheriff, elected in 1802, and
served seven years, or until 1809.
Eleazer Flagg, of Clarendon, succeeded Mr. Hyde. He served but three
years, from 1809 to 1812.
Ralf Paige, of Rutland, who was born in Hardvvick, Mass., August 21,
1769, was next elected in 181 2, and served but one year. He died in Rut-
land, August 20, 1857.
Erastus Barker, of Tinmouth, was elected in 18 13, and served one year.
He was again elected in 181 5, serving two years, and again in 1818, and served
one year, making four years in all. He was a man well known and was promi-
nent in town and county affairs, being highly respected as a citizen.
Thomas Hooker, of Rutland, was the seventh sheriff, elected in 18 14, serv-
ing one year only.
William Fay, of Rutland, who was born in Hard wick, Mass., November
12, 1780, was next elected in 18 17, and served one year. He died in Rut-
land, July 31, 1840.
Jonathan Dyke, of Rutland, but who was born in Chittenden, April 16,
1786, succeeded Mr. Baker as sheriff in 1819, and served until 1S31, a period
of twelve years. He was also a popular sheriff and possessed the confidence
of the people. But three others held the office for a longer period than he
did. He moved to Illinois in 1845.
Jacob Edgerton, jr., was elected in 183 1 and served two years, or until
1833. He was again elected in 1841, and served until December i, 1S61, a
period of twenty years, making twenty-two years in all.
John A. Conant, of Brandon, was elected in 1833, and served but two
years.
Ira Parsons, of Rutland, succeeded Mr. Conant as sheriff in 1835, and
served until 1841, a period of six years.
William M. Field, of Rutland, the sixteenth sheriff, was elected in 1861,
and served until 1878, a period of seventeen years.
D. P. Peabody, of Pittsford, the present incumbent, succeeded Mr. Field in
1878, and has held the office since.
Of the ex- sheriffs, as will be seen by the above list, but three are now liv-
ing, viz. : Jacob Edgerton, John A. Conant, and William M. Field. Mr. Ed-
gerton held the office of sheriff the longest, having served twenty-two years in
all. He still resides at Rutland in his eighty-second year. Although advanced
in age, he retains his mental vigor, and is quite active in business pursuits. He
has been very prominent in town and county politics for many years, and is
considered a safe counselor in matters of every-day life. Mr. Edgerton has
been honored from time to time with various positions of trust and responsibil-
ity, and retains in a remarkable degree the confidence of all who know him.
John A. Conant still resides at Brandon, where he was born in 1800. He
146 History of Rutland County.
rarely discharged tlie duties of the office, and they were mostly entrusted to
his deputies. Ira Parsons, as deputy, who succeeded Mr, Conant, took up his
residence in Rutland, performing the duties there. Mr. Conant, although
somewhat feeble in health, has been active in business affairs for many years,
and is respected by all.
William M. Field, as will be seen, served the next longest as sheriff, his re-
election to the office for so many years being a compliment well bestowed on a
faithful and efficient officer. He still resides at Rutland, and is now president
of the Rutland Savings Bank.
D. P. Peabody, the present incumbent, assumed the office of sheriff Decem-
ber I, 1878, this being the eighth year of service. Mr. Peabody maintains
dignity in the office, discharging its duties personally, so far as able, has a good
corps of deputies, and is a worthy and efficient officer. It is hoped he will live
to score a longer number of years as sheriff than any of his predecessors.
State Senators of Rutland County. — Vermont had no Senate until 1836,
since which time the following have held the office: 1836-37, Thomas
D. Hammond, Zimri Howe and Robert Pierpoint. 1838-39, Wm. C. Kit-
tridge, Obadiah Noble and Robert Pierpoint. 1841-42, Orson Clark, Ander-
son G. Dana and Isaac Norton. 1842-43, Alanson Allen, Elisha Allen and
Ebenezer N. Briggs. 1844-45, Ebenezer N. Briggs, Fred'k Button and Jo-
seph H. Chittenden. 1846, Joseph H. Chittenden, John Fox and Geo. T.
Hodges. 1847, Geo. T. Hodges, John Fox, Henry Stanley. 1848, Henry
Stanley, John Fox and Ezra June. 1849, Ezra June, John Fox and John
Crowley. 1850, John Crowley, Elisha Lapham and James K. Hyde. 185 i,
Elisha Lapham, James K. Hyde and John Crowley. 1852, Harvey Shaw,
Thomas V. Bogue and Amon Bailey. 1853, Amon Bailey, Thomas F. Bogue,
and Harvey Shaw. 1854, Alanson Allen, Ira Button and Luther Daniels.
185s, Alanson Allen, Ira Button and Luther Daniels. 1856, William M. Field,
C. M. Millard and John L. Marsh. 1S57, John L. Marsh, Wm. M. Field and
C. M. Millard. 1858-59, Martin G. Everts, Chauncey S. Rumsey and David
E. Nicholson. 1860-61, Bradley Fish, Martin C. Rice, Daniel W. Taylor.
1862-63, Horace Allen, Bradley Fish, John Jackson (1861-62). 1863-64,
Nathaniel Fish, Merritt Clark and Wm. T. Nichols. 1865-66, Seneca M. Dorr,
John Howe, jr. and Pitt W. H)'de.
Continuing we quote from a paper prepared for the County Historical So-
ciety on the Rutland county Senators, by Hon. Seneca M. Dorr, as follows,
the extract being valuable for its biographic notes : —
In 1867 the Senators elected from Rutland county were Ira C. Allen, of
Fairhaven ; Capen Leonard, of Pittsford ; John Prput of Rutland. All had
previously been members of the House. Mr. Allen was a marble dealer, fifty-
one years of age. Mr. Leonard, a farmer, fifty- nine years of old, and John
Prout, a lawyer, and forty-nine years of age.
In I 868 the same Senators were elected.
%-
^^^^/cUlC^^ ^^ ^5e^-«^^^^2^
Civil List, County Buildings, Societies, Etc. 147
In 1869, Merritt Clark of Poultney, George A. Merrill, of Rutland, Lucius
Copeland, of Middletown, were elected Senrtors from our county. All these
gentlemen had seen previous service in our Legislature. Mr. Merrill was a
native of New Hampshire, was also Secretary of Civil and Military affairs in
1860-61, and Mr. Clark and Mr. Copeland were both natives of Middletown.
In 1870 Messrs. Merrill and Copeland were re-elected to the Senate, and
Rodney C. Abell, of Westhaven, a veteran legislator, occupied the place of Sen-
ator Clark.
In 1872 our board of county Senators consisted of Nathan T. Sprague, of
Brandon, Wheelock G. Veazey, of Rutland, L. Howard Kellogg, of Benson,
Henry C Gleason, of Shrewsbury. Mr. Sprague was born in Mount Holly,
Mr. Veazey in New Hampshire, Mr. Kellogg in Benson and Mr. Gleason in
Shrewsbury. Mr. Gleason and Mr. Kellogg had both been members of the
House, and Mr. Sprague was a member of the House subsequent to this in 1876
and 1878.
In 1874 our county was represented in the Senate by Redfield Proctor, of
Rutland, Simeon Allen, of Fairhaven, Luther P. Howe, of Mount Tabor, Fay-
ette Holmes, of Sudbury. Mr. Proctor was a native of Proctorsville, Mr. Allen
of Fairhaven, Mr. Howe of Ludlow, and Mr. Holmes of Hubbardton. The
first three had before their election as Senators been members of the House.
In 1876 Ner P. Simons, of Rutland, Samuel Williams, of Castleton, Henry
F. Lothrop, of Pittsford, Charles W. Brigham, of Pittsfield, were elected Sena-
tors. Mr. Simons was born in Williamstown, November i, 1 83 I, and had not
before been a member of the Legislature. Samuel Williams was born in Rut-
land, January 8, 1837, was assistant clerk of the House in 1858 and 1859
and secretary of civil and military affairs in 1861-65. Mr. Lothrop was born
in Easton, Mass., March, 1820, and had represented his town of Pittsford in
the Legislature. Mr. Brigham was born in Barnard, May 17, 1831, and had
already had legislative experience in the House.
In 1878 the Senators were Horace H. Dwyer, of Rutland, Ebenezer J.
Ormsbee, of Brandon, Levi Rice, of Tinmouth, Charles A. Rann, of Poultney.
Mr. Dyer was born in April, 1820, and had held no legislative office previous
to his election as Senator. Mr. Ormsbee was born in Shoreham, June 8, 1834.
He represented his town in the Legislature in 1872, and is a lawyer. Mr. Rice
is a merchant and farmer, was born in 1826 and represented Tinmouth in the
Legislature in 1853-54. Mr. Rann was born in Poultney, May 23, 1823. He
is a farmer and produce dealer, and has represented his town in the Legisla-
ture.
Fhe senators for 1880 were: Walter C. Dunton, of Rutland; Royal D.
King, of Benson; Orel Cook, of Mendon ; Eemmett R. Pember, of Wells.
Mr. Dunton was born in Bristol, November 29, 1S30. He was for manyj-ears
judge of probate of the Rutland District, and one of the judges of the Supreme
History of Rutland County.
Court. This is his first term as a legislator in our State. Mr. King was born
in Benson, November 17, 1825, and was representative from Benson in 1852-
54. Mr. Cock is a physician, lumber dealer and farmer. He was born in Rut-
land, December 7, 1813, and has represented Mendon in the Legislature. Mr.
Pender was born in Wells, September 21, 1846.
Table of Se»ato)-s from Rutland County from 1867 to i?,^o, both inclusive. —
Ira C. Allen, 1867 and '68; Simeon Allen, 1874; Rodney C. Abel, 1870;
W. Brigham, 1876; Charles D. Childs, 1882; Merritt Clark, 1869; Charles S.
Colburn, 1882; Lucius Copeland, 1869 and '70; Orel Cook, 1880; Walter C.
Dunton, 1880 ; Horace H. Dyer, 1878 ; Henry F. Field, 1884; Henry C. Glea-
son, 1872; Ansel L. Hill, 1884; Edwin Horton, 1884; Walter E. Howard,
1882; Luther P. Howe, 1874; Fayette Holmes, 1874; Leonard Johnson, 18S4 ;
Howard L. Kellogg, 1872; Royal D. King, 1880; Capen Leonard, 1867 and
'68; Henry F. Lothrop, 1876; George A. Merrill, 1869 and '70; Ebenezer
J. Ormsbee, 1878 ; John Prout, 1867 and '68 ; Redfield Proctor, 1874; Em-
met R. Pember, 1880; Charles A. Rann, 1878; Levi Rice, 1878; Nathan T.
Sprague, 1872; Ner P. Simons, 1876; Wheelock G. Veazey, 1872; Samuel
Williams, 1876; Aldace F. Walker, 1882.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
Post- Office Building. — The present post-office building was begun in the
opening of 1857, and finished in the winter of 1858-59. The cost of its con-
struction in round numbers was $56,000, exclusive of the furniture. The su-
pervising architect was the well-known government architect who built the
Vermont State House, Ami B. Young; J. J. R. Randall, architect, of Rutland,
was superintendent of construction and disbursing agent. The contractors
were B. F. Colby and Mr. Bird. The building is fire-proof, constructed of
Boston pressed brick, and iron, with the foundation and underpinning of Ver-
mont granite. The roof was originally covered with galvanized iron, but this
was replaced about ten years ago by a roof of copper. The basement was in-
tended for a United States prison, and a number of cells were built for the ac-
commodation of United States prisoners ; but only one person has ever been
confined in any of them, and he only for a day and a night.
The appropriation for the erection of this building was obtained through
the instrumentality of the Hon. Solomon Foot, who at his df>ath bequeathed
his splendid library to be kept in the building. It now fills the north end of
the second story.
Toivn Hall. — Before Rutland could boast of a hall of its own for the trans-
action of public business, the town meetings were held alternatelj' in the east
village and at West Rutland. The old court-house on Main street was the
accustomed place of meeting in the former village. In the spring of 1S53 the
town entered into a contract with Josiah Huntoon, under a part of the provis-
Civil List, County Buildings, Societies, Etc. 149
ions of which he began the erection of the first town hall. On the 6th of the
following September Mr. Huntoon conveyed the land and appurtenances to
the town by deed, in which was recited the condition that he was to occupy
the basement and lower floor under a lease from the town. The building was
then nearly completed. It stood on the south side of Washington street be-
tween the building on the corner of that street and Main street on the east, and
the building then occupied by Tuttle & Huntoons as a printing establish-
ment. The second floor of this hall was devoted exclusively to town business,
and the third floor was occupied by the Masonic order of Rutland, and also
served the purpose, occasionally, of a lecture-room. It was unhappily de-
stroyed by fire in the fall of 1868. The present town hall, its successor, was
not erected until 1872, when it was completed under the supervision of John
Cain. The lower floor is occupied by the village departments, containing the
steam fire engine, municipal court-room, village records, clerk's office, village
police and a lock-up. The upper story, which has a seating capacity for about
one thousand eight hundred persons, is used for the transaction of town busi-
ness, and for various public meetings and entertainments.
Rittland High School. — The High School building was erected in 1852,
but was rebuilt and enlarged in 1879, so that the village now has a school-
building it may well be proud of It is beautifully located on a hill near the
head of Center street, commanding a fine view, at the same time receiving the
benefit of the healthful air of the higher land. It is a handsome, commodious
structure, built of pressed brick, with stone trimmings, and well ventilated. It
also contains a library of about 2,000 rare volumes, which are kept in a room
nicely and appropriately furnished for that purpose. The school has also valu-
able apparatus for astronomical and philosophical illustration, the whole being
under the charge of the principal, Oscar Atwood, M. A. (See account of Rut-
land schools in history of that town).
The House of Correction. — Previous to the establishment of this institution
and its erection in 1877-78, prisoners guilty of felony were confined at Wind-
sor. The original idea of the institution was to make it a place of confinement
for convicts sentenced to less than twenty years' imprisonment and jail prison-
ers. In 1878 the Legislature so amended the laws that the original purpose
of the institution as a "work- house" was altered to its present status as a
" house of correction," and the criminal laws were changed so as to allow the
court at its discretion to sentence persons convicted of an offense punishable
by imprisonment in the State prison, to this house of correction. The institu-
tion was built in pursuance of an act passed by the General Assembly in 1876.
Rutland was selected as the site, upon condition that the county should con-
tribute $20,000 towards its erection, thereby gaining its use as a county jail.
The buildings are located just west of the village line, on the bank of East
Creek, and cost about $60,000.
150 History of Rutland County.
The institution is divided into a north and south wing, or extension, with
kitchen, guard-room and chapel between ; contains seventy-five cells, four of
which are lined with boiler iron and furnished with solid iron doors. These
are used for confining dangerous or refractory inmates, and is, indeed, about
the only mode of punishment inflicted, the present management rel\ing more
upon kindness than harsli measures to preserve discipline. When a prisoner
enters the institution he is first obliged to make thoroughly clean his person,
and then is dressed in a clean suit of clothes, and from that time until his re-
lease habits of cleanliness and good manners are constantly enforced. All con-
versation with fellow-prisoners is prohibited, and in health a full day's work
required. One day in each week they are gathered together for religious in-
struction and advice, and at all times the superintendent and keepers are ready
by kind words and kindly admonitions to strengthen their resolutions to lead a
better life when released. The female prisoners are kept well employed in
making, mending and washing the prison bedding and clothing.
During the summer of 1879 M. R. Brown entered upon the contract now
in force for the labor of the prisoners, and L. G. Bagley is now his partner in
the enterprise. (See " Marble Industries of Rutland.") This contract, for fin-
ishing marble, was to continue for a term of five years from September I, 1879,
and is terminable by either party upon six months' notice. It has since been
extended five years longer. By its terms the contractor is to pay twenty- five
cents a day for the labor of each prisoner employed up to August i, 1880, and
thirty cents thereafter. I. M. Tripp was first appointed superintendent, but
resigned his office before the close of the first month, and G. N. Eayres, the
present superintendent, was appointed to fill the vacancy. To the ggod char-
acter, judgment, prudent and careful management of Mr. Eayres much of the
success of the institution is due.
Court- House and Jail. — Immediately after the organization of the county
Tinmouth, being the center of population and the home of the most prominent
men of the county, was selected as the shire town. The court-house was
neither more nor less than the inn of Solomon Bingham, located on the Tin-
mouth Flats, one mile east of the present meeting-house, on the east side of the
highway. It was built of logs, was one story in height, and about forty feet
long. The family occupied one room and the courts were held in the bar-
room, which sufficed to accommodate all the attendants upon the courts of
those early days. The jury retired for consultation to the log barn almost ad-
joining. In this house was also held the first county election more than one
hundred years ago. The jail was also built of logs and stood about a mile
north of the court-house, at the intersection of the roads from Tinmouth village
with the F.ast Road, on the north side, on the line between Buler Waldo's farm
and the Spafford farm, and about fifteen feet from the hotel. It is said that a
blanket at first served as a door.
Civil List, County Buildings, Societies, Etc. 151
In 1784 Rutland was adopted as the shire town, and the courts thereafter
held session, until 1792, in the old gambrel- roofed building still standing on
West street in Rutland village. Externally it was then substantially as it is
now. It had two rooms, one with a floor and the other with none. The west
one was the court-room, having a floor and elevated seats on the north side for
the judges, and benches for the jurors, witnesses and spectators. The east
room had no floor and answered all the other purposes of a court-house, grand
and petit jury- room, etc. The jail, which was built of logs, stood a few yards
to the northwest of the court-house.
It was in this building that the first United States District Court ever held
in Vermont had its session, on the first Monday in May, 1791, with Nathaniel
Chipman as judge and Frederick Hill as clerk. The State Legislature held
sessions here in 1784 and 1786. In November, 1786, the anti- court mob en-
joj'ed in this building their momentary triumph.
In 1792 funds were raised by contribution, and a more stately court-house
w^as erected in Main street, just above the old Franklin House. It was framed
and stood facing the north. The Legislature, during its first session therein,
on the 25th of October, 1792, passed "An act for the purpose of raising by
lottery the sum of one hundred and sixty pounds lawful money, for the pur-
pose of defraying the expense of building the new Court House in Rutland."
In 1828 the citizens, deeming it necessary to rebuild the already time-worn
structure, again raised funds by voluntary contribution, and contracted with
George W. Daniels, who bricked up the outside eight inches thick, and sub-let
the wood- work to W. W. Bailey. In 1844 the building was extended a dis-
tance of forty-four feet. Thus the structure served all the purposes of the
agents of the law in their work of redressing injuries, repressing crimes, and,
generally, of distributing justice. It was destroyed by fire on the morning of
April 3, 1868. The court, which was in session at the time of the fire, held
the remainder of the term in the office of Judge Prout, the presiding judge ;
one term it was held in the Christian Association rooms ; two terms in the old
town hall, and the rest of the time, until the new court-house was ready for
occupancy, in the United States court-room. The present court-house was
begun in 1869, and first occupied in the first week of March, 1871. Its cost,
including a small outlay for finishing touches superadded during the ten years
after its first service, was $72,000. In the spring and autumn of 1885 an ad-
ditional sum of about $5,500 was expended upon it for improvements. The
rear entrance was opened, the clerk's office was enlarged, the court-room was
made more comfortable and handsome, and new heating apparatus was added.
Rutland County Historical Society. — This association was organized in the
office of John Howe, of Castleton, on the i ith day of June, 1880, by the elec-
tion of the following officers : Barnes Frisbie, of Poultney, president ; James
Sanford, of Castleton, vice-president; John M. Currier, of Castleton, secre-
History of Rutland County.
tary ; and R. C. Abell, of Westhaven, treasurer. The object of the society,
though clearly indicated by its title, is said in Article II of the Articles of
Confederation to be "the collection and preservation of historical facts, more
particularly such as relate to the county of Rutland." At a special meeting
held in the vestry of the Congregational Church, in Castleton, on the 26th of
October, 1880, the most important measure adopted was the appointment of a
committee consisting of one person from each town in the county, to make ar-
rangements for an appropriate celebration of the centennial of Rutland county.
Following are the names of such committee: Martin C. Rice, Benson ; John
A. Conant, Brandon ; J. B. Bromley, Castleton ; H. B. Spafiford, Clarendon ;
John C. Williams, Danby ; A. N. Adams, Fairhaven ; Cyrus Jennings, Hub-
bardton ; S. C. Peck, Ira ; O. Cook, Mendon ; O. Myrick, Middletown ; C.
W. Brigham, Pittsfield ; Charles Colburn, Pittsford ; Marshall Brown, Pawlet ;
Merritt Clark, Poultney ; L. W. Redington, Rutland; E. N. Fisher, Shrews-
bury ; A. W. Hyde, Sudbury ; Levi Rice, Tinmouth ; J. E. Hitt, Wallingford ;
Hiland Paul, Wells ; John Crowley, Mount Holly ; R. C. Abell, Westhaven ;
Hiram Baird, Chittenden ; D. W. Taylor, Sherburne.
The celebration was held on the 4th of March, 1881, and created a deep
interest throughout the county. Many valuable historical papers were read,
interesting letters were received from former residents, and the proceedings
throughout were such as to create an abiding interest in the society and its
work.
The semi-annual meeting of 1881 was held January 13th of that year, in the
vestry of the Congregational Church, in Castleton. Henry Clark delivered an
address on historic monuments ; Rev. J. K. Williams read a sketch on Dr.
Lorenzo Sheldon ; a number of interesting relics were exhibited ; the by-laws
were somewhat changed, etc.
At the annual meeting of 1881 (August lo), held in Adams's Hall, in Fair-
haven, an interesting session was had ; papers were read, poems delivered, and
President Barnes Frisbie delivered his annual address, which was ordered pub-
lished, and the same officers were elected, with the addition of Joseph Jocelyn
as the second vice-president. Thirteen new members were admitted.
The annual and semi-annual meetings of the society have been regularly
held, and a spirit of historical inquiry and interest awakened in the county
which must result in much good. The accumulation of relics, historical books,
papers, etc., is encouraging and the future of the society seems assured.
The present officers are as follows : President, Hon. Barnes Frisbie ; Dr.
John M. Currie, secretary; Henry Clark, and Dr. James Sanford, vice-presi-
dents ; R. C. Abell, treasurer.
Rutland County Agricultural Society. — This society was organized and
held its first fair at Castleton in 1846. Its first officers were William L. Farn-
ham, of Poultney, president; Orel Cook, Rutland, secretary; Zimri Howe, of
Castleton, treasurer.
Civil List, County Buildings, Societies, Etc. 153
For many years the annual fairs were held, alternately, at Rutland and Cas-
tleton. One year, 1852, the annual exhibition was held at Poultney, and is the
only exception of its being held at other than the places named. In i860 the
annual exhibitions were permanently located at Rutland. Some forty acres of
land were purchased, situated about a mile south of the village, and buildings,
sheds and race track erected, and the annual fairs have since been held thereon,
the Vermont State Fair being held upon the grounds nine years.
After the usual seasons of alternate prosperity and depression, this society
is now upon a sound foundation, is well managed and is popular with the in-
habitants of the county. It has about $800 in its treasury, with all debts paid.
The following named gentlemen have held the office of president of the
society since the organization : William L. Farnham, David Hall, Henry W.
Lester, Joseph Sheldon, Bradley Fish, Alpha H. Post, Henry Hayward, A. D.
Smith, Pitt W. Hyde, Lensey Rounds, jr., L. Howard Kellogg, Henry F.
Lathrop, J. S. Benedict, Horace H. Dyer, Henry Clark, N. T. Sprague, H. D.
Noble, Seneca Root.
The following gentlemen have filled the office of secretary : Orel Cook, ten
years; W. H. Smith, ten years; Henry Clark, fifteen years; Miner Hilliard,
three years; Lensey Rounds, three years; C. C. Pierce, from 1887 to the
present time.
Following are the officers for 1885 : President, Seneca Root, Hubbardton ;
vice-presidents, J. L. Billings, Rutland, and Redfield Proctor, Rutland ; secre-
tary, C. C. Pierce, East Clarendon ; treasurer, H. H. Dyer, Rutland ; clerk,
J. D. Green, Rutland ; auditors, T. C. Robbins, Rutland, D. P. Peabody, Rut-
land, A. S. Cook, Brandon ; trustees, Seneca Root, chairman, L. G. Fish, Rut-
land, E. F. Sadler, Rutland, E. D. Hinds, Pittsford, J. W. Cramton, Rutland ;
finance committee, T. C. Robbins, Rutland, W. C. Landon, Rutland, G. H.
Cheney, Rutland, A. D. Smith Clarendon, Lester Fish, Ira ; directors, Rollin
Gleason, Benson, Fred H. Farrington, Brandon, James T. Freeman, Castleton,
L. F. Croft, Clarendon, Edwin Horton, Chittenden, E. A. Smith, Danby, J. R.
Sheldon, Fairhaven, S. W. St. John, Hubbardton, Lester Fish, Ira, F. B.
Barrett, Middletown, L. P. Howe, Mount Tabor, William B. Hoskinson, Mount
Holly, Alonzo Ormsby, Mendon, D. W. Bromley, Pawlet, C. W. Brigham,
Pittsfield, A. C. Powers, Pittsford, F. W. Moseley, Poultney, Henry Hayward,
Rutland, D. W. Taylor, Sherburne, D. K. Butterfield, Shrewsbury, James M.
Ketchum, Sudbury, Bartlett Stafford, Tinmouth, Russel Lamb, Wells, Joel
Todd, Wallingford, R. C. Abell, Westhaven ; general superintendent, Frank
S. Hale. Rutland ; marshal, H. C. Hayward, Rutland ; assistants, Burt White,
Clarendon, R. M. Spaulding, Rutland.
History of Rutland County.
CHAPTER XI.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
The First Internal Improvements — Laying out of Roads — The Old Military Road and other High-
ways— Old Stage Lines — Effects of the Early Lack of Rapid Transportation — The Champlain
Canal and its Influence — Other Navigation Projects — The Railroad Era — The Rutland and White-
hall Railroad and Bank — The First Railroad — The Vermont and Canada Railroad Company — The
Central Vermont Railroad Company — Bennington and Rutland Railroad — The Delaware and Hudson
Coal Company's Line — Rutland and Whitehall Railroad — Great Changes.
THI£ inland situation of the State of Vermont and her distance from the
great arteries of travel and trade as eventtially established, prevented the
development of internal improvements and large commercial relations until a
comparatively recent date. A large share of the attention of town officers in
early days was devoted, as is always the case in new settlements, to the laying
out of roads and their subsequent improvement; highways of some description
are almost the first public necessity with the pioneer. One of the earliest of
the roads passing through this county, and one which has always maintained
paramount importance, is still known as the Old Military Road, running from
Number Four (Charlestown, N. H.), to Crown Point, N. Y. This thoroughfare
was opened chiefly as a military measure. Its course was, in brief, as described
by another, from Charlestown (which is one hundred and eight miles from
Boston), to Nott's Ferry, to Springfield, on through Wethersfield to Charles
Button's Tavern on Mill River in Clarendon ; then si.x miles to Mead's Tavern
in Rutland, on the west side of the creek ; thence six miles to Waters's Tavern,
in Pittsford ; thence through " Brown's Camp," in Neshobe (now Brandon),
tA'enty miles to Moor's Tavern in Shoreham, and thence on to Crown Point.
It will be seen that it was the old and first north and south road across the
country, on the west side of Otter Creek. This road was greatly improved
in the year 1776, and a bridge was built across Otter Creek at Center Rutland.
In the same year a new road was opened from Mount Independence, on
Lake Champlain, through Hubbardton to Center Rutland. The latter was then
a point of considerable importance ; one of three old forts in the county was sit-
uated at the head of the falls (then called Mead's Falls, after Colonel James
Mead, the pioneer of Rutland), and the place bade fair in those days to be the
center of the future business of Rutland county.
Other important early roads, opened before the beginning of the present
century, were the north and south road from Clarendon through Rutland to
Pittsford, a portion of which is the present main street in Rutland village; this
highway was originally given a width of six rods; the Woodstock turnpike,
from Rutland to Woodstock ; and the road from Rutland through Castleton
Internal Improvements. 155
and Fairha\'en to Whitehall ; the latter was for many years one of the most
important highways in the State ; a portion of it now constitutes West street,
in Rutland village.
In the year 18 18, Thomas Hammond, of Pittsfield, Nathaniel Penniman, of
Windsor, and Moses Strong, of Rutland, were made commissioners to lay out
a road from the court-house in Windsor, through Reading, Plymouth and
Shrewsbury to the court-house in Rutland ; and others rapidly followed as
the demand for travel and business rendered them necessary.
It is not uncommon to hear old residents speak with a sort of admiration of
the days when the principal roads were traveled daily by stage coaches of the
old Concord style, drawn by four or more horses ; a tinge of regret is some-
times noticeable in their reminiscences, as if they would fain take another ride
of that description. Neither was it a very slow or uncomfortable method of
travel. Over the main thoroughfares which we have noticed those often heav-
ily-laden vehicles bowled along from stage-house to stage-house, sweeping up
to each stopping-place, whither the sound of the horn had preceded them, the
drivers wielding the long whip with wonderful skill and manipulating the four-
in-hand with the greatest dexterity.
" Out of such enterprises," said George A. Merrill to the Rutland Histor-
ical Society, " grew such men as Chester W. Chapin and Genery Twitchell, in
Massachusetts, Robert Morse and B. P. Cheney, in New Hampshire, Mahlon
Cottrill, Otis Bardwell, K. Foster Cooke, William M. Field, Joel Benson and
Eleazer Wheelock, in Vermont, who, when their specialty was absorbed by
railroad transit, took up analogous work under the new order of things, and be-
came presidents of railroads, express companies, builders of cars and proprie-
tors of palatial hotels, all with marked success.
The same enterprise in planning, the same energy in pursuit, the same skill
in execution, which inaugurated and formed the mammoth stage line between
. the seaboard and our inland towns, was equally successful in constructing,
equipping and managing railroads.
In early days the old Franklin House in Rutland was a famous stage- house
and gained a wide reputation for the excellent accommodations offered to trav-
elers. Those old houses in various parts of the county will be further noticed
in the subsequent town histories. Many of the men afterward prominent in
business and railroads were identified with the early stage lines of the county.
But, with many other ancient institutions which were thought good and
rapid enough for the forefathers, the old stages were destined to wholly dis-
appear before the march of improvement.
In early times it was quite customary to inaugurate lotteries to raise funds
for the prosecution of public enterprises. Thus we find that on the 27th of
October, 1791, a lottery was authorized to raise three hundred pounds to build
the road from Woodstock to Rutland; and in October, 1792, another scheme
156 History of Rutland County.
was inaugurated to raise six hundred pounds to aid in building a court-house
in Rutland. Other lotteries were authorized to build roads from Castleton to
Sudbury and one in Shrewsbury, all before 1800. These pernicious schemes-
were not looked upon with the just aversion they now receive. About the be-
ginning of the present century a healthy sentiment was born relative to lotteries
and no new grants were made after 1804.
Facilities for travel and transportation of products and goods into and out
of Rutland county were restricted to teams for many years, which undoubtedly
long exerted an influence against the growth of this region. The attractive
hills and valleys of Western New York, reached easily by canal and railroad
long befoi-e such means of transportation had touched Vermont to any consid-
erable extent, and, later, the still more alluring fields farther west, drew many
home-seekers, not only away from this northern region, but directly out of it.
This state of affairs was deplored not only by individuals, but in the public
newspapers.
As railroad and canal builders the American people lead all nations. Pre-
vious to the opening of the Champlain Canal in 1823, a large share of the sur-
plus produce of this locality was transported eastward and northward and thus
reached the seacoast markets ; but with the opening of that waterway all was
changed in a day. The tide of commercial transportation and travel turned
westward, finding its outlet in New York ; an impetus of great importance to
Rutland county was also given to all kinds of industry, the effects of which are
still apparent. The spectacle which had been witnessed on Lake Champlain
in early times, of lumber, pot and pearl ashes and what other products could
be spared for market, going northward to Quebec from the western part of
Vermont, was no longer seen. Mercantile goods now came up from New York
city and breadstuffs from the west. Lake Champlain became a commercial
highway, whose blue waters were thickly dotted by white sails and puffing
steamers from the opening of navigation to its close ; in 1838 Vermont alone
had on the lake four steamboats, seventeen sloops, fifteen schooners and thirty-
one canal boats. It seemed that a new era of commercial history had begun.
Some efforts were made during this period to navigate the upper Connect-
icut by steamboats, the first in 1827, when a boat called the Barnet ascended
as far as'Bellows Falls ; this craft was afterward taken to Hartford and finally
broken up. In 1829 a Mr. Blanchard built two steamboats, one of which was
named for himself and was about the same size as the Barnet, and the other
eighty feet long and drawing but twelve or fifteen inches of water. These boats
made a few trips between Barnet and Bellows Falls and were then abandoned.
The success and business importance of the Champlain Canal and the Erie
Canal in New York State inaugurated a sort of canal fever throughout the
country, the latter named State being especially affected by it, while Vermont
nearly escaped. One enterprise of this nature, however, interested this county
Internal Improvements. 157
for a brief period. On the 17th of November, 1825, the " Otter Creek and
Castleton River Canal Company " was incorporated, under the names of EHa-
kim Johnson, Moseley Hall, Henry Hodges, Frederick Button, Moses Strong,
Francis Slason, Thomas Hammond, Sturgis Penfield, John Conant, Henry Oli-
ver, A. W. Broughton, Aaron Barrows, Harvey Deming, Ira Stewart, Jonathan
Hagar, John Meacham, James Arms, Reuben Moulton, Elisha Parkhill,
John P. Colburn and Jacob Davy ; several of these gentlemen were prominent
citizens of Rutland county. The objects of this company were to " maintain a
canal or railways, or improve the navigation of Castleton River and Otter
Creek, by canals, railways, or other streams from the village of Middlebury to
the village of Wallingford, from the creek in Rutland to the East Bay, or to
the line of the State of New York, to intersect a canal such as may be branched
out from the northern canal in the State of New York to the east line of the
said State." This was a nick-looking enterprise, but it moved very little far-
ther than the incorporation. Other navigation enterprises were suggested and
discussed ; but the State of Vermont was destined to prosper without canals.
Railroads. — Between the years 1830 and 1840 the people of this region
began to believe that if they would enjoy the degree of prosperity allotted to
other States, they must have railroads. This feeling culminated in vigorous
efforts, which for several years promised to be successful, to build the Rutland
and Whitehall Railroad. It was seen by such men as Moses M. Strong (who
•was always foremost in enterprises of this nature), George T. Hodges, Solomon
Foot, E. L. Ormsbee and many others of energy, that if this distance between
tlie places named, over which Rutland county had to transport almost all of
her products, goods and travel, could be spanned by a railroad, it must inevit-
ably prove a prosperous line and give this county just the outlet it needed.
The first notice of a public railroad meeting in the county called a gathering at
" Beaman's Hotel" (the Franklin Hotel), April 13, 1836. The proceedings of
this meeting are not extant. The charter for the road had been obtained,
bearing date November 9, 183 i. The first charter was allowed to expire and
in 1836 a new charter was granted. In November of the same year the Legis-
lature passed the bill incorporating the Rutland and Whitehall Railroad Bank,
with a capital of $250,000, the railroad company having an equal amount ; the
incorporators being Moses Strong, George T. Hodges, A. L. Brown, E. L.
Ormsbee, B. F. Langdon and C. W. Conant. The early consummation of the
enterprise seemed certain. Stock subscription books were opened in Whitehall
on the 15th and i6th of May, 1837, and subscriptions were liberal. The select-
men of Rutland had already been instructed to petition the Legislature for an
act authorizing the town to subscribe $20,000 for the road. The newspapers
of the spring of 1827 called loudly on the citizens of the town to arouse them-
selves in aid of the enterprise and pay no heed to the rumors of approaching
" hard times." But the work languished, 'even after a large portion of the stock
158 History of Rutland County.
had been subscribed. A public meeting in aid of the road was held at the
court-house in Rutland April 10, 1838, with William C. Kittridge in the chair.
A committee, previously appointed, submitted a plan through the hands of E.
L. Ormsbee. Another committee of three (Solomon Foot, Moses Strong and
E. L. Ormsbee) was appointed to examine the condition of the charter and the
enterprise, and report upon its advantages as an investment for capitalists. The
subsequent report was long and e.xhaustive, giving estimates of cost, probable
business, profits, etc. On the 19th of June in that year it was announced that
one-fourth of the stock necessary to be taken in this town had been subscribed.
But the enterprise was doomed, not through its lack of promise, or any cause
outside of the oncoming financial crisis which paralyzed all similar enterprises.
Rutland county was forced to wait a period for its railroad.
In September, 1836, notice was published of a petition to be presented to
the Legislature for an act incorporating the railroad from Bennington to the
Canada line; the forerunner of the present Rutland and Bennington Railroad.
On the 1st of November, 1843, a company was incorporated with the right
and for the purpose of building a railroad " from some point on the eastern
shore of Lake Champlain, thence up the valley of Onion River, and extending
to a point on the Connecticut River most convenient to meet a railroad either
from Concord, N. H., or Fitchburgh, Mass." Stock was subscribed for the
enterprise, and in the spring of 1847 work upon the construction of the Ver-
mont Central Railroad was commenced. Various financial diflSculties and con-
troversies with other enterprises of a like kind followed, delaying its comple-
tion until 1849, when, in November of that year, the first train of cars passed
over it. Its final route was decided upon as folio a's : commencing at Windsor,
it follows the Connecticut River to the mouth of White River, thence up that
stream to the source of its third branch ; thence, reaching the summit in Rox-
bury, and passing down the valley of Dog River, it enters the Winooski val-
ley, near Montpelier ; and thence, continuing in the Winooski valley, near
Montpelier; and thence continuing in the Winooski valley, its terminus is
reached at Burlington, a distance of one hundred and seventeen miles.
The Vermont and Canada Railroad Company was incorporated by the
General Assembly, October 31, 1845, '"'d amended and altered, November 15,
1847, giving a right to build a railroad " from some point in Highgate, on the
Canada line, thence through the village of St. Albans, to some point or points
in Chittenden county, most convenient for meeting, at the village of Burling-
ton, a railroad to be built on the route described in the acts to incorporate the
Champlain and Connecticut River Railroad Company, and the Vermont Cen-
tral Railroad Company." The route decided upon was from Rouse's Point to
Burlington, a distance of fifty-three miles, passing through the towns of Col-
chester, Milton, Georgia, St. Albans, Swanton and Alburgh. Ground was
broken for its construction early in September, 1848, in the northern part of
Georgia, and completed and opened to the public early in I 85 I.
Internal Improvements. 159
By the subsequent organization of the present Central Vermont Railroad
Company, however, these roads all came under its control, and are now ope-
rated by the same, as different branches of the Central Vermont Railroad.
The company has its principal office at St. Albans, with the following list of
officers: J. Gregory Smith, president; J. R. Langdon, vice-president; J. W.
Hobart, general manager ; J. M. Foss, general superintendent and master me-
chanic; E. A. Chittenden, superintendent of local freight traffic; and S. W.
Cummings, general passenger agent. Directors, J. Gregory Smith, J. R. Lang-
don, W. H. H. Bingham, B. P. Cheney, Ezra H. Baker, Joseph Hickson, E.
C. Smith ; clerk, George Nichols ; treasurer, D. D. Ranlett.
The above described lines of road have all exerted an influence upon the
growth and prosperity of Rutland county, and form prominent parts of the
present important system of the State.
The railroad between Rutland and Bennington was built under an act of
the Legislature, passed November 5, 1S45, incorporating the Western Ver-
mont Railroad Company. The company was duly organized, and the first
board of directors, elected February 28, 1850, was Myron Clark, president;
Aaron R. Vail, vice-president ; Robert Pierpoint, Robinson Hall, Ira Cochran,
Martin C. Deming, Asahel Hurd, Lemuel Bottum, Alanson P. Lyman. Sen-
eca Smith was chosen clerk. The road was put into operation in 1852. The
title of the original stockholders having been extinguislied by the foreclosure
of the first mortgage, January i, 1857, the road passed into the possession of
Shepherd Knapp and George Briggs, trustees, who leased it to the Troy and
Boston Railroad Company, by which it was run until January 16, 1867. Mean-
time, July 28, 1865, the bondholders organized a new corporation, called the
Bennington and Rutland Railroad Company, of which the first board of direct-
ors were Trenor W. Park, president ; Hiland Hall, Alanson P. Lyman, Charles
E. Houghton, M. Carter Hall, Charles G. Lincoln, treasurer; Nathaniel B.
Hall, Hugh Henry Baxter. George W. Harmon, clerk.
Subsequently, on the 8th day of August, 1877, a new corporation, called
the Bennington and Rutland Railway Company, was organized with the follow-
ing named directors: — Abraham B. Gardner, president; Augustus Schell,
Cornelius Vanderbilt, Benjamin R. Sears and Trenor W. Park. George W.
Harmon was chosen clerk, and C. E. Houghton, treasurer.
The road is now run by that company, and the following are its officers :
S. H. Hall, president ; C. E. Houghton, treasurer ; directors (besides the
above), D. M. Eowen, G. W. Harmon, F. C. White, the latter being super-
intendent.
The Rutland and Washington Railroad Company was organized under an
act approved by the Legislature November 13, 1847. The first meeting was
held at West Poultney on the 23d of February, 1848, at which the following
board of directors was chosen : Merritt Clark, Marcus G. Langdon, Henrv
i6o History of Rutland County.
Stanley, Isaac W. Thompson, Horace Clark, Edgar L. Ormsbee and Milton
Brown. Merritt Clark was subsequently elected president and Horace Clark,
his brother, treasurer and superintendent. The board of directors continued
nearly the same for two years, when the road was opened through to Salem,
forming a continuous line from Rutland to Troy, N. Y. Four years from the
day of organization Horace Clark, a pioneer and master-spirit in projecting and
completing the road, died, on the 25th of February, 1852 ; the day appointed
for celebrating its opening witnessed his funeral rites and burial. The road
cost about one million of dollars and did not at first prove a financial success.
Jay Gould became superintendent of the road January i, 1864, having his
headquarters for the first two years at Rutland, boarding at the Bardwell
House. In July of 1876 he negotiated the sale of the road to the D. & H. C.
Compan}', by which it is still owned and operated as part of their extensive
system.
The Champlain and Connecticut River Railroad was incorporated Novem-
ber I, 1843. The first meeting of stockholders was held at Rutland, May 6,
1845, with Timothy Follett, of Burlington, chairman, and Ambrose L. Brown,
of Rutland, clerk. Voted to open subscription for stock June 10, 1845.
June 12, 1845, more than 2, GOO shares having been subscribed to the capi-
tal stock, stockholders were notified to meet at the court-house in Rutland for
choice of nine directors, which were chosen as follows: Timothy Follett, Sam-
uel Barker, Ira Stewart, Charles Linsley, John A. Conant, Chester Granger,
George T. Hodges, WilHam Henry and Henry N. Fullerton. Subsequently,
January 14, 1846, the following were chosen directors in place of the old
board : Timothy Follett, Samuel P. Strong, William Nash, Charles Linsley,
John A. Conant, Chester Granger, George T. Hodges, Nathaniel Fullerton,
William Henry, John Elliott, Horace Gray, Samuel Dana and Samuel Hen-
shaw, with Timothy Follett president.
The first blow towards its construction was struck during the month of
February, 1847, in the town of Rockingham, near Bellows Falls. Two years
and nine months sufficed to complete the road, and.it was opened through,
December 18, 1849.
The name of the road was changed to the Rutland and Burlington Railroad
Company by an act of the Legislature, November 6, 1847. It was subse-
quently changed to the Rutland Railroad Company. Hon. John B. Page was
president at the time of his death, in October, 1885, and Joel M. Haven treas-
urer. Thus, through various changes and vicissitudes, litigations and bank-
ruptcy, the whole line, its buildings, etc., on the ist day of January, 1871, was
leased for a period of twenty years to the Vermont Central Railroad Company.
The Rutland and Whitehall Railroad, running from Castleton to Whitehall,
twenty-four miles, was organized under an act approved by the Legislature
November 13, 1847, and the road was finished in 1850. Soon after its com-
Internal Improvements.
pletion it was leased to the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad Company, by
which it was operated until 1866, when it was leased to and operated under the
administration of Jay Gould. On the 1st of July of the same year the Dela-
ware and Hudson Canal Company took the road under a perpetual lease, by
which it is now operated as a branch of their great system.
A. W. and Pitt W. Hyde, William C. Kittridge and Alanson Albee were
the chief promoters of this enterprise in its earlier days. The first officers of
the company were A. W. Hyde, of Castleton, president ; Alanson Albee, of
Fairhaven, vice-president; P. W. Hyde, clerk; and W. C. Kittridge, of Fair-
haven, treasurer. These, with W. W. Cooley, now president of the corpora-
tion, constituted the first board of directors.
The era of railroads in Rutland county, which may be said to date from
about 1850, worked immediate and tremendous changes; especially was this
true of the town of Rutland and the village of the same name. It is doubtful
if there is another town, possibly county, in the State that was changed so uni-
versally from an inland agricultural district, without rapid communication with
the outside world, to a great railroad center by the construction of the lines de-
scribed, all of which were put in operation within a very short period. The
village of Rutland, the commercial metropolis of the county, awakened from its
lethargy at the top of the beautiful eminence crossed by Main street and strug-
gled persistently and vigorously down the hillside towards the depot. Lands
in that locality were purchased by far-seeing men, and the advance in prices
of such real estate that was only a few years earlier an object of ridicule, on
account of its low and marshy character, was something almost phenomenal
for a long-settled region. Melzar Edson purchased about the year 1845 ^ ten
acre tract of William Hall, lying to the eastward of Merchants Row to Wales
street and bounded on the north by West street, for which he paid $1,750.
In 1883 one building lot on the corner of Edson and West streets sold for
$2,500. This tract now embraces the most thickly-settled and valuable por-
tion of the village, some of it on Center street being worth $150 a foot.
Evelyn Pierpoint owns a place, No. 19 West street, that was mortgaged in
1810 for $1,350, and would not have sold for much more than the face of the
security down to the time of railroad building; it is now valuable property.
The lot, a part of which is occupied by the Congregational church. West and
Court streets, was sold as late as 1835 by Robert Pierpoint for $550. Down
to 1840 Shrewsbury, Clarendon and Castleton disputed the claim of Rutland
to commercial importance. The grounds now occupied by the railroad build-
ings, formerly a portion of the John Ruggles farm, were a cow pasture. A
tract of land lying substantially between Center street and the railroad tracks
and east of a portion of Merchants Row, bounded north by West street, and
east by a line drawn directly by the " Tuttle Building " to the Bardwell House,
was offered to Mr. Pierpoint about 1848 for $1,000. He vainly endeavored to
i62 History of Rutland County.
get other citizens to join with him in the purchase ; one of those men has since
paid $3,000 for a small lot thereon, facing Merchants Row. These are only
examples indicating the wonderful growth of the village of Rutland and the
changes wrought by the railroads. The people of the county at large saw the
dawn of rapidly advancing prosperity and their visions have been fully realized.
We will close this chapter with an extract from an Albany newspaper of
the year 1852 which states " that land in Rutland that was in market six years
ago at $60 an acre is now held at $2,500 and $3,000. Eight years ago Ver-
mont was without a railroad ; now Rutland is a central railroad point. No
less than six lines enter Rutland, over which run forty-five trains a day."
CHAPTER Xn.
industries of RUTLAND COUNTY.i
Effects of Industries on Civilization — Earliest Industries and Tools — Characteristics of the Pio-
neers — Clearing of Forests — The Food Supply — Early Agriculture — Mistakes of Early Farmers —
Introduction of Improved Farm Tools — Sheep Husbandry — Imported Stock and its Improvement —
Prominent Breeders of the County — Cattle Raising — Horses and their Improvement — Early Manu-
factures— Causes of Decline — Present Activity of Manufactures.
"TT is quite within modern times, " says a late writer, "that by observation
J^ and experience the knowledge has been acquired for a comprehensive and
philosophical conception of the importance of industry as a necessary condition
in the evolution of human society; " and it seems to the writer as though our
Vermont historians had not to this time conceived the importance of industry
in the line of progress. We rely upon education, upon science, and we should ;
we readily see that the railroad, the telegraph, and the ten thousand inventions
and improvements of modern times were the results of scientific inquiry; but
we do not so readily see the effects of industry upon the growth of civilization,
or that industry is as important a factor in the advancement of social, moral
and intellectual as in material progress. There is an interdependence of all the
sciences, of all the useful pursuits of life. Some men are more prominent than
others, some attract the attention and huzzas of the multitude ; but the general
results come from the combined action of the whole. With this brief indica-
tion of principles, applicable, as we believe, to the subject in hand, we assert
that with the light of the present age, the history of a county, state or nation
would be incomplete without a full history of its industries.
The history of the industries of Rutland county well brought out would
open a field for study and philosophical research that could but result in gain
1 Contributed to this work by the Hon. Barnes Frisbie.
Industries of Rutland County. 163
of knowledge. The writer is well aware that very few readers of history, in-
dustrial or any other, have been accustomed to study history in the way indi-
cated. They read history simply for the facts, without regard to cause and
effect, and thereby get the mere data, and even that they are less likely to re-
tain than if read and studied as it should be. But this in part has been the
fault of the historian ; he has not invited his reader to the philosophy of
history.
A few words from Thompson's I'fnnoiit will forcibl)' bring out the begin-
ning of the history of the industries of Rutland county and of Vermont as
well : —
" With scarcely any tools but an axe, the first settlers entered the forests,
cleared off the timber from a small piece of ground, cut down trees to a suitable
length and by the help of a few neighbors reared their log houses and covered
them with bark. "
History and tradition leave us in doubt of the general condition of things
on the first settlement. The settlers brought little with them, and in the then
state of civilization they seemed to have no alternative but to hew out for them-
selves homes in the forest with their own hands. It is equally clear in a gen-
eral view what our fathers and their descendants have accomplished in the in-
dustries in the hundred and ten years, or thereabouts, since the first settlements
were made. All intelligent persons would concede that the material progress
of this county in the time has been without parallel in the historj' of the world.
Now, we ought to know, or to learn, as we advance in this history, the causes
of this marvelous growth, and perhaps the character of the men who made the
first settlements of Vermont will furnish us with the most instructive lesson to
be drawn from the entire subject.
The first settlers of Vermont were immigrants from the older settled colonies
of New England. They were not a roving band that came hither for the pur-
pose of speculation, but were as firmly fixed in habits of steady industry, in the
principles of democracy and social equality, in their adherence to Christianity
and the cause of education, as any people that ever lived. They had been
educated and rigidly disciplined to all this in Massachusetts and Connecticut,
and, so armed, they were in spite of their poverty enabled in a few years to
make " the wilderness bud and blossom as the rose, " and to give influence and
direction to the industrial advance of the State and nation.
Agriculture. — This has been the leading industry in Vermont since the
State was settled ; it is, as said by another, an industry of primal necessity.
The early settlers as they came into Vermont found it a wilderness. The entire
lands were covered with a forest. They were obliged to provide themselves
and families with food to sustain life. They did not bring food with them.
They had no means to buy it, and there was none to buy within their reach.
They must grow it; they could get it in no other way. Each secured a piece
i64 History of Rutland County.
of land, cut down trees and erected a log house for temporary shelter, and then
cleared a patch, burned the timber and brush, planted corn and sowed wheat
among the stumps, and for a plow used an axe. With this implement they
chopped up the earth among the stumps and roots to get it in condition to receive
the seed. This was the beginning of Rutland county agriculture, — of Ver-
mont agriculture. The next year another patch was cut over, the material
burned and the ground fitted for the seed in the same manner. Thus the work
of clearing up the forest was pushed along as rapidly as these hardy pioneers
could do it. They soon began to gather some stock around them, as they could
keep it. The hard-wood stumps (beech and maple) soon rotted out, when
those who had teams began to use the plow and harrow. The early settlers in
a few years were in condition to raise a very considerable amount of wheat, rye,
corn, potatoes and flax. They soon got a few sheep and of their wool and flax
their wives and daughters made the clothing for their families.
For the first half century after the settlement of Vermont there was very
little improvement in agriculture ; in that period, there was, however, a constant
increase of production in progress. More and more of the forests were cut
away each returning year, and the newly cleared tracts hurried along into till-
able lands as fast as practicable. The increase was in the acreage put into
crops ; not in the amount of production per acre. The decayed wood and
leaves had been accumulating for centuries ; vegetable mould kept the lands
rich for many years thereafter, before any fertilization was required to put them
in condition to bring forth ample crops. The lands produced abundantly for
many years with indifierent plowing and no fertilization, except what nature
provided.
The old wooden plow was used in Vermont for more than half a century
after the State was settled. It required more strength of team to draw it than
the modern plow and it only " rooted up " from two to four inches of the sur-
face of the ground. All farm implements were then rude and clumsy, and
though the entire work of cultivation was simply the persistent use of physical
strength, yet the lands on the average produced about twice what they do now.
But continual cropping exhausted the elements of production to a great degree
and the farmers found their soils deteriorated before they were aware of it. The
very simple general proposition did not occur to them that to restore produc-
tiveness of their soils they must restore the elements, the plant food, which they
had lost by this continual cropping for half a century. The proposition, though
simple, opens a field for thought, for mental labor in connection with agricul-
ture which the farmers were not then accustomed to, and instead of applying
the remedy, they allowed their lands to go on in the downward course of de-
terioration. By-and-by the inventor and manufacturer awoke and produced a
plow with a cast iron mould-board. This, and other improved farm implements,
were the first distinctive improvement in connection with agriculture, at least
in Vermont. The following is taken from the history of the town of Poultney :
Industries of Rutland County. 165
" During the first half century after the settlement there were few changes
worthy of note in the mode of farming. The same farm implements first in use
were kept in use with very little change or improvement until after 1820. The
old wooden plow was manufactured every where a third-rate blacksmith could
be found; almost any man could do the wood work. In 1825 a plow with a
cast iron mould-board was offered for sale in Poultney for the first time. It had
been introduced in New York and the Middle States some years previous to
that time and was gradually working its way into use. The farmers of Poult-
ney and vicinity for some time would not buy it ; they said it would break ; it
might do on Western or Southern lands, where there were no stones, but it would
never work among the rocks and stones of Vermont; they were sure of that.
After a time one farmer after another, with much urging, was induced to try it,
found they did not break it, and that it was much more effective in its work than
the wooden plow, and before 1 840 the wooden plow was a thing of the past.
Other new implements and improvements on old ones soon followed."
The mowing-machine and horse-rake were later improvements. It is not
over twenty-five years since the click of the mowing-machine was first heard
in Rutland county, and hardly twenty years since it came into general use.
The economy adhered to by the farmers of Vermont for the first half cen-
tury or more of our history, led them to do all they could within themselves ;
to raise all they needed for their own use upon their own farms, with sufficient
to square up their accounts with the shoemaker, the blacksmith, the cooper,
the carpenter, the merchant, and the doctor. Their lands then produced
bountifully, but the markets for their produce hardly paid for transportation
before the days of railroads, with butter at ten cents a pound, cheese at four or
five cents, potatoes at ten or fifteen cents a bushel, and rye and corn at fifty
cents. The first specialty in the history of farming in Rutland county seems
to have been in
Sheep Husbandry. — The scope of this work is such that only a general out-
line of the history of this very important branch of farming 'industry can be
given, but enough we hope to encourage the young farmers of Rutland county
that it may be made profitable, if entered into with zeal and made a subject
of scientific investigation and constant attention and study.
The first sheep brought into Vermont were the " native breed," so called,
or, as they were sometimes called, the " English sheep." They were a large,
healthy, hardy sheep, with long, coarse wool, which supplied the material for
clothing for that day and generation. The pride of the early settlers did not
aspire to fine wool clothing. They did not then grow sheep or wool for the
market. They were grown for their flesh to eat and their wool for clothing,
and now and then a sheep or fleece of wool for a mechanic or tradesman.
The importation of the Spanish Merino sheep led to the specialty to which
allusion has been made in this branch of farm industry. When this breed of
i66 History' of Rutland County.
sheep was first imported from Spain to this country, or by whom, does not
seem definitely settled. The late William Jarvis, of Wethersfield, Vermont,
while American cousul to Portugal, made large importations of the Spanish
Merino to this county in 1810 and 181 1. He was not, however, the only im-
porter nor the first one. Colonel David Humphreys, of Connecticut, was an
earlier importer of these sheep than Jarvis ; but the importations of the latter
were largely to Vermont, and the well-known character of Mr. Jarvis, his
knowledge of sheep and his enthusiasm in their improvement, enabled him to
do more than anybody else in laying the foundation for the success of sheep
husbandry in this State.
The first importations were scattered about and did not attract general at-
tention in Vermont much before 1825. The tariffs of 1824 and 1828, with the
growing interest in the Spanish Merino, created an enthusiasm in Vermont in
sheep husbandry, and this brought out as a specialty the business of wool
growing in this State. A high tariff by Congress had the effect to raise the
prices of wool. Manufactories went up on every stream capable of running
machinery, as the readers of the various town histories herein will learn ; farm-
ers went almost exclusively into the business of wool-growing.
The inquiry may now properly be made as to the character of the sheep
imported from Spain by Consul Jarvis and others. They were doubtless a
pure Spanish Merino, they were not as large or as hardy as the old English
sheep, but their wool was as fine and pure as any wool ever grown before or
since. Their fleeces did not average over three and a half pounds, but the
wool was of excellent quality what there was of it.
Now we come to a very important part of the history of our sheep hus-
bandry, viz., the improvement on the imported Spanish Merino sheep. Such
improvement has been made that the descendants of this imported breed are
a larger and more hardy sheep and produce an average fleece of nearly, if not
quite, three times the weight of the original Spanish Merino. How has this
improvement been effected ? Undoubtedly the Vermont climate is favorable
to that end ; our Vermont grasses are well adapted to sheep, and ourV'ermont
breeders have exhibited a measure of scientific study and acquired knowledge
in their calling which may well challenge the attention of scientists in any de-
partment of industry. In the last few years large sales have been made by
the Vermont breeders of the Spanish Merino to parties living in nearly all of
the States in the Union. Car loads have been sent to the Western States, Cal-
ifornia and New Mexico. In fact the Vermont sheep are the standard in this
country, and they are obtained for their excellence and to improve the flocks of
sheep elsewhere — we were about to say everywhere. It should not be for-
gotten that the Spanish Merino has been raised to his present high degree of
excellence in Vermont by forty years of hard mental labor on the part of the
pioneers in this work, among whom is our own J. A. Benedict, esq., of
Industries of Rutland County. 167
Castleton, in this county. Without disparagement to any among the leading
sheep breeders of this county, past or present, may also be mentioned Joseph
S. Griswold, of Benson ; D. W. Bump, of Brandon ; Albert Brasee, J. Ganson,
and Chandler B. Gibbs, of Hubbardton ; Lyman W. Fish, and Harry Collins,
of Ira; Johnson S. Benedict, Chauncej- L. Barber, and William F. Barber, of
Castleton ; Volney Baird, Pittsfield ; Isaac H. Morgan, Poultney ; John H.
Mead, Rutland. Many others have been and are engaged in this industry;
but the above are those now prominentlj' following it.
Cattle. — The cattle of the earl)' settlers were of the " native breed, " and
not much attempt was made at improvement in Rutland county until after
1830. The Durham was about the first breed introduced in Rutland county
in the way of improvement. This, crossed with the native breed, did produce
an improvement. It increased the size and beauty of the animals and they
were more easily fattened ; but it was claimed that it did not improve the dairy,
that the Durham cow was no better (if as good) for the dairy than the native
cow. But the dair\' was hardly made a specialty in Vermont farming until
after 1830. Butter and cheese were made from the first, but made to supply
the families of those who made these articles, and to pay merchants' and me-
chanics' bills — made for home consumption ; there was no market elsewhere
which demanded these products to much extent. Even up to 1840 butter
seldom brought over ten cents a pound, and cheese not over five or six cents.
The dairy business in Rutland county began to increase gradually as early as
1834. The mania for wool-growing, which had for a half dozen years existed
among the farmers, began to subside, and as that was passing away more atten-
tion was given to dairying. The farmers began to keep less of other stock and
more of cows. Thus they went on from year to year until nearly every farmer
kept either sheep or dairy entire, except his necessary team.
Since the system of associated dairying was introduced, improvements in
that department have been more rapid. It is a matter of history, we suppose,
that Jesse Williams, of Rome, N. Y., was the originator of the American cheese
factory system. This he originated in 1850, and for the purpose of relieving
the members of his family from excessive labor in the management of his own
dairy. But in this act of his he developed a principle of immense value to that
interest, and the factory system is now quite generally adopted in this country
wherever intelligent dairying is prosecuted. It may be regarded not only as a
great labor-saving invention, but as developing a more scientific mode of man-
ufacture, a better article, and a more successful business.
Associated dairying began in Rutland county in the year 1864. It had
then made considerable progress in the State of New York, and especially in
the vicinity of Rome where it originated. Rollin C. Wickham established the
first cheese factory in Rutland county, in his own town of Pawlet. The next
one was established in Middletown and the building erected the same year
1 68 History of Rutland County.
(1864). Like most other improvements, the system had to undergo opposi-
tion, but there is no opposition now. It is the true system of dairying, espe-
cially of cheese-making.
Several foreign breeds of cattle have been introduced in this country during
the last twenty-five years, for their supposed excellences as dairy stock. Among
them are the Ayrshires, the Jerseys and the Holsteins ; there are other breeds,
but these are the leading varieties. Each of these is undoubtedly a fine dairy
stock, and collectively they have doubtless done much to improve the dairy ca-
pacity of this country. But the improvement has not been alone the result of
breeding in this country. The scientific and skillful breeder of dairy stock, like
the Merino sheep breeder, has improved upon nature ; he has improved upon
the imported cow. Both our wool-growers and our dairymen have evinced
remarkable skill in their callings, and may well stand beside the great inventors
of modern times, as benefactors of their race. The yield of butter or cheese
per cow has been largely increased in the last twenty or thirty years. The
cow has been improved and the facilities for working up the milk so as to se-
cure the entire yield and give a better quality of butter and cheese are now
seemingly all that can be asked.
If the same study and mental energy and persistence that have been de-
voted to sheep raising and the dairy in these later years, had been given to our
worn-out soils, the crop reports would show a much higher figure. But let us
hope that we shall soon see two blades of grass where one now grows.
Horses. — Vermont horses are also noted for their excellence. The Black
Hawks and Morgans first gained their notoriety in Vermont, and the Hamble-
tonians were first known as trotters in Rutland county. We have had our full
share of " fast- horse " men, the most of whom have lost rather than gained
money in their chosen occupation. The trotting horse is now the leading at-
traction at every agricultural fair, and skill in breeding and training in these
latter days sends him almost on the wings of the wind. The horse is a noble
animal, and the larger class of horses in this county are now bred and grown
for the purposes of utility. It satisfies the ambition of some to have a horse
that will finish a mile stretch in one or two seconds less time than any other
horse ; but it does not follow that the horse which comes out half his length
ahead is the best horse in the service for which horses are made. Every man
is to be commended for his love for a beautiful horse. A fine moving horse,
a good carriage horse, a good " roader," a good work horse, a horse which has
" bottom " and endurance — all these are valuable and may well be sought for
in breeding and growing this animal. Great improvement has been made in
this stock in the last forty years and a fine field exists for further improvement,
without attempting to grow up a horse whose only merit is that he can trot a
mile in one or two seconds less time than any other horse.
Manufactures. — As our space is limited for the consideration of the subject
Industries of Rutland County. 169
of the industries of the county we can but briefly allude to mechanics and me-
chanical work under the head of manufactures.
One historian tells us that the axe and the plow were the most primitive of
manufactures, another historian said, that " a woman with a pair of hand cards,
the great and little wheel, one of which was turned by the hand, the other by
the foot, made the outfit for the earliest manufacturing establishment in Ver-
mont." It is perhaps of no great importance here to discuss the question
whether axes and plows or the spinning-wheel, were first made. It is probable
that in Vermont the axe was first used. The first thing done on the settlement
was to cut down trees on a space large enough to build a log house upon, and
the settlers could not have done that without axes. They did have an axe
when they began, and that was about all they did have of farm implements ;
the axe, if we may say so, was the pioneer's tool. The axe used by the early
settlers was a rude implement with a helve, as Horace Greeley once said, " like
a pudding-stick." The wooden plow, the first used in Vermont, we have al-
ready described. The early settlers were obliged to have clothing as well as
something to eat, and every household very soon furnished itself with the hand
cards, the wheels named, and a loom, all of a rude character ; but with them
(kept perhaps in the same room in which the family ate, drank and slept) the
women of the household carded and spun wool and made the clothing for the
family.
Saw-mills were about the first mechanical establishments propelled by wa-
ter power. The settlers occupied the log dwellings no longer than they were
obliged to; but they could have no other until they could saw boards and
planks from their plentiful timber. Quite early the saw-mills went up on all
of the streams in Vermont, and the settlers began the erection of frame houses.
Details of these early mills will be given in the histories of the various towns.
About the year 1800, and in some towns a little before that time, carding
machines and fulling mills were erected, which were then regarded as a great
improvement. At the carding machine the wool could be transformed into
rolls ready for the spinning-wheel and the flannel could be colored and fulled,
ready to be made into coats, jackets and trovvsers for the men and boys. Soon
there was another advance in this direction. There were woolen and cotton
factories established, factories where, strange to say, they could take wool and
run it through the various stages in the same mill and it would come out fin-
ished cloth. The " spinning-jenny " was a wonderful machine and how one
man could run a hundred spindles while the good housewife could run only
one, was a marvel. Many of the early carding and cloth mills of this county
will be noted in the subsequent town histories.
About 1800 iron ore was discovered in Brandon, Chittenden and Tin-
mouth, and great hope was inspired as to its becoming a source of future
wealth. Furnaces were established in Brandon and Tinmouth at which stoves
were made, which gradually superseded the old-fashioned fire-place.
I70 History of Rutland County.
The manufacture of pot and pearl ashes was a prominent and very early
industry. The forests had to be cut down and burned, thus furnishing a source
of manufacture without cost. The sale of the product supplied the settlers
with a medium of exchange for household necessities which was of great value
when money was very scarce.
J no. Burnam, who is elsewhere mentioned in these pages, established a
starch manufactor}' at Middletown, about the beginning of the century, using
potatoes for his stock. It was quite a success ; but in common with very
many other early manufacturing shops in the county, was carried off by the
great flood of i8i i.
Manufacturing was quite brisk in Rutland county for about a quarter of a
century prior to 1830, which included woolen and cotton goods, stoves and
iron ware, whisky and cider brandy. The manufactories of those goods in
this county were quite numerous during that period, but diminished rapidly
after 1830, a result due largely to the fact that the county lacked railroad trans-
portation to distant markets and could not, therefore, compete with others who
were more fortunately situated.
The railroads have now revolutionized the industries of this count)', as they
have wherever they have been built and sustained ; they became almost a nec-
essary condition of our e.xistence. It is not quite forty years since the first
railroad was put in operation in Vermont. " Cheap transportation " says a
modern writer, "is the instrument and the test of civilized progress. In pro-
portion as men can travel quickly, easily and cheaply, and can carry goods and
material quickly, easily and cheaply, very nearly in that proportion do wealth,
and intelligence, and happiness, that is, civilization, advance."
As already indicated, it was not contemplated in this chapter to go mi-
nutely into the histories of the industries which have been pursued in Rutland
county; they will be more fully described in later pages of the work. We in-
tended only to give a general outline, and at the same time to enforce as well
as we could the importance of a knowledge of the subject. We do not under-
estimate the history of men ; but even that cannot be understood without a
knowledge of man's position and the influences which surround him. No one
will deny that the advance in this region, in wealth, in prosperity, in all that
pertains to civilization, in the last fifty years, has been without a parallel in
history.
% ^^'^^rlctcyi<
Marble and Slate in Rutland County.
CHAPTER XIII.
marble and SL.\TE in RUTLAND COUNTV.l
Geographical Po-sition — Geological .-Kge — Mountains — Lakes and Ponds — Geographical Older
•of Rocks — Rock Formation — Ice Period and Glaciah Theory — Fossils — Minerals — Economic
Minerals — Early Quarries and Mills — Analysis of Marbles— Comparative Strength of Marbles —
Chronological List of Marble Quarries — Development of Machinery — Slate Quarries — Chronologi-
c.-il List of Slate Quarries — Iron — Clays.
THE geographical position of Rutland county begins on the east of the
crest of the Green Mountain Range, and extends west to Lake Champlain
and the State of New York, with Addison county on the north and Benning-
ton county on the south ; it has an area of about one thousand square miles.
It has an elevated surface, mountainous on the east, with numerous foot hills and
scattered spurs of the Green Mountains — a member of the Apalachian system
which extends from Quebec to Alabama. The soil is fertile and the surface is
drained by Black, White, Ouechee and Pawlet Rivers, and Otter Creek.
The geological age of the rock formation of Western Vermont has been the
subject of much discussion and controversy by many eminent geologists, par-
ticularly in relation to the shale, slate and limestone formations (including mar-
ble), that are exposed along the valleys and lower portions of the district em-
braced b)' Rutland and adjoining counties. The order of the various formations
along Lake Champlain was determined as early as 1842, by Messrs. Hall,
Emmons, Mather and Vannuxem, of the New York Geological Survey. These
formations stand in the following order : Potsdam sandstone followed by cal-
ciferous, Chazy and Trenton limestones, and the latter by Hudson River slate.
But with regard to the age and order of the rock lying east of the Champlain
Group, a diversity of opinions have been entertained b\- a number of promi-
nent geologists.
Professor Emmons, in his report of the New York survey, advanced his
theory of the "Taconic System," claiming "that the range of mountains ex-
tending from Addison county in Vermont south along the western borders of
Massachusetts and Connecticut, and also the limestone and marble on the east
of the range, belonged to a formation older than the Potsdam, but younger than
the primitive rocks " ; but he was opposed in his views by Professors Hall and
Mather, and Professor Rogers, of the Pennsylvania survey, who regarded the
limestone and slate of the Taconic Range as belonging to the Champlain Group.
The geological reports of Vermont seem to leave the age of these rocks
undetermined. In 1866 Sir William Logan, of the geological survey of Can-
ada, extended his " Quebec Group " so as to include the rocks of the Taconic
Group of Emmons.
1 This chapter was prepared for this work by George |. Wardwell, of Rutland.
172 History of Rutland County.
Of the various theories set up to fix the geological age of these rocks, it
was left for an unpretentious Vermont citizen to furnish the means of deter-
mining their geological horizon, viz.: Rev. Augustus Wing, a graduate of Am-
herst College of the class of 1835. He was not a professional geologist, but
became deeply interested in the science, and a large portion of the latter part
of his life was spent in studying the rocks of Western Vermont, with a view to
determining the age of the marble formation. " Knowing," says Professor
Dana, " that fossils were the only sure criterion of geological age, he searched
and found them, and thus reached safe conclusions." "... He accom-
plished vastly more for the elucidation of the age of Vermont rocks than had
been done by the Vermont geological survey." "... His discoveries
shed light not on these rocks alone, but also on the general geology of New
England and Eastern North America."
Mr. Wing was preparing, at the request of Professor Dana, an account of
his discoveries for the Jojirtial of Science, but died in January, 1876, before it
was finished. After his death his note-book and papers relating to this subject
were sent to Professor Dana, who compiled them for publication in the Jour-
nal of Science, 1877, PP- 33^ and 405, vol. XUI. Mr. Wing's general conclu-
sion has been established : It is " that the limestone formation of Western New
England, containing the marble, is the same as the calciferous, Chazy and
Trenton of the Champlain Group (lower Silurian), and that the slates of the
Taconic Range overlie the limestone and belong to the Hudson River and
Utica formations of the New York reports." ^
The perplexing question as to the geological age of the limestone, including
marble and slate, lying east of the Taconic Range, has, through the discoveries
of Mr. Wing, been answered, and the answer has been confirmed by the more
recent discoveries of fossils by Professors Dana, Dwight and Whitefield. " The
Taconic System of Emmons finally disappears from American geology, while
the Quebec of Logan is reduced to a subordinate member of the limestone
group, if its existence is to be recognized at all in Western New England."
Mountains. — The following are the names of the prominent peaks of the
Green Mountains within the limits of Rutland county, with their location and
heights : —
.Yawe. Situation. Height.
Killington Peak Sherburne 4,380'"
Pico Peak Sherburne and Mendon ... 3,917
Shrewsbury Peak Mendon and Shrewsbury. . . 3,849
White Rocks Wallingford 2,532
Mount Tabor Mount Tabor
1 For further particulars in relation to the age of the rocks of Western Vermont see a publicatiort
of the Middlebury (Vt.) Historical Society entitled, The Marble Border of Neiv Englatid, 1885, (pp.
12-16.) .■\lso, Dana's Manual of Geology, 3d ed. (pp. l6j, 212, 213 and 214.) .A.lso, Ceike's Text
Book of Geology, i%%2, {f 'i?>('-)
2 As determined by Major Cutts, of the United States Geodetic Survey.
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 173
The following peaks of the Taconic Range ^ are within the county : —
Xaiiu: Situation. Height.
Bird Mountain Ira
Herrick Mountain Ira 2,661
Moose Horn Mountain .... Wells
Danby Mountain Dauby
Haystack Mountain Pawlet
Lakes and Ponds. —
Nanu: Situatum. Mila Long. Mtles indc.
Austin Lake Poultney and Wells .. . 5.00 1.50
Bombazine Lake . . . Castleton 8.00 2.50
Fox Pond Wallingford 75 .50
Hortensia Lake. . . . Hubbardton 3.00 .50
Jackson's Pond ... . Mount Holly i.oo .50
Little Pond Wells i.OO .50
Spectacle Pond .... Wallingford 2.00 i.oo
Tinmouth Pond. . . . Tinmouth 1.50 .50
More detailed descriptions of these mountains, lakes and ponds have been
given in Chapter II.
Geographical. — Order of Rocks, West to East. — Commencing at the most
westerly part of the county, a narrow strip of calciferous sandrock passes
through the towns of Benson and Westhaven ; its general strike is north 10°
east, dip, 3° to 15° east, forming the shore and eastern boundary of Lake
Champlain. A very thin stratum of Trenton limestone lies parallel to the sand-
rock on the east, with the same strike, with a dip at Westhaven of 5° east.
Next in order eastward comes quite a thick belt of Hudson River shales
and slates. At Westhaven post-office it has a strike of north 10° east; at
north part of Benson, north and south, with a dip varying from 22° to 50°
east. The slate grows thinner on the south where it enters New York State.
The next neighbors on the east are strata of Trenton limestone of the
Champlain Group, and talcoid schist. The limestone is thickest in the south
part of Westhaven ; grows thinner as it goes northward, and finally disappears
in the central part of Benson. The talcoid schist shows itself in the western
part of F'airhaven, e.xtending northerly, passing through the easterly part of
Westhaven and southeast corner of Benson and southwest corner of Hubbard-
ton, entering Sudbury near the west line, and disappears in the northwest cor-
ner of that town.
The next rock in the eastward geographical order, are the slates belonging
to the Hudson River and Utica Group. (Not the same as the Georgia slates
of the northern part of the State, as given in the Geological Reports of Ver-
mont.) This slate stratum constitutes one of the largest rock formations in the
1 Notwithstanding the "Taconic System" of Emmons has become obsolete, the name of this
range of mountains, given by him, will prob.ably be retained.
174 History of Rutland County.
county, and ranks second in economic value, not only of the county, but of the
State. It enters this county from New York at the southwest corner, extend-
ing north through the western part of Pawlet, Wells and Middletown, Poult-
ney, Hubbardton, western part of Sudbury, where it grows thinner, entering^
Addison county like a wedge, and pinches out in the town of Cornwall. The
direction of the stratum from the south is north from io° to 20° east, having a
stratum dip of from 10° to 40° east. The cleavage dip is generally greater
than that of the stratum and ranges from 10° to 40° east. The slate on the
west side of Lake Bombazine has a cleavage dip conformable with that of the
stratum, a circumstance of very rare occurrence in Western Vermont. (These
slates will be further considered a little further on, under the head of econom-
ical geolog}'.)
The next stratum is talcoid schist. The territory occupied by this forma-
tion consists of the eastern parts of Pawlet, Wells, Poultney, Castleton, Hub-
bardton, and the western portions of Danby, Tinmouth, Clarendon, Rutland
and Pittsford, and touching the southwest corner of Brandon, finally thinning
to a point in the southeast corner of Sudbury. Shortly after entering the
town of Rutland the formation, or stratum, becomes bifurcated and a thin arm
extends northerly into the south part of Pittsford, where it disappears.
The next formation is the " Eolian limestone" of the I'l'nnoiit Reports
and belongs to the calciferous, Chazy and Trenton of the Champlain Group
(Lower Silurian), as previously stated. This limestone is overlaid by the Hud-
son River slate and talcoid schist. In the valleys nmch of the overlying
rock strata has been removed, as well as many of the anticlinals of the lime-
stone, exposing their upturned edges. This limestone stratum in Addison
county, where it apparently begins, is of great thickness. Extending south-
ward, it becomes divided in Cornwall by overlj'ing slate and schist, into two
nearly parallel ridges; the western range continues south, passing the eastern
parts of Shoreham and Orwell, and the western parts of Whiting, Sudburjr
and Hubbardton, where it terminates. The western range enters Rutland
county from the north, passing through Brandon to the south line of Pittsford^
where it becomes again divided into three thinner parallel ranges, by quartzite
and overlying talcoid schist. The western branch terminates near the south
line of Rutland ; the middle and eastern ranges continue southward through
Rutland, Clarendon, Tinmouth, Wallingford and Danby, to the southern limit
of the county. The strike is nearly north and south. The dip is very irregu-
lar, ranging from 10° east up to 90°. Much of the limestone of Rutland
county is highly metamor|3hic and includes the larger part of the celebrated
marbles of Vermont, of which we shall speak more particular!)- in later
pages.
The formation east of tiie limestone consists in the main of quartz, schist
and gneiss, the later having the greatest thickness of any strata within the
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 175
county. The rock strata of the following towns consist almost entirely of
quartzite and gneissoid formation, viz.: Mount Tabor, Mount Holly, eastern
part of Wallingford, Shrewsbury, Mendon, Sherburne, Chittenden and Pitts-
ford. Nearly all of these towns are situated within the range of the Green
Mountains, and include Shrewsbury, Pico and Killington Peaks. The strike
and dip of this formation varies greatly; the strike ranging from north 75°
west, to north 70° east, and the dip ranging from 80° west, to 80° east.
The series of rocks of the county have thus been presented in a cursory
manner and without attempting to give a detailed account of the many modi-
fied conditions and characteristics that are to be found in every one of the
formations. Very few of the rocks contain fossils, on account of the meta-
morphism to which they haye been subjected. It will be observed that all of
the strata dip to the east at various angles, excepting the gneiss in some loca-
tions. Many of the localities have been subjected to greater disturbance than
others, as indicated by their folded and contorted conditions.
Rock Formatioti. — The material of the limestone formation of Western
Vermont was deposited in the shallow and quiet waters of the ancient Silurian
sea, while it was protected by an eastern submerged barrier of archean isl-
ands and reefs, allowing the water to become clear and favorable for the life
and growth of crinoids, corals and moUusks. The period during which this
and other deposits were made was a long one — sufficiently long to allow a
deposit known as the Lower Silurian to form to the depth of 12,000 feet.
While this enormous deposit was accumulating there were short periods of dis-
turbance, causing the waters to become turbid and the bottom to become cov-
ered with mud — a material constituting the slates of this period.
Tliis long period of rest terminated over Western New England at the
close of the Lower Silurian period — not suddenly, but by a slow and gradual
change resulting from subterranean movements and causing an up-lift of the
sea bottom and metamorphism. In the language of Dana : "During Paleozoic
time, previous to the epoch of revolution, the Green Mountain area had been
a region of accumulating limestone, sand-beds and mud-beds, and these lay in
horizontal strata, making a series of thickness not less than twelve thousand
feet, the actual amount not yet ascertained. Here the rock-making over the
region ended. Next came the upturning, in which the same rocks were dis-
placed, folded and crystallized, and the Green Mountain region made dry land."
The agencies necessary to produce the metamorphism of the rock are prin-
cipally heat at a low temperature, between 500 degrees and 1,200 degrees F.,
and water or moisture in varying quantities, operating through long periods
of pressure. The average amount of moisture contained in uncrystalline rocks,
as limestone, sandstone, shales, etc., exceeds three per cent. ; even at 2.67 per
cent, the amount would correspond with two quarts per cubic foot of rock.
This moisture existed in the sedimentary formation, being oceanic water car-
176 History of Rutland County.
rying many minerals, as sodium chloride (common salt), potassium, and mag-
nesium chlorides, magnesium bromide and sulphate, calcium carbonate and
sulphate, etc. It is through these agencies that crystalline rocks are produced.
Sedimentary beds, that is, those made originally from mud, clay, etc., have
been changed into slate, calcareous, talcose and mica schists, gneiss, and even
granite, and limestone into statuary marble.
In the case of statuary marble, the heat was sufficient to obliterate the fos-
sils which the limestone formerly contained. The geological time of the dis-
turbance that produced this change of character, or metamorphism, in the
rocks, was at the close of the Lower and beginning of the Upper Silurian eras.
" Some of the characteristics of the force engaged in the extensive up-lifts and
flexures of the rocks, are as follows : The force acted at right angles to the
course of the flexures. — The force acted from the direction of the ocean. —
The force was slow in action and long continued. It is not known that this
disturbance affected the Apalachians farther southward than New Jersey."^
The foregoing summary of the rock formation of Rutland county does not
account for the diversified and uneven surface that e.xists to-day, consisting, as
it does, of mountains, hills and deep valleys. We have evidence that during
what is called the Champlain Period, a subsidence occurred, extending over
the whole of North America. The ocean water covered a large portion of
New England and extended up the St Lawrence River nearly to the great
lakes, and over the Champlain and Hudson River valleys. The depth to
which the land was submerged was not uniform. " This arm of the sea, nearly
500 feet deep at Montreal and from 300 to 400 in Lake Champlain, was fre-
quented by whales and seals; their remains have been found near Montreal,
and a large portion of the skeleton of a whale was dug up on the borders of
Lake Champlain, sixty feet above its level, or 150 feet above the ocean. Sea-
border formation can be traced along the shores of Lake Champlain at varying
heights up to 393 feet, containing marine shells to a height of 325. "^
Ice Period — Glacial Theory. — During what is termed the Glacial, or
Drift Period, North America experienced an extremely cold climate, and an
ice- cap extended from the northern regions as far south as the Ohio River,
covering the whole of New England. This ice-cap was of immense thickness,
and it is claimed by many eminent geologists that this sheet of ice moved in
a southerly direction from the colder and higher latitudes of the North, to the
lower and warmer climate of the South, carrying along with it masses of rock
at its under surface, scratching and tearing away the surface over which it
traveled, grinding off the tops of mountains, scoring out the valleys and trans-
porting its wreck of rock material to lower and warmer latitudes, where it was
left, forming terminal moraines of rounded boulders and coarse gravel ; and,
as the climate became gradually warmer, the southern border of the ice-sheet
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 177
gradually receded towards the North, thus distributing the broken, rounded
and ground-up rock material over a large portion of the surface of the conti-
nent, leaving grooves and scratches on the surface of the rocks, seemingly as
evidence of the processes and agents employed ; which cut through and re-
moved many of the rock strata to great depths, leaving the upturned edges of
the lower formations exposed, as can be seen in many places in every valley
of Rutland county.
It is generally admitted that valleys are mainly due to erosion, the erosive
agents being guided either by original depressions in the ground, or by geo-
logical structure, or both. A fundamental law of erosion is, that harder rocks
resist decay and denudation more, while softer rocks resist it less and are more
easily abraded. That glacial action has had much to do with erosion is evi-
dent; but we are inclined to think that the Glacial Theory spreads itself out
too thin (if the expression may be used) to account fully for all the erosive
effects produced during the Ice Age. The old school of geologists credit the
glaciers with a limited amount of erosive work ; also for the distribution of
many boulders through the agency of icebergs, which are the offspring of gla-
ciers ; but they restrict their erosive action to mountainous districts and adja-
cent valleys, and hold that the large erratic boulders, as well as the smaller
ones, which are found scattered over the surface of the country, were trans-
ported by icebergs and field- ice to which they were attached from northern
seas, at a time when the continent was submerged beneath the ocean. The
entire Green Mountain range was covered, and Mount Washington to within
500 feet of the top. Scratches and boulders have been found 6,000 feet above
the sea, on the White Mountains. The writer has a boulder (quartzite) in
his collection which he brought from the top of Mount Killington, a height
of over 4,300 feet ; its longest and shortest circumferential measurements are
thirty- one and twenty-seven inches, respectively. It surely must have been
" up-hill work " for a glacier to have left it there !
At the time of the greatest submergence of the continent, enormous fields
of ice, as well as icebergs, must have moved from northern latitudes, impelled
by the wind and ocean currents. These would have passed over the whole of
New England, except the higher parts of the White Mountains, but would
have stranded on the tops of mountains of less height, and by the action of
winds, ocean currents, as well as the constant ebb and flow of the tides, rising
and falling, advancing and retreating, would have ground and scoured off" the
mountain summits; and at each recurring warm season, corresponding to our
summer, they would have become free and floated off into still warmer lati-
tudes, carrying with them masses of rock, boulders large and small, and drop-
ping them as the ice melted. This process must have continued for a long
period, and as the land gradually emerged from the ocean, the summits of less
elevated mountains would be subjected to similar degradation. As the moun-
1/8 History of Rutland County.
tain ranges appeared above the water, tlie direction of the currents, with the
moving ice, would correspond with the trend of the ranges. Degradation and
denudation would cease on the summits and increase on the flanks of the
mountains, as more land was exposed to the action of the ice as it crowded
through the valleys. At times the ice would become wedged between con-
verging ridges, working great destruction to the rock surface exposed to its
pressure. As the continent became more elevated, the climate became milder.
The ice floes and icebergs existed only in more northern latitudes, while the
broad valleys became arms of the sea and finally were reduced to the condi-
tion of rivers, which have left a record of their existence in the kames or
terraces along the course of our present river valleys and high above the
beds of existing streams. (See chapter on the natural characteristics of this
county.)
Glaciers, icebergs and field ice in the earlier ages, and atmospheric action,
as heat, cold, rains and river action in later times, are the agents that have
been employed in cutting, carving and scouring away the rock and in distribu-
ting the broken and ground-up debris over the earth, resulting in giving the
surface of our county its present contour of architectural beauty.
Fossils. — Fossils are rarely found in the rocks of the county. The high
metamorphism to which they have been subjected has obliterated them. A
few fossils have been found in the Tertiary formation at Brandon, consisting of
twenty-three species of fruits and seeds associated with brown coal (lignite),
kaolin, iron ocher (limnite) and manganese ore ; all of the above are found in
the east part of the town at the foot of the Green Mountains. While con-
structing the Rutland and Burlington Railroad, at Mount Holly, the tusks of a
fossil elephant were found in a muck-bed near the summit at an elevation of
1,415 above tide water.
Minerals. — The following list of minerals, known to exist in Rutland county,
is taken from the State Geological Reports, 1861 : —
Brandon. — Limonite, limnite (yellow ocher), manganese, kaolin, lignite,
plumbago, galena, copper pyrites, marble, fire clay, quartzite.
Pittsford. — Limonite, limnite, manganese ores, plumbago, marble and fire
brick clay, iron clay stones.
Chittenden. — Manganese ores, iron ores, viz., limonite, magnetic and spec-
ular, galena, iolite.
Clarendon. — Calcareous tufa, marble.
Danby. — Marble, stalactites, galena.
Fairhaven. — Roofing slate, iron pyrites.
Ludlow. — Serpentine, hornblende, talc, magnetic iron, chlorite.
Mendon. — Magnetite, marble, copper and iron pyrites, galena and plum-
bago.
Mount Holly. — Asbestos, chlorite.
Fouhney. — Roofing slate.
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 179
Rutland. — Marble, limonite and specular iron ores, pipe and fire clays,
iron clay stones.
Sherburne. — Marble, limonite.
Shrewsbury. — Magnetic iron, iron and copper pyrites, smoky and milky
quartz.
Sudbury. — Marble.
Tinmouth. — Limonite, iron pyrites, marble.
Wells. — Roofing slate.
Pavvlet, — Roofing slate.
Wallingford. — Limonite, manganese ores, marble.
Castleton. — Roofing slate, jasper, manganese ores, chlorite.
Eco7iomic Minerals. — Under this head I propose to speak of those minerals
that are of commercial importance, upon which industries have been based,
that are now or have been worked to a greater or less extent, in Rutland county.
Of this class of minerals, marble is the most important. It consists of that
part of the limestone (calcium carbonate) formation that has been subjected to
the greatest degree of metamorphism, comprising a great variety of delicately
tinted, clouded, veined and mottled marbles, some of which have a granular,
or sacarhoidal texture, entirely freed of color, and known as statuary marble.
All of these are susceptible of taking a high polish, many of them comparing
favorably with, while some e.xcel in firmness of texture and beauty, the most
celebrated marbles of antiquity.
Although marble exists and is worked to some extent in many parts of this
State, the bulk of the deposit lies in Rutland county, where the largest quarries
and mills for producing and manufacturing marble in the world are to be found.
Channeling machines and power drills driven by steam and in some instances
by compressed air are used for quarrying. Nearly all of the quarries use
steam derricks and cranes for handling the blocks. The mills are provided
with the most improved kinds of machinery for sawing, sucli as automatic saw
and sand feeds, rubbing beds, lathes for turning, polishing, etc. The extent to
which the industry is carried on, amount of capital invested, together with the
improvements in machinery for quarrying, sawing and finishing, have made
Vermont one of the largest (if not the largest) marble producing district in
the world.
The earliest known reference to the existence of marble in Vermont is
found in a letter from Nathaniel Chipman to General Philip Schuyler, of New
York, alluding to a conversation had between them the winter before at Phila-
delphia, and suggesting the resources of Vermont which might contribute to
sustain a proposed canal to be built between the Hudson River and Lake
Champlain. "There are also," he says, "in this part of the country nu-
merous quarries of marble, some of them of superior quality. Machines may
easily be erected for sawing it into slabs by water, and in that state it might
History of Rutland County.
become an important article of commerce." This letter is dated at Rutland,
January 25, 1792.
Early Quarries and Mills. — The first marble quarry opened in the county
(of which I have an account) was in the town of Pittsford, by Jeremiah Shel-
don, in 1795. In 1804 Eben W. Judd, of Middlebury, adopted the plan of the
marble workers who lived in the time of Pliny, and sawed the first marble in
the State with soft iron plates, using sand and water, a plan universally adopted
throughout Vermont, and other places where marble is sawed. The first mill
for sawing marble in the county was built on Stevens's Brook, by Epaphras Jones
in 1 806 ; this mill was constructed on different principles from that of Judd's and
proved a failure. Another mill was built soon after on Mill Brook, by Mr.
Ballou. Considerable marble from the " Sheldon Quarry" was sawed at this
mill. Mr. John A. Conant, one of the oldest citizens of Brandon, in a letter
dated October lO, 1885, says: "I well remember that Judd, of Middlebury,
ran a single plate saw for sawing marble that he brought from Pittsford about
181 1." He further says that " Judd hauled marble from Pittsford to his works
in Middlebury; and at one time boated marble down Otter Creek."
The second marble quarry was opened in Pittsford by Eli Hudson in 1799,
a few rods north of the " Pittsford Quarry Company's " opening.
The third marble quarry was also opened in Pittsford, by Charles Lamb
about the year 1806.
True Blue Marble Co^npany (West Rutland, Whipple Hollow). — The first
quarry opened on this property was about 1807. The farm was owned at
that time by Timothy Brockway, and was worked in 18 12 by Ezra Meach. At
different times the quarry was worked by the following parties : Gardiner and
Obro Tripp, 1815, Timothy Brockway, David Hurlbert, Luther Perkins, Will-
iam Dennison, and William Barnes, Erastus and Artemas Ward, 1845, and
lastly by James Butler, in 1850, when work was suspended. The True Blue
Marble Company was organized in 1884, and opened a new quarry near the
old one. The marble is veined, mottled and shaded in the nicest and most
beautiful true blue colorings, the texture is extremely fine and even-grained,
and takes a fine polish. This company has a mill of eight gangs at the quarry
with rubbing-bed, lathes for turning and polishing, etc., and the saws are sup-
plied with sand and water by the " Ripley Automatic Sand Feed." The offi-
cers of the company are : J. M. Cramton, president ; E. D. Keyes, treasurer ;
George B. Royce, secretary. Slabs are to be seen in tiie cemeteries of Rut-
land, West Rutland and Whipple Hollow, that were taken from this quarry,
some of which were erected nearly seventy years ago, and are bright and
sound to-day. The slabs were split out and reduced to an even thickness by
hand, the marks of the chisel are plainly seen on the back side of all the slabs.
One of these bears the name of Jacob Baltz with the date of 1789.
The following sales and leases are from the Rutland town records, of the
Marble and Slate in Rutland County.
farm including the marble quarry now owned and worked by the True Blue
Marble Company, showing it to be the oldest quarry as to date of opening
in the town of Rutland, and the fourth oldest in the county, as far as now can
be determined : —
January 28, 1804, Eliphas Thrall sold to Timothy Brockway a farm of 150
acres, on which was a marble quarry.
May 7, 1807, the farm was owned and sold by Timothy Brockway to
Alexander Donahue, " reserving to myself and my assigns the right of working
a certain stone ledge thereon standing, and taking stone from the same until
October i, 1809."
Also during the year 1807 Alexander Donahue sold to David Hurlbert.
" October 29, 1808, David Hurlbert leased to Luther Perkins for five years
to work stone commonly called marble."
April 22, 1 8 14, David Hurlbert leased the stone quarry to William Denni-
son.
April 5, 1828, William Dennison leased the stone quarry to Erastus Ward.
April 18, 185 1, Erastus Ward leased the stone quarry to Samuel Butler.
September 18, 1854, Samuel Butler leased to Edward G. Chatterton said
quarry.
April 8, 1879, the administrator of E. G. Chatterton sold the farm with-
out reservation to Thomas Dwyer.
1883, Thomas Dwyer sold the farm to John O'Rourke.
1884, John O'Rourke sold to the True Blue Marble Company.
Enos Clark, an older brother of the late General Jonas Clark, as early as
1807 manufactured marble by hand at Middletown. (The latter Clark was
apprenticed to the former.) Their stock was taken from a quarry on a part of
the farm then owned by Elihu Andrews in the north part of Tinmouth ; the
quarry property composed about two acres. In 18 10 the " Andrews Quarry,"
as it was then called, was owned by General Clark, who employed two work-
men, David Mehurin and Marcus Stoddard, who afterward became joint owners.
Stoddard subsequently built a small mill in Middletown and procured his stock
from the "Andrews Quarry." The quarry property was subsequently sold to
Moses Ambler, and again to Edward Woodruff, and is now the property of
Isaac D. Stubbs. The quarry produced white and mottled (or blue and white)
marble. Specimens may be found in Poultney, Castleton, Middletown and
probably other places, which will compare favorably with any now found in the
county.
A business similar to that done at Middletown before the building of the
Stoddard mill, was carried on at Chippen Hook in Clarendon by Peleg Sea-
mans and William Deals.
In 1 82 1 General Jonas Clark purchased thirty acres of land with a water
power in the south part of Tinmouth, and also a quarry of several acres ad-
i82 History of Rutland County.
joining belonging to Elias Salsbury. On tiiis property he built the first mill
for sawing marble in the county. The mill had two gangs and a single or
trimming saw. The machinery was driven by an overshot wheel twenty-seven
feet in diameter. Business was continued for nearly thirty years, but only to
a limited extent during the last ten. During this period the marble was hauled
by horses a distance of thirty miles to Comstock's and then taken by the Cham-
plain and Erie Canals to Utica and Weed's Basin near Auburn, N. Y., where
Mr. Clark carried on a business for several years. In 1854, after the death of
Mr. Clark, the quarries and mill were both sold and probably little evidence of
the e.xistence of the mill or of the work done at the quarries now exists. I
think however there must be evidence of the dam, which was of stone. ^
Mr. Eaton and Mr. Rhodes built a mill about three miles south of Castle-
ton in about 1830. General Clark and Eaton & Rhodes furnished the marble
used in the Troy Conference Academy, which was erected in 1836 and 1837.
In 1S30 Ezra Spencer and Moses Cowen opened a quarry in Pittsford a
few rods west of the quarries now owned and worked by F. W. Smith. In
1839 and 1840 William Hyatt worked the quarry and furnished the marble
for the Conant House in Brandon.
Justus Hyatt erected a mill for sawing marble in Brandon village in about
1 83 I. This mill was situated on the south side of Brandon River just below
the grist-mill. The marble for the Conant House was sawed at this mill.
Mr. Artemas Ward, who is 80 years old. and who has always resided in
Rutland, says that a small mill was built in West Rutland, west of the town
farm, on a stream running through the Dennis Smith farm, nearly 75 years
ago with a " pendulum gang." This mill existed as long ago as he can re-
member, and he cannot say at what time it was built. He states that it was
used but a little and was allowed to go to decay, and has disappeared. It ap-
parantly must have been a failure, as the existence of a successful mill would
have been retained in the memory of citizens a generation or so younger.
The Hon. Merritt Clark says that the first mill for sawing marble built in the
county was built by General Enos Clark in 1821, as previously stated.
A marble-mill was built in Clarendon about one- half mile north of the springs,
on the farm of Doctor Jonathan Shaw. This was called the " Taylor Mill,"
and was built about 1825, and used as late as 1845. Some of the earlier
blocks quarried in Rutland were sawed in this mill. (See True Blue Marble
Co.) Marble was also quarried near the mill. The building has been demol-
ished and but few traces of it can be seen at the present time.
Standard Marble Company (West Rutland, west side of valley). — This
quarry was opened about 1830 by William F. Barnes and Francis Slason, who
worked it but a short time. In 1883 the present company was incorporated
1 The foregoing account of the marble industry in the towns of Clarendon, Tinmouth and Middle-
town was kindly furnished by the Hon. Merritt Clark.— G. J. W.
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 183
with the above title, with N. W. Batchelder as president, J. E. Manley, clerk
and manager. The marble is hght clouded, light and dark blue. This com-
pany are at present sawing their blocks in the American Marble Company's
Mill near by.
The Columbian Marble Company. — These quarries are situated about one
and a half miles south of Sutherland Falls. The quarry was first opened by
Moses P. Humphrey and Edgar L. Ormsbee, in 1839, who operated it but a
short time, and not until 1868 was work resumed at the quarry, by the North
Rutland Marble Company. Since 1871 the property has been worked by the
Columbian Marble Company. Nearly all of the product of their quarry is
worked up and finished at their mills situated in Rutland village, on the lines
of the Central Vermont and Delaware and Hudson Railroads. The)' have a
mill capacity of thirteen gangs of saws, rubbing-beds, lathes, etc. The marble
produced by this company is generally of a dark color, with clouds of white to
nearly black traversing it in wavy and undulating courses, giving a great
variety of figures. It is largely used for cemetery purposes.
Selden Quarry (Brandon). — The first quarry opened in Brandon was called
the " Boston Quarry ; " it was opened in 1840 by James Davis, James Davis,
jr., Thomas J. Bayley, and Hock Hill, all of Boston, who worked the quarry
till 1842. Subsequently S. L. Goodell bought the property and opened an-
other quarry in 1847 near the old one, which he worked until 1849, and then
sold out to E. D. Selden, he worked it to 1864, when it passed into the hands
of Messrs. Barlow, Goodell and Tilton, who worked it under the name of the
"Brandon Statuary Marble Company" till 1880. In 1884 Mr. Goodell
bought the property back again, and the quarry and mill is now worked by
the " Wakefield Marble Company." Their mill has twelve gangs of saws, and
one rubbing-bed. The marble produced by this company from their Brandon
quarry is nearly all pure white and is the finest grained white marble quarried
in the State, if not in the world ; for purity and fineness of te.xture it is equal
to the celebrated Parian marble of the Greeks.
S. L. Goodell opened a quarry near his residence in Brandon village in
1881 ; it is now leased and worked by Thayer & Simonds. The marble is of
fine texture, light clouded and mottled. The blocks are sawed at the Florence
& Wakefield mills.
In March, 1799, Edward Clifford bought of his brother Simeon forty-five
acres of land in Pittsford and made the first improvements on it. Subsequently
he and his son Nathan opened and worked a marble quarry on the farm. Tlie
year in which the Cliffords opened their quarry is undetermined. They re-
sided on the farm till 1845 when they moved to Parma, Michigan. The quarry
property eventually passed into the hands of E. D. Selden, and in 1866 it was
sold to the " Pittsford Quarry Co." who built a mill on the property and worked
the quarry for a number of years. The property is now owned by F. W.
Smith & Co.
1 84 History of Rutland County.
Ripley Sons. — The marble works of Ripley Sons, located at Center Rut-
land, were established by the late W. Y. Ripley in 1844, and are now carried
on by his sons, Generals W. Y. W. and E. H. Ripley. They have a large and
finely equipped mill for sawing and polishing marble, doing contract work, ag-
gregating over 300,000 feet of marble annually. The Ripley mil! contains
twenty gangs of saws, and was the first mill that was fitted up with the " Au-
tomatic Sand Feed," a device that insures a constant and uniform supply of
sand and water, using the sand over and over again, as long as any grains of
silica remain, at the same time taking in a supply of fresh sand ; as fast as the
sand becomes useless it is washed away with the mud, by which means the
saw plates are kept supplied with clean grains of sand, freed from all impuri-
ties. The advantages of the " Automatic Sand Feed " over the old hand pro-
cess are a great saving in sand ; a greater amount of sawing done in a given
time, and truer sawed surfaces, and saving of labor. The attendance of one
man is sufficient to care for twelve to fifteen gangs of saws. By the old method
the labor of one man was required for every two gangs.
The " Automatic Sand Feed " is the invention of William T. Ripley, son
of General W. Y. W. Ripley. Young Ripley fitted up a crude apparatus in
the mills of the firm and demonstrated the practicability of first washing, then
elevating and distributing the sand, collecting the sand again, washing, elevat-
ing and distributing as long as there remained any grains of sand fit for use.
This experimental apparatus was kept in operation for a number of months,
without any attendance, before he applied his invention to the saw gangs in
the mill, when his expectation of its usefulness was fully demonstrated. Mr.
Ripley's application for a patent was made April 26, 1883, and his patent
therefor was granted October 2, 1883. The Ripley " Automatic Sand Feed "
has been adopted by many first-class mills in the country, and is destined to go
into general use.
Sheldon & Sons (West Rutland). — Sheldon & Slason opened their first
quarry in 1 844, on the property now owned and worked by Sheldon & Sons ;
the latter are at the present time working three large quarries, one of which is
250 feet deep. The ,firm is composed of Messrs. Charles Sheldon, John A.,
Charles H. and W. R. Sheldon, successors to Sheldon & Slason. Their three
finishing mills are very extensive, being fitted with sixty-six gangs of saws,
three rubbing-beds and a full complement of marble-working machinery. The
power for working the quarrying machinery (channelers and drills) is furnished
by one of Rand's double compressors of three hundred horse power. Their
quarries produce nearly all the grades of white, blue and dark marbles. Con-
tracts were filled by Sheldon & Slason a few years since for 245,000 lettered
headstones for soldiers' graves in national cemeteries, the contract amounting
to $864,000. The lettering was done with the " sand blast.'' The famous
" Gold Room " in the treasury building of Washington is paneled with blue
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 185
marble furnished by the Sheldons. They also produced the marble for the
old Parker House and for the Rogers Building in Boston. Sheldon & Sons
employ nearly four hundred men.
The Rutlatid Marble Company s (West Rutland) quarries, opened by Wm.
F. Barnes in 1845. The marble produced in these quarries ranges from pure
white to dark blue. (See Vermont Marble Company.)
Gilson &■ Woodfiii (West Rutland). — These quarries were opened by Jo-
seph Adams and Ira C. Allen, 1845, and have been worked by the present
owners since 1868, Mr. Woodfin entering the firm in 1874. They are located
in the heart of the West Rutland marble belt. The product of their quarrries
is the same as that of Sheldon & Sons. They operate a mill of twenty-one
gangs of saws and employ about one hundred men. The firm is composed of
E. P. Gilson and John N. Woodfin.
Mauley s Quarry (Sudbury), opened by Albert Manley and Hock Hill in
1847.
Lippitt Quarry (Wallingford), opened by Joseph F. Lippitt in 1848. It is
now owned and worked by W. W. Kelley, who has a mill of eight gangs.
Sliermau & Gleason Quarry (West Rutland). — This quarry was opened in
1850 by Smith Sherman and Moses Jackman, and produces white, clouded and
blue marble, now worked by the " Dorset Marble Company."
The Sutherland Falls Marble Quarries, situated in the north part of the
town of Rutland, were opened in 1852 by the North River Mining Company.
This marble is harder and not so fine as the marbles of West Rutland. The
products of these quarries are light and dark clouded and mottled ; it takes a
good polish, while some of the beds resemble very closely the Italian clouded.
These quarries have been worked by several companies since they were
opened, viz. : Sutherland Falls Marble Company of New York, who were the
first to adopt the use of channeling machines ; Sutherland Falls Marble Com-
pany of Massachusetts, and Sutherland Falls Marble Company of Vermont.
The quarries have been greatly enlarged within a few years past, and since
1880 have been worked by the Vermont Marble Company, a company formed
by a consolidation of the Sutherland Falls Marble Company and Rutland Mar-
ble Company, making it the largest marble company in the world. (See Ver-
mont Marble Company.)
Dorset Marble Company. — Successors to the " Manhattan Marble Compa-
ny " of West Rutland quarries. — Opened by Ferrand Parker, C. M. Willard and
others. The old quarry has been abandoned, and this company is working
the Sherman & Jackson Quarry. They have a steam mill at West Rutland of
eight gangs ; also mill of twelve gangs and quarries at Dorset — a mill of twelve
gangs at Hydeville. The>' are thus working thirty-two gangs in their three
mills. The stock produced by this company at West Rutland is light clouded.
Officers of the company are ; E.J. Hawley, president; J. H. Goulding, treasu-
rer; J. B. Hollister, manager.
1 86 History of Rutland County.
The Sudbury Marble Quarry, situated at the northwest part of the town,
2\ miles from the Addison Railroad, was opened by the " North River Mining
and Quarrying Company" in 1852, who operated but a short time. E. A.
Morse and others worked the quarry during the summer of 1882. The te.xt-
ure of this marble is fine as porcelain and takes a beautiful polish. The white
layer is eleven feet thick, and there are also layers of light and dark blue, each
eleven feet thick. It is not worked at the present time.
//«// (2^/rtrrj/ (Wallingford), opened by Gen. Robinson Hall about 1855.
It was worked a short time by Frank Post, who stopped work in 1859. It
then remained idle till 1867, when it was \Vorked for two years by Loren
Waldo, and has not been worked since.
Adair Quarry (South Wallingford). — Opened by J. Adair and Brother in
1857. The quarry was worked by the old " hand process." They also had a
mill of six gangs and employed at one time in the quarry, mill, and dressing
marble, seventy- five men. This quarry furnished some of the marble for the
custom house, Charleston, S. C. The quarry was worked one season b)- Lo-
ren Waldo, about 1867, and has remained idle since.
Otter Creek Marble Company (Rutland), incorporated November 9, 1865.
This company never commenced operations and sold its charter to a company
who opened a quarry in Brandon called the " Dean Quarry " in 1865.
Flint Brothers' Quarry (Rutland Valley).— Opened by William F. Barnes
in 1865 ; now known as the " Albion Marble Quarry," and owned and oper-
ated by Wyman Flint and J. G. Flint. This company have a steam mill at the
quarry of twelve gangs. The mill is not running at present, as the product of
the quarry has been sold for a term of years to the " Center Rutland Marble
Co." The stock of this quarry is light and dark veined.
Pittsford Quarry Company, incorporated October 31, 1865. Corporators,
William Fox Richardson, Francis Garderner, N. H. Hand, Thomas A. Dexter,
H. L. Hazelton, George W. Messenger, R. S. Wade. This company built a
mill, operated a few years and suspended work about 1872 or 'jt,. The mill
is not used at present. The property is now owned by F. W. Smith & Com-
pany, who opened in 1880 a new quarry situated some sixty rods south of the
old quarry and mill, where a fine quality of light clouded marble is produced.
The stock is sawed at their mill at Belden Falls.
Brandon Marble Company, incorporated November 8, 1865. Corporators,
John Howe, jr., E. N. Briggs, E. J. Bliss, Stephen L. Goodell, Cyrus N. Bish-
op, Alson N. Clark, Bradley Bartow, F. A. Fisher, A. E. Tilton. (Sec Selden
Quarry.)
Atneriean Marble Company (West Rutland, west side of \'alley). — Opened
by Horace and Norman Clark, Solomon Giddings aud J. E. Post in 1866.
This company built a mill of four gangs at the quarry. Work was suspended
in 1872 and remained idle until 1883, when it was resumed by William Man-
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 187
son and others, who operated for one season. The mill is run by the West
Rutland Marble Co., whose quarry is near by. The quarry is idle.
Albion Quarry (located at Double Road Crossing, Rutland Valle)-), Flint
Brothers, Proprietors. — These quarries were opened in 1866 by William F.
Barnes. The marble is the light clouded variety. They have a steam mill
ot" twelve gangs, one rubbing-bed and lathes. The quarries and mills give
employment to fifty men. Near the above quarry is one owned by the Ver-
mont Marble Company, opened by Clement & Sons, but not worked at the
present time.
Dean Quarry (Brandon), opened in 1866. The Dean Quarry Company
was composed of C. J. Joy, Henry Currier, Henry B. Richmond and George
W. Dean, all of Boston. This company built a mill of six gangs, a dozen or
more tenements, and operated a number of years. Owing to financial embar-
rassments, work was suspended in 1876 and the property has remained idle
since. This quarry is situated about two miles south of Brandon village.
West Rutland Marble Co. — Morgan Quarry, formerly "Green Mountain
Quarry " (West Rutland, west side of valley). Opened by David Morgan in
1866. The stock is white and light clouded. They have a mill at the quarry
of four gangs ; also a mill at Salem, N. Y., of eight gangs. E. M. Nelson,
president, William W. Clark, treasurer. This company work their quarry
nights, using the electric arc lights, one in the yard and two in the quarry.
They are the first and only parties using the electric light in the marble dis-
trict for night work.
The Austin Quarry (Brandon), about \ mile west of the village of Brandon,
opened by S. L. Goodell about 1866. This quarry has produced some very
fine white and clouded stock ; was worked for a while by S. L. Goodell. The
property is now owned by T. Thayer and George E. Royce, and is not worked
at the present time.
Central Vermont Marble Company (Pittsford). — Opened by H. F. Lothrup,
Germond and Lafayette Hendee, and Oliver Ames, in 1869. These parties
operated about one year, and then leased the property to George E. Hall, who
organized the above company in 1870. This company worked the quarry
about three years when work was suspended and it has remained idle since.
Boardman Hill Quarry (Rutland), opened by William Hyatt & E. C.
Wheaton in 1869, who operated part of one season. The quarry remained
idle until 1884, when work was resumed by W. W. Kimball.
Florence and Wakefield Marble Company (Pittsford), successors to Black &
White Marble Company, who were successors to Wheaton Marble Company,
worked by the Wheaton Company from 1870 to 1873, and then remained idle
till 1882, when it was again idle till 1884. In 1885 it passed into the hands of
the Florence & Wakefield Marble Company. , president ; A. Y. Walker,
treasurer; S. L. Goodell, superintendent.
History of Rutland County.
Trojan Marble Company (Brandon), opened in 1871 by the Trojan Mar-
ble Company. E. A. Billings, president ; John T. Christie, treasurer. Have
a mill of four gangs; the old opening is not worked, a new one is opened a
few rods north and worked by J. P. Upham, and others. The stock is light
clouded.
Center Rut/and Marble Co. (Rutland Valley). — This company's quarry was-
opened by B. P. Baker in 1880. Some very handsome light and dark- clouded
marble has been taken from this quarry. The marble proving unsound, work
has been suspended on the quarry, and their steam mill of twelve gangs is sup-
plied with blocks from the "Albion Marble Quarry," as previously stated.
Bakers Quarry (Rutland Valley), opened by B. P. Baker, in 1880.— The
quarry has produced some very handsome light and dark clouded stock. They
have a steam mill of twelve gangs, rubbing-bed, lathes, etc. The quarry is
not worked at present, the mill being supplied with stock from the Albion
quarry.
Bardillo Marble Ci'w/rtwj' (Brandon). — Opened by Robert L. Darrah, Rob-
ert Fisher, William L. Strong, S. D. Hatch in 1882. This company have a
twelve gang mill and quarry about three miles southwest of Brandon village.
The Esperanza Marble Quarry (Whipple Hollow, on the Harvey Reynold's
farm). — Opened in 1882 by W. H. Johnson and John B. Reynolds. The mar-
ble produced from this quarry consists of light and dark veined and mottled
blue. When finished it presents a great variety of figure and takes a beautiful
polish. This company have a mill at the quarry of eight gangs.
North Pittsford Marble Company, composed of F. W. Smith, C. H. Bliss-
and others. Quarry opened by the above in 1883 ; worked for two seasons,
at present is idle.
Empire Mai'ble Company (near Sutherland Falls) opened a quarry about
1870, which remained idle until 1884 ; Phelps, Fuller, Collins and others worked
it a part of one season ; at present it is idle.
Reed's Quarry (Pittsford), opened in 1884 by John P. Reed. Stock, dark
blue ; now abandoned.
Peck's Quarry (Brandon), located about 2-5- miles southwest of village. L.
B. Peck and others have opened a quarry and worked it this season — 1885.
The ]'alido Marble Quarry. — Opened in 1884 by W. H. Johnson and John
B. Reynolds on the Gorham farm, a few rods from the " Esperanza." This^
company have a mill at Fairhaven of twelve gangs. The quality of the mar-
ble is the same as that of the Esperanza Quarry.
Vermont Marble Company. — The Vermont Marble Company, of which ex-
Governor Redfield Proctor is president, quarry and finish more marble than
any other one firm or company in the world. They now own and operate the
following quarries at or near Proctor (Sutherland Falls): The "Old Quarry,"
so called, opened fifty years ago; the Adams Quarry, opened 1865; the
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 189
Mountain Dark, a mile and a half north, opened 1884. At West Rutland the
•company owns nearly one-half mile in length on the marble belt, on which
there are seven quarries opened; three or four of them are -operated at a time
by turns, as they can be worked to the best advantage. Their mill capacity at
Proctor consists of seventy-four gangs of saws, with rubbing-beds, lathes and
polishing machinery, all driven by the water power of Otter Creek, which has
a fall at this place of 1 20 feet. At Center Rutland they have two mills which
are also driven by the water of Otter Creek. The one on the north side of
the creek has twelve gangs, and the one on the south side twenty-six gangs.
At West Rutland the company has a steam mill with sixteen gangs, making a
total of 128 gangs of saws, with rubbing-beds, turning and polishing lathes, etc.
The mills and quarries of this company give employment to nearly 700 men.
Besides the quarries mentioned in this long list there were formerly three
quarries on Danby Mountain, which are not now worked ; one was the " Grif-
fith" quarry ; one owned by Thomas Symington and one by W. W. Kelly. At
one period, some twenty-five years ago, there were six mills here, with twenty-
six gangs of the old style. In Tinmouth there was a quarry on lands now
owned by David Edmunds, and in Clarendon one on lands of Abner Colvin,
both of which have been long abandoned.
Analysis of Some of the Marbles of Rutland County. — White marble from
Hyde's Quarry, Rutland, made by D. Olmstead, jr., in 1846: —
Carbonate of lime 97-73
Alumina and iron 59
Salica and mica I.6S
100.00
By the same : — Greenish marble, from the same quarry : —
Carbonate of lime 85.45
Silica and mica 14-55
100.00
By the same : — Statuary marble, Brandon : —
Carbonate of lime 99.51
Carbonate of magnesia trace
Silica, etc 1.29
Water and loss 20
The following analysis was made for the proprietors of the Sudbury
Marble Company by Dr. A. A. Hayes, of Boston : —
Carbonate of lime 99-7°
Carbonate of magnesia and peroxide of iron 1 30
100.00
The coloring which is seen in most of the marbles of the county is due to
■carbonaceous matter derived from crinoids, corals and mollusks.
1 It appears from the above analysis that the marble of Rutland county is an unusally pure lime-
.stone.
igo History of Rutland County.
Carbonate of lime when free from impurities consists of carbonic acid 44.00,
lime 56.00= 100.00.
When pure carbonate of lime is roasted or burned in a kiln the carbonic
acid is set free, effecting a loss of 44.00 per cent, in weight, leaving 56.00 of
quick lime, (calcium).
Comparative Strength. — The following table of the compressive strength
of marble from quarries of Rutland county is taken from Vol. X of the Tenth
Census U. S. : —
Compressiz'C Strntgth per
Locality. Square huh. By w/iom Tested.
West Rutland 11.000 to 12.500 United States Gove
Pittsford n.250 to 18.750 II. \. Cutting.
Sutherland Falls 10.243 to 11.250 F. E. Kidder.
do. 12.250 to 20.000 United States Governr
Foreign marble for comparison : —
Carrara, Italy 9.723 to 12.600
Common Italian 11.250 to 13.062 Q. A. Gillmore.
White Italian 21-778 Rennie.
In the working of the first marble quarries of the country, powder was the
principal agent used for detaching blocks from the ledges, although the " plug
and feather " was used where loose beds were found. The use of powder was
soon found to be very destructive in its effects, not only to the masses detached,
but also to the ledge itself, which would be badly shivered and cut up with
powder stains, making it impossible to quarry sound blocks of any desired size
or shape. Therefore it became necessary to dispense with the use of powder
in quarrying, its use being restricted to uncovering or removing the surface
rock, during the first stages of developing new quarries. As a substitute for
powder the system of cutting " channels " around masses of marble and rais-
ing such masses from their beds with the " plug and feather," was adopted.
These channels were cut by hand, and although it was a slow and expensive
method, it effected a great saving of stock and enabled proprietors of quarries
to produce blocks of large size and good shape, without injury to the block or
quarry. Hand channeling continued down to 1863, when a machine was in-
vented and constructed by George J. Wardwell, of Rutland, driven by steam,
for cutting channels, which successfully performed the work of twenty-five men
per day. This machine was a single machine, cutting a single channel only.
It was soon followed by a double machine, which cut two channels at the same
time, and would do the work of fifty men per day, as an average. Some few
machines in charge of good " runners " under favorable circumstances, such as
cutting long and deep channels, have for months averaged the work of sixty-
five men per day ; and on one or two occasions have done the work of lOO
men in one day. Next to follow this double machine was a machine that
would cut not only vertical but inclined channels at any angle from the vertical
to fifty degrees.
Since the introduction of these channeling machines the marble industry of
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 191
Rutland county has increased fourfold. The machines are in general use
throughout the country on all quarries that produce dimension stone, except-
ing granite, and are known as the " Wardwell Channeling Machines." They
are manufactured in Rutland by the Steam Stone- Cutter Company, organized
in 1865.
Development of Maehinery. — The following statements, without being com-
plete, will show the use and improvement of machinery for quarrying and work-
ing marble with authorities and dates : —
1. The mallet, chisel and drill were used in stone- work from the earliest
times, the two latter, in Egypt, of bronze.
2. Hand saws without teeth, fed by hand with sand and water, were used
350 years before Christ. — Plin\' : Translated by Philemon Holland. London,
1601, Folio, Tom. H, 571.
3. Saw- mills for sawing stone driven by water-power were in use on the
little river Roer in Germany in the fourth century of the Christian era. — Beck-
man referring to the Mosella of Ausuonius. Vol. H, 370. Prof John Beck-
man's History of Inventions. Translated from the German by William John-
ston ; two volumes : London, 1797.
4. Long toothless saws, as long as twenty-three feet, were used by Misson,
inspector of the Pyrenees quarries, for sawing out blocks of marble, before A.
D. 1700. — M. Filibien (ob. 16S7), quoted by Chambers's Cyclopedia, 2d edi-
tion, London, 173S.
5. Two or more saws stretched in a frame forming a gang, were figured in
Leonardo da Vinci (ob. 1519). — Clarence Cook in " Scribner's Monthly," vol.
xvn, p. in.
6. Saws carried by water-power re-invented by William Colles, Kilkenney,
Ireland, in 1730.
7. Polishing and boring done at the same place as above and by the same
power.
8. Sawing and polishing by water-power, established at Ashford, Derby-
shire, Eng., 1748.
9. Automatic feeder distributing sand and water, Philo Tomlinson, Mar-
blehead, Conn., 1800.
10. Arrangement for raising and lowering saws, E. W. Judd, Middlebury,
Vt., 1822.
11. Planing mill, Charles C. Boynton, West Stockbridge, Mass., 1836.
12. Use of steam for sawing blocks in quarry as above.
13. Channeling machine, George J. Wardwell, Rutland, Vt., 1863.
14. Diamond drill used in England and France near 1850.
15. Rock drill, Burleigh, 1866.
16. Diamond saws used at East Canaan, Conn., 1886.
17. Automatic sand feed, washing, elevating the sand and distributing the
same, W. T. Ripley, Rutland, Vt., 1884.
192 History of Rutland County.
List of Marble Quarries in Rutland County, Chronologically Arranged.
NAME OF QUARRY. LOCALITY. BY WHOM OPENED. DATE.
Sheldon's Pittsford Jeremiah Sheldon 1795
Hudson's Pittsford Eli II udson 1 799
Lamb's Pittsford Charles Lamb 1806
Andrew's Tinmouth Enos Clark 1807
Brockway's Whipple Hollow, Rutland. Ezra Meach 1807
Clark's Tinmouth Gen. Jonas Clark 1S21
Spencer &. Cowen's Pittsford Ezra Spencer & Moses Cowen.. .1830
Standard Marble Co West Rutland Wm. I. Barnes & Francis Slason.1830
Humphry's North part of Rutland,near Moses & Willard Humphry & Ed-
Sutherland Falls gar L. Ormsbee 1836
Clifford's Pittsford Edward Clifford 1840
Boston or Selden's Quarry. ..Brandon Jas. Davis, Jas. Davis, jr., Thos.
J. Bagley & Ilock Hill 1840
Sheldon's No. i West Rutland Sheldon & Morgan 1844
Pittsford Quarry Co Pittsford Edward and Nathan Clifford 1845
Rutland Marble Co West Rutland William J. Barnes 1845
Gilson &Woodfin's West Rutland Joseph .Adams and IraC. Allen.. 1845
Kelley's Wallingford Jaseph F. Lippitt 184S
Manley's Sudbury Albert Manley & Hock Hill 1847
Selden's Brandon 1847
Miller's South Tinmouth Rowell Caswell 1S49
Sherman's ....West Rutland Smith Sherman & Moses Jack-
man 1 850
Wheaton Pittsford .\ugustus Barrows 1850
Sutherland Falls, old opening Sutherland Falls North River i S52
Hall Wallingford Gen. Robinson Hall 1855
Adair South Wallingford J. Adair & Bro 1857
FHnt Brothers Rutland Valley William F. Barnes 1865
Sheldons & Sons', (3d) West Rutland Sheldon and Slason 1865
Sutherland Falls (new) Sutherland Falls Sutherland Falls Co 1866
American Marble Co West Rutland Horace and Norman Clark 1866
Morgan West Rutland David Morgan 1866
Dean Brandon Dean Quarry Co 1866
Albion Rutland Valley William J. Barnes 1866
Columbian Rutland (north) Columbian 1867
Centre Rutland Co Centre Rutland B. P. Baker 1880
Smith's Pittsford J. W. Smith 1880
Goodell's Brandon S. L. Goodell 1881
Esperanza Whipple Hollow, Rutland. W. H. Johnson & John B. Reyn-
olds 1882
True Blue Whipple Hollow, Rutland. True Blue Co 1884
Valido \\ hippie Hollow, Rutland . W. 1 1. Johnson and John B. Reyn-
olds i88a
The second in importance of ^the economic minerals of the county are the
Clay Slates. It was known that slate existed in this county long before it was
quarried. After the first quarry was opened it was used for hearths, head-stones
for cemeteries, and school slates. The first quarry was worked for eight years
before any roofing slate was manufactured, and it was one year before the first
roof was covered with Vermont slate, as before described. Although the slate
Marble and Slate in Rutland County.
'93
industry does not date back so far as that of marble, its development has been
more rapid, and at the present time it ranks second only to marble in the
mineral resources of the State. Following is a brief statement of the various
quarries and firms engaged in the industry in Rutland county.
The first quarrying of slate in Rutland county was done by Colonel
Alanson Allen, of Fairhaven, in 1839, in a place called " Scotch Hill." In
1845 Colonel Allen engaged extensively in the manufacture of school slates,
and in 1847 began the manufacture of roofing slates; this latter proving the
most advantageous, he abandoned the school slate industry in 1848.' Next
to Colonel Allen in this industry was F. W. Whitlock, of Castleton, who opened
a quarry in that town in 1848; it was situated about forty rods north of the
north line of Poultney, in the vicinity of a quarry afterward opened, an<d was'
called by the name of " Eagle Quarry." Daniel and S. E. Hooker opened the
first quarry in the town of Poultney in 185 I, on the farm of Daniel Hooker-
this quarry later on fell into the hands of Hugh G. Hughes. In 185 I John
Humphrey and other Welshmen began operating in the opening of quarries.
Humphrey opened the Eagle quarry in Hydeville and E. D. Jones opened a
quarry in the same vicinity. In 1853 the Eagle Slate Company was incorpo-
rated and began the manufacture of roofing slate under the superintendence of
Dr. Middleton Goldsmith. In 1869 this company erected a mill for the saw-
ing and planing of slate into slabs, and in 1871 added a marble and marbleiz-
ing shop and began manufacturing mantels, billiard table-beds, table-tops,
hearths, black-boards, tile, flagging, door-steps and various other articles, thus
making the starting point of the slate mills and of a business which is to-day
the staple trade and industry of this part of Rutland county. This company
ceased operations in 1873.
In 1853 W. L. Farnam & Son opened a quarry, and Grifiith Hughes opened
one known as the " Evergreen Quarry " in i860, on the farms of L. C. Spauld-
ing and W. L. Farnam, and the Manville farm. The following named Welsh-
men began opening quarries in or about the year i860: G. R. Jones, W. E.
Williams, Lloyd & Co., Lloyd Co. & Williams, Jones & Co. ; some of these
quarries are working to this day. In 1864 Owen Williams opened the " Gib-
son Quarry," and in 1871 the " Schenectady Quarry " was opened ; also, Cy-
rus E. Horton opened the quarry called by his own name, " Horton Quarry."
In 1866 W. R. Williams opened the quarry called " Green Mountain Quarry,"
on the farm of Aaron Lewis. In 1867 G. I. Davis opened the quarry called
the " Olive Branch." In the same vicinity E. J. Williams opened a quarry in
1872 and Williams Brothers had their slate mill built about the same time.
In 1 87 1 many, enterprising Welshmen commenced operating in opening
1 The first roof covered with Vermont slale was done by Colonel Alanson Allen in 1848 under the
following conditions : He was to wait one year for his pay, and if in the mean time the roof should break
down from the weight of slate, he was to receive no pay, but should pay all damages. The farmer was
disappointed and the roof is good to-day, 13
194 HisroRY OF Rutland County.
quarries on the farm of Asa Rogers, on the vein called the " Sea-Green."
Among these may be named Messrs. Rogers, Seeley, Culver, E. C. Richard-
son and Griffith and Nathaniel. In 1875 Messrs. John Davis and Lewis Rob-
erts opened a quarry on John Lemena's farm ; also Messrs. Cooke and Whit-
lock opened each a quarry in 1872. In the same year Merritt W. Bardwell
and Evan Jones opened a quarry on the Sea-Green vein on the farm of David
Farrar, about one mile east of Granville, which is at present in possession of W.
J. Evans. About the same time H. W. Hughes opened a quarry on the same
vein, just over the brook from Bardwell & Jones's quarry. Also in that year
W. Pierce, Francis & Co. opened their quarry now known by the name of
"Warren Slate Company," on Williams's farm halfway between Granville and
West Pawlet. Following this the " J " Company opened what now goes by the
name of the Brownell Slate and Flagging Company's quarries. In the same
vicinity, on Bullock's farm, the Brownell Company opened several quarries on
their own land adjoining afterward. J. Griffith and W. Roberts opened the
" Tabor Quarry " and W. Jones and Robert Jones opened the quarry now
owned by H. Hughes called the " Vermont Slate Company." The same year
Griffith Lloyd and Owen Evans opened a quarry on the Sea-Green vein at
West Pawlet, now in possession of H. W. Hughes. After this O. Evans opened
another quarry and a man named McFadden another, which are at present in
possession of Rising & Nelson and called the "Top-of-Hill Quarries," West
Pawlet. There are other small quarries opened in this vicinity b}- Howell Dil-
lingham. Other quarries worthy of mention on the Sea- Green vein are those
opened by John O. Parry and W. Jones, called the " Starvation Quarry," now
in possession of H. W. Williams. Messrs. Jones & Ellis, Evans, Roberts, Nor-
ton Brothers, H. D. G. Joslin, Kinne, Hunt & Co. and Robert J. Jones have
each opened a quarry on the Williams and HoUister farms, in the vicinity be-
tween West Pawlet and Granville ; also, N. Welch and J. Warren have each a
quarry on the Sea-Green vein. In 1883 H. Evans opened a quarr\- on the
Sea-Green vein between Granville and Wells, which is now worked by Messrs.
Temple & Heffernan.
Scotch Hill Slate Quarry and Mill, situated i^ miles from Fairhaven,
Griffith Owen & Co., proprietors. This quarry was opened about 1850 and
produces flagging, roofing and mill stock. Their steam mill is furnished with
four planers, four circular saws, one band saw, one rubbing-bed and one jointer.
The mill and quarry give employment to thirty men.
Cookville Slate Company (formerly Western Vermont Quarry). — Quarry
opened by William and John R. Williams and John Humphrey, in 1850.
Ouarry stopped work last spring — 1885. The above property is now owned
by Clifford & Litchfield, who have a mill at H)-deville with four circular saws,
one band saw, three planers, one rubbing-bed, one jointer. They manufacture
fire-frames and mantels, and make stair work a specialt}-.
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 195
Eureka Slate Compan}' {Wyman Roberts, proprietor). — The first quarry
was opened by A. W. Hyde in 1852. Three quarries are now worked, pro-
ducing principally roofing slates for exportation, the bulk of which are shipped
to Australia. There is a sixty-five horse-power Westinghouse engine at the
quarry which operates four hoisting works and five circular saws. The saws
are used for sawing through broad slabs of slate instead of breaking, thereby
effecting a great saving of stock, and enabling them to produce uniformly slates
of larger size. The slate stock consists of purple, green and sea-green. It is
claimed that the works are capable of turning out 850 squares of slate per day.
Sixty-five men are employed.
Lake Shore Slate Company (formerly known as "West Castleton Railroad
and Slate Company"), West Castleton. — Quarry opened about 1852 ; S. L. Haz-
zard, proprietor. This quarry produces principal!/ mill stock. The company
also have a mill driven by an overshot wheel twenty-four feet in diameter.
The mill contains seven circular saws, one band saw, one jig saw, five planers,
two rubbing-beds, one jointer.
Fairhaven Marble and Marbleized Slate Company (known early as the Ca-
pen Quarry). — Quarries opened in 1852. Their quarry property embraces
twenty acres of the 160 acres known as the Capen farm, on which four quar-
ries have been opened and are now being worked, the largest being that of the
above company. They are running two mills consisting of the following ma-
chinery : seven planers, nine circular saws, one band saw, two rubbing-beds,
one jointer, one lathe. These mills give employment to 100 men; quarry,
twenty- five men.
Nezv Empire Slate Company. — Opened by Owen Williams in 1864. This
company work their stock into roofing slate, producing 2,000 squares per \-ear.
Color of slate, purple. Eight men are employed.
Harvey Slate Quarry (West Castleton), Griffith, Owen & Co., proprietors,
Fairhaven. — Old quarry opened 1865; not worked. New quarry opened
in 1885. Produce mill stock.
Griffith & Nathaniel. — Are working four quarries two and one-half miles
southeast of Poultney village. The product of their quarries is worked princi-
pally into roofing slate. They give employment to from sixty to one hundred
men. The firm is composed of William Griffith and William Nathaniel.
William E. Lloyd (successors to Lloyd, Owens & Co.) — Are working five
quarries two miles north of Poultney village. First quairy was opened in
1866 Their stock is worked into roofing slate, producing from 6,000 to 9,000
squares, and emplo\' from forty to fifty men.
Evergreen Slate Quarry. — Opened in 1867 ; H. Ainsworth & Cole, pro-
prietors. The quarry is situated three and one-half miles north of Poultney
village, and two and one-half miles from Fairhaven. This is the largest quarry
that has been opened in the slate district. Its width or thickness across strata
196 History of Rutland County.
is 200 feet, length 600 feet; 180 feet of this thickness is green in color and
twenty feet is purple. The product of the quarry is worked into billiard and
mantle stock principally. Pieces not large enough for billiard or mantle stock
are worked into tile and roofing slate, the latter bringing $1.00 more per square
than sea-green. 1 They have an eighty horse-power Westinghouse engine,
which operates three hoisting-machines and power for their mill of five planers,
six circular saws, one band saw, two rubbing-beds, one jointer, one No. 9
Knowles pump, for keeping the quarry free of water. Their shipping point is
one and a half miles from the mill, on the Rutland and Washington Railroad.
Fifty men are employed about the mill and quarry. The capacity of the mill
is about 25,000 feet per month without any night work. Nearly two-thirds of
their stock goes into billiard-table tops, a New York firm iiaving contracted to
take all they can produce for five years.
Billings Marble and Slate Compatiy, L. H. Billings, manager, Hydeville. —
The quarry property at Blissville, operated for the past twenty-one years by
the " Blue Slate Company," has recently been purchased by the Billings Mar-
ble & Slate Company and James H. Wiswell, of Hydeville, and is to be worked
hereafter by them under the name of the "Trojan Slate Company." They also
own the Billings old quarry. This company have a mill at Hydeville with five
circular saws, one band saw, three planers, one rubbing-bed, one grinder.
Premium Purple Slate Company (Poultney). — Robert Morris, treasurer.
Quarry opened in 1875. Produces roofing slate.
Boyce Qiiarry (Poultney). — Situated about two miles north of the village.
Worked by Robert Williams. Produces roofing slate and employs ten men.
Jones, Roberts & Edwards (Poultney), successors to Jones, Roberts &
Parry. — Quarry opened in 1877. Present firm dates from 1882. Employ
fourteen men. Product of quarry, mill stock and roofing slate.
Temple &• Heffernan (Wells). — Quarry opened in 1882. Produce roofing
slate and employ ten men.
Anld & Conger (Poultney). — Quarrj- opened by Thomas Edwards in 1882.
They use steam-hoisting works, and employ twenty-five men, producing roof-
ing slate.
Hazzard Slate Company (Fairhaven). — This company opened their quarry
at Scotch Hill in 1882. They have a mill at Fairhaven with the following
plant: Six circular saws, one band saw, five planers, one rubbing-bed, one
jointer. Produce of quarry used as mill stock. They employ forty men and
manufacture mantel stock, currier's slabs, urinals, grave covers, vault work
and greenhouse shelves, slate steps and platforms a specialty, trimmings for
brick buildings, registers, frames, roofing slate, etc., etc.
Lake Bomosecn Slate Company (West Castleton), John Dalenta, superin-
tendent.— Opened their quarry in 1884, and in 1885 built a steam mill at the
l^TliL-y make aliuut one hundred and sevenly-live squares of roofing .slate per month.
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 197
quarry, which runs three saws, two planers, one rubbing-bed, and one jointer.
The product of the quarry is used principally as mill stock.
Jones &■ Parry (Poultney). — Opened quarry in 1884. Product used for
roofing. Employ five men.
Lloyd & Jones. — Are working two quarries, one was opened in 1870, and
the other in 1885. The quarries are situated about two miles north of Poult-
ney village. They produce roofing slate and employ twelve men.
Bolger Brothers. — Have a mill at Hydesville with three circular saws, one
band saw, two planers, one rubbing-bed. They also work a quarry at Poult-
ney between Hanger's and the Blue Slate Quarry. The firm comprises Will-
iam, Martin, Thomas and James Bolger.
Hydeville Slate Company. — Have a mill at Hydeville with four circular
saws, one band saw, four planers, one jointer, one rubbing-bed, one lathe.
Jolin R. Hughes & Company (Fairhaven), lessees. — Employ four men,
producing mill stock.
R. Hanger Slate J^^r,^.y (Hydeville). — Work a quarry at Blissville, near the
Blue Slate Quarry. Product of quarry is manufactured into billiard-table beds,
black-boards, turned columns, and slate work of all descriptions. Employ
twenty to thirty men.
Hydeville Marbleized Slate Works. — P. H. Dowe and James Delhanty,
proprietors.
5. Allen Slate Works (Fairhaven). — Marbleizers. Mill of eight circular
saws, one band saw, three planers, one rubbing- bed, one jointer, one lathe.
Steiuart Slate Mantel Company (Fairhaven). — Marbleizers.
William Fox (Fairhaven). — Slate marbleizer.
Coleman, Westcott & Burns (Fairhaven). — Marbleizers. Mill, three circular
saws, one band saw, two planers, one jointer.
List of quarries in Rutland county in working order in 1885 : —
Harvey Slate Quarry, West Castleton . .mill stock
Scotch Hill Slate Co., Scotch Hill....
Hazzard Slate Co., "
Fairhaven Marbleized Slate Co., Fair-
haven "
Vermont Union Slate Co., Fairhaven.. "
Snowden Slate Co., Fairhaven,
mill stock & roofing.
B. Lewis & Co., Fairhaven mill stock
Edward Owen & Co., "
Pierce Roberts, "
S. Roberts & Co., "
Owen, Jones & Son, "
James Whistle, Hydeville..
Billings Marble & Slate Co.,
Blue Slate Co., Castleton
Royal Purple Slate Co., "
H. .\insworth & Cole, Castleton mill stock
Wm. E. Lloyd, successor to Lloyd, Owen
& Co., Poultney roofing
Moses T. Thomas, Farmersville-.mill stock
Eureka Slate Co., " .. ..roofing
Richard Hughes & Co., " ..mill stock
Roach & Brothers, " .. "
Jones & Morris, I " ....roofing
Unevian Slate Co.,; Poultney mill stock
Poultney Slate Works, " "
New Empire Slate Co., " roofing
D. Culver & Co., " •'
Thomas Edwards & Co., Wells and Poult-
ney "
.-^uld & Conger, Wells and Poultney.. "
Griffith & Nathaniel, " " .. "
E. Knapp, Green Mountain "
W. J. Griffith & Co., Wells and Poultney.. "
W. E. Williams, agent, " . ..slate pencils i Seth Roberts & Co., " " '.. "
[98
History of Rutland County.
Wells and Poultney. .roofing
Roach Quarry
McGrath & Rogers, Wells and Poultney..
Temple and Heffernan, 'Wells
W. J. Evans (three quarries), Wells
Hugh J. Williams, Pawlet
M.Welch, "
J- Warren, "
Norton Brothers (two quarries), Pawlet..
H. D. G. Goslin, Pawlet
Kinnie, Hunt and Co., "
Jones and Ellis, "
Robert J. Jones, "
Vermont .Slate Co., "
H.J.Williams, "
Roberts and Jones (Tabor Quarry), Paw-
let
The Brownell .Slate and Flagging Co.,
(four quarries), Pawlet
Warren Slate Co. (two quarries), Pawlet..
H. Dillingham, West Pawlet
A few other quarries are in
whicli promise future profit.
Analysis of slate in Rutland count}', Vt., and \^'ashington county, N. Y.,
by Professor J. I^>ancis Williams, of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy,
N. Y. :—
Hughes (four quarries). We
H. W.
Pawlet roofing
Rising and Nelson '(four quarries). West
Pawlet "
Jones and Griffith, West Pawlet "
LaV-e Bomoseen Slate Co., West Cas-
tleton mill stock
Knapp and Prouty, Poultney... "
W. W. Martin, " ...
Premium Purple Slate Co., " roofing
The Boyce Quarry, " "
Jones, Roberts and Edwards, Poultney, mill stock
Ripley and Stanley, (two quarries),
Poultney "
Captain Wm. H. Jones, Poultney "
Jones and Parry, " roofing
Lloyd and Jones, " "
Bolger Brothers, " "
R. Hanger, Blissville billiard beds, etc.
process of opening, but not yet developed,
SEA
GREEN.
GREEN.
PnKP.E.
RED SLATE
vn-LE, NT.
Silica
65.02
5-44
2.99
16.02
1-31
Tib
1-37
64.71
5-44
7-23
7. 84
0.30
3.00
1-55
6.92
1.38
1.63
62.37
4.21
7.66
1340
0.20
2.50
0.16
trace
7.20
1.50
0.90
73-93
'•74
Protoxide of iron
Peroxide of iron
10.17
-Alumina
5.16
0.10
Manganese Oxide
*Calcium Carbonate
\i^
Calcium Sulphate
Phosphoric Acid
.•\lkalies (Sodium)
3-92
1.24
Water
"Magnesia
1-43
Pero.xide of iron is probably the coloring matter. These analyses show
that the bulk of slate deposits is made up chiefly of silica and alumina, and
was therefore at one time ordinary clay.
Beds of hematite (limonite) iron ore are found in many localities within this
county, some of which have been worked, producing a superior quality of what
was called " charcoal iron," charcoal being used for fuel in reducing the ores.
In close proximity to these ore beds are large deposits of yellow ocher (lim-
nite) which has been and is now being mined for paint material.
An e.xtensive bed of limonite exists in the southeast part of Tinmouth near
the north end of Tinmouth Pond, which was successfully worked for about
thirty years. This deposit was called the " Chipman Bed." This bed was
abandoned some forty years ago, and has not been worked since.
Marble and Slate in Rutland County. 199
About two miles north of the Chipman Bed is another deposit of ore which
was opened and worked seventy-five years ago. This ore was excellent and
iron of superior quality was made from it. This bed is now abandoned. There
is a deposit of iron ore situated about one mile east of South Wallingford vil-
lage that has been worked, but is now abandoned. The iron ore was of infe-
rior qualit}', owing to the large percentage of manganese present. The follow-
ing is an anaylsis of iron made from this ore, by Prof Olmstead : —
Metallic iron S8.71
Metallic manganese II. 28
99-99
The manganese made the iron hard and brittle.
A furnace for smelting iron was built in Pittsford in the fall of 1791 by
Israel Keith, from Easton, Mass. The ore was mostly brought from Chitten-
den, a distance of about two miles. A good quality of iron was made and
found a ready sale. On the 4th of July, 1795, Mr. Keith sold the furnace
property to Nathan Gibbs, Cornelius Gibbs, Edward Kingman and Luke Reed ;
and in 1797 Nathan Gibbs purchased his associates' interests and took upon
himself the sole management of it. He enlarged the works and continued the
business till about the time of his death in 1824. After the death of Mr.
Gibbs the furnace passed into the hands of Andrew Leach, who sold it to Sim-
eon Granger & Sons in 1826.
The furnace was burned in 1827, but was rebuilt soon afterward and the
business was conducted by " Simeon Granger & Sons" till the death of the
father in 1834, when the two sons, Lyman and Chester, took charge of the
works. In 1837 Lyman sold his interest to Edward L. Granger, another
brotlier. C. & E. L. Granger continued the business until the death of the
junior member of the firm in 1846, when George W. Hodges was admitted as
a member of the firm, and the furnace business was conducted in the name of
" Granger, Hodges & Co." till 1852.
After a partial suspension of business a stock company was formed and
incorporated by an act of the General Assembly as the " Pittsford Iron Com-
pany." This company did a brisk business for a short time, but soon sus-
pended, not being able to compete with other companies elsewhere possessing
superior facilities for the manufacture of iron.
In 1865 the name of the company was changed to the "Vermont Iron
Company," which was composed of entirely new members, who repaired the
furnace and again put it in operation ; but it was found to be an unprofitable
business, and consequently was again suspended, and has remained so to the
present time.
Iron was discovered in Brandon in 18 10 and soon after a forge was built
and bar iron of superior quality was manufactured for several years. In 1820
John Conant, esq., built a furnace for reducing the ore. It is to the energy
History of Rutland County.
and enterprise of Mr. Conant that Brandon is indebted for an impetus then
given to its business which added materially to its growth and prosperity.
In 1850 the furnace property, ore beds, kaolin mines, etc., were purchased
by the " Brandon Car Wheel Company," who for a number of years manu-
factured a superior quality of cold blast charcoal iron. The iron furnace has
not been in operation for a number of years.
Three miles northeast of the Granger furnace, not far from the west line of
Chittenden, are beds of limonite. That known as the " Mitchel Bed " has been
worked quite extensively and the greater portion has been of excellent quality.
The Mitchel Bed furnished much of the ore for the Granger furnace.
The yellow ocher (limnite), kaolin and manganese (psilolemane) ore, were
each successfully worked while the iron furnace was in operation. Many tons
of the manganese were shipped to England. The ocher is still mined to a
moderate extent as a paint material by the " Brandon Kaolin and Paint Co.,"
of which G. W. Prime is president ; C. H. Forbes, secretary. The ocher is also
mined for paint material by the " Original Brandon Paint Co." No iron beds
or blast furnaces are worked at the present time within the county.
A thick deposit of sulphate of iron, or iron pyrites, exists at Cuttingsville,
which has been mined and used quite extensively in the manufacture of cop-
peras. For nearly forty years these beds have been abandoned ; the buildings
in which the copperas was manufactured have been taken down and removed.
With the exception of the mine but few traces of the works are to be seen.
Clays suitable for brick are found in several localities within the county.
Good bricks are manufactured in Rutland by John Mclntire ; also by Albert
Davis. Their yards and kilns are just south of the village. A good quality
of brick is also made at Brandon.
The bricks used in the construction of the United States court-house and
post-office at Rutland were made from clay hauled from Pittsford and were
pressed and burned at Rutland.
Fire-clay is found in Brandon and at one time was used in the manufacture
of fire-brick and stone-ware. A deposit of fire-clay of excellent quality is found
near the east line of Rutland, which is worked to some extent by the " Rut-
land Fire-clay Co.," of which R. L. Perkings is manager and A. W. Perkings,
treasurer.
The writer desires to state that he has gladly availed himself of information
wherever it could be obtained, relating to the subject matter contained in the
foregoing chapter. Much relating to geology has been derived from the fol-
lowing works, viz. : Vc7-mont Geological Reports, 2d vol., 1861. Dana's Man-
teal of Geology, 3d edition, 1 88- Prof Archibald Geike's Elements of Geol-
ogy, London. Proceedings of the Middlebnry Historical Society, vol. I, part
Rutland County Educational Interests.
II, entitled The Marble Border of Western New England, Middlebury, Vt.,
1885. A Treatise on the Slate Quarries of Rutland Connty, by Owen Ifor, 1884,
as well as from many individuals who have kindly furnished me with infor-
mation relating to the early development of the slate and marble industries.
To all such I tender a hearty acknowledgment.
CHAPTER XIV.
RUTLAND COUNTY EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS.i
Character of Early Settlers in Vermont — Their Reliance Upon the Church and the School-House
— Plymouth Colony Act Relative to Education — Furtlrer School Legislation — Early County, or
Grammar Schools — Rutland County Board of Trustees — Academic History — Rutland County Acad-
emy— "Brandon Academy" — West Rutland Academy — Poultney Female Academy — Primary
Schools — Provisions for their Support — The Pioneer School System and School-Houses — School
Improvements — Normal Schools — Graded and Union Schools — Present School Conditions.
OUR Vermont historian, Zadock Thompson, opens his chapter on " Educa-
tion and Literature in Vermont," as follows : —
" Few of the early settlers of Vermont enjoyed any other advantages of
education than a few months' attendance at primary schools as they existed in
New England previous to the Revolution. But these advantages had been so
well improved that nearly all of them were able to read and write a legible
hand and had acquired a sufficient knowledge of arithmetic for the transaction
of ordinary business. They were in general men of strong and penetrating
minds, and clearly perceiving the numerous advantages which education con-
fers, they early directed their attention to the establishment of schools."
There can be little doubt of the correctness of Mr. Thompson's views of the
character of the first settlers of Vermont and that " they early directed their
attention to the establishment of schools"; that is shown by the records of
almost every town in the State.
The first settlers of Vermont were not born in Vermont. They came here
in the main from the older settled colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut,
a few coming from Rhode Island and New Hampshire. They brought with
them what education they had received and the characters they had formed in
those colonies from which they had emigrated. And it is evident that those
early settlers, after they came to Vermont, clearly perceived " the numerous
advantages which education confers"; they must have acquired that capacity
before they came here. It seems, then, to the writer, that for the better un-
1 Prepared and contributed by Hon. Barnes Frisbie, of Poultney.
History of Rutland County.
derstanding of our educational history we should first go back to our settle-
ment and briefly review the influences which had been at work in moulding
the characters of our first settlers. We boast of our Puritan origin, and we
may. Freedom had its birth long before the declaration of independence. It
was weak at first ; it grew slowly but surely until it culminated in the Ameri-
can Revolution and the establishment of a free government. What were the
agencies which effected this growth ? History leaves us in no doubt on that
subject.
New England was settled by the Puritans. First came those who fled from
Notdnghamshire to Holland in 1608 to escape persecution. From Holland
they landed at Plymouth in 1620 and founded the Plymouth colony. Between
1630 and 1650 large numbers of Puritans left England for America and found-
ed the colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The latter did not flee from
persecution, as, at the time they left, Puritanism in England had increased in
power and could not be assailed with impunity. The Puritans were, in fact,
the best class of men England could turn out at the time to found new com-
munities. They were free thinkers, independent in thought and action. They
were subjects of the crown of Great Britain, but formed governments for them-
selves in Massachusetts and Connecticut as purely democratic as the govern-
ment of the United States is or ever was. They were behind this age in civili-
zation, yet they were thoroughly democratic in their local government. Their
laws were crude in style and form and they were intolerant to those who dif-
fered from them in religious faith and doctrine, yet with an unflinching adher-
ence to duty, as they understood it, and their firm reliance upon the church
and the school-house, they made their way on in the progress of civilization,
and succeeded in opening the way for the best government the sun ever shone
upon.
As this chapter is to be devoted to educational history, we may briefly
consider that which pertains to New England before the outbreak of the Revo-
lutionary War. As one writer well says : " Scarcely had the Pilgrims landed
when they put their heads together in order to devise means for the moral and
mental culture of their children." The colony, or the colonies, and the schools
started together. The first educational ordinance in Massachusetts was in
1642. This provided that the selectmen of every tow^n should see to it that
children and apprentices are not wronged in matters of education ; it also pro-
vided for a fine of twenty shillings upon the off'enders against the law. Vari-
ous enactments were made in subsequent years by the General Court of the
several colonies, with the view evidently of adequately supporting a generous
system of education. They established free schools — schools that were open
to all children of school age, and, more than that, they provided by law that
all of school age should attend — compulsory, if need be. The next year after
the New Haven colony was founded a school was established and in running
Rutland County Educational Interests. 203
■ order in that colony. I may be here permitted to take an extract from the
Plymouth colony laws passed by the General Court of the colony in 1670: —
" Education of children. — For as much as the good Education of Children
and youth is of singular use and benefit to any Commonwealth ; and whereas
many Parents and Masters, either through an over-respect to their own occa-
sions and business or not duly considering the good of their childien and serv-
ants, have too much neglected their duty in their education, whilst they are
young and capable of learning : it is ordered : that Deputies and Selectmen
of every Town shall have a vigilent eye from time to time over their Brethren
and Neighbors, to see that all Parents and Masters do duly endeavor by them-
selves or others, to teach their children and servants as they grow capable, so
much learning as through the blessing of God that they may attain at least to
be able duly to read the scriptures, and good profitable books printed in the
English Tongue (being their Native Language) and the Knowledge of the Cap-
ital laws, and in some competent measure to understand the main Grounds
and Principals of Christian Religion, necessary to Salvation, by causing them
to learn some Orthodox Catechisme without book, or otherwise instructing
them as they may be able to give a due answer to such plain and ordinary
Questions, as may by them or others be propounded to them concerning the
same : and further, that all Parents and Masters do breed and bring up their
children and apprentices in some honest lawful calling, labor or employment
that may be profitable for themselves or their country ; and after warning and
admonition given by the Deputies or Selectmen into such Parents or Masters,
they shall still remain negligent in their dut)- in an)' of the particulars afore
mentioned, whereby Children or Servants may be in danger to grow Barber-
ous. Rude or Stubborn, or so prove Pests instead of Blessings to their country,
that then a fine of ten shillings shall be levied on the Goods of such negligent
Parents or Master, to the Towns use, except extreme poverty call for mitiga-
tion of the said fine.
"And if in three months after that there be no due care taken and contin-
ued, for the Educaton of such children and apprentices of aforesaid then a fine
of twenty shillings to be levied on such Delinquents Goods, to the Towns use
except as afore said.
" And Lastly, if in three months after that, there be no due Reformation of
said neglect, then the said Select Men with the help of two Magistrates, shall
take such children and servants from them and place them with some Master
for years (boys till they come to twenty-one, and girls eighteen 3'ears of age)
which shall more strictly educate and govern them according to the rules of
the order."
These laws were drafted in " ye ancient style," but they unmistakably in-
dicate the Puritan idea of education at the time, and it may also be remarked
that the history of the Puritans in New England shows that their laws were not
204 History of Rutland County.
a dead letter. They were thoroughly in earnest in their laws, in all the ways
of life.
Thus began the settlement of New England and thus it progressed under
that high ideal of life which brought to its aid religion and education. The free
school — the school open to all, had been without precedent ; it was first adopted
by the Puritans. It is not to be claimed here that the early colonial schools of
New England had the perfection which a more advanced and enlightened age
has shown ; but they were schools as good as could be gotten up at that age
with the means they had, and were as faithfully and persistently maintained as
any schools ever were. History gives no practical example that shows in a
stronger light the value of general education. If we search the old colonial
records we shall find much that is arbitrary, much that is superstitious, much
that is intolerant in religion ; but we shall not fail to find that the Puritans put
themselves on grounds from which they could advance and that they did ad-
vance. The germ was transplanted from Europe to our shores, and here it
grew, and was pruned from time to time, as it grew, of its inconsistencies with
enlightened freedom, its superstition and its intolerance. And here is an op-
portunity for the philosophical student of history to study the laws oi growth
which apply as well to nations, states, communities and societies, as to a tree
or plant. The germ, so to speak, must be nourished by the material which
the revealed and natural laws of God require to insure its growth, and the
important factors in the nourishment by the Puritans were the church and the
school- house.
Perhaps the space given to history outside of Vermont and before the State
was settled, as introductory, may be regarded as useless ; but the writer does
not so consider it. If the reader adopts the reasonings and conclusions of the
writer, we shall now understand why the first settlers of Vermont early direct-
ed their attention to education ; we shall understand what made success possi-
ble in the Revolutionary struggle. The writer is old enough to bring evidence
to bear upon this point. I was personally acquainted with quite a large num-
ber of the soldiers of the Revolution, residents in the main of Rutland county.
They were men, not machines, as were the common soldiers of the British
army. I knew them as prominent and useful members of society ; members
of churches, deacons, civil magistrates and otherwise occupying places of trust
and responsibility. They were not in general as highly educated as the aver-
age citizen of to-day. yet the proportion who were obliged to make their cross
when they drew their pensions was probably not larger than that of the sol-
diers of the war of 1861.
School Legislation. — The first constitution of Vermont, established by con-
vention July 2, and December 24, 1777, contained this section: "A school or
schools shall be established in each town by the Legislature, for the conven-
ient instruction of youth, with such salaries to the masters, paid by each town,.
Rutland County Educational Interests. 205
making proper use of school lands in such towns, thereby to enable them to
instruct youth at low prices. One Grammar School in each County, and one
University in this State, ought to be established by the General Assembly."
The first general law of Vermont, says Thompson, on the subject of pri-
mary schools was passed by the Legislature on the 22d day of October, 1782.
This law provided for the division of towns into school districts, for the ap-
pointment of trustees in each town, for the general superintendence of schools
and for the election of a prudential committee by the inhabitants of each dis-
trict, to which committee power was given to raise one-half of the money nec-
essary for the building and repairing the school-house and supporting a school,
by a tax assessed on the grand list, and the other half either on the list, or on
the parents of the scholars, as should be ordered by a vote of the district.
This was the law under which the school system of Vermont started. That
there were some schools in the State prior to the passage of this law seems
probable. Mr. Hollister, the Pawlet historian, says : " Next to providing
themselves with shelter and the most common necessaries of life, our fathers,
true to the institutions under which they had been reared, directed their at-
tention to education. Schools were established as soon as a sufficient number
of scholars could be gathered in any locality." This is true of all the towns
in the county of Rutland, indeed of the State. The first school-houses, as well
as the first dwellings, were of logs ; so important to our first settlers was the
education of their children that they made almost anything answer for a school-
room. The historical student cannot fail to see the force of those words of
Mr. Hollister: "Our fathers, true to the institutions under which they had
been reared " (in Massachusetts and Connecticut), directed their attention to
education.
The act of October 22, 17S2, also provided that the judges of the County
Courts be authorized to appoint trustees of a county school (grammar school),
in each of their respective counties, and with the assistance of justices of the
peace to levy a tax for the purpose of building a county school-house in each
county. This part of the act was never fully carried into effect. The first
county or grammar schools in Rutland were established, but no tax was ever
raised as provided. Some of them were aided by " grammar school land "
granted by the Legislature; though as early as 1786 a movement was made
in Rutland county which resulted in the establishment of the Rutland County
Grammar School at Castleton. This movement was mainly on the part of the
people of Castleton, and through their efforts a grammar school was opened in
that town in the year 1781. It was opened in "a gambrill-roof school-house"
which had been recently erected, and was continued in the same until the build-
ing was consumed by fire in the year 1 800. The Legislature passed an act
October 29, 1805, entitled "An Act Confirming the Grammar School in the
County of Rutland, " and the Rev. Elihu Smith, the Hon. James VVitherell,
2o6 History of Rutland County.
and Messrs. Chauncey Langdon, A. W. Hyde, Theophilus Flagg, Samuel Shaw,.
James Gilmore, Amos Thompson, John Mason, Enos Merrill and Isaac Clark
were constituted a board of trustees with the usual powers. Section F of this
act reads as follows : "And it is hereby further enacted that the house in
Castleton in said county, lately erected on the spot where stood the school-
house for said county, which was lately consumed by fire, be and is hereby
established as a county grammar school-house for said county, so long as the
inhabitants of said Castleton shall keep the same or any other house in the same
place in good repair for the purpose aforesaid to the exceptance of the County
Court of said county. "
I have been unable to learn that any tax was ever laid on the county of
Rutland for the purpose of erecting buildings for a county school-house. A
corporation was created by the Legislature under the name of the Rutland
County Grammar School, and was twice afterward affirmed ; once by the act
last named in 1805, and subsequently in 1830. The school has been essentially
an academy from the first and received its support, as other academies have to-
this day, in the tuition fees of those who attended. It is the oldest academy in
Rutland county and one of the oldest in the State. A portion of the time since
its establishment it has had a large patronage, and was regarded as one of the-
the most flourishing institutions of its kind in New England.
Other Academies. — Other academies have arisen in Rutland county. The
Troy Conference Academy was incorporated in 1834, and soon after com-
menced as a school. A fine academy building in Poultney was completed in
1837, and the school commenced its work in that building in the fall of that
year. For twenty years after the establishment of this school its patronage
was large. In 1863 it was changed to a school for females under the name of
Ripley Female College, and in 1873 was restored to the Troy Conference and
has since been used as a Conference school with a fair patronage, and is now
quite prosperous under the direction of Rev. C. H. Dunton as principal.
The " Brandon Academy " was incorpated by the Legislature in 1806. It
existed as a school for several years, but never drew much patronage outside
of the town. The Vermont Scientific and Literar\' Institution was organized
about 1S25; I find no record of its incorporation. A fine building was erected
and the school started off" under the auspices of the Baptist denomination, and
for many years was quite flourishing. Like many other academies in the State,
its patronage gradually diminished until it ceased to exist, and the " Old Semi-
nary Building " became the property of the graded school established in Bran-
don in 1865, and was repaired and remodeled for that purpose.
Several other academies have been incorporated from time to time in Rut-
land county, but the three at Castleton, Poultney and Brandon have been the
most prominent. The Vermont Academy was incorporated and located at
Rutland in 1805, but I find no account of its ever existing as a school. The
Rutland County Educational Interests. 207
West Rutland Academy was incorporated in 1810. This existed and was
quite a flourishing school for over twenty years. Poultney Female Academy
was incorpated in 18 19, but lived only two or three years. Mr. Hollister in
his history of Pawlet, says : " Measures were taken about the beginning of the
present century for the establishment of an academy, or grammar school, as
such institutions were then generally called. A commodious brick edifice was
erected near the village, in which the higher branches were taught, usually two
terms in the year, fall and winter, until its destruction by fire in 1845. When
the Methodist church on the hill vvas vacated in 1845 by the society, it was
fitted up for an academy under the auspices of JaSon F. Walker, its first prin-
cipal. This school took the name of Mettowel Academy, but I am not aware
that this or any other academy in Pawlet was ever incorporated. The Met-
towel was sustained as an academic institution some ten years, when it ceased
to exist.
The people of Vermont seemed to have been opposed to adding academies
by raising a tax on the grand list, yet those institutions have been numerous
in the State, and in great part well sustained until the introduction of graded
schools, of which I shall have something to say in this chapter. The academies
in Rutland county have done good work in the cause of education, and two of
them, those at Castleton and Poultney, are now doing good work ; one of the
State Normal Schools is connected with the academy at Castleton. The his-
torians of the several towns where the academies are and have been located
will go more into detail in giving the history of those institutions in Rutland
county.
Primary Schools. — We will now return to the primary schools. The Leg-
islature from time to time made amendments to the school laws passed in 17S2,
yet no radical changes were made until 1844. The laws of 1782 were so changed
quite early in our history that a State school tax was provided of three cents on
the dollar; the money raised by this tax and the income of the school lands went
into the town treasury and was called " the public school money," and divided
among the several districts in each town by the selectmen of the several towns,
and the balance necessary to support the school was raised on the polls of the
scholars attending the schools. Ry an act passed by the Legislature in 1825,
a very considerable fund was added to the " public money." By this act all
the avails of the " old Vermont 'State Bank," with six per cent, of the net
profits on the existing banks, and all sums arising from peddlers' licenses went
into this fund. It amounted in 1841 to $164,292.28. But this sum soon de-
parted by means of legislative enactments and otherwise, which our space will
not permit us to trace out in detail.
In 1837 Congress made provision for the deposit of the surplus revenue,
which had accumulated from the sales of public land, with the several States
of the Union. The share which fell to Vermont was $669,086,74. This sum
2o8 History of Rutland County.
was distributed among the several towns in the State in proportion to their
population, and the towns were directed to loan the money on sufficient secu-
rity, and apply the annual interest to the support of schools. The several towns
became responsible to the State for the money and for its use ; also for its re-
turn, and any portion of it, if called for under subsequent apportionments that
might be made. This has and now seems to be a permanent fund, subject,
however, to new apportionments that are liable to lessen the amount or pro-
portion in some or all of the States.
Schools of Early Days. — A great deal of criticism and wit has been ex-
pended over our " old time schools." We hear from the critics and wits of the
old school-house : " It was such a building," they say, " as the farmer of to-
day would not house his cattle in." "The teacher was not qualified for his work ;
he was paid seven or eight dollars a month in winter, and from fifty cents to a
dollar a week in summer and boarded around." "The rod or the ferrule was
his sceptre, with this he governed his school." " The government was arbitrary,
the method of instruction was coarse, rude and dictatorial ; it was not such as
to awaken the minds and hearts of pupils."
The quotations in the preceding paragraph are taken from the writings of
those who have assumed to instruct us in matters of education during this
generation. While it is true that our school system has undergone a great
change in the last forty years, and that the present system is far in advance of
that under which the schools were conducted in this State for the first half
century of its existence, every intelligent Vermonter will concede. Yet the
tone of those criticisms of the old time school in Vermont are too often, as the
writer believes, a slander upon the good people of Vermont who settled our
State, founded our institutions, and led us on for fifty years with as true a pa-
triotic purpose as ever existed in the hearts of men, and as intelligently as the
light of their time would permit. Civilization has advanced, and schools, as a
result, have advanced. Because our fathers did not establish the graded school
and the long list of improvements found in our modern system, it furnishes no
better reason for ridicule than the fact that the Vermont farmers used the
clumsy wooden plow for the first half century after the settlement of the State.
The farmers then used the best implements they had, and the best that the age
could furnish. It was not their fault that the plow with the iron mould-board
had not then come within their reach, or that the mowing-machine, which would
cut as much grass in a given time as six men would with their scythes, had not
been invented.
Education, when treated historically, is a matter of growth, and rude as the
earliest schools of Vermont were, I should bestow the larger meed of praise
upon the founders of our institutions, and those who nourished and cared for
them in the early part of our history. The truth stands out prominently in our
early history that the people regarded ^the school as indispensable. For a
Rutland County Educational Interests. 209
school-house, if they could do no better, they built one of logs, hired a back
room in some dwelling-house, or put up the best frame building they could —
a school they ivould have. Aside from the support of Christianity, if there is
anything in our history more important than any other, or more productive of
good results, it is tne faithfulness and persistency of our fathers in projecting
and sustaining the schools.
One bright morning in May, 1820, I was ushered into a school-room in
school district No. 2 in Middletown, the district in which my father then re-
sided. The school-house was a small building, in size twenty by sixteen feet on
the ground. It had its entrance on the north end which opened into a little
room or passage-way five feet square, and this opened into a school-room
of some fifteen feet square. The north end of the house, five feet in width
contained the above entry room, the chimney and the girls' closet. I well re-
member the appearance of this school-room as I entered it for the first time.
It retained substantially the same appearance as long as I went to school
there, which was until 1827, when my father was set to school district No. i,
the village district. Writing benches, as they were then called, ran around on
three sides of the room, fastened to the walls, and in front of them were rough
benches of hard wood slabs, with legs as rough as the slabs. On these were
seated the larger pupils, all old enough to write, and in the center of the room
were lower seats conveniently arranged for the smaller scholars.^ In the front
or north end of this room \\as a large fire-place, constructed of the best stone
that could be obtained in the vicinity, not hewn or polished, but put in as they
came from the field. From this fire-place the room was warmed in the winter.
Wood was then plenty, and householder or party who sent to school furnished
his portion, a quarter or half a cord to the scholar, as the vote of the district in
school-meeting might be. The fire was first made by putting in a " back log,"
then a " forestick " on a pair of andirons and the space between filled up with
small wood and kindlings. Such also was the way dwellings were heated at that
time. I have in this description included all the furniture and all the fi.xtures
of the school-house where I learned the ABC, and shall assume that this
school-house was an average of the school- houses in Rutland county at the
time I attended school there. I completed my common school education in
the village school-house, which was no better than the other ; it was larger, as
the village school had about eighty scholars in the winter term, and some less
in the summer; there were about forty in winter and about twenty-five in
summer in attendance at my first school while I attended there. No paint was
lln the northeast corner of the room wa.? the teacher's desk, which might have cost fifty cents.
On that desk lay a rule which belonged to the teacher, and over the fire-place on two nails driven in
about two feet apart and on a level, rested " a twig of the wilderness," which, with the rule, was de-
signed as a terror to evil doers. In the corner near the desk stood a broom, which was used once a
day during the noon recess by one of the older girls attending the school, each taking her turn in
sweeping the room.
14
History of Rutland County.
ever put on either of those houses, inside or out, and both were ahke " open
to the wind and the weather; " and from what I knew of other school-liouses
in the town, and from what I afterwards learned of the school-houses outside,
those two houses fairly represented the average school-house of Rutland
county and of the State.
But it should not be forgotten here that many of the best scholars and
ablest men Vermont ever produced received their primary education in such
buildings as I have described. I can count a score of men and more at the
district schools with me who in after life distinguished themselves in the pro-
fessions. The academy and the college were then more relied on for a
" finish."
School Improvements. — Improvement in our common school system in
this State was not so rapid until after 1S40. Thomas H. Palmer, a former
resident of Pittsford in this county, was the prime mover in bringing about a
revision of the school laws of the State, and opening the way for the efficient
system under which the public schools of the State are now conducted. Mr.
Palmer was a native of Scotland, emigrated to Philadelphia when a mere boy,
where he acquired a competence in book publishing, and retired from that
business in 1S26, and removed to Pittsford. There he provided himself with
a beautiful house, and gave himself to the literary pursuits and the cause of
education. He took a deep interest at once in the schools of Pittsford, visited
them often, offered suggestions to teachers and pupils, and often gave public
lectures on this interest which lay near his heart. As early as 1850 he invited
the teachers in the county, or those intending to teach, to meet him at Pitts-
ford for what we may call a teachers' institute (what he called it I am not
aware). They were usually held about two weeks. The exercises consisted
of a review of the branches then taught in the common schools, with lectures
on the various topics connected with the teacher's management of the school
by Mr. Palmer. These institutes were held by Mr. Palmer once a year, usually
in the fall, and proved of much utility. Mr. Palmer's efforts in the cause of
education attracted attention in other parts of the State, and in the summer of
1874 he was invited to Middlebury by Governor Slade, and there had an in-
terview with the governor and president and professors of Middlebury College.
In this consultation it was determined that an effort should be made to remodel
the school laws of the State, and to that end a committee of Middlebury gen-
tlemen was appointed to correspond with the influential friends of education
about the State, and Mr. Palmer took upon himself to canvass the State per-
sonally, which he did, lecturing in a number of towns. On the meeting of the
Legislature of that year in October, petitions came from all parts of the State
asking for more efficient school laws. Those petitions were f;ivorably received
by the Legislature, and a law was passed which provided for an examination
of teachers, and the supervision of schools. This was one step, but an impor-
Rutland County Educational Interests.
tant one, toward our present system. The Legislature of 1845 took another
step in the same direction. It provided for a State superintendent of schools,
and one or more superintendents in each town of the State. The State super-
intendent to be elected by the Joint Assembly, and the town superintendents
by the freemen of the several towns at their annual meetings in March. It
provided for the examination of teachers, and made null and void all contracts
for teaching between teachers and prudential committees of districts, unless the
applicants had first procured certificates of qualification.
In 1840 the Legislature, by an act of that year, provided that all the mon-
eys raised by school districts for the payment of teachers' wages, be raised
upon the grand list ; and moneys by a tax upon the scholars who attend school
shall be appropriated only to defray the expenses of fuel and teachers' board.
In this connection we may as well state tliat in 1864 the Legislature provided
that " all expenses incurred by a school district in supporting schools in excess
of public moneys received by the district shall be defrayed by a ta.x upon the
grand list of the district." Such is the law in force now and will doubtless
remain the law of Vermont. This makes a free school in the full sense of the
term. A parent under this law has no more, no less, to pay whether he sends
his children to school or allows them to run in the streets.
A board of education was provided for in the State in 1856. That board
was empowered to appoint a secretary and it had the general oversight of the
schools until 1874, when the board was vacated by statute and a superintend-
ent of education took its place. Since that time the State superintendent of
schools and the town superintendents have had the supervision of the schools
of the State. The State superintendent is required to hold teachers' institutes
in each county, to give public lectures and, as far as practicable, to visit schools
in companx' with the town superintendents.
Nonnal ScJwols. — Mr. Palmer was a very enthusiastic advocate of normal
schools, but he did not live to see them established; he died in 1861. The
Legislature passed an act, which was approved November 17, 1866, which
established a State Normal School. This act was amended in 1870, which
appropriated $ 1,000 to each of the Normal Schools of the State, then estab-
lished at Johnson, Randolph and Castleton, and extended the schools to 1880;
this appropriation was afterward cut d(j\vn to $500. The act was subsequently
amended, which extended the same to 1890. It will be understood that these
schools are for the education of teachers. The State superintendent of educa-
tion nominates and approves a principal teacher and first assistant for each
Normal School and shall withdraw such approval when the interests of the
school demand, and the principal provides for the discipline of the school.
There are two courses of study in the Normal School, and are such as the
trustees and the superintendent of education agree upon. The Normal Schools
of the State, thus far, have been very well sustained and in effect have raised
History of Rutland County.
the standard of qualifications of teachers ; and especially has this been appar-
ent to the friends of education in Rutland county, from the good work of the
Castleton Normal School, of which A. E. Leavenworth is now and has been
for several years the principal.
Graded, High and Union Sclwols. — The establishment of graded schools in
the larger towns has, perhaps, more than anything else indicated improvement
in our schools and school system of the State. The law now in force provides
for " graded schools," "district high schools," and " union schools.'' A graded
school is defined as "a school maintained by the town, or school for not less
than thirty weeks in each year, and consisting of four or more departments
taught by four or more teachers, having an established course of study, and
having all of the departments under the control of one principal teacher, shall
be a graded school and be entitled to the privileges granted by law to graded
schools." If the children of a school district are so numerous as to require
more than one teacher, the district may, at a district meeting, vote to erect as
many school-houses and to provide as many teachers as are necessary, and
may direct the sciences or higher branches taught in one of those schools.
This is the " district high school."
" Contiguous school districts ma\' form a union district for the benefit of
the older children of such districts by a two-thirds vote of each of the districts
thus united." The older children who possess the qualifications prescribed b\'
the prudential committee shall be permitted to enter the union school, or
" union high school," as it is sometimes called ; and this is the union school.
Changes and Conditions. — There has been a good deal of legislation in
Vermont in the last forty years with a view to the improvement of schools.
For this purpose the friends of education in the State have been very active in
that time in procuring suitable legislation to raise the schools on a higher
plane. Instruction is now much more thorough and effective in the common
branches, and in many of the schools in Rutland county the higher branches
are now taught successfully, and at the graded schools in Rutland and Bran-
don young men are fitted for college, and all the higher schools are supported
entire by tax on the grand list, as all public schools in the State are and have
been since the act of 1864.
A remarkable change has occurred in forty years in the character of our
school buildings ; school- houses have been erected in Rutland county at a cost
among the thousands. As I write now I can look out on a school-house in
Poultney erected and furnished at a cost of over $12,000, and it would not be
a wild estimate to say that the cost of this one house was more than all the
school- houses in Rutland county were worth in 1820. The graded school
buildings in Rutland and Brandon each must have considerably exceeded that
sum in cost. In the towns of Castleton, Fairhaven, Pawlet, Wallingford and
Pittsford we find excellent school-houses in the central districts and great im-
The Press of Rutland County.
provement throughout the count}' in school-house architecture, with few ex-
ceptions. A great improvement also will be found in the style and furnishings
of the school-rooms. No school-room is now expected to be without a black-
board, and most of them have outline maps and some globes and other appa-
ratus, for illustration and instruction. Suitable desks are also in general
provided.
Our school system seems now as perfect as it can be made ; yet it must be
conceded that some of our schools in the " back districts " are still " behind
the times " ; but this is not the fault of the existing system ; if there is a fault
anywhere it lies with the people of those districts. What more can the State
of Vermont do for schools than it is now doing ? It has provided a way to
pay the entire expenses ; it educates competent teachers, but it cannot prevent
by law the depopulation of the rural districts; but it has provided for the union
of contiguous districts and, last of all, it has provided for the " town system,"
seemingl}' for the purpose of bringing within the reach of every child of every
class an opportunity for acquiring a good common school education.
CHAPTER XV.
THE PRESS OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
The Early Press — First Paper in Rutland County — Sketch of its Proprietor — The Second Paper
— The Rutland A'^ra/t/ — Sketches of Matthew Lyon, Judge Samuel Williams and Dr. Samuel Wil-
liams—Succeeding Proprietors of the v¥f;-fl/rf— The First Daily Paper in the County— The Rural
ATagazine — Other Rutland Journals — Newspapers of Fairhaven — Poultney Journals — Castleton
Journalism — Brandon Newspapers — Danby and Wallingford Journals.
IN a few 3'ears more the press of this county will have reached its centennial
birthday. The press of this country has always closely followed in the steps
of the pioneer and grown up side by side with the early school and church.
To this fact we may reasonably attribute a considerable share of the general
intelligence of our communities.
The press of Rutland has ever held a commanding position in the affairs of
the community, county and State, and some of the leading citizens have been
at one time and another connected with newspaper work. Some have been
men of marked ability, ranking high among their fellows, and occupying posi-
tions of importance. The several newspapers established in Rutland have in
the main recei\'ed a fair support during their existence, but a large majority
" had their brief day, " and retired from one cause or another, or the misfortunes
of their publishers. The first paper printed in Rutland was established by
Anthony Haswell, and was called the Herald of Vermont or Rjitland Courier.
214 History of Rutland County.
It made its first appearance June i8, 1792, and when the fourteenth number
was printed ready to be distributed the ensuing Monday a fire, on Sabbath
evening, September 21, 1792, destroyed the office and most of the edition.
The Legislature, which he met in Rutland a few weeks afterward, granted the
unfortunate publisher a lottery, by which he was allowed to raise ^200 as a
compensation for his loss, from which, however, he never derived any pecuniary
benefit.
Anthony Haswell was a prominent figure in Vermont in the latter part of
the last century. He was born at Portsmouth, England, April 6, 1756, and
came to Boston when about thirteen years of age, and served his apprentice-
ship as printer with Isaiah Thomas. He established the Vermont Gazette at
Bennington, June 5, 1783, which he continued with brief interruptions during
his lifetime. In 1784 Vermont, then an independent government, established
post-offices at Bennington, Rutland, Brattleboro, Windsor and Newbury.
Anthony Haswell was appointed postmaster- general, with exclusive powers,
his commission bearing date March 10, 1784. He held the office until the ad-
mission of Vermont into the Union in 1791. He died at Bennington.
On the I St day of April, 1793, James Lyon began the publication of the
Farmer s Library or, Vermont Political and Historical Register. Although
its name was so formidable, the size of the sheet was not very pretentious.
Under the heading of the paper was the following: " A Political and Histori-
cal paper, by John J. Lyon ; published every Monday near the State House,
Rutland."!
Mr. Lyon's salutatory is of sufficient interest to warrant its insertion here ;
it reads as follows : —
" The editor, having obtained subscriptions equal to the support of the pub-
lication, returns his thanks to his patronizers for their encouragement, and pur-
poses, under the auspices of the literati of Rutland and its vicinity, to supply
them with a News Paper that shall merit the title ascribed to it. — He regrets,
however, the present impossibility of obtaining paper of a suitable size, and is
determined to enlarge it as soon as possible.
" Not having a correspondence established with foreign printers it will not
be in his power to furnish much foreign intelligence until the third or fourth
number, until which time it is hoped the public will suspend its opinion of the
publication.
"Being about to establish a regular Post from Rutland to "Windsor, who
will have a direct communication with the eastern mail, we shall soon have a
regular chain of early intelligence from that quarter. "
How eloquently this brief editorial speaks of the limited communication
with the outer world enjoyed by the early inhabitants of the town !
1 It has been repeatedly stated in various prints that this paper was first published in F.iirhaven,
either by Matthew or James Lyon. The facts are correctly stated above, being taken directly from
the first number of the paper itself, which is in possession of Albert H. Tuttle, esq., of Rutland.
The Press of Rutland County. 215
The ownership and editorial control of this paper (which soon passed to
other hands) has been ascribed to Matthew Lyon ; it is more than probable
that he did edit the sheet or, at least, had much to do with it during the period
when it was published by his son, James. The Lyons were from Fairhaven,
where James advertises " writing paper manufactured at Fairhaven, " in the
Herald in 1794. The paper in question was printed for about eighteen months,
when on the 29th of November, 1794, it was purchased by Judge Samuel Wil-
liams and Rev. Samuel Williams, LL.D., the Vermont historian, and the
name changed to The Rutland Herald or, I'ermont Mercury. In the first
number the proprietors announced that "as we have purchased of Mr. Lyon,
editor of the Farmer s Library, the Printing Office, Apparatus, and pri\'ileges
annexed by law to his Paper, it will for the future be carried on by the sub-
scribers, with the above title, under the direction of Dr. Williams
The price of the Herald will be nine shillings per annum to those to whom we
send the paper ourselves; seven shillings and sixpence to those who call at the
office and take them. " ^
Matthew Lyon was a native of Ireland and came to this country a poor
boy, thirteen years of age ; from Connecticut he made his way to Vermont,
making his settlement at Arlington, which he represented in 1779 to 1782.
He removed to Fairhaven in 1783. He was the pioneer of that town in the
use of its water power, and was its leading spirit for years. He was chosen to
Congress in 1796. He was a bold intrepid man, and withal a man of great
natural ability. He had several hand to hand fist fights with his brother mem-
bers of Congress, preferring, as he said, to settle his disputes on the spot, and
thrash his opponent instead of shooting him. He removed to Kentucky and
was member from that State ; he was also re- elected to Congress, and afterward
chosen the first delegate to Congress from Arkansas, but died before taking
his seat, August i, 1822, near Little Rock.
Matthew Lyon's connection with other publications in this county, and the
connection of his son James with the press will be noticed a little further on.
Although of the same name, the two Williamses, proprietors of the Herald,
were not related. The Rev. Samuel Williams became the editor, and Judge
Samuel Williams managed the business. A more than ordinary notice should
be made at this point of Rev. Dr. Williams, the editor. In that period few
editorials were written, but those that appeared were of a conservative political
character, and no particular policy was marked out, but veering from one side
to the other, and by expressing no marked or decided opinions upon the cur-
rent topics of the day. The political policy of the paper at that time, when an
opinion was given, we apprehend was shaped by Judge Samuel Williams, who
was a prominent and ardent politician in his day. The editorial comments
1 It is good evidence that James Lyon had at least the business control of the Farmer's Library,
for the accounts were in' his possession, as evidenced by his calling for payment on them in the second
number of the Herald, in December, 1 794.
2i6 History of Rutland County.
were generally brief, and upon historical, scientific and religious subjects. Dr.
Williams was undoubtedly the most learned man in Vermont in his day, and
for his labors and influence in behalf of education and religion, he was also one
of the most useful.
Rev. Samuel Williams was a native of Waltham, Mass., born April 23, 1743.
He was a grandson of Rev. John Williams, of Deerfield, Mass., who was taken
into captivity by the Indians, and carried to Montreal, and was the author of
the Redeemed Captive an interesting narrative of his adventures, a book now
very scarce, and which brings an almost fabulous price among book col-
lectors and antiquarians. Dr. Williams graduated at Harvard University in
1761. He was ordained minister of the church at Bradford, Mass., November
20, 1765, and continued its pastor until 1780. Rev. John D. Kingsbury, son-
in-law of Hon. William M. Field, is now pastor of the same church. He was
Hollis professor of mathematics in Harvard University from 1780 to 1788,
when he removed to Rutland and was pastor of the Congregational Church,
from 1789 to 1795. Dr. Williams was chaplain to the Legislature,
and preached the election sermon in 1794. He preached for a time at Bur-
lington, and was one of the founders of the University of Vermont, and for a
time a professor in the institution. He surveyed the west boundary of Mas-
sachusetts in 1786, and also the boundary of Vermont. He was eminent as
a scientist and was a fellow of the American Academy of Sciences, American
Philosophical Society, and German Literary and Scientific Societies. His sci-
entific attainments were known in Europe, and the honorary degree of LL. D.
was conferred on him by Edinburgh University. He published the Natural
and Civil History of Vermont in 1794, and an enlarged edition, two volumes,
in 1809. During his residence at Bradford, Mass., Benjamin Thompson, after-
wards Count Rumford, studied philosophy under him, and was a member of
his family, and corresponded with him on scientific subjects until 1791. For
the information of the present generation of Rutland, who know very little of
this eminent man, we give an estimate of him, written by John A. Graham, of
London, who was a resident of Rutland for a time preceding 1797. Graham
says : " Of Samuel Williams, LL. D., member of the Meteorological Society,
in Germany, ... it maj' with propriety be said that he is the most enlight-
ened man in the State, in every branch of phiIosoph\- and polite learning, and
it is doing him no more than justice to say there are very few in the United
States possessed of greater abilities, or more extensive information ; added to
which he is a most excellent orator and speaks in a manner best adapted to the
understanding and capacity of those whom he addresses. In the year 1794
the doctor wrote and published the natural history of Vermont, executed much
to his honor and to the satisfaction of all naturalists. In politeness, grace and
elegance of manners, Dr. Williams is not inferior to the most polished English
gentleman."
The Press of Rutland County.
He died in Rutland, January 2, 1817, and is buried in the old North Cem-
etery. He left several children, one of whom was Charles K. Williams, chief
justice and governor of Vermont. Judge Samuel Williams, of whom mention
has been made as one of the first publishers of the Rutland Herald, was a na-
ti\'e of Massachusetts and came to Rutland at an early date, previous to 1780.
The writer has been unable to find but little relative to his early life. He was
a man of prominence in the civil and political affairs of the town and county.
He was selectman from 1783 to 17S7 ; town clerk from 178810 1797, and
representative in 1798 and 1799. He was a judge of the Rutland County Court
from 1790 to 1798, eight years. He was also a candidate for Congress against
Matthew Lyon in 1799, and received the vote of Rutland. It will be seen from
this list that he was a leader among the early men of the town. He died in
Rutland and also has his grave in the old North Cemetery.
The Herald \\3lS, at this period, as we are informed by the imprint, "printed
on Mondays by J. Kirkaldie for S. Williams & Co., in the Main street a few
rods north of the State-House."
The early files of the Herald are, unfortunately for history, sadly incom-
plete and, although it is generally believed that William Fay was the ne.xt pub-
lisher of the paper, we have found some evidence that there was another change
in the firm previous to his accession. Shut in among the leaves of the first vol-
ume of the Herald file in Mr. Tuttle's possession, is an original article of agree-
ment between Samuel Williams and Josiah Fay, who was undoubtedly the
father or a brother of William Fay. This old article is dated in February, 1797,
and is to the effect that Josiah Fay, of Windsor, became a partner of Samuel
Williams in the printing and publishing business, Fay agreeing " to work faith-
fully at case and press," etc. Dr. Williams, having leased one-half of the office
from his partner, Samuel Williams, Fay agreed to pay $25 on that considera-
tion. A subsequent agreement continued this partnership to August, 1 798.
The agreement was witnessed by William Fay. How long this partnership
continued we have no means of knowing; but it was very early in the present
century that William Fay became the sole publisher of the Herald. He was a
young man at the time. In 18 1 7 Fay took as a partner Gideon M. Davison,
and later in the same year Charles Burt came into the business, the firm being
Fay, Davison & Burt. At the end of the year both Mr. Davison and Mr. Burt
retired and Fay continued the publication until 1827, when he sold out to
E. C. Purdy.
During the period of Mr. Fay's ownership of the Herald the general man-
agement of its columns fell almost entirely into his hands, and its conduct
showed him a man of careful judgment and attention to his business. The
paper was made up of miscellany, general news, and occasional contributions
on political and local topics. A few articles appeared from the pen of Edgar
L. Ormsbee, then a promising young lawyer, who afterward stood in the front
rank at the Rutland county bar.
History of Rutland County.
William Fay was a business man in the strictest sense, economical in man-
agement, and somewhat of a newsgatherer in that period, but never wrote arti-
cles to any extent. He entered very little into politics. If political articles
appeared in the paper they were in the form of communications, frequently in
the way of discussion between adherents of the two political parties or the can-
didates themselves as anonymous communications. The custom at that day
was for candidates to present their claims through the columns of the press,
while at the South the candidate personally appeared upon the platform. Mr.
Fay, while liberal in opening his columns to the contending parties, had de-
cided convictions of his own and personally stood by the party of his choice.
An honest, diligent man, he secured for himself a competence and had the en-
tire respect and confidence of the people. He died in 1839 at an advanced
age, enjoying the regard of the community.
Gideon Miner Davison was a native of Middletown, in this county, and be-
came an apprentice to Mr. Fay, and finally through the aid of friends became
a partner with him. About 1820 he left Rutland and removed to Saratoga
Springs, then just assuming importance because of the development of its min-
eral springs. He established and published a paper until 1840, when, having
accumulated a fortune from his paper and other successful enterprises, he
retired from newspaper work and engaged in business enterprises, notably the
securing of railroad connections with Saratoga, with whose prosperity he was
prominently identified. To him possibly the foundation of Saratoga as a na-
tional watering place is fully as much due as to any one individual. He- became
president of the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad at its first organization, and
held the position for many years after its completion to Saratoga and its exten-
sion to Whitehall, and was succeeded by George N. Schuyler, of infamous rail-
road fame. Mr. Davison retired to private life several years previous to his
death and enjoyed the fruits of his successful labors. He died at Saratoga in
1870 at an advanced age.
Charles Burt was a son of Leonard Burt and was born in Bellows Falls in
1791, coming to Rutland in 1813. After his retirement from the printing busi-
ness he became one of the prominent merchants of the place. (See history of
town of Rutland).
E. C. Purdy published the Herald until 1831, when the establishment was
sold to Ephraim Maxham. Mr. Purdy was a writer of some ability and occa-
sionally original articles appeared from his pen. He enlarged and otherwise
improved the paper and put into it some new vigor and life. After publishing
it two years he went to Boston and established the Boston JSIail, and was suc-
cessful in acquiring a fortune, and his later years were passed in retirement.
He often visited Rutland and was well known to many of the older citizens.
For many years he spent his summers at Clarendon Springs and often gave in-
teresting reminiscences of early, in contrast with the present, Rutland. He
died at Somerville, near Boston, at the age of seventy- eight years.
The Press of Rutland County. 219
Ephraim Maxham published the paper in 1831-32 alone and in 1833 took
in as a partner the man who was destined to stand at the helm through the
most important and successful period of the history of the journal — George A.
Tuttle. Mr. Maxham was an invalid, but possessed excellent mental qualities.
The firm continued until a few weeks previous to April, 1834, at which time
Mr. Tuttle took the entire establishment. Through a series of circumstances,
which must be credited to others, he was forced to sacrifice whatever interest
he had acquired, and on the 12th of April left the paper to remove to Ludlow,
where he established a paper. At this time William Fay again became pub-
lisher of the Herald, continuing to 1838.
During a portion of the period of William P"ay's ownership, alone or with
others, the office was in a building on Main street, afterwards used by Gershom
Cheney as a dwelling, a little north of West street. It was afterwards moved
to a building that was subsequently removed to make the opening of Center
street into Main street. The office was removed down town in 1864.
After the death of William Fay, the long-time proprietor, the Herald passed
into the control of White, Everson & Co., and later the firm became Horace T.
White & Co., and the two firms published the paper from 1839 to 1842. In
1843 't was published by White & Guernsey. During the last administration
George H. Beaman became the principal editorial writer. Horace T. White
was then a young man, and a son-in-law of William Fa3% as was also the late
United States Senator Solomon Foot, who was also more or less identified with
the paper during Mr. White's incumbency. Mr. White was afterward a pub-
lisher at Bennington for many years, but the later years of his life were spent
as a clerk in one of the government departments at Washington, where he died
a few years ago. M. A. Guernsey did not continue long with the paper. He
was the inventor of a somewhat celebrated printing-press known as the Guern-
sey press, and his later life was devoted to its manufacture, from which he
secured an ample reward pecuniarily. Mr. Guernsey died several years ago.
In 1 85 I the Herald passed into the possession of George H. Beaman, as
publisher and editor. It was during Mr. Beaman's administration that distinc-
tive editorials began to appear in the Herald. He was a vigorous, cogent and
able writer, and his contributions attracted wide attention, and the journal held
front rank in the press of the State. He had control of the paper until 1854.
George H. Beaman was a native of Poultney and for many years proprietor of
the Franklin Hotel on Main street, previous to becoming an editor. He had
a large acquaintance with the prominent men of the State and was a close ob-
server of current affairs, which peculiarity fitted him as a writer at that period.
He was a member of the celebrated Whig convention in 1844. He was secre-
tary of civil and military affairs in 1844-46, during the governorship of William
Slade. Mr. Beaman years ago retired from editorial work, but has occasionally
written vigorous articles for the press on different topics. His last public con-
History of Rutland County.
tribution was a paper on " Old Taverns," read at the centennial of Rutland
county in 1881, and was published. Mr. Beaman still resides at Center Rut-
land.
The paper, in 1855, was purchased b\' Chauncey H. Hayden, and edited by
him and published by George A. Tuttle & Co. In the latter part of the year
of 1856 he sold his interest in the paper and removed to St. Albans, where he
published the IVee^/j Messenger for several years. Mr. Hayden was born in
Randolph, Vt., and graduated at the University of Vermont in 1848. He was
secretary of civil and military affairs during the administration of Governor
Stephen Royce, in 1854 and 1856. He also represented St. Albans in the
Legislature. He died of consumption at St. Albans about i860.
In 1856 George A. Tuttle & Co. published the paper and it has continued
in possession of himself or a member of the family to the present time. George
A. Tuttle & Co. owned the paper until 1862, when Charles M. Gay became a
partner, who continued until 1867, when Tuttle & Co. purchased his interest
and carried it on until February, 1872, when Albert H. Tuttle became sole pro-
prietor. In 1873 L. W. Redington became associated with Mr. Tuttle. In
1875 Rev. S. B. Pettengill and W. P. Winslow joined with A. H. Tuttle and
formed the Herald Association. Mr. Winslow died and the paper was con-
ducted b)- the surviving partners until September, 1877, when the Herald and
Globe Association was formed, and the Globe (which see) consolidated with the
Herald. Albert H. Tuttle assumed the position of principal manager of the en-
tire establishment and still retains the important office. The president of the
company at the present time is Joel C. Baker.
The first daily paper published in the county was issued April 29, 1861. It
was a necessity, growing out of the desire for prompt news of the doings on
the field of battle^ and was looked upon by its projectors in the light of a pos-
sible brief experiment ; but it seemed to be just what the people had been
waiting for; it was ably edited, energetic in the pursuit of late news, and long
before the end of the war had become, chiefly through the efforts of George A.
Tuttle, a firmly-established and popular success. The editorial staff of the
Herald at the present time comprises Robert A. Perkins, a recent acquisition
(since February, 1885), w^ho is managing editor, under Mr. Tuttle; Lucius
Bigelow, who has been connected with the paper for five years past and writes
most of the political and general editorials ; D. B. Howland, also recently en-
gaged, local editor, and David M. Baxter and Edward H. Fox, assistants. The
Herald was originally a Whig organ, and has, since the organization of the
Republican party, faithfully and consistently upheld the doctrines of that par-
ty ; it has always wielded a powerful influence throughout the State.
No other man accomplished so much towards giving the Herald more than
a local reputation as George A. Tuttle. The paper was his pride and all his
energies, often to his own personal loss, were devoted to its success. Mr. Tut-
The Press of Rutland County.
tie was a son of Noah Tuttle, of Castleton, one of the pioneers of 1798 in that
town, whither he went from North Haven, Conn. Noah was a mason and
farmer and a man of more than ordinary inteUigence and capacity. George A.
Tuttle received his early education in the common schools only, from which
he graduated before he was sixteen years old to the country printing-office —
often a better school than man}' so-called educational institutions. He was
scarcely sixteen years old when he first became a partner in the Rutland Her-
ald office, as before noticed, and from the date when he took an interest in it
for the second time, he made its upbuilding his life-work. Like many other
journalists whose ambition has been centered in their publications, he gave
freeh- of his time and talents for the advancement of others, at the same time
declining public office and emolument for himself; and there is many a man
of political and social prominence in the State to-day, who owes his station
largeh- to the influence of Mr. Tuttle and his journal. He was a vigorous,
terse and candid writer, whose expressions had the strength of truthfulness and
were inspired by a spirit of earnestness that gave them weight. Mr. Tuttle
died January 4, 18S5.
The next publication that demands attention is the Rural Magazine or
Vcrtnont Repository, edited by Rev. Samuel Williams. In man)' regards this
was the most important and valuable publication ever issued in Vermont. It
is held in such esteem at the present day, in a historical point of view, that the
two volumes issued readily sell for $50, in fact $75 was paid for a copy a few
years ago for the library of the British Museum, in London. The work is very
scarce, but is largely sought for by collectors, libraries and historical societies.
Its reprint has been frequently proposed. It gives an interior view, found no-
where else, of the early New England and Vermont history, and in fact of the
country, with editorial comments by Dr. Williams, who was one of the best
historians and profoundest thinkers of his time. As a full survey of the con-
tents has never yet been written, it may be well, in fact it is important, that it
should now be done for the information of the public.
The first number was issued in January, 1795. The last was issued in De-
cember, 1796. It was devoted to literary, moral, historical, and political im-
provements. It bore the Latin motto, "Hoc itndiqite jura Cougruutur," printed
by J. Kirkaldie for S. Williams & Co., a few rods north of the State-House. The
preface to this publication is unique and sensible and could with great propriety
be adopted by many modern publishers. An extract will indicate its tenor : —
" In compiling the Rural Magaciuc, the design of the editor is to prepare
such literary, moral and historical collections as may prove instructive and en-
tertaining to the reader. In this collection, what we have most of all in view,
is such original papers, historical and political documents, literary, civil and
ecclesiastical transactions, as relate more immediately to the affairs and citi-
zens of Vermont. By collecting and preserving such papers and proceedings
History of Rutland County.
we hope to exhibit to the public a general account and views of the state and
progress of society in this part of the Federal Union. It would not be decent
or safe for the editor to make high declarations and promises, with regard to
the manner in which the work will be executed. All that he will venture to
engage is to make a serious attempt to compile as useful a magazine as shall
be in his power. Every composition designed for the people, will, eventually
take its character from its utility; and its utility will be ascertained by the re-
ception which it meets from the people. By this standard the merits of the
work will be e.Kamined, and its continuance or discontinuance will be deter-
mined. That which the people do not esteem cannot be very useful to them ;
and in any writings which meet their expectation, an author will always find
in the public esteem and encouragement, the proper and adequate reward for
his labors."
The historical articles in the Rural Magazine are of immense value to the
historical student, and many of them liave been reprinted in pamphlet form.
Dr. Williams, not receiving sufficient encouragement, discontinued its publica-
tion in December, 1796, and now, ninety years distant, it bears the largest price
of any volume published in the early history of the country.
In 1802 an independent weekly called the Vermont Mercury was started
by Stephen Hodgman. It continued but a short time.
In 1808 Thomas M. Pomeroy established the Vermont Courier, the first
number of which was issued July 25, and was continued until Ma)-, 1810.
The Rutland Republican, published by Simeon Locke, was first issued Au-
gust 29, 1848. It was published but a short time. It had for its motto, " Free
Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor and Free Men."
The Vermont Union. Whig, published at Rutland and Brandon. William
C. Conant was editor at Rutland, and Samuel M. Conant at Brandon. The
first number issued in Brandon was in 1847. It was a home newspaper, de-
voted to politics and literature. The first steam printing-press ever in use in
Rutland was used for the first time in printing the initial number of this paper.
It was published about a year and died.
H. Fletcher Potter, a resident of Poultney, began the publication of a news-
paper in Rutland, in Januar)', 1855, called the Guard of American Liberty.
It was devoted to " Know-Nothingism." It ended its existence after the elec-
tion in September of that year.
The Rutland Courier began its publication August 12, 1857, by John Cain
and James K. McLean proprietors, with John Cain as editor. The last num-
ber was issued April 14, 1872. Mr. McLean continued with the paper for
several years, when he sold out and it was continued by Mr. Cain, when it was
sold to the Globe Paper Company and discontinued as an individual paper.
This journal under the leadership of John Cain was a fearless and vigor-
ous one in the expression of political and individual opinions. It was the or-
■litMlly
^
l!^JL
The Press of Rutland County. 223
gan of the Democratic party in Western Vermont. Local issues were dis-
cussed with a bold and unsparing hand, and the editor at times perhaps al-
lowed his partisan and personal feelings to carry his pen beyond the bounds of
discretion and at times produced for himself enmity. The paper, however,
was a timely reflex of the editor's views and position upon all public questions,
national and local. He was held in regard by his fellow journalists of the State
and he frequently contributed spice and rhyme to the festive gatherings of the
craft.
John Cain was born at Castletown, Isle of Man, January 28, 1S09. He
received the education afforded to the masses of the people of that island.
He came to this country in 1832 and settled in Rutland. He was an architect
and builder by occupation. He became a citizen of the United States soon
after his settlement, and espoused the Democratic views of Jefferson and Jack-
son, and valiantly defended the doctrines of that party and became prominent
in its ranks. He was a delegate to four National Conventions of two parties,
and postmaster of Rutland under the administrations of Franklin Pierce and
James Buchanan and was twice the candidate of his party for Congress. He
was closely identified with the interests of Rutland for a quarter of a century
and held se\'eral positions of trust in the local government. As a selectman
he was prudent and economical, and as lister he endeavored to make the burdens
of ta.xation fall upon all alike according to the property held by them, never
avoiding the full measure of responsibility. He fearlessly performed the duties
of the office of grand juror in accordance with a strict construction of the stat-
utes, turning neither to the right or left for. friend or foe. He administered the
office of justice of the peace with great intelligence and good judgment He
was superintendent of the construction of the United States court-house and
post-office, the town hall and freight depot. He was greatly interested for the
building of the Rutland and Woodstock Railroad, and was president of that cor-
poration, and had connection with the first survey and construction of the Rut-
land and Burlington road. He was disposed to be a controversialist in the press,
politics and public affairs, and his ardent temperament involved many personal
enmities. He was a warm friend and bitter opponent. He was genial and
social in his intercourse with his fellows and enjoyed society. An energetic,
public-spirited citizen, he accomplished a good work in the promotion of the
business and welfare of his adopted home. He died March 17, 1S80, aged
seventy-one years.
In July, 1858, What's the News, a monthly paper, was commenced by
William A. Bacon, and was published only a few months.
JuK' 21, 1866, The Rutland County Independent was established by James
K. McLean and Thomas C. Robbins. An initial number was issued Jul\- 4
1866. The first regular number appeared Jul\- 21. The second volume the
name given was Rutland Independent. After two or three years Mr. Robbins
224 History of Rutland County.
witlidrew from the paper, and in April, 1873, it was sold to the Globe Paper
Company and consolidated with the Rutland Globe, in which the proprietor
became financially interested and superintendent. Among the editorial writers
of the Independent were Dr. Charles Woodhouse, Dr. Middleton Goldsmith,
George H. Beaman. James K. McLean was a practical printer of large ex-
perience and oftentimes wrote for his paper. He was for several years fore-
man of the Daily Herald ^.wA other papers. He died in 1875 of consumption.
Thomas C. Robbins is a native of Maine and came to Rutland from Massa-
chusetts, and engaged in the printing business. Since his retirement he has
occupied several positions of trust — deputy county clerk, register of probate,
assessor of internal revenue, and is now the judge of probate for the district of
Rutland.
James H. Lansley published, during a few months of 1870, a weekly called
The Marble City Mirror. In January, 1870, an amateur paper called Tlie
Rutland Times, was issued by McLean & Aiken, the editor being Frank Mc-
Lean, now a Rutland job printer. It was discontinued in November, 1871.
The ]'eriiiout Mason, a monthly, was published by Henry Clark from May,
1 87 1, to May, 1873, when it was discontinued. The Biblical Messenger, a
monthly, was started by Rev. A. A. Hoyt, of the Advent Church, in 1872,
and discontinued after a few issues.
At the session of the General Assembly in 1872 a charter was granted for
the organization of a corporation for the purpose of publishing a newspaper
and doing a general printing business. This charter not meeting the views of
all parties interested, a company was organized in February, 1873, by the
general laws of the State, under the name of the " Globe Paper Company,"
for similar purposes. A general printing-office was established, and the Rut-
land Independent and Rutland Courier, two weekly papers, were purchased.
A daily and weekly paper was established called The Rutland Globe. The
first number was issued May I, 1873. It was an independent journal, sur-
rounded by Republican influences. It was conducted in this spirit during its
existence. The first editor was Orion Clemens, who had previously been ed-
itor of the Hartford, Conn., Post, with Henry Clark as associate editor. Af-
ter a few months Mr. Clemens resigned. The late Chauncey K. Williams
then became the chief editorial writer. The paper attained a large list of sub-
scribers and the editorials were notable for fairness and independence. As a
newspaper it was a marked success, but a financial failure, and was sold to
the Herald Association, as before stated, its last issue appearing September i,
1877. Chauncey K. Williams, the able editorial writer for a major part of its
publication, was a son of ex-Governor Charles K. Williams. He was a grad-
uate of Williams College, and entered the profession of law, practicing at Rut-
land and Flint, Michigan. He had written for, and been associated with, the
press from early life, and was a writer of clear and comprehensive thought.
.^v
t of its
The Press of Rutland County. 225
He was a historical writer of great research and made nian_\- \ahiable
contributions to historical and other magazines. Mr. WiUiams died sud-
denly in January, 1880. Among those who were connected with the editorial
department of the Globe were Henry Clark, Seneca M. Dorr, George H. Owen,
Solon E. Carpenter, and E. Hamilton Ormsbee.
A paper called the Ridland Leader was commenced January i, 1877, by
Henry Clark, who continued its publication until September i, 1879, when it
was sold to James L. MacArthur, and was changed by him tn the Rutland
Daily and Weekly Times, which see below.
On the 1st of January, 1878, Vincent C. Meyerhoffer began the publica-
tion of a distinctive Democratic paper called the Rutland Inquirer, as the organ
of that party in Western Vermont. Horace W. Love, in October, 1879, pur-
chased the paper and consolidated it with the Rutland Revieiv.
On the 2d of April, 1878, Horace W. Love established the Sunday Re-
view. Under this name it was continued about a year, and then changed to
the Saturday Evening Review, and when the Inquirer was consolidated with
it the name given was the Review -Inquirer. After August 5, 1880, the two
papers were separated on account of business complications, and from that date
the Reviezv and Inquirer were published as separate papers ; the former by
H, W. Love, and the latter by L. W. Redington. The Reviezv is now issued
w\\.\\ a weekly and Sunday edition, by the " Review Company," of which
Charles Sheldon is president, and B. W. Marshall, treasurer and manager.
The paper is ably edited, and enjoys a large circulation.
September i, 1879, the Rutland Times, a daily and weekly, was com-
menced by James L. MacArthur. It was issued as an evening paper for about
three weeks when, on account of business embarrassments of the publisher, it
was discontinued.
The Inquirer, above mentioned, was purchased by George E. Richardson,
who suspended its publication in 1881, and on September i of that year he
started the Rutland Standard SiS an independent weekly. This paper was con-
tinued b\- him until August 15, 1885, when the establishment was leased to
James Carruthers. Mr. Carruthers is a practical printer with twelve years ex-
perience ; was city editor of the L)'nn Transcript three years, and subse-
quently associated with D. B. Howland in publishing the Hampshire daily and
weekly Herald hom February 1884, to July, 1S85. He has inaugurated rad-
ical changes in the editorial conduct of the Standard and is making a good
paper.
The Vermont Baptist was founded in March, 1879, by Rev. Justin K. Rich-
ardson, and is still published. It is a monthly publication, de\otcd to the in-
terests of the Baptist denomination in Vermont.
The history of newspapers printed in Rutland completed, we shall now
sketch those in the other towns of the county, viz., Brandon, Castleton, Fair-
haven, Danby, Poultney and Wallingford. i'""
226 History of Rutland County.
FairJiavcn. — Matthew Lyon began the publication of a newspaper in 1794,
called the Fairhaven Gazette, which was printed by his son, James Lyon, and
Judah D. Spooner. There were at the time but three other papers printed in the
State ; the Gazette at Bennington, the Herald at Rutland, and Journal at
Windsor. Matthew Lyon was an ardent politician of his day. He issued
this as a political sheet for the advancement of his own interests, he at that
time being a candidate for Congress, presenting himself as "the representative
of commercial, agricultural and manufacturing interests in preference to any of
their law characters," from the admission of the State into the Union, in
March, 1791, until his election on the fourth trial in 1796. James Lyon learned
the art of printing in Philadelphia. He was an active business man ; was post-
master at Fairhaven in 1798 ; he engaged in shipbuilding in Eddyville, Ken-
tucky, and died poor in South Carolina in 1824.
This paper was succeeded hy \.\\& Fanners Library, or Fairhaven Telegraph,
a Republican paper, printed by J. D. Spooner and William Hennessey, at Fair-
haven, Vt. The first number was issued July 25, 1795. Mr. Hennessey re-
tired from the paper in March, 1796, and Mr. Spooner continued its publica-
tion. It was a Democretic paper and supported Colonel Matthew Lyon for
Congress. In those daj's every newspaper had its motto. The motto of Mr.
Spooner's paper was: "The freedom of the people cannot be supported with-
out knowledge and industry." The name of the paper was changed in 1797 to
The Farmers Library anel Neiv York Lntelligeneer, and continued to about the
close of the year 1798. A. JN. Adams, in his excellent history of F"airhaven,
notes several advertisements which sound strange in these days, and with a view
of giving an idea of the crude method of public advertising in those days, a
few specimens are given. In those da\s newspapers were not sent through
the mails, but by post-riders, as the}- were called, who went through the coun-
try and delivered the papers to each house, giving warning of their approach
through the thickly settled neighborhood or village by blowing a tin horn. To
illustrate, we give a copy of an advertisement published in 1798, which reads
as follows : —
" Mr. Jeremy Dwyer proposes to ride from the printing-ofiice in Fairhaven,
to carry newspapers through Castleton, by the old fort, thence through Hub-
bardton, Sudbury, Whiting and Cornwall to Middlebury Falls ; thence to re-
turn through the westerly part of Cornwall, Whiting and Sudbury, and the east
part of Shoreham, Orwell, Benson and Westhaven, every other week to re-
verse the route. Any person on his route wishing for papers from Benning-
ton, Rutland, Albany or Lansingburgh, or the Rural Repository, printed at
Rutland, shall have them delivered on reasonable terms."
There was competition in this business even at that date, and Orren Kel-
sey advertised as follows: " To carry newspapers from the printing- office in
Fairhaven through Westhaven, Benson, Orwell, Shoreham, Bridport, Addison,
Panton and Ferrisburgh."
The Press of Rutland County. 227
The publication of lists of letters in that day in the newspapers was a cus-
tom, because but few towns had a post-office. In January, 1798, James Lyon,
then postmaster at Fairhaven, published a list of letters remaining in that post-
office January 1st, among which are letters for persons in Poultney, Middle-
town, Granville, Pawlet and New Hartford, which is now Hartford, N. Y.
Among the items of news in the same paper is " that an extensive band of
thieves, who had troubled the neighborhood, had been broken up and the cul-
prits punished — one of them by whipping."
As an illustration of the political spirit of the times, and the independence
of Matthew Lyon, we quote the following: " Much has been said about the
French council of the ancients ordering a Quaker to be turned out of their
house for obstinately persisting in keeping on his hat contrary to the rules of
the house. The high-flying federalists in this country reprobate their conduct
and call it persecution, and yet would oblige Citizen Lyon, one of the members
of the House of Representatives, to be dragged in procession before the presi-
dent, although he has repeatedly declared that it was against his conscience
and opinion to join in that ceremonial."
As a matter of history, although foreign to the purpose of this series of
articles, an explanation should be made of the allusion made in the sentence,
" Citizen Lyon, one of the members of the House of Representatives, etc." In
1798 Colonel Matthew L}-on, then a candidate for Congress, was tried for an
alleged offense under the famous " sedition law," in the United States Circuit
Court at Rutland, in October, 1788, and was subsequently imprisoned in jail
at Vergennes, exciting a degree of feeling that has never since been exceeded
in any political struggle. He was then representative from the western district
of Vermont in Congress ; at the election held on the first Tuesday of December,
1798 (no choice having been made at the election in the previous September),
he was elected by a decisive majority, although then confined in jail at Ver-
gennes under his sentence. Colonel Lyon was the Democratic candidate and
Judge Samuel Williams, of Rutland, was the Federal candidate. A procession
of some 400 citizens, from this and Addison county, went on horseback to Ver-
gennes on the expiration of Colonel Lyon's term of four months imprisonment
in 1799, and escorted him from the jail to his residence in Fairhaven. To save
another arrest, he immediately proclaimed himself on his way to Philadelphia,
as a Member of Congress. On his arrival at Bennington he was formally ad-
dressed and a banquet given in his honor. An cftbrt was made to expel him
from Congress but without success.
October l, 1798, The Scourge of Aristocyacy and Repository of Iinportant
Political Trjitlis was commenced by James L\-on and was continued one year.
It was a duodecimo magazine published semi-monthly. Matthew L\on was
then running for Congress, and the Rutland Herald, under Dr. Samuel Will-
iams, refused to publish communications in his favor. This magazine con-
History of Rutland County.
tained several communications from Colonel Lyon. The subscription price was
$3.00. The second number contained Matthew Lyon's celebrated letter to
Colonel Stevens T. Mason, Senator from Virginia, written by him October 14,
1798, while a prisoner in jail at Vergennes. This publication is in great de-
mand by antiquarians and fabulous prices are offered for it. But few copies are
in existence in Vermont. One is in the library of the Vermont Historical So-
ciety at Montpelier, one in the Fletcher library at Burlington, one owned by
A. N. Adams, of Fairhaven, one in the library of William Clogston, at Spring-
field, Mass., and one in the possession of Henry Clark, of Rutland.
In 1854-55 a small monthly paper was issued in this town b}' De Witt
Leonard ; it was called The Banner. In January, 1S61, one number onh' of a
small sheet called the Golden S/ieaf was published.
In September, 1863, the first number of an advertising sheet was published
with the title of the Fairhaven Advertiser ; other occasional numbers succeeded
until 1866 when the outfit was purchased by William Q. Brown, who began the
publication as a regular monthly periodical, changing the name to The Rutland
County Advertiser ; it continued until April, 1868.
On the 5th of September, 1868, the first number of The People's Journal
was published by Jones & Grose, with Rev. P. Franklin Jones as editor, This
paper was continued until July, 1869, when it was purchased by De Witt Leon-
ard and E. H. Phelps and the name changed to The Fairhaven Journal, with
E. H. Phelps as editor. It was finally discontinued in 1877.
On the 1st of January, 1879, the publication of The Vermont Era was com-
menced by the Inman Brothers, who after three weeks' experience sold out to
Joseph E. Colton, who changed the name of the paper to The Fairhaven Era
and continued the publication until September 15, 1879. At this time the
establishment was purchased by Frank W. Redfield, who still continues the pub-
lication of a very able country paper.
Poultney. — In November, 1822, Sanford Smith and John R. Shute began
the publication of the Poultney Gazette. This journal was continued under
that name until January, 1825, when it was changed to Tlie Northern Spectator,
and published by " Dr. David Dewey and Amos Bliss, as agents for the pro-
prietors," who continued to publish it several months, when it passed into the
possession of E. G. Stone. It afterwards had other managers, among whom
was Hon. Harvey D. Smith, afterwards of New York. Its publication was
continued until June, 1830. The Spectator was a leading and influential paper.
The character of its selections was of a somewhat higher tone than was the case
of other papers of that period. Its leading editorials and communications were
written by Hon. Rollin C. Mallary, Rev. Ethan Smith, Harvey D. Smith, and
toward its close by Horace Greeley, then a j'oung man, and contributions from
Jared Sparks, afterwards the distinguished historian, also then a young man
tarr\-ing with an uncle in that vicinity. The first contributions ever made b\^
The Press of Rutland County. 229
Horace Greeley or Jared Sparks to the public press appeared in the columns of
the Spectator. The Spectator was a four page sheet, fifteen inches by twenty-
one inches in size, and larger than the Rutland Herald at that time. The main
character of the paper was religious and literary, rather than political, though
when party spirit ran high it took a hand in by the way of contributions from
the leaders of both parties. In the Poultney Gazette was a page devoted to
missions and entitled the Missionary Herald, edited by Rev. Ethan Smith, and
he was said to have afterward been one of the founders of the magazine pub-
lished at the present time as the organ of the American t Board of Commis-
sioners for Foreign Missions, called the Missionary Herald. The experience
of the publishers was similar to that of many of the present day, as will be seen
by the following extract from their valedictory, published December 28, 1825 :
" It is now something more than three years since we first introduced our-
selves to the public as the editor and publishers of a weekly journal. We com-
menced with high hopes of success ; with prospects bright and flattering. These
hopes have been partially realized ; they would have been fully realized had
our subscribers, generally, been as willing to reward us for our toil, as we were
anxious to render ourselves worthy of such reward."
Sanford Smith was a son of Rev. Ethan Smith. He first learned the print-
er's art ; he afterward studied theology, and entered the ministry, and was for
many years a successful pastor in Massachusetts. John R. Shute went to Bos-
ton, Mass., and died in that city. The Gazette was mainly under the editorial
control of Ethan Smith, at that time pastor of the Congregational Church, and
a theological writer of some eminence, who ardently entered into the religious
discussions of that period. He was born at Belchertown, Mass., December 19,
17G2 ; died August lo, 1849. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1790.
He was a soldier at West Point at the time of Arnold's treason ; in his later
years he was city missionary of Boston. He was the author of the celebrated
work entitled Vietv of the Hehrezus, or the Tribes of Israel in America, published
in 1825.
The political and local policj' of the paper was shaped by Rollin C. Mal-
lar)', then a Member of Congress, who was an almost constant contributor.
He was born in Cheshire, Conn., Ma)^ 27, 1784, and died on his way home from
Washington at Baltimore, Md., April 15, 1831. He graduated at Mid-
dlebury College in 1803. He practiced law at Castleton from 1807 to 1818,
and in Poultney from 181 8 to his death. A monument was erected at his
grave by the members of the Rutland county bar. He was a Member of Con-
gress from 1816 to 1831. He was an intimate friend and associate of Henry
Clay and a zealous advocate of protection. He was chairman of the commit-
tee on manufactures, and author of the celebrated tariff of 1828. Hon. Har-
vey D. Smith, who was also associated with the Spectator, was a vigorous writer
and a man of mark. He was born in Pawlet, November 9, 17S9. He re-
230 History of Rutland County.
moved in 182410 Gouverneur, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., wliere he died Sep-
tember 28, 1864, aged 75 years. He was a member of the Assembly of New
York, surrogate and county judge for many years. His mind was remarkable
for quickness and clearness of perception. One able to judge of him has said,
" that without being admitted to the bar he was the best lawyer of his day, and
as a court administered law equal to judges of the highest reputation. " The
Northern Spectator did not have a wide circulation or special prominence as a
newspaper, j^et its name has attained a world-wide fame in connection with the
fact that Horace Greeley learned the art of type-setting in its printing-office.
It may be a matter of public and historical interest in this connection to give a
sketch of Mr. Greeley as an apprentice, as some items of his early career have
never attained great circulation. He was born at Amherst, New Hampshire,
February 3, 181 1, and when about ten years old his father removed to West-
haven, in this county. He became anxious to become a printer. In answer
to an advertisement in the Northern Spectator for an apprentice, in the spring
of 1826, he went on foot and alone to Poultney. The paper was then under
the management of Amos Bliss. He found Mr. Bliss at work in his garden.
Mr. Bliss used to report the interview as follows : —
Horace said, " Are you the man that carries on the printing-office ?"
Mr. Bliss said as he looked up at the boy he could hardly refrain from
laughing at his appearance and replied, " Yes, I am the man. "
" Don't \-ou want a boy to learn the trade ? "
"Well," said Mr. Bliss, "we have been thinking of it."
"I have had some notion of learning it," said Horace.
Mr. Bliss entered into conversation with him and it required but little time
to discover that he possessed a mind of no common order, and an acquired in-
telligence beyond his years. There was a simple-mindedness, a truthfulness
and common sense in what he said that commanded his regard. After con-
sultation with his foreman, Mr. Bliss took him in and then and there Horace
Greeley began his career, which culminated in his becoming one of the great
editors of the age. The last issue of the Northern Spectator was gotten off at
1 1 o'clock one June morning in 1830 ; and in the afternoon at i o'clock Horace
Greeley, with a stick and a small bundle resting on his shoulder and an over-
coat resting on his arm, started on foot for his father's, who then lived in
Pennsylvania, five hundred miles away.
Another item of interest may be added. Mr. Bliss was in New York in
1853 and invited a friend to accompany him to the Tribune Building. They
wended their way up to his sanctum. Mr. Bliss opened the door without rap-
ping and there sat the editor busily engaged in writing. He did not notice
their entrance. Mr. Bliss waited a moment ; but no recognition from Mr.
Greeley. He soon spoke very deliberately " Horace. " The pen was instantly
laid aside ; Mr. Greeley knew the voice ; he needed not to look in the face to
The Press of Rutland County. 231
know that an old friend was present. He arose from his chair and with out-
stretched arms approached Mr. BHss and said in liis quiet way: "My dear
friend! My benefactor ! how glad I am to see you." They narrated early
reminiscences and discussed the battle of life.
John Jones was a manufacturer of woolen cloth at Poultney, and during
Mr. Greeley's apprenticeship had attracted Mr. Jones's attention. He gave
Horace cloth for a suit of clothes, which, Mr. Greeley told the writer, was the
best suit he ever had, and that Mrs. Harris Hosford, who died a few years ago
at Center Rutland, made the suit for him. This kind act Mr. Greeley never
forgot and made frequent visits to her when in this section. She had in her
possession, a few years before her decease, bound volumes of the Northern
Spectator, from 1826 to 1830. George Jones, the son of Mr. Greeley's bene-
factor, established and is now the proprietor of the New York Daily Times.
A paper called the Poultney Owl was published in Poultne}- for about six
months, beginning in 1867, by James H. Lansley.
On the 1 2th of March, 1868, the initial number of the Poultney Bulletin
was issued in Poultney by J. A. Morris, with John Newton editor, and George
C. Newman, assistant. In October, 1869, the Hon. Barnes Frisbie became
editor, continuing until June, 1S70. In September of that year H. L. Stillson
and William Haswell became the publishers, and in August, 1 87 I, Stillson sold
his interest to his partner who continued the publication to November, 1873.
In December following, R. J. Humphre}' purchased the Bulletin outfit and on
the 8th of that month issued the first number of the Poultney Journal. This
paper is continued at the present time ; it was continued four years by Mr.
Humphrey, who was succeeded for two and a half years by Frisbie & Neagles,
and then by Frisbie & Ross until about April i, 1881, when Mr. Charles W.
Potter purchased Mr. Frisbie's-interest, and the firm continues Potter & Ross.
The Journal is a representative county weekly, ably edited and well patronized.
Three students' papers have been published in Poultney; the T. C. A.
Casket at the Troy Conference Academy ; the Ripley Female College Quarterly,
made up chiefly of contributions from the students of that institution ; and the
Golden Sheaf, issued in 1876-77 by the students of the Troy Conference
Academy.
Castleton. — In 1824 the ]'ermont Statesman was commenced at Castleton
by Rev. Ovid Miner. It was started in advocacy of the principles of the Whig
party. After a few }-ears Mr. Miner left the paper and entered the ministry.
The publication was continued by Messrs. Houghton for some time. The
printing of the paper was suspended in 1845. It was in the office of the States-
man that the well-known publisher, George A. Tuttle, began his apprenticeship.
This paper in last years was the organ of the Democratic party. Ovid Miner,
founder, was a native of Middletown, a graduate of Middlebury College. He
afterward became a successful clergyman, and preached in this and several
232 History of Rutland County.
other States. Mr. Houghton removed to Michigan and was a successful editor
for many years — at Marquette and at Houghton, which was named for him.
He was for several years a consul to some foreign country. He died several
years ago. Of the later publishers we have been unable to glean but few par-
ticulars further than that the late Colonel Roby G. Stone, of Plattsburg, was at
one time its publisher and editor. This journal was well sustained in the ear-
lier years of its publication and was the rival of the Rutland Herald in the
western part of the county.
Brandon. — The Vermont Telegraph, a religious paper, in the interests of
the Baptist denomination, was established at Brandon in 1828 by Ephraim
Maxham and edited by Rev. John M. Allen. The paper was started by a com-
pany, of which Mr. Maxham was manager. It was the first joint stock com-
pany organized in Vermont for the publication of a newspaper. The first issue
was dated September 30, 1828. This paper passed through the hands of vari-
ous managers and editors until 1834, when it ceased to exist as a distinctive
religious paper. Among its managers were John Conant, John A. Conant,
James Long, Willard Kimball, and its editors Rev. Nathan Brown, Wareham
Walker and Orson S. Murray. John Conant was a well-known business man
of an early day. His son, the respected and venerable John A. Conant, still
lives in a vigorous old age. He has been sheriff of the county, senator, presi-
dent of the Brandon National Bank, and held many other positions of trust and
responsibility. Ephraim Maxham is still living and is now connected with the
Waterville, Maine, Mail. Rev. Nathan Brown went as a missionary to India
and translated the new testament into several languages. He was also founder
of the American Baptist. Orson S. Murray purchased the Telegraph in 1834
and changed its tone from a religious to the advocacy of anti-slavery, and was
the first journal in the State to make a distinctive political stand on that sub-
ject. Another change was the advancement of infidel sentiments. Mr. Mur-
ray was an eccentric man, but withal was a writer of great vigor and perspicu-
ity. He was a vegetarian and wore his hair at full length, never allowing it to
be cut, and was erratic in other particulars. He moved his paper to Ohio,
where he assumed considerable prominence as an anti-slavery editor and lec-
turer. He died a few years since at an advanced age.
In 1832, in the height of the popular excitement in Vermont on the subject
of Masonry, Hon. Zimri Howe established an anti- Masonic journal entitled
The Green Mo2mtain Eagle. It terminated its existence in 1834, when the
anti-Masonic excitement began to wane. Mr. Howe took an independent
political stand against Masonry, although his father and family were members
of the order. The paper was conducted with ability and had great influence in
politics. Hon. Zimri Howe was born in PouItne\' in 1786, graduated at Mid-
dlebury College in 1 810, and studied lav\' at Middlebury with Hon. Horatio
Seymour, then United States Senator. He was admitted to the Rutland
The Press of Rutland County. 233
county bar in 1813, and settled in Castleton, where he practiced law until his
death. He was father of John Howe, the recent State's Attorney. The tem-
perance cause owned him as a pioneer and a persistent advocate at all times.
He was one of the founders of the Rutland County Temperance Society, and
was its president for a series of years. He was a member of the Governor's
Council, State senator in 1836 and 1837, '^"'^ one of the assistant judges of the
Rutland County Court from 1839 to 1844. He died at Castleton in 1862,
aged seventy-seven years.
In September, 1834, H. E. W. Drury, of Middlebury, established a Demo-
cratic paper entitled The Vermont Argus, which was merged in a paper called
The Free Press, at Middlebury, in September, 1836.
In 1840 a political sheet called The Rutland and AddisoJi County Whig,
was published by the Brandon Whig Association, of which Hon. De Witt C.
Clarke was the editor. It was the most vigorous and spicy newspaper ever
printed in Vermont. General Clarke was well adapted to his position ; a writer
on all, especially political subjects, and a man of ready wit, full of anecdote and
story, and well adapted to the writing of campaign songs — he gave its col-
umns rare originality and spice. It was conducted after the manner of the
Log Cabin, published during the same campaign by Horace Greeley, to which
General Clarke was a frequent contributor. General Clarke afterward became
the editor of the Burlington Free Press. He was the son of Asahel and Lydia
(Finney) Clarke, and was born at Sandy Hill, N. Y. He graduated at Union
College, studied law and settled at Brandon, where he practiced until he entered
the editorial profession, for which he was so peculiarly adapted. He was sec-
retary of the Vermont Senate for ten years, and was also clerk of several con-
stitutional conventions. At the time of his death in 1S68 he was assistant sec-
retary of the United States Senate.
Jedediah Holcombe established a paper called the V^oice of Freedom at
Montpelier, and after several years removed it to Brandon, where it was issued
June 29, 1843, and ceased to exist June 15, 1847. It was devoted to the anti-
slavery and liberty parties.
The Vermont Union Whig — an organ of the Whig party — was established
at Brandon by William C. Conant and Samuel M. Conant, and edited by the
latter. It began in 1847 ^"cl was removed to Rutland in 1859, and soon after
ceased to exist. Samuel Mills Conant was born in Brandon, read law and be-
gan practice in his native town. He was assistant clerk of the House of Rep-
resentatives in 1849 ; assistant secretary of the Senate in 1850, and afterwards
secretary for several years. Samuel C. Conant is now editor of a monthly
magazine in New York city.
The Brandon Post, a Democratic sheet, was printed by Patrick Welch, from
October 4, 1849 to 1850.
The Vermont Tribune, a Whig paper, was established by William C. Rog-
234 History of Rutland County.
ers, January 4, 1 850, and published about a year, when it was discontinued and
the office sold and taken out of the State.
The Wester?! Vermont Transcript had a brief existence in this place of less
than a year, in 1856. It was Republican in politics and was published by Julius
H. Mott and Rev. A. C. Rose.
The N. E. Christian Advocate, a Methodist journal, was published by Revs.
A. C. Rose and William Ford, for one year, beginning at the close of 1857.
The N. E. ]'isitor, of the same character as the last named paper was pub-
lished by Rev. William Ford from January 6, 1859 to March 7, 1861.
The Brandon Gazette was published one year, beginning May 30, 1861, by
Hiram Truss ; it was a Republican sheet.
The Brandon Monitor, published by D. L. Milliken, was first issued July 1 1,
1862, and continued one year; Republican in politics.
The I'ernwnt Record, Republican, also published by Mr. Milliken, was be-
gun July 17, 1863, and in a short time was removed to Brattleboro.
The Brandon Union was started on the 30th of November, 1872, as an in-
dependent local journal, by Albion N. Merchant, with Hiram M. Mott as ed-
itor. The establishment has since that date passed consecutively through the
hands of Mott & Tobin, Hiram M. Mott, Mott Brothers, Norman A. Mott,
Hiram M. Mott, Stillman B. Ryder, who is the present publisher. The paper
is now prosperous and ably conducted.
On the 20th of October, 1876, David C. Hackett, who had been engaged
in the publication of the Black River Gazette at Ludlow, removed his estab-
lishment to Brandon and issued the first number of the Otter Creek News,
which he has successfully conducted to the present time.
Danby. — The Otter Creek Valley News was first issued in Danby in Sep-
tember, 1878, being printed at Bennington, and published by J. C. Williams;
it was issued every Friday, independent in character. Its publication was dis-
continued in 1880.
Wallingford. — During a part of the time between the years 1855 and 1S60
a small sheet was published at Wallingford by P. H. Emerson and Amasa
Bishop, called the Local Spy.
In 1877 the Wallingford Standard yN-a.s established by Addison G. Stone;
it was continued to 1880, a part of the time under the control of S. Sabin.
The printing was done at Bennington and Brandon.
Medical Societies and the Profession. 235
• CHAPTER XVI.
MEDICAL SOCIETIES AND THE PROFESSION.
The Castleton Medical College — Organization, Members of Corporation, Officers, etc. — First
Medical Society — County Medical Societies— The Present Society and its Officers — Castleton Med-
ical Society — Castleton Medical and Surgical Clinic — Society of Alumni of Castleton Medical College
— The Rutland Dispensary — Biographic Memoranda in the Various Towns— Dr. James Porter— Dr.
Lorenzo Sheldon— Dr. Ezekiel Porter — Dr. James B. Porter — Dr. Cyrus Porter — Dr. Hannibal
Porter — Dr. James Ross — Deceased Physicians of the Various Towns outside of Rutland.
THE medical institutions and members of the profession in this county have
been and now are of such a character as to demand only the highest com-
mendation. Even while the country was comparati\'cly new, ministers of the
healing art settled among the inhabitants in the various towns, whose profes-
sional attainments were most excellent for that period, and whose personal
characters were beyond reproach. To a brief description of the institutions
founded by them and biographic notes of the more prominent of those who
have passed away, this chapter is devoted.
Tlic Castleton Medical College. — This institution was chartered by the
General Assembly on the 29th of October, 18 18. The names of Selah Grid-
ley and Theodore Woodward appear in the act of incorporation. In accord-
ance with the law the corporation met on the 7th of December, 18 18, in Cas-
tleton, and Selah Gridley was made president ; Theodore Woodward, vice-
president, and Thomas Matthews, secretary.
The corporation provided for one course of medical lectures annually, of
eight to twelve weeks, and three reading terms of twelve weeks each. Selah
Gridley was assigned to the chair of theory and practice and materia medica ;
Theodore Woodward to that of surgery and obstetrics ; and Thomas P. Mat-
thews to that of anatomy, physiology and chemistry.
In October, 18 19, an act was passed by the Assembly conferring on the in-
stitution power to confer degrees ; and by another act of November 7, 1822,
the name of the corporation was changed to the " Vermont Academy of
Medicine."
The first course of medical lectures was delivered during the winter of
1818-19, and the last course in the spring of 1861. There were no lectures
delivered in 1838 and 1839. Up to and including the year 1824 there was
only one course of lectures annually ; in 1835-36-37 there were two courses
each year; 1842 to 1859 inclusive, there were two annual courses, spring and
fall ; in i860 and 1861 there was only one course delivered each year.
The following were members of the corporation at different periods of its
existence: Selah Gridley, original corporator, and resigned in 1825. Theo-
236 History of Rutland County.
dore Woodward, original incorporator, and continued to his death in 1840. T.
P. Matthews, A. M., 1819 to 1820. Hon. C. Langdon, A. M., 1819 to 1830.
Rev. Elihu Smith, 18 19 to 1831. Leonard E. Lathrop, ?^. B., 18 19 to 1829.
John Meacham, iSigto 1839. John Goodwin, 181910 1825. James Adams,
i8i9toi854. Hon. Zimri Howe, A. M., 18 19 to the close. T. P. Batchelder,
A. M., M. D., 1819, resigned in 1822. Joseph A. Gallup, A. M., M. D., 1820
till his resignation in 1824. Amos Eaton, A. M., 1820 to 1822. Jonathan A.
Allen, M. D., 1822 until his removal in 1829. William Anderson, M. D.,
1823 to 1824. Rev. Ethan Smith, 1823 to 1827. Hon. C. K. Williams, A.
M., 1823 to 1830. Henry Howe, A. M., 1825 to 1827. William Tully, A.
M.. M. D., 1827 to 1839. Benjamin F. Langdon, A. M., 1828 to the close.
Joseph Perkins, M. D., 1829 till his resignation in January, 1857. Selah H.
Merrill, A. M., 1830 to his death in 1839. Samuel Moulton, esq., 1830 to
1839. Orlando N. Dana, 1830 to his resignation in 1839. Jonathan Don
Woodward, M. D., 1839 ^o the close. Chester Spencer, 1839 to the close.
Aruna W. Hyde, 1838 to the close. M. G. Langdon, esq., 1838 to 1854.
Ezekiel Buel, esq., 1830 to his resignation in 1838. Oliver R. Harris, 1838 to
his death in i860. Timothy W. Rice, 1838 to his resignation in 1841. Israel
Davey, 1838 to his resignation in 1846. Isaac T. Wright, 1839 to his resig-
nation in 1857. Dr. Horace Green, 1839 to his resignation in 1841. James
McClintock, 1 841 to December 30, 1843, when the corporation by vote de-
clared his connection with the institution severed. E. S. Carr, 1842 to his res-
ignation in 1853. Middleton Goldsmith, 1845 to his resignation in 1857. Dr.
William Sweetzer, 1852 to his resignation in i860. C. L. Ford, 1852 to his
resignation in February, 1862. Moses Jackman, 1850 to the close. A. G. W.
Smith, 1852 to 1858. B. F. Adams, 1854 to the close. Dr. A. T. Wood-
ward, 1854 to his resignation in September, 1S60. Ferrand Parker, 1857 to
the close. Willard Childs, M. D., 1857 to his resignation in 1858. C. M. Wil-
lard, 1858 to the close. Carlos S. Sherman, 1858 to the close. Charles Shel-
don, i860 to the close. Dr. Charles L. Allen, i860 to the close.
Presidents of the Corporation. — Selah^Gridley, December 7, 18 18, to De-
cember 6, 1 8 19. J. P. Batchelder, December 6, 1819, to December 10, 1820.
Joseph A. Gallup, December 10, 1820, to December 20, 1824. Chauncy
Langdon, December 20, 1826, to December 20, 1827. William Tully, De-
cember 18, 1827, to November 14, 1837. John Meacham, November 14,
1837, to March 27, 1838. William Tully, March 27, 1838, to October 4,
1839. Dr. Horace Green, October 4, 1839, to August 30, 1841. Dr. James
McClintock, August 30, 1841, to his removal by the corporation, December
30, 1843. Joseph Perkins, August 30, 1843, to February 25, 1857. Middle-
ton Goldsmith, February 25, 1857, to November 14, 1857. Willard Childs,
November 14, 1857, to May 28, 1858. Chester Spencer, May 28, 1858, to
the close.
Medical Societies and the Profession. 237
Secretaries of the Corporation. — Thomas P. Matthews, December, 17,
i8i8,to March 4, 18 19. Theodore Woodward, March 4, 18 19, to December
18, 1821. Zimri Howe, December 18, 1821, to November 21, 1832. B. F.
Langdon, November 21, 1832, to November 25, 1834. S. H. Merrill, No-
vember 25, 1834, to November 14, 1837. O. N. Dana, November 14, 1837,
to December 2, 1839. T. W. Rice, December 2, 1839, to October 5, 1841.
I. Davey, October 5, 1841, to November 20, 1844. E. S. Carr, November
20, 1844, to November 21, 1854. A. T. Woodward, November 21, 1854, to
May 7, 1857. B. F. Adams, May 7, 1857, to the close.
Medical Faculty. — Selah Gridley, professor of theory and practice of med-
icine and materia medica, 1818 to 1820, and medical jurisprudence in 1820.
Theodore Woodward, professor of surgery and obstetrics, and diseases of wo-
men and children, 1818 to 1839. L. Leronte Cazier, A. M., professor of
chemistry, anatomy and physiology, 18 18 to I 8 19. Thomas P. Matthews, A.
M., professor of chemistry and anatomy, 18 19 to 1820. John P. Batchelder,
M. D., professor of anatomy and physiology, 18 19 to 1S21. Amos Eaton,
professor of botany, chemistry and natural philosophy, 1820 to 1825. Joseph
A. Gallup, professor of theory and practice and materia medica, 1820 to 1823.
William Anderson, professor of anatomy and physiology, 1822 to 1824. Jon-
athan A. Allen, professor of materia medica and pharmacy, from 1822 to
1829. William TuUy, M. D., professor of theory and practice of medicine,
1824 to 1839. Alden March, professor of anatomy and physiology, 1825 to
1834. Lewis C. Beck, professor of botany and chemistry, 1826 to 1832.
Amos Eaton, professor of natural philosophy, 1826 to 1828. Solomon Foote,
professor of natural philosoph)', 1828 to 1833. John D'Wolf, professor of
chemistry and natural philosophy, 1833 to 1839. James H. Armsby, professor
of anatomy and physiology, 1835 to 1839. Horace Green, professor of
theory and practice of physics, 1839 to 1841. Joseph Perkins, professor of
materia medica and obstetrics, 1839 to 1857. James Hadley, professor of
anatomy and pharmacy, 1839 to 1841. Robert Nelson, professor of anatomy
and physiology, 1839 to 1S40. James Bryan, professor of surgery and med-
ical jurisprudence, 1839 to 1 84 1. James McClintock, professor of general,
special and surgical anatomy, 1 841 to 1843. Frank H. Hamilton, professor
of principles and practice of surgery, 1 84 1 to 1S42. C. L. Mitchell, professor
of physiology, general pathology and operative obstetrics, 1841 to 1845.
David M. Reese, professor of theory and practice of medicine, 1841 to 1843.
William C. Wallace, professor of ophthalmic anatomy and surgery, 1841
to 1842. William Mather, professor of chemistry and pharmacy, 1 841. Will-
iam P. Russell, professor of medical jurisprudence, 1842. Alfred C. Post,
professor of ophthalmic anatomy and surgery, 1842 to 1843. Ezra S. Carr,
professor of chemistry, natural history and physiology, 1842 to 1853. Samuel
Parkman, professor of descriptive and surgical anatomy, 1843 to 1845. Mid-
238 History of Rutland County.
dleton Goldsmith, professor of the principles and practice of surgery, 1845
to 1857. Thomas M. Markoe, professor of descriptive and surgical anatomy.
1846 to 1849. Solomon Foote, professor of medical jurisprudence, 1844 to
1846. C. L. Ford, professor of anatomy and physiology, 1849 to i860.
William C. Kittridge, professor of medical jurisprudence, 1846 to 1858.
George Hadlej', professor of chemistry and natural history, 1853 to 1855.
Adrian T. Woodward, professor of obstetrics and diseases of women and chil-
dren, 1856 to i860. Albert Smith, professor of materia medica and thera-
peutics, 1857. William P. Seymour, professor of materia medica, 1857 to the
close. E. C. Sanborn, professor of surgery, 1857 to the close. P. Pineo,
professor of medical jurisprudence, 1859 to the close. P. D. Bradford, profes-
sor of phj'siology and pathology, 1859 to the close. Charles L. Allen, pro-
fessor of chemistry and natural history, 185510 1S56. George Hadley, pro-
fessor of chemistry and natural history, 1856 to the close. Charles L. Allen,
professor of theory and practice of medicine, i860 to close. William Sweet-
ser, professor of theory and practice of medicine, 1843 to i860. Ralf Gow-
dry, professor of medical jurisprudence, 1839 to 1843.
Presidents of the Faculty. — Selah Gridley, 18 18 to 1819. John P. Batch-
elder, i8i9to 1820. Joseph A. Gallup, iS20to 1824. William Tully, 1824
to 1839. Horace Green, 1840 to 1841. James McClintock, 1841 to 1843.
Joseph Perkins, 1843 to 1857. C. L. Ford, 1857. William Sweetser, 1857
to i860. Charles L. Allen, i860 to close.
Registrars of the Faculty. — Thomas P. Matthews, i8i8 to 18 19. Theodore
Woodward, 1819 to 1839. Joseph Perkins, 1840 to 1842. E. S. Carr, 1842
1843. George Hadley, 1854. The dean of the faculty acted as registrar
from 1854 to 1856. A. T. Woodward, 1S56 to i860.
First Medical Society. — Tlie first medical society ever organized in the
State held its first meeting at the house of Joseph Munn, innholder, at Rut-
land, in August, 1795, at which Dr. Ezekiel Porter was made chairman; Dr.
Benjamin Walker, clerk ; Drs. Samuel Shaw, Daniel Reed and Benjamin
Walker, censors. Messrs. Enos Bell and Jonathan Shaw were examined by
said censors and recommended. Dr. John Sargent, of Pawlet, was the first
president of the society.
County Medical Societies. — There was a County Medical Society organ-
ized in this county during the first quarter of the century, and probably as
early as 18 12; but the records are lost, or destroyed, and little is known of its
career. It is believed to have been a prosperous organization for many years,
particularly during the lifetime of the Drs. Porter, who took a deep interest in
all matters pertaining to the profession. But in later years interest in the
society seems to have decreased, and not long after i860 the organization was
allowed to die out. For more than ten years the county was without a medi-
cal society, until the organization of the second one in Februarx-, 1877.
Medical Societies and the Profession. 239
The Rutland Comity Medical and Surgical Society was organized in Feb-
ruary, 1877, at Castleton. Dr. J. D. Hanrahan, of Rutland, was the first presi-
dent; Dr. A. T. Woodward, of Brandon, was elected president in July, 1877,
and re-elected in 1878 ; Dr. H. R. Jones, of Benson, was elected president in
Jul}', 1879; Dr. L. D. Ross, of Poultney, was elected president in July, 1880.
Dr. John M. Currier, of Castleton, was elected secretary when th'e society was
organized, and re-elected every year until 1880, when Dr. E. D. Ellis, of
Poultney, was chosen to the office. The meetings of the society have been held
every three months for the past three years on the shores of Lake Bombazine.
Before that the meetings were held in Hydeville, with the exception of the
meeting in 1S77, which took place in Rutland. The society has been con-
stantly growing in members and usefulness since its organization. The annual
meeting is usually held in July, and after the exercises of the day the mem-
bers make excursions to Neshobe Island and to other resorts on the lake.
Since the year 18S0 the successive presidents of the society have been as
follows: 1 88 1, L. H. Cochran, West Rutland. 1882, James Sanford, Castle-
ton. 1883, L. E. Wakefield, Fairhaven. 1884, E. A. Pond, Rutland. 1885,
C. W. Peck, Brandon.
The secretaries have been as follows: 1881, E. D. Ellis, Poultney. 1882-
83, R. Lape, Fairhaven. 1884, J. H. King, Rutland. 1885, J. P. Newton,
Benson.
The censors at the time of its organization were J. D. Hanrahan, Rutland;
J. Sanford, Castleton, and L. D. Ross, Poultney. The present officers, inclu-
ding censors, are as follows: President, C. W. Peck, Brandon ; vice-president,
E. D. Ellis, Poultney ; secretary, J. P. Newton, Benson ; treasurer, C. C.
Nichols, Castleton ; censors, E. D. Ellis, Poultney ; D. I<~o&burgh, West Rut-
land, and J. H. King, Rutland.
Castleton Medical Society. — This society was organized December 21,
1 8 19, by the students of Castleton Medical Academy. They met every even-
ing during the session of medical lectures. One of the members was appointed
to lecture at 6 o'clock in the evening. The professors of the academy were
honorary members. January- 4, 1821, the\' passed a resolution to buy a cabi-
net for the purpose of commencing a collection of specimens of natural history,
and having a place to store them. It seems that this was the commencement
of the large cabinet of Castleton Medical College. N. Fames was the first
president and A. Kellogg the first secretary. It continued in active operation
two years. The following note was appended to the records of the society: —
"Thus died the Castleton Medical Society. — It has been of great benefit
to its members and might have continued so coeval with the Medical Institu-
tion, had not private jealousy preyed upon its members and expelled the spirit
of constitution. Sic transit gloria mundi. J. Perkins."
Castleton Medical and Surgical Clinic. — This organization was made by
240 History of Rutland County.
the physicians of Castleton and vicinity for the purpose of furnishing to poor
people medical advice and surgical assistance free. Meetings were held on the
first and third Mondays of each month at 2 o'clock p. m., at the offices of the
different members. Special meetings were held at other times when occasion
required it.
This clinic was organized in August, 1879. Dr. J. N. Northrop has held
the office of president, and Dr. John M. Currier the office of secretary since its
organization. The discussion of medical subjects was a great advantage to the
members of the organization, while it served to create more fraternal feeling
among them. Such cases in surgery as are usually sent to the cities for treat-
ment are enabled to receive assistance at home at a small outlay, without in-
curring any risk in traveling.
Tlic Society of Aliimui of Castleton Medical College. — This society was
organized June 6, 1843. The annual meeting was held on the last day of the
spring session ; the semi-annual meeting on the last day of the autumnal ses-
sion. The first officers were Joseph Perkins, president, Josiah N. Northrop,
secretary, Egbert Jamieson, treasurer. This society continued in active opera-
tion until the school was discontinued in 1862.
The Rutland Dispensary. — This institution was chartered b\' the Legisla-
ture and consists of a building and lot in Rutland village, the building contain-
ing six consulting rooms. The library contains about 2,500 volumes and is
valuable, covering all departments of the science. The dispensary is equipped
with every instrument needed for any surgical operation, with apparatus for
the investigation and treatment of disease. This is a free gift to the dispensary,
and cost about $10,000. There are to be the following departments: Out-
door patients, Dr. Gilchrist ; diseases of women, to which Dr. Woodward is
appointed; diseases of the skin, vacant; diseases of the eye and ear. Dr. Put-
nam; diseases of children. Dr. Fox; diseases of the heart and arteries, Dr.
Pond ; diseases of the chest and respiratory passages. Dr. Ellis ; diseases of the
nervous system, vacant ; diseases of the joints and deformities, vacant; surgi-
cal operations. Dr. Goldsmith. The plan of the dispensary is, first, to give to
the poor gratuitously the advice of experts ; second, to raise up a corps of
medical men who will become real experts. Medicines, as well as advice, are
dispensed gratutitously to all comers. Dr. M. Goldsmith was chiefly instru-
mental in establishing the institution.
Rutland. — The medical profession has been so numerously represented in
this town during past years, by men, too, who were in every way an honor to
both their calling and the town, that we can only attempt to give brief sketches
of the more prominent.
The first physician in Rutland of whom there is an authentic record was Dr.
Jacob Ruback, who was born in Prussia between 1740 and 1750. He was a sur-
geon in the Prussian army and came to America previous to the Revolutionary
Medical Societies and the Profession. 241
War, landing in Quebec. After a short period in tlie British army as surgeon, he
went to Connecticut, where he married and then removed to the New Hamp-
shire Grants. He took part in the battle of Bennington, and in 1798 was ap-
pointed surgeon to the Vermont troops. He was one, of the petitioners for the
first State Medical Society. Soon after Burgoyne's defeat he came to Rutland
and remained here until 1782 ; he lived on the road leading to the high bridge
in Clarendon. In the records of the Council of Safety, October 10, 1777, is
the following: "This may certify to whom it may concern that Dr. Jacob
Ruback being a friend of his country has full power from this council, to take
his estate, where it may be found, proving his property. " On March 20, 1778^
it was voted by the Council to provide a surgeon for Captains Allen and
Clark's companies, and that Dr. Jacob Ruback be the surgeon for the jjurposes
aforesaid. The captains referred to were Ethan Allen and Isaac Clark. Dr.
Ruback died at Grand Isle in April, 1809.
Dr. James Porter may be said to have been born to the profession, as his
father and three uncles were physicians. He was left an orphan at four years
of age and lived a part of the time until he was seventeen with his uncle
Ezekiel, in Rutland. At that age he was permitted to go to sea as super-cargo.
The vessel was captured by a French privateer and he suffered for a period,
not only much hardship, but danger of confinement in a French prison. Being
released, however, by a British vessel, he was sent to Norfolk and soon after-
ward arrived in New York with but one penny as his possession. Returning
to Rutland, he began the study of medicine with his uncle and continued until
he was duly licensed to practice; for the first few years he practiced with his
uncle, and when the epidemic of 1812-13 swept over the country. Dr. Porter
was here alone to contend against its ravages. With such singular ability,
fearlessness and endurance did he discharge his duties, that he gained the most
unqualified esteem and friendship of the community. His skill increased with
his practice and he became widely known for his success in surgery. Dr. Por-
ter died in Rutland at the age of seventy-four years, after a long life of the
greatest usefulness.
Dr. Lorenzo Sheldon, son of Medad and Lucy (Bass) Sheldon, was born in
Rutland, Vt, May 8, 1801. He was the eldest of a family of eleven children,
consisting of five sons and six daughters. His father carried on a farm north
of what is now known as West Rutland village.
The subject of the sketch early manifested a desire for a broader culture
than a constant devotion to the farm permitted ; and, having a taste for the
study and practice of medicine, the way was opened for his entrance upon the
necessary preparation for that profession. He entered the Academy of Medi-
cine at Castleton, Vt., where he continued his studies until his graduation, Jan-
uary 16, 1820, After completing his course at the medical college he returned
to his native pla;e and commenced study and practice with Dr. Jonathan Shaw,
242 History of Rutland County.
with whom he formed a partnership. This connection, however, continued
only about one year, when Dr. Shaw removed to Clarendon Springs, leaving
young Dr. Sheldon to practice independently in his chosen field.
He soon won a good practice, and commanded the confidence of the com-
munity as a conscientious, attentive, intelligent and skillful physician. After
a few years' practice, inducements were held out to secure his removal to Wad-
dington, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., to which place he removed in the year
1826.
On his return, 1828, he entered, with all the ardor and energy of his nature
into the practice of his profession, and won an honored position which he
maintained till death, continuing to respond to the last to calls of friends who
would not give him up, though he sought relief from the fatigues and cares of
practice as the infirmities of age crept on. In the year 1829, February 6, Dr.
Sheldon was married to Mahala Smith, of West Rutland. Of this marriage
were born seven children — Sophronia M., Darwin Rush, Lucy Amorette, Charles
S., Lucy L., Harley G. and Mary Kate, only two of whom, Lucy and Harley,
survive him. In the year 1835 Dr. Sheldon entered into partnership with Mr.
William F. Barnes, and commenced the marble business, then in its infancy.
At one time this company owned the entire marble deposit extending from the
present quarry of Sheldons & Slason, north. Dr. Sheldon, at a later date, be-
came senior member of the firm of Sheldons & Slason, continuing his connec-
tion with the firm till 1865, when he sold out, and ceased to have any connec-
tion with the marble business. But he continued to have large interests in real
estate, which absorbed a considerable portion of his time through the remainder
of his life. While the responsibilities of his large marble interests were upon
him, he sought some relief from his professional duties, and hence during those
years his practice w'as somewhat restricted.
He died Sunday morning, September 5, 1880, at the age of eighty years.
He was a prominent member of the Congregational Church from 1826 and a
deacon from 1865 to his death. He was also a member of the Masonic order,
and conspicuous in all good works. It was written of him by his biographer
that " his was a well-balanced, well-developed, rounded manhood, which, while
presenting no very striking features, was strong at every point."
Dr. Ezekiel Porter came to Rutland either before the beginning of the
present century or very soon thereafter. He was uncle to James Porter and
for some years contemporary >vith him in practice He lived in Rutland village
on the southeast corner of Main and Green streets; was a prominent citizen
and physician during his stay here, and finally removed to Floyd count)-, Ind.
His wife was Eunice Pomeroy, of Coventry, Mass., and she died in Rutland in
1814. He died in Indiana in 1823, leaving three sons there — Pomero_\-, James
and Julius.
James B. Porter was a son of Dr. James Porter, and was born September
Medical Societies and the Profession. 243
10, 1806, at Waterford, N. Y. He was fitted for college at Rutland and took
a partial course in Middlebury College ; attended lectures at the Castleton
Medical College and took his degree at the Woodstock Medical College in
1832. He immediately began practice in Rutland and continued prominent
in the profession for forty-seven years. He lived in the building now owned
by the Rutland Missionary Association, on Main street, until i85i,whenlie
built the house afterward occupied by him until his death, a little back from
Main street. He was noted as a family physician of the old school, and as such
was very popular and enjoyed a large practice. He died February 17, 1879.
His wife was Harriet Griggs.
Dr. Cyrus Porter, son of Dr. James Porter, was born June 25, 1808, and
one of the four brothers, three of whom were physicians, as well as his father
and grandfather. He received his early education in Rutland and attended
later the then flourishing seminary at Castleton. His health was never rugged
and fearing he would not be able to endure the hardships of active practice,
he learned all there was to learn at that early date of the profession of den-
tistry. This he practiced for some years here, and at Manchester and other
towns. He then made an extended tour of the West and returning with im-
proved health, he began studying medicine with his father. He attended lec-
tures at the Albany Medical College and at Woodstock, and graduated from
the Vermont Medical College June 11, 1839. He practiced here a few years
and then removed to Peru, Clinton county, N. Y., but remained there but
about two years. He was married in 1 84 1, returned to Rutland and joined in
practice with his brother James B. He received the appointment of examin-
ing surgeon early in the last war, and was afterward president of the board of
examining surgeons, a position which he resigned in I 87 I. He died of paralysis,
June 12, 1883, aged almost seventy-five years. As a physician and a man he
was held in high esteem b}- all who enjoyed his acquaintance.
Dr. Hannibal Porter, younger brother of Cyrus and James B. Porter, was
born November 10, I 8 19. He was educated at Dartmouth College and grad-
uated in 1 841. His medical studies were pursued with his father and at
Woodstock, taking his degree from the latter institution. He also attended
lectures in New York cit_\' and practiced there about tvvo j'cars before coming
to Rutland. He was possessed of an unusually active and brilliant intellect,
and his studies were pursued with energy and perseverance, until his education
was exceptional. But his health, never very good, became still more impaired,
and he died on the 27th of September, 1863, of paral)'sis caused b\' poison re-
cei\-ed in a. post mortem examination. He was stricken down in the midst of
his usefulness.
Of Dr. Jonathan Shaw, who was in practice in Rutland before the present
century, not much is known. He was born in 1771 and died in 1839. His
first wife was Mary, daughter of Obadiah Bass. He was located in practice at
244 History of Rutland County.
West Rutland, and lived in the house now occupied by C. H. Sherman ; he
became a prominent man in the community, both in and out of his profession.
He subsequently came into possession of a grist-mill at Clarendon Springs and
removed thither, where he died of a cancer.
Dr. James Ross was born in Shrewsbury, May 8, 1809, and studied his
profession and attended lectures at the old medical school at Woodstock. In
1832 he married Almira Edson and began practice at Rochester, Vt., but re-
moved to Rutland in the following year. The remainder of his life was spent
here, excepting five years passed partly in Woodstock and partly in Le Roy,
N. Y. For his second wife he married Rebecca Young in 1858. He was the
father of seven children, one of whom is Charles E. Ross, one of the leading
merchants of Rutland. He died on the 17th of May, 1880, aged seventy-one
years. Dr. Ross was a man of exemplary character, upright and honorable in
all his business with others. His tenderness of heart and warm sympathies
made him deservedly successful and popular with his patients, while his thor-
ough knowledge of his profession gave him a position in its front rank.
Dr. Joel Green was born in Westminster, Mass., about the year 1781, and
came to Clarendon when five years old. He soon afterward was taken to New
Boston, town of Chittenden in this county. When he had reached a proper
age he studied medicine with Dr. Jo.siah Hale, of Brandon, who married his
sister. Dr. Green removed to Rutland in 1816 and practiced here until near
his death, just previous to which e\'ent he went to Castleton and there died in
the summer of 1849.
Dr. Horace Green was a brother of Dr. Joel Green, and was born in Chit-
tenden, this county, early in the century. He was probably educated at Cas-
tleton Medical College, and was professor of the theory and practice of medi-
cine in that institution from 1839 to 1841. He practiced several }'ears in Rut-
land and subsequently removed to New York city, where he became very cel-
brated for the treatment of throat affections. He was president of New York
Medical College from 1849 to 1858. Some years later he removed to Sing
Sing and died there in 1864.
Dr. J. Dunham Green, son of Joel Green, studied his profession with Dr.
Horace Green and graduated at Castleton in 1849, 'i"d in the New York Med-
ical College in 1850. He practiced ten years in New York and about ten years
in Rutland, entered the army and lost his health, forcing him to abandon his
profession.
Drs. David E. and Thomas Page practiced in Rutland many years ago and
were a short time in partnership together. They were born in Bennington,
Vt., and secured their medical education at Castleton. Thomas located at
once ill Rutland anil David E. in ShorelKmi, Addison count}-, where he re-
mained about fourteen \ears, anti came to Rutland about 1864. He died
about a }-car later. Thomas is remembered as a thoroughly educated physi-
cian, but became somewhat dissipated. They both died in Rutland.
Medical Societies and the Profession. 245
Benson. — Following are the names of the physicians who have practiced
in this town as far as known, with the years of their stay: — Chauncey Smith,
the first, came to Benson with his father, Asahel Smith, in 1785 and soon be-
gan practice, continuing to 181 5. Ella Smith, brother of the above, from
about 1786 to 1 80 1. Perez Chapin from 1797 to 1807. Cyrus Rumsey, from
1808 to 1822. Rowland P. Cooley, born in 1784, came to Benson in 18 10
and practiced very successfully for more than forty years. His native talent
was of a high order and he was remarkably skillful in his profession. He was
sent to the General Assembly in 1834-35, and was delegate to the State Con-
stitutional Convention in 1836. Edmund Barnes, from 181 2 to 18 16; re-
moved to Le Roy, N. Y. Seth Ransom, from 18 17 to 1854. Edward Lewis,
1824-25; removed to Fair Haven and later to Jackson, Mich. Abijah H.
Howard, 1827 to 1846; removed to Kalamazoo, Mich., where he died in 1859.
Charles S. Perr\-, 1846 to 1849; removed to Poultney. Seneca E. Park,
1848-50; removed to Franklin. Di.xon Alexander, 1849 to 1853; removed
to Poultney and later to Iowa. Sheldon Ransom and Erasmus D. Ransom,
sons of Dr. Seth Ransom, practiced a short time here, but removed, the former
to Burlington, Iowa, in 1837, and the latter to the same place in 1846. Lu-
cretius D. Ross, 1865 to 1869; was assistant surgeon Fourteenth Vermont
Volunteers, during its service of nine months, and in 1869 removed to Poult-
ney. (See town history for present physicians.)
Brandon. — The records in existence of physicians who have practiced in
the past in this town are very meagre, except as to those now in practice, which
will be found in the history of the town. Dr. Nathaniel Sheldon was in the
town before the Revolutionary War, but removed to the west soon after 1796.
He speculated in land while here and probably did not practice much.
Dr. Benjamin Powers was one of the original proprietors and one of the
only two who came into the town to reside. He was from Greenwich, Mass.,
and is said to have been a good physician and a worthy man. He was the
first practicing physician to settle in the town and died about the close of the
Revolutionary War.
Dr. Anderson Green Dana, born September 17, 1791, vvas one of the prom-
inent early physicians of the town and a strong man in many ways. He began
the study of medicine when eighteen and in 18 I 2 began attending lectures in
Philadelphia Medical College. In the following February he studied surgery
in the hospitals of Boston. He began practice in 18 1 3, and was one of the
incorporators of the .Vermont Medical Society in that year. He was several
times a delegate to the American Medical Association and repeatedly appointed
councilor of Rutland county and delegate to the Castleton Medical College ;
he was chosen the first president of the hospital department in that institution,
and in 1830 received the degree of M.D. from Middlebury College, and the
degree of LL.D. from the same institution in i860. He was a man of elevated
246 History of Rutland County.
character, brilliant intellect and a writer and speaker of exceptional ability.
He was associated for some time before his death with Dr. Olin G. Dyer, now
of Brandon. Dr. Dana died on the 20th of August, 1861.
Dr. Myron F. Edson was born in Brandon July 18, 1846. He studied with
Dr. E. A. Smith, of Brandon, one or two years, and spent about one year and
a half in the University of Michigan, where he graduated in 1874. He then
took a course in the Brooklyn Long Island Hospital, after which he returned
to Brandon and passed a year with Dr. Smith. He then removed to Castleton
and in 1875 married Belle D. Kellogg, of Ann Arbor, Mich. He died on Au-
gust 9, 1879. He was a man of unusually brilliant natural gifts.
Among the other early physicians of the town, of whom little can now be
learned, were Dr. Joel Green, who lived on the site of the present Baptist
church. He removed to Rutland before 1820, and is mentioned further on.
Dr. J. W. Hale, who may be called the successor of Dr. Green, practiced here
for some years. Dr. Isaac F. Merriam was contemporary with Dr. Green and
remained some years after Dr. Green's departure.
Castleton. — Dr. Samuel Shaw was the first physician in this town, and at-
tained eminence, both in his profession and in politics. He was born in Mas-
sachusetts in December, 1768, removed to Putney,' Vt., in 1778 and to Castle-
ton in 1787, where he entered upon the practice of his profession at the age of
nineteen ; he became especially prominent and successful as a surgeon. He
entered ardently into politics and was one of the victims of the sedition law.
He represented Castleton in the Assembly from 1800 to 1807, when he was
elected councilor, serving one year. He was elected to Congress in 1808 and
served to 1813. On his retirement from this office he was appointed surgeon
in the United States army, which place he filled until 1816. He died at Clar-
endon, Vt., October 22, 1827.
Dr. Selah Gridley was one of the early physicians of the town, commencing
practice in 1795. He was born in Farmington, Conn., in 1767. He had a
large practice for about thirty years, and was one of the founders of the Castle-
ton Medical College and president of that corporation from 181 1 to 18 19; he
remained a member of the corporation until 1825. He died in Exeter, N. H.,
about the year 1826.
Dr. Theodore Woodward began practice in 18 12, and became distinguished
as a physician. He was also one of the original incorporators of the Castleton
Medical College and a member of the faculty for more than twenty years. He
died in 1840.
Dr. Joseph Perkins, born April i, 1798, in Bridgewater, Vt., graduated at
Castleton Medical College in 1820. He gained an enviable reputation as a
physician and was largely instrumental in reviving the Castleton Medical Col-
lege after its few years of suspension. He was its president from 1843 to 1857.
Dr. George L. Bliss was born in Castleton December 23, 181 8, and began
Medical Societies and the Profession. 247
the study of medicine in 1 84 1 at Castleton Medical College. He graduated in
November, 1S44, and practiced in Hydeville until January, 1S47, when he re-
moved to Poultney. (See history of that town.)
Other physicians who have practiced in Castleton and are deceased were,
Dr. Jonathan Don Woodward, born April 28, 1799, at Hanover, N. H., grad-
uated at Castleton Medical College, 1824 and practiced to 1869. He died
June 20, of that year. Dr. Selah Gridley Perkins, born in Castleton Novem-
ber 26, 1826 ; graduated at Union College and took his degree in the Castle-
ton Medical College in 185 i ; was demonstrator of anatomy in the college after
graduation ; practiced in Castleton and Waterford, N. Y. He was killed at
Ashby's Gap, September 22, 1862. Dr. Henry F. Smith graduated at Albany
in 1855 and practiced a short time here. He died in 1870. William Cullen
Perkins, born in Castleton March 12, 1828; graduated at Castleton Medical
College in 1853, and immediately began practice with his father. Removed to
Lansing, Iowa, in 1856, and died in Castleton March 13, 1865.
Investigations kindly made by Dr. John M. Currier, in the Castleton land
records, show that Dr. Kellogg Berry purchased land in this town in 1787, on
the north side of " Broad street." And a later transaction (1789) between other
parties, alludes .to " the south side of Broad street opposite Kellogg Berry's
store." Dr. Berry is also mentioned in several other places in the records.
According to the same authority, Dr. William Wolcott bought and sold land
in this town between 1787 and 1793. In 1793 Dr. Wolcott, Aaron Hastings
and Elisha Baker were sued by a New York physician named Dr. Effingham
Lawrence, and the records speak of the defendants as " physicians and drug-
gists in company under the firm of Hastings, Baker & Wolcott." Probably
nothing further can now be learned of these men.
Clamtdou. — Dr. Silas Bowen was one of the early physicians in this town
and born in Woodstock, Conn., in September, 1774. He studied his profession
in New York State and in 1799 settled in Reading, Vt., and located in Clar-
endon in 1822. He died in Nebraska City, whither he had gone on a visit to
his son, on the 26th of September, 1857. He is said to have been a man of
energy and perseverance, and kindly and lovable in his profession.
Dr Silas Hodges came to Clarendon about 1783, and was about the first
physician in the town. He had previously practiced in Woodstock, Conn., and
in Dunbarton, N. H. He continued practice in Clarendon until his increasing
infirmities compelled him to desist, and died in 1804.
Dr. Socrates Smith, a native of Clarendon, and a graduate of Castleton
Medical College, practiced a short time here and removed to Rush, N. Y.,
where he died in 1870.
Dauby. — Dr. Adam Johnson came from Norton, Mass., to Danby about
1799, and was the first physician who had much practice here. He is spoken
of as a well-educated man for those days, very pleasant and mild in his man-
248 History of Rutland County.
ners and considered a true gentleman in all his relations with the people. He
bought out Dr. Tolman, the latter being the first physician in the town. Dr.
Johnson was a good physician, possessed of sound sense and great energy.
He practiced here until his death in 1806. Dr. Tolman's name appears upon
the records for 1778. He became a land speculator and quite prominent in
public affairs, remaining here until about 1800, when he removed to some
other locality.
Dr. Abraham Locke, born at Cambridge, Mass., in 1777, studied his pro-
fession with Dr. Campbell, of Rockingham, Vt., and settled in Dorset. Be-
coming acquainted with Dr. Adam Johnson, the latter employed him when his
own health began to fail. He continued a prominent physician in Danby for
forty }-ears, and died of paralysis June 4, 1844.
Dr. Galen J. Locke, son of the above, born October 2, 1806; graduated
at Castleton Medical College in 1835. He gained a thorough knowledge of
his profession, but devoted a part of his attention to mercantile pursuits in
Danby, and held several prominent political stations. He died in 1866, after
practicing thirty years.
Dr. Harris Otis, born in Scituate, Mass., in 1775, came to Danby in 1793,
the third ph\'sician to locate in the town. Although an educated physician,
his natural tastes led him into agricultural pursuits, which he followed most of
his life, and with eminent success. He was a leading Quaker and held several
town offices. He died August 8, 1847.
Fairliaven. — Dr. Simeon Smith was about the first physician in this town,
coming from Sharon, Conn. He became an extensive landowner in what is
now the Westhaven part of the town, and at his death bequeathed that town
$1,000, the interest of which was to be devoted to educational purposes,
through a grammar school. He was a very prominent man; selectman three
years; in the General Assembly three years (1789, 1792, 1797); delegate to the
State Convention at Bennington in 1791, and in 1789 elected one of the assist-
ant judges of Rutland county. He died February 27, 1794.
Dr. Stephen Hall came from Connecticut in March, 1788, and is the first
physician mentioned as owning land in the town. He removed to New Leba-
non, N. Y., in 1791.
Dr. James Witherell came from Mansfield, Mass., and in 1791 purchased
the place of Stephen Hall, above mentioned, and probably succeeded \o his
practice. He was well known for many years as "Judge Witherell," and was
a man of great prominence in the community for twenty years. He was sev-
eral times sent to the General Assembl)', and was Member of Congress while
residing in F"airhaven. He removed to Detroit, Mich., in 18 10, and became
prominent in public life there.
Dr. Israel Putnam, March 25, 1785, was in practice in this town as early as
181 I ; he was from Corinth, Vt. He became interested in a mercantile busi-
Medical Societies and the Profession. 249
ness soon after the war of 1812, and died in Hartford, N. Y. (whither he re-
moved in 1 81 7), December 10, 1835.
Dr. William Bigelow, born in Middleto«n November 9, 1791, studied med-
icine with Dr. Ezra Clark, of Middietovvn, and received an honorary degree
from Castleton Medical College. He came to this town in 18 I 5, and practiced
until 1828, when he removed to Bennington. In 1S58 he removed to Spring-
field, Mass., and died there April 20, 1863.
Dr. Charles Backus studied medicine with Dr. Theodore Woodward, and
graduated in 1821 ; came to Fairhaven and opened a store about 1824; after-
ward removed to West Troy, and from there to Rochester, N. Y.; thence to
Granville, and in 1842 came back to this town. In 1846 he removed to Hyde-
ville, and died at Castleton Corners in 1852.
Dr. Edward Lewis began the practice of medicine in Benson and came to
Fairhaven in 1829, In 1834 he removed to Jackson, Mich., where he died
January i, 1867.
Dr. Thomas E. Wakefield passed his youth in Granville, N. Y., studied
medicine with Dr. Charles Backus, attending lectures at Pittsfield, Mass., and
Castleton, and came to Fairhaven in October, 1842.
Hnhbardtoii. — Dr. Theophilus Flagg was the first physician in this town
and came in 1 79 1. He is said to have been a skillful practitioner, a gentle
nurse and a very worthy man. It is not known in what year he died.
Aliddlctozvn. — Ezra Clark was the first physician to settle in this town.
He was a son of Theophilus Clark, and began practice here about 1788, con-
tinuing until 1 8 19, when he removed to Ohio. He was a man of good char-
acter and conspicuous ability. He died about the year 1828.
William Frisbie, jr., was seventeen years old when his father settled in
Middletown, before 1785. The father died in 1813, and the son studied medi-
cine with Dr. Ezra Clark, with whom he subsequently practiced for a time un-
til his removal to Pittsford ; in the latter place he practiced about twenty-five
years, and removed to Phelps, N. Y., where he died about 1837. He had the
reputation of being a good physician.
Dr. Eliakim Paul, son of Stephen Paul, spent his younger life on his
father's farm, but was made a cripple for life through an early misfortune. He
consequently took up the study of medicine and received his diploma from
the Castleton Medical College in 1822. He immediately bought out Dr. David
G. McClure, then practicing in Middletown, and was thereafter for nearly fifty
years the only physician in town. He was universally esteemed as a physi-
cian and a man ; represented the town in the Assembly eight years; was town
clerk eight years, and died at seventy-eight years of age.
Dr. S. H. Haynes was born in Middletown in 18 tj, and received his med-
ical education at Woodstock, where he graduated in 1 84 1. He immediately
began practice in Middletown, and continued down to near the time of his
death, which occurred in 1884.
250 History of Rutland County.
Dr. David .G. McClure was a son of James McClure, one of the early set-
tlers of Middletown. He studied medicine and succeeded Dr. Ezra Clark,
and practiced several years prior to 1822, when he removed to Ohio. He died
in that State, leaving a family.
Alva Paul, a cousin of Dr. Eliakim Paul, was in practice in this town for
some years ; but we are without further data regarding him.
Mount Holly. — The first physician who settled in this town was Dr. Oliver
Guernsey. He was born in Windham county, and came to Mount Holly in
1798. Entering at once upon his practice, and, being a man of good judg-
ment and a thorough student for that period, he soon acquired an extensive busi-
ness. He might have attained the front rank of the county's physicians, but
in later hfe unfortunately became addicted to habits of intemperance, which
greatly impaired his usefulness. He removed in 1833 to the home of his son
in Shrewsbury and subsequently to Cattaraugus county, N. Y., where he died
in 1838, aged about sixty-two years.
Dr. Sylvester Grinnel settled in this town in 1816, and continued practice
about twenty years ; he, however, divided his time between his profession and
farming. He removed to Ohio in 1836, and later to Wisconsin, where he died
in 1859.
Dr. Alvin McAllister located at Mechanicsville in 1821. He was a brilliant
scholar, well versed in the literature of his profession, but seemed to lack
somewhat in its practical application. In 1824 he removed to Queensbury,
N. Y., and thence in 1828 to Utica. It is not known where he went from
there.
Dr. Lowell W. Guernsey, son of Oliver, settled at Mechanicsville in 1825
and remained a little over two years, having a fair practice. He removed to
Shrewsbury in 1827 and became successful. He died there in June, 1861, aged
sixty-one years.
Dr. Nelson Coburn located at Mechanicsville in 1833, but remained only
about two years ; he removed to Morlow, N. H., and ten }'ears later to Niagara
county, N. Y.
Dr. Merritt C. Edmunds settled at Mechanicsville in 1858 and remained
nearly four years. He then removed to the neighboring town of Weston,
where he gained a successful practice.
Dr. John Crowley was born in Mount Holly May 27, 1805 ; was educated
in the common schools and Chester Academy, and studied medicine with Dr.
Alvin McAllister, at Queensbury, N. Y.; attended a course of lectures at the
Vermont Academy of Medicine in Castleton in 1826, and in the following
year was invited by the late Dr. Billa J. Clarke, of Moreau, Saratoga county,
N. Y., to become his partner. Having completed his studies and received his
diploma from the censors under the then existing laws of the State of New
York, he entered into the proposed partnership. For mutually satisfactory rea-
Medical Societies and the Profession. 251
sons, this was dissolved at the end of one year, and in October, 1828, he re-
turned to Mount Holly and there remained in active practice during almost
the entire remainder of his life. With the exception of Drs. Nelson Coburn
and M. C. Edmunds, before mentioned, Dr. Crowley has had the entire field to
himself since 1836. He was elected a member of the State Medical Society in
1842, and in 1865 was elected president of the Connecticut River Valley Medical
Association. The confidence of his fellow-citizens has been shown towards
him by his election to the Assembly from 1843 to 1845, in 1848, 1862 and
1863, and to the Senate in 1849, 1850 and 1851; he was elected assistant
county judge for this county in 1868-69, ^"d was justice of the peace over
forty years. In 1879 he substantially retired from practice. He is still living.
Dr. John A. Crowley, son of the above, was born in Mount Holly March
7, 1854; was educated mainly at Black River Aeademy. Studied medicine
with his father and graduated at Albany Medical College in 1877; was the
valedictorian of his class. His health was now seriously impaired, but he be-
gan practice with his father, which continued to April, 1879, when he com-
pletely broke down physicall}-, and died August 28, 1879, aged twenty-five
years.
Pawlct. — Dr. Lemuel Chipman was the first physician to locate in the
south part of the town. He came from Connecticut in I 780, and was one of
the distinguished family of that name, other members of which lived in this
county. He was the first president of the State Medical Society, organized in
1796, and was in the Legislature eight years. He removed to Richmond, N.
Y., in 1798, and became distinguished as a judge as well as a physician. He
lived to an old age.
Dr. Cyrus Chipman, brother of the above, also located here, but removed
to Rochester, Mich., about 1820, and died in 1S40.
In the north part of this town Dr. Eliel Todd settled as the first physician.
He is spoken of as having been endowed with rare talents ; but he died in
1793, from an accidental dose of poison.
Dr. Jonathan Safford succeeded Dr. Todd and was a successful practitioner
until his death in 1821.
Dr. John Sargent came from Mansfield, Conn., in 1761, to Norwich with
his father ; entered the Revolutionary Army at eighteen, was wounded and
captured and taken to Quebec. Paroled in the next spring, he returned to
Norwich and studied medicine under Dr. Lewis. In 1780 he removed to Dor-
set and soon became distinguished for his success in both medicine and sur-
gery. In 1798 he removed to Pawlet, as the successor of Dr. Lemuel Chip-
man, and was the first president of the Rutland County Medical Society. He
was in the Legislature in 1803 and died in 1843, aged eighty-two years.
Dr. John Sargent, jr., son of the above, graduated at Middlebury in 1811 ;
studied medicine and practiced in Pawlet and adjoining towns several 3-ears,
252 History of Rutland County.
when he removed to Fort Ann, N. Y. He subsequently went to Rochester,
N. Y., and died there.
Dr. Samuel Potter practiced medicine in this town and Wells several years
and was remarkably successful. But little is known of his life.
Dr. Oliver L. Harmon came from Suffield, Conn., and began practice in
Pawlet in 1798, continuing until his death in 1852, at the age of eighty-two
years. He was an e.xcellent man and a good physician.
Ithamar Tilden, Warren A. Cowdry, John L. Chandler, James H. Willard,
Alva Paul, Isaac Monroe, Aaron Goodspeed, John Cleveland, Charles Hough-
ton, Phineas Strong, jr., and Rensselaer G. Monroe, all practiced in this town
for longer or shorter periods ; but of many of them little is known and of oth-
ers little need be said. Dr. James H. Willard practiced here a few )-ears and
removed to Brownhelm, Ohio, in 1S30; he died there in 1858. Dr. Warren
A. Cowdry practiced here in 181 5. He removed to Le Roy, N. Y., and with
his wife embraced the doctrines of Mormonism. (See history of Middletown).
Dr. Charles Houghton, from Marlboro, came here about 1835 and practiced
until 1847, when he removed to Bennington and thence to Philadelphia. Dr.
A. Sidney Houghton, from Ellisburg, N. Y., practiced here from 1844; was in
the Legislature of 1861-62 and during the war was a member of the State Med-
ical Board.
Pittsford. — Abithar Millard was the first regularly educated physician in
Pittsford, though Dr. Amos Fassett was here before him ; but he probably had
little claim to the title of physician. Dr. Millard was born at Rehoboth, Mass.,
June 22, 1744. It is not known where he was educated, but he settled in this
town in 1788, having previously married in Duchess county, N. Y. His sec-
ond purchase of land was Lot No. 9, of the town plat, which he cleared and
built what was probably the fourth dwelling on the site of the village. There
his youngest child was born, February 17, 1789. Dr. Millard left this town
about the year 1804.
Dr. Alexander Ewings located here in 1792. He is spoken of as a skillful
physician and an honorable and able man. In 1805 he sold out in Pittsford
and removed to Canada.
Dr. William Frisbie, from Middletown, located here in 1802, and had a
large practice until his removal in 1821. (See preceding pages).
Dr. Kenelm Winslow began practice in Pittsford in 18 10. He was born in
Pomfret, Vt., October 10, 1784. His professional career in this town extended
over nearh;- half a century, and he died January 4, 1861.
Dr. Freeman H. Mott came from Brandon in 1819. He was a son of John
Mott, a soldier in the French War, who settled in Brandon. Dr. Mott remained
here onh' one or two years.
Dr. Aaron Baker began practice here in 1822, but died within a few years.
Dr. Pelee Barlow also came here in 1822 ; he was a son of William Barlow
Medical Societies and the Profession. 253
of this town. Dr. Barlow studied with Dr. Baker and graduated at the Castle-
ton Medical College in 1S21. He remained here in successful practice until
1838, when he removed to Illinois and there died.
Dr. George B. Armington located in this town in 1828. He was a son of
William Armington, of Chester, and born October 14, 1801. He studied medi-
cine with Abraham Lowell, of his native town, and graduated at tlie Castleton
Medical College. He began practice at Wilmington and came to Pittsford as
stated. He continued in active practice until just before his death, which
occurred on May 4, 1863.
Dr. A. G. Dana began practice here about the same time with Dr. Arming-
ton. He was born September 17, 1791, in Newton, Mass. ; at eighteen \-ears
of age he began his studies with Dr. Winslow, and continued them for two
years with Dr. Selah Gridley, of Castleton, finishing with Dr. Joel Green, of
Brandon. He remained in Pittsford until 1843, when he removed to Brandon,
where he died August 20, 1861. (See Brandon).
Dr. James Ewings was a son of James, jr., and grandson of James, one of
the early settlers of this town. He was born in 1812 and received most of his
medical education in Canada (his native place), and graduated at the Castleton
Medical College in 1835. He began practice in Bridport, Addison county, but
soon afterward came to Pittsford and formed a partnership with his brother-in-
law. Dr. P. C. Barlow, He remained here until 1847, when he removed to
Wisconsin.
Dr. Ebenezer H. Drury began practicing medicine in Pittsford in 1843.
He was a son of Calvin Drury and born here August 7, 1813 ; studied medi-
cine with Dr. A. G. Dana and graduated at Castleton in June, 1842. In that
autumn he located at Bethel, Vt., and the following April came to Pittsford.
He continued in his successful practice until about 1863, when he retired.
Dr. Thomas J. Ketcham, of Sudbury, located here in 1856. Pie studied
with Dr. Horton in his native town and afterward formed a partnership with
liim. Soon after coming to Pittsford he gave up practicing and engaged in
farming; but in 1867 he resumed practice.
Other physicians who have practiced here are Drs. Leonard, Sheldon, Cran-
dall, Willard, Child, Warren and Gibbs ; but of them little is known.
Poultncy. — The first physician in Poultney was Dr. Jonas Saff"ord, who
came at a very early day, and before 1 800, and for a number of years carried
on his practice, gaining the good will and esteem of the entire community.
He was associate judge of Rutland county from 1797 to 1 80 1 inclusive. He
finall)- removed to Putnam, Ohio, where he died.
Dr. Stephen Brownson was born in Connecticut in 1783 and came with his
father to Castleton in 1785. In 1810 he removed to Poultne)-. He studied
medicine and in 18 13 bought out the practice of Dr. Jonas Saftbrd, and con-
tinued in practice until 1822, when he sold to Dr. David Palmer and removed
254 History of Rutland County.
back to Castleton. A few years later he went to Hampton, N. Y., and after
three or four years there, returned to Poultney. He died at East Pouhney
September i, 1849. Dr. Palmer practiced only a few years here and left the
town in 1S22. He became a professor in the medical institution at Woodstock
and later in a similar institution in Massachusetts, where he died. He occu-
pied a high position in the profession.
Dr. Ebenezer Porter was in practice in this town, but we are without data
of his career. He succeeded Dr. Palmer above mentioned.
David Dewey, son of Major Zebediah Dewey, one of the first settlers of
this town, studied medicine and received his license to practice ; his studies were
pursued with Dr. Selah Gridley, of Castleton. He never paid his whole atten-
tion to his profession, having engaged in farming and later invented the first
cloth-shearing machine in the country ; to the manufacture of this he gave up
his time after about 181 1 ; he also manufactured cotton cloth and became in-
terested in mercantile trade with William Wheeler. He also owned at one
time an interest in the Nort/icni Spectator printing office. In 1837 he received
a patent on a spring tooth horse-rake, which was a successful invention. He
died October 2, I 84 1, after a very active life.
Dr. Horace Hall removed from Pittsford to Poultnej- about the year 1841
and practiced from that time until his death in April, 1874.
Dr. Adin Kendrick was born in New Hampshire and educated at Hanover,
in that State. He came to Poultney soon after 1800 and attained a large
practice through his excellence as a physician. He represented Poultney in
the Legislature in 1845-1846, and died March 29, 1853, aged sevent\--two
years.
Dr. Charles S. Perry, born in West Rutland December 22, 1818; gradu-
ated at Castleton in 1845 ; practiced in Benson to 1849 and in Castleton to
1852, when he came to Poultney. Here he continued in active practice until
near his death several years ago.
William L. Munroe, son of Nathan and Nancy Munroe, of Poultne\-, gradu-
ated from the Burlington Medical School in June, i860. He was one of three
brothers to enter the service of his countr)-. Leaving a successful practice, he
enlisted in the Twelfth Regiment in December, 1861, and re-enlisted in the
First Regiment, First Corps, in December, 1864. He died in hospital at Camp
Stoneman, D. C, F"ebruary 12, 1865, aged twenty-seven years.
Wallingford. — Dr. John Fo.x was the most prominent physician who has
practiced in this town. He was born in Tinmouth in 1782, and was the son
of William Fox, one of the leading men of the early times of the town. John
Fox came with his parents to Wallingford while a child. He studied medicine
so early in life that he was fitted to enter the profession in 1803 ; his studies
being pursued with Dr. Hamilton, then of Wallingford, and Dr. Porter, of Rut-
land. When the medical college of Castleton was established he received a
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 255
degree from it, as supplementary to his diploma from the association of physi-
cians granted before he began practice. After three years of practice at Tin-
mouth he returned to Wallingford where he followed his profession during the
remainder of his life. He early gained and always retained the full confidence
of the coiimiunity ; was particularly skillful as a surgeon, and his practice was
very extensive and reached often a distance of thirty miles from his home.
He represented the town in the Legislature seven years and was State senator
from 1846 to 1849 inclusive. He died in June, 1853. Dr. William C. Fox,
born in Wallingford, was a son of John, and practiced in Wallingford ; and Dr.
George H. Fox, now in successful practice in Rutland, is another son.
Dr. Joseph Randall, jr., son of Deacon Joseph Randall, an early resident
of Wallingford, was born in 1794. He studied medicine with Dr. John Fox
and attended lectures at the medical college in New Haven, Conn. He began
practice in 1816, and soon attained enviable success. He died in 1834.
Other physicians who have practiced in this town are K. O. Eddy, E. O.
Whipple, John E. Hitt, George M. Noble. Joel Grover, David H. Meacham,
S. D. Hazens and W. S. Cheney.
W'cl/s. — Dr. Socrates Hotchkiss was probably the first physician in prac-
tice in this town. He came in 1795. But very little is known of his life. He
married a daughter of Samuel Lathrop and second, Mary A. Doolittle. He
died when but thirty-six years of age.
Dr. James Mosher was an early physician, but died in the midst of his use-
fulness in I 8 16.
Dr. Samuel Potter first practiced in this town several years, and then re-
moved to Pawlet, where he died in 1835.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE COURT.S AND THE BENCH AND BAR OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
-Vbsence of Courts in Early Years. — The Old Superior Court — First Judges — The First Docket
— The Old Court Records — Jurisdiction of the First Supreme Court — The First County Court — Its
Jurisdiction — Subsequent Changes — Probate Courts — Justices of the Peace and their Powers —
The Records — An Early Rule of the Court — Whipping Posts- An Incident — Early Public House
Licenses — Old Warrants, Complaints, etc. — Description of a Court Scene in Rutland — The County
Bar.
TH\l inhabitants of the territoiy constituting the State of Vermont were, for
a number of years after settlement began, without protection from what
might be termed a court. There were committees and councils of safety in
existence, but as to their nature, origin and the scope of their powers, little is
256 History of Rutland County.
definitely known, particularly as they may have exercised some of the func-
tions of the later courts.' The truth is, there was no regular government in
the State ; everything was unsettled ; no social compact existed, nor any bond
of union save that which resulted from common wants and common dangers ;
and everything that bore the semblance of organization was a premature off-
spring of urgent necessity.
Down to the year 1778 the territory of which this work treats thus con-
tinued outside the pale of judicial authority ; but such a state of affairs could
not long continue, and in the year named, in the month of October, the Supe-
rior Court was established, its first sitting being held on the 26th day of May,
1779. According to the law passed in February, 1779, from which we quote,
" This court shall have cognizance of any action where the matter does not
exceed twenty pounds, or the fine does not exceed twelve pounds, except by
appeal ;" in short, within the above limitations, it had jurisdiction in all causes
of action. It consisted of five judges, one of whom was termed the chief judge,
and four termed side judges, any three of whom could hold a court. It was
virtually a copy of the old English system. Two of the judges had power to
adjourn the court, and the clerk was appointed and sworn in by all of the
judges. The chief judge, or, in his absence, any three of the side judges,
had power to call a special court. Terms of this were directed to be held as
follows : Within and for the county of Bennington, at Bennington, on the sec-
ond Thursday of December then next. "Within and for the county of Cum-
berland (a county, by the way, which never had a legal existence) at West-
minster on the second Thursday of March, then next. Within and for the
county of Bennington, at Rutland on the second Thursday of June then next.
Within and for the count}' of Cumberland, at Newbury on the second Thurs-
day of September then next.
The first judges of this court were Moses Robinson, chief judge ; John Shep-
hardson, John Fassett, jr., Thomas Chandler and John Throop, side judges. The
first docket contained forty-one cases, in sixteen of which judgments were ob-
tained and executions issued. Noah Smith was the State's attorney. On the
very first page of the court records (now preserved in the Rutland county clerk's
office) and preceding the docket, we find the following: —
" At an adjourned Superior court, holden at Westminster, in the county of
Cumberland, —
" Item, Stephen R. Bradley, esqr., was appointed Clerk of said court and
sworn to a faithful discharge of liis office b}' His Honour, Thomas Chandler,
esqr.
"Item, Stephen R. Bradley, esqr., and Noah Smith, esqr., were appointed
Attorneys at Law in said State and accordingly licensed to plead at the bar,
being sworn thereto.
I .Sl.\de's St,!t^ Papers.
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 257
" Item, Chipman, esqr. [this was Nathaniel Chipman, the distin-
guished jurist], was appointed attorney at Law in said State and accordin<jly
Licensed to plead at the Bar, being sworn thereunto."
The last sitting of this Superior Court was held in Rutland in the spring of
1783, and probabl}- in the old State-House, whicli is still standing on West
street and of which an illustration will be found in this work. The clerk at that
time was Obadiah Noble and he had with him, of course, the previous court
records. These were left naturally enough with the clerk of Rutland county
after the last session of the court. Previous to that date the court had been
held in Tinmouth, then the county seat. In this manner all the old records are
in a state of fair preservation, not only covering the period since the formation
of Rutland county, but previous to that time and from the ver\' beginning, and
are now in the county clerk's office and jealously cared for by Clerk Henry H.
Smith, who properly appreciates their great value.
Between the spring term and that of the following June the Superior Court
was supplanted by the Supreme Court, the first session of which was held in Rut-
land on the second Tuesday of June, 1783. This court consisted, down to
1786, of five justices, one of whom was the chief justice and four were assistant
justices. From 178610 1825 it consisted of three justices ; in 1825, i826and
1827, it consisted of four justices ; and from 1827 it consisted for a number of
j'cars of five judges. Since that time two other assistant justices have been
added, making seven at the present time.
Briefly, this Supreme Court had cognizance of all pleas of the State, crim-
inal actions and causes, and whatever related to the preservation of the peace
and punishment of offenders ; also of civil actions between party and party,
between the State and any of its subjects, whether the same were brought be-
fore it by appeal, writ of error, or otherwise. It had exclusive jurisdiction of
the crimes of adultery, polygamy and all capital felonies; of treason, misprison
of treason, counterfeiting the currency of the State, forgery, perjury, incest,
rape, defaming the civil authority of the State, and all other crimes and mis-
demeanors where a fine or penalty went to the State treasury, or where the
punishment extended to the loss of life, limb or banishment. The officers of
this court and the others described in this chapter, are named in Chapter IX.
Comity Court. — The first County Court held on the west side of the Green
Mountains sat at Tinmouth for the county of Rutland (then recently organ-
ized) on the 24th of April, 1781. Previous to this date the Superior Court,
before described, was the only court of law and equity in the State, Jona-
than Brace was made the clerk of this County Court, and Nathaniel Chipman
still remained the State's attorney.
The County Court continued to sit in Tinmouth until the fall of 1784, when,
on the third Tuesday of November, it sat in the village of Rutland. Present,
Hon. Increase Moseley, chief judge ; Benjamin Whipple, William Ward and
258 History of Rutland County.
Samuel Mattocks (it is spelled " Mattox " in the record), assistant judges. In
Thompson's Civil History of F^rwow/" (1840), the jurisdiction of the County
Courts is given as follows : " The County Courts have in their respective coun-
ties, original and exclusive jurisdiction of all original civil actions, except such
as are made cognizable by a justice, and of all such petitions as may by law-
be brought before such court, and appellate jurisdiction of all causes, civil and
criminal, appealable to such court, and may render judgment thereon accord-
ing to law. They also have jurisdiction of all prosecutions for criminal offenses,
except such as are by law made cognizable by a justice, and ma}' award such
sentence as to law and justice appertains."
This is substantially the jurisdiction given to this court from the first.
There was no change in the County Court until 1824 (taking effect in
1825), when the following provision of law was passed : " From and after the
third Thursday of October, in each county within this State [this court] shall
consist of one chief justice, who shall be one of the justices of the Supreme
Court, to be designated by the justices of the Supreme Court annually, for each
circuit, and two assistant justices, to be appointed as now by law required ;
any two of whom shall be a quorum to transact business."
The same act defines the jurisdiction of the court as follows : " Of all crim-
inal matters of every name and nature, arising in such counties, e.xcept such as
are made cognizable before justices of the peace, and award sentence on the
same ; and in all civil actions whatever, except such as are by this act made
cognizable by the Supreme Court and such as are cognizable before justices of
the peace, and render judgment," etc.
The counties of Bennington, Rutland and Addison formed the first circuit,
and the sessions in Rutland were ordered held on the second Monda)'s of April
and September.
There have been no other changes in this court, except that in 1856 a cir-
cuit judge was specially elected, under Legislative enactment, to preside over
the County Courts in his circuit, instead of one of the Supreme Court judges,
as theretofore provided. This method prevailed, however, only during the
year 1857, when the former plan was adopted.
The Court of Chancery was provided for, to be held in the several counties,
at the several times and places designated for holding the Supreme Court. The
judges of the latter court were constituted judges or chancellors of the Court
of Chancery, with powers similar to those held by the chancellors of the En-
glish courts. This court passed out of existence in 1839.
The judges of the Supreme Court previous to the organization of Rutland
county were, for 1778, Moses Robinson, chief judge; John Shephardson, John
Fassett, jr., Thomas Chandler and John Throop, side judges. 1779, Moses
Robinson, John Shephardson, John Fassett, jr., John Throop and Paul Spooner.
1780, Moses Robinson, Paul Spooner, John Fassett, jr.. Increase Moseley and
John Throop. (See Chapter X. for subsequent judges).
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 259
The clerks previous to tlie formation of the county were Stephen H. Brad-
ley, whose administration embraced at first all the State, and subsequently be-
came diminished as the various counties were organizetl ; and Jonathan Brace,
who held the office one year.
Probate Courts. — These courts were established about simultaneously with
the erection of the county, and have continued with little or no change until
the present time. According to the statute it was provided that " this court
shall be a court of record and shall have a seal." Its jurisdiction was made the
probate of wills, settlement of testate and intestate estates, appointment of
guardians, and over the powers, duties and rights of guardians and wards. It
was provided that the probate judge should appoint a register, whom he might
remove at his pleasure ; that he might issue warrants and processes to compel
the attendance of witnesses, etc. This county was divided into two districts —
the district of Rutland and the district of Fairhaven. The former embraces the
towns of Rutland, Pittsford, Brandon, Chittenden, Pittsfield, Sherburne, Men-
don. Clarendon, Shrewsbury, Mount Holly, Mount Tabor, Ira, Middletown,
Tinmouth and Wallingford. The Fairhaven district includes the remaining
towns of the county.
Justices of t lie Peace. — These officials were until 1850 nominated and ap-
pointed annually by the General Assembly. Originally they had power to try
all actions of a criminal nature, where the fines came within the sum of forty
shillings, and the corporal punishment did not exceed ten stripes. They could
also try civil actions (other than actions of defamation, replevin, trespass upon
the freehold, and where the title of land was concerned), where the debt and
other matters in demand did not exceed the sum of four pounds; and also de-
termine on all specialties, notes of hand, and settle accounts not exceeding the
sum of eight pounds. They could also bind over to be tried, by the County
or Supreme Court, all criminal offenders the enormity of whose ofienses sur-
passed their power to try.
The jurisdiction .of justices of the peace has been gradually extended, as
experience has shown was desirable, and now embraces the hearing of all civil
matters where not more than $200 is involved and criminal matters where the
fine does not exceed twenty dollars. They may also cause persons charged
with crimes exceeding their jurisdiction to be apprehended and committed to
prison, or bound over with sufficient sureties, for trial by the County Court.
The constitution of the State was so amended in 1850 that assistant judges
of the County Court, sheriffs and high bailiffs and State's attorneys were there-
after elected by the freemen of their respective counties, judges of probate by
the freemen of their respective districts, and justices of the peace by the free-
men of their respective towns.
The Records. — In the records of the courts on file in the clerk's office of
this county, extending as they do back even beyond the history of the county
26o History of Rutland County.
itself, are many things of surpassing interest which cannot for want of space
be transcribed here ; but brief reference to some of them will not be out of
place.
We find entered as a rule of the court, in connection with the first docket
of the County Court, before alluded to, the following, which will inform the
present bar how their predecessors of that day were admitted to practice :
" A rule made by the court for the admission of attorneys. — Application
shall be made to the court, in a private manner, for the admission of every
Gentleman to practice as an Attorney at the bar. And if the Court think
proper, they will order a private examination of the candidate, or candidates,
to be made by the gentlemen of the bar, and if they think proper, after the ex-
amination, may then recommend the candidate or candidates to the court in
public and will order him or them to be sworn." Thus Darius Chipman was
admitted "to the attorney's oath."
The whipping- post was an important adjunct of the early courts for the
suppression of crime, and was found in many of the towns of the county. The
one used in the town of Rutland stood not far from the site of the present foun-
tain in the park on Main street; with it was connected, as customary, the pil-
lory. Here many prisoners convicted of crime were stripped to the waist, tied
up to the ring in the post and lashed with a cat-o'-nine-tails, the number of
stripes being judged in the sentences. A criminal was thus punished in Rut-
land as late as 1808. There was, as is well known, a great deal of counterfeit-
ing of paper money in the early years of the county's existence, and the pun-
ishment visited upon those engaged in the nefarious business was often very
severe. In 1785 one Canfil Wood and another man named Carpenter were
arrested and hurried through a trial in which their guilt was established. The
sentence of the former was that he " receive fifteen stripes on the Naked Body,
on the 15th day of instant [January]," in Rutland. Carpenter was sentenced
to receive thirty-nine stripes. These sentences were executed, and the feeling
of the community towards counterfeiters generally is indicated in a grim sort
of way by the sheriff's return, on which was endorsed the fact of the execution
of the sentence, followed by the expressive words, " Well laid on ! " There are
persans living in Rutland to-da\' who well remember the whipping-post and
its uses.
Another instance, the details of which liave been searched by the kindness
of Clerk Henry H. Smith, is similar in character to the one described, but
shows more forcibly the expedition and certainty of execution observable in
many of the old criminal cases. The crime in this instance was passing coun-
terfeit money, and the time 1808. Royal Tyler was presiding judge and The-
ophilus llcrrington and Jonas Galusha, assistant judges. The principal crimi-
nal of those arrested was found guilt)- and sentenced to stand one hour in the
pillory, be whipped thirt\--nine lashes at the public whipping-post, \\ith cat-o'-
The Courts and the Bench and Bar.
nine-tails, and pa\' a fine of $500 and costs of prosecution ($67.20), and be con-
fined to hard labor in the State prison for seven years and stand committed
until said sentence be complied with. The others received sentences more or
less similar. The trial, sentence and its execurtion, as far as the transportation
to the prison, all took place in one day. The venerable Amasa Pooler, still
living in Rutland, witnessed the whipping in this case, and saw the sheriff
wash the naked backs of the culprits with rum, which he poured from a large
pitcher. Something near a hundred sleighs were drawn up around the park,
although the day was bitterly cold and the snow deep, to witness the execu-
tion of the sentence.
In 1782 the records show that the following persons in the county were
licensed to keep public houses and sell liquors under certain restrictions. In
Rutland, William Barr and Captain John Smith, ist. Castleton, Reuben
Moulton, Frederick Remington, Isaac Clark. Poultney, Silas How, Nathaniel
Smith, Thomas Ashley. Pawlet, Jonathan Willard, Zadock Everist, Joseph
Armstrong, Thomas Lothrop, E. Curtice, Elisha Clark. Clarendon, Increase
Moseley, Elihu Smith, John Bowman, F. TuUar. Tinmouth, Solomon Bing-
ham, Daniel Edgerton, Cephas Smith, Benjamin Haskins, Neri Crampton.
Wallingford, Abraham Ives, Alvin Jackson.
Among the old warrants are many strange and quaint pictures of criminal
life. One man was arrested for assaulting his wife, " taking his sword and
other weapons Dangerous, in a manner which put y'r Complainant in Fear of
her Life and Safety."
So, also, in the numerous complaints are to be found interesting documents.
John Burnam, esq., who is hereafter alluded to as long a prominent lawyer in
Middletown, complained that " Titus Simonds, of Hartford, in the count)' of
Cumberland, is guilty of Eniniical Conduct against this and the United States
of America, in that he, the said Titus Simonds, on the 4th of September,
1777, did go over to the Enemy, and aid, and assist them against the said
States and afterwards was found within the limits of the State, lurking in a
secret manner," etc.
Another complaint of May 26, 1779, alleges that Isaac Reed, Enos Lov-
ell and Asher Evens, did "break the peace in a Riotous and Tumultuous
manner, assembled with other persons, b\- threatening and Insulting Capt.
Lemuel Sargents, of Rockingham in s'd county, when in the execution of a
Lawful command, all of which wicked conduct is a flagrant violation of the
laws," etc.
Another of this class of documents alleges on the part of Elnathan Hub-
bell, of Bennington (after reciting his good name, etc.), that Abner Mill slan-
dered him so as to " deprive him of his good name and fame, credit, esteem
and reputation aforesaid, and to bring him into scandalous reproach and dis-
pleasure, in the following language; 'Bennington, Aug. 6, 1779. These lines
262 History of Rutland County.
from your friend, Elnathan Hubbell to Abner Mill, I desire you'ld come and
pay me for that hive of Bease you have taken from my house in the Silent
]Sfight, thinking you were secure, but there being two undiscovered to you
have acquainted me which are your friends and mine and if you will come
spedily and settle it with me, well I nor witnesses will not expose you, if not
you may expect the sudden fate,' " etc.
Imprisonment for debt was not abolished in this State until the year 1839,
previous to which the courts were burdened with that sort of legal business.
But we cannot extend these quotations further. They serve to show in un-
mistakable terms, the condition and practices of the courts and officers of early
times.
In this connection the following quotation from an old volume entitled
Travels ThrongJi the Nortliern Parts of the United States, in the Years 1 807
and 1808, published in 1809 by Edward Augustus Kendall, describing a court
scene in Rutland in early days, is pertinent and interesting : —
" Rutland is the county town of the most populous county in Vermont ;
and adjacent to the inn at which I put up, is the court-house. On my arrival,
which was after sunset, I found the public curiosity engaged by a sitting in the
court-house, on some persons apprehended on a charge of counterfeiting bank-
bills. As this was an offense of which I had heard much in all parts of Ver-
mont, I had my curiosity, too, and I repaired immediately^ to the tribunal.
" At my entrance, I saw, through the dusk, about a hundred persons, shab-
bily dressed, standing, sitting, and reclining on the benches and tables ; and
from this apparent disorder, I came to an instant conclusion, that the court had
adjourned ; but, after a few seconds, the words, this honourable court, which pro-
ceeded from the speaker whose voice I had not at first distinguished, drew me
over to a contrary opinion, and I believed that the honourable court was cer-
tainly to be found in some portion of the presence in which I stood. Accord-
ingly, I set myself, in all diligence, to look for it ; and, as the principal group
was assembled on what I afterward found to be the right hand side of the
bench, I first supposed it to be hidden there. Soon after, however, having
succeeded in distinguising the person of the orator, and observing the direc-
tion in which he addressed himself, I satisfied myself of my error. In short,
I descried, upon the bench, four or five men, dressed like the rest, but differing
in this, that they were bare-headed, while all the others wore hats. From this
particular, I was henceforth constantly able to distinguish the court from the
rest of the persons who filled, from time to time, the bench.
" Having now made myself acquainted with the court, I looked next for
the jury and the prisoners ; but, jury there was none ; and, as for the single
prisoner that was present, he sat, undistinguished, among the lookers-on. By
degrees, I discovered, that though there was a whole bench of judges, and six
or eight lawyers at the bar, this honourable court, of wliich the name was a
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 263
Court of Inquiry, was engaged merely in an affair of police, and was called
upon only to discharge, or to commit for trial, two or three persons, appre-
hended as above. The court consisted only in the person of one of the mag-
istrates, his bare-headed companions being but assistants in courtesy. This
use of the words court or Iwnourable court had often misled me, and I had now
been as much misled as before.
" Tiiere is, in Vermont, as in some of its fellow-republics, no attorney-gen-
eral for the whole republic, but an attorney-general, or as it is called a State s
Attorney, for each particular county. In the present instance, the attorney-
general for the county of Rutland, aided by a second lawyer, appeared for the
prosecution, and there were also two law>-ers who defended the prisoner.
These gentlemen, with man_\- others, were seated at a table, covered with green
cloth ; and, upon the table, sat two or three of the sovereign people, with
their backs toward the honourable court. In front of the bench, and without
the bar, upon a raised platform, was an iron stove, or poele ; and, upon the
platform, stood half a dozen of the same poeple. The stove, though both the
court and the bar frequently spoke of their sufferings from the cold, and occa-
sionally discussed the propriety of adjourning, to warm themselves in the ad-
joining public houses, contained neither fire nor fuel.
" It was a counsel for one of the prisoners that I had found upon his legs ;
and I presently perceived that the merits of the case were in discussion upon
the broadest basis. Fundamental principles, as recommended in the instrument,
called the Constitution of the Republic, were frequently recurred to. The whole
theory of the rights of man, and the whole basis of the social compact, were
agitated ; and a deplorable picture of the oppressions of the existing govern-
ment were drawn. ' Why, men will say, ' exclaimed this counsel for the pris-
oner, ' we are fallen in evil times, if the government can put mankind in gaol,
when they please, when there's nothing agin 'em! ' Proceeding in this strain,
and reiterating the words, government a.nd falle7t in evil times, the counsel made
a most formidable speech, such as might have shocked many an honest soul,
who, till he heard him, had dreamed of nothing but a paradise of civil liberty,
upon the sides of the Green Mountains. "
After further describing the arguments of the counsel in a similar vein, the
writer conveys the information that the prisoner was held ; he concludes as
follows : —
" The court now adjourned till after .?«//>(•;- ,• that is, till about 8 o'clock.
It was in no small degree satisfactory to observe, that amid the want of defer-
ence for the magistrate, manifested in a number of instances, and amid some
defects of education in some of the members of the bar, the sentence pro-
nounced was heard in silence and submission. The counsel for the defense is
also a very respectable man, ' in evil times though fallen,' With the sentence
of the court, and with the conduct of the prosecution, I saw less occasion to be
pleased. "
264 History of Rutland County.
The presiding judge on this occasion was Theophilus Harrington (or Her-
rington, as he wrote his name), the. eccentric magistrate of that period, of whom
the reader will find a sketch a little further on, and also some notes regarding
him in the subsequent history of the town of Clarendon. To those of the pres-
ent day who are familiar with the characteristics of that individual, it will not
need to be said that he was the last person who would be apt to utter com-
plaint at a want of respect towards himself in open court.
The County Bar. — The history of the Bar in Rutland county is coeval
with that of the State. It begins at a period when many changes had taken
place in the early habits of society ; when the simplicity of the fathers had
yielded in a measure to the refinements consequent upon the increase of wealth
and population, and when the proceedings before the judicial tribunals had be-
come more technical and complex than in the early history of New England.
There were few if any lawyers who resided in this county previous to the Rev-
olution ; but there were many individuals who attended the early courts, who
were not educated in the profession. They were commonly of a class possess-
ing, perhaps, some influence in their own neighborhoods, with more or less
aptitude for the transaction of ordinary business. They were the forerunners
at the local bar, and occupied the ground afterwards monopolized by better
educated men; some of them had a large business of the more ordinary char-
acter. We would not speak lightly of these men ; they are not esteemed by
all so highly as they ought to be ; these lions had no painters ; they lived be-
fore the reports, and that was living too early for their after fame ; tradition
cannot do them justice. But from the history that has come down to us and
from all that can be gathered in relation to them, an opinion favorable to their
professional merit acquires new strength. These and other considerations tend
to establish their right to consideration. Their libraries were scantily furnished ;
and this very scantiness led them to study the more intently the books they
had ; to be guided by what lights their own minds aftbrded ; and, in some in-
stances, doubtless, to more than supplying the place of authorities ; it compelled
them to form the habit of relying largely upon their own resources.
Foremost in the bar of Rutland county stands the figure of Nathaniel
Chipman. He was a descendant in the fourth generation from John Chipman,
of Barnstable, Eng., who came to Massachusetts in 1630. Nathaniel's father
was a blacksmith and brought up his sons to arduous labor. At the age of
twent)' years Nathaniel's mind was stored with wholesome qualities inspired by
the rigid Puritanical discipline of his home, and he entered upon a course of
classical studies with the minister of his parish, to fit himself for Yale College,
which he entered in 1773. He soon took a high position in his classes, but
before his senior year ended he left the institution for the arm_\' of the Rc\'olu-
tion. Enough is known of his military life to give assurance that he performed
its duties and suffered its hardships with the patriotism that would be expected
i''m
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ttiDfd III-
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The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 265
from such a man. He was made a lieutenant in the service, and in October,
1778, reluctantly tendered his resignation "on the sole ground that he could
not longer remain in the service without either becoming a beggar, or a debtor
to an amount that would embarrass and perhaps ruin him for life." The res-
ignation was accepted. In March, 1779, less than five months from his resig-
nation, he had finished his study for the bar, ha\-ing been granted his degree
from Yale while in the army. He was admitted to the bar in Connecticut and
then, in April, 1779, repaired to his father's house in Tinmouth. Here he en-
tered upon his practice, and that was his home for the greater part of his life.
His was the third admission to the bar of Vermont (June, 1779), and his pro-
fessional circuit embraced what are now the counties of Bennington, Rutland,
Windham and Windsor. From 1 78 1 to 1785 he w^as State's attorney. March
6, 1784, he was with Micah Townscnd as a committee to revise the statutes of
the State ; in October of that year Isaac Tichnor, Samuel Knight and Stephen
R. Bradley were added to the committee. Their labors were admirably per-
formed. From October, 1784, to October, 1786, he was a representative in
the Legislature for Tinmouth. From December, 1786, to December , 1787,
he served as judge of the Supreme Court — the only lawyer on the bench —
and as chief justice from December, 1789, to December, 1791. He was, in
1789, made one of the commissioners to settle the long controversy between
Vermont and New York, and his influence and ability were largely instrumen-
tal in closing the protracted controversy. In the appointment of Federal offi-
cers for the State, President Washington selected Nathaniel Chipman as judge
of the United States Court for the district of Vermont, — a life office, but re-
signed by him in 1793. He resumed practice, accepting only very important
cases, and continued until 1796, when he was again elected chief justice and
was appointed on a committee to revise the statutes; this resulted in the code
of 1797, which was almost entirely the work of Mr. Chipman. Before his term
as chief justice expired he was elected United States senator, which office he
held from March, 1798, to March, 1804. He exhibited his modest nature and
love of his adopted town, when he represented Tinmouth in the Legislature in
1805, and continued in the office until 181 1. In March, 1813, he was elected
one of the council of censors. From December, 1S13, to December, 1815, he
again served as chief justice, which official labor substantially closed his
public life. In 1793 he published his Principles of Government (afterwards
e.xtended and republished), and the first edition of Reports and Dissertations.
Other pamphlets and publications were issued from his pen, all bearing evi-
dence of his splendid intellectual endowments. In 18 16 he was appointed
professor of law in Middlebury College, which position he held nominally until
his death. It has been written of him that " he was great in almost all the
best sorts of knowledge. Given a sound body and mind, a taste for reading
and profound reflection, and a tenacious memory to make his own^forever all
266 History of Rutland County.
that his mind once grasped — all the rest was accomplished by persistent in-
dustry and a S3'stematic course of study, labor and recreation." He continued
through life to read the Old Testament in the Hebrew, the New Testament in
the Greek, with Homer, Virgil and other poets in Latin, calculating to go
through the course once in each year. This annual feat shows his great ca-
pacit)' for study. His political life was of the purest and loftiest character, he
being a Federalist of the school of Washington. He died in Tinmouth Febru-
ary 15, 1843, ^'■"i ''■> October, 1873, a monument was dedicated to his memory,
at which ceremony there was a large gathering of the bar and others to pay a
tribute of respect to one of the most eminent men of Vermont.
John A. Graham was the first practicing attorney in Vermont. He was
born June 10, 1764, and in 1 78 1 entered the ofifice of Edward Hinman, in his
native town of Southbury, Conn. In 1785 he was admitted to the bar and
removed to Rutland. He says in his own language, in a book published by
him in 1797, on the early history of Vermont: " I moved forward as well as I
could desire, in the different courts of the court of common pleas, till the year
1790, when I was called to the bar of the Supreme Court of the State. I prac-
ticed in this Court until June, 1792, when at the Circuit court of the United
States of America, for the district of Vermont, at Bennington, I was called to
the Bar of that Court, and admitted and sworn as an attorney and counselor."
In 1794 Mr. Graham was given an appointment on Governor Chittenden's
staff with rank of lieutenant-colonel. In the same year he was sent to Europe
by the Episcopal Church of Vermont in the interest of that church. He re-
turned in the following year, but revisited England soon afterward, and while
there was given the title of Doctor of Laws by the Royal College of Aberdeen,
and there also he gave some of his leisure to the writing of his book on Ver-
mont. In 1800 he returned first to Vermont for a year or tw'o and then to
New York, resumed the practice of law and attained considerable success. He
is credited with obtaining a decision which resulted in legislation securing to
all persons charged with crime the right to interview with counsel, before be-
ing examined in private by a magistrate, a practice then in vogue and often
greatly abused. For his argument in that case he received the congratulations
of man)' eminent men both in and out of the legal profession. He died on the
8th of August, 1841. His first wife was the daughter of Dr. Hodges, of Clar-
endon, and his second wife was Margaret Lorimer, daughter of James Lori-
mer, of London. He had a son by each of his wives.
, Thcophilus Herrington 1 was born in 1762, and became a resident of Clar-
endon in early life. He never received a legal education, and though admitted
to the bar, practiced law but little. He, however, attained a high reputation
as a judge, and as representative of Clarendon in the Assembly. In October,
1 He commonly wn te his name " Herrintoii," and was probably the best authority as to how it
should be spelled, although it has generally been spelled with an " a."
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 267
1800, he was made chief judge of the County Court of Rutland and twice re-
elected. In October, 1803, he was chosen one of the judges of the Supreme
Court, and in the following month was admitted to the bar. He remained on
the bench until October, 18 13, and died in the succeeding month of that year.
His name has become almost immortal, perhaps, from the language attributed
to him in response to a master who had captured a slave in this State, and
having produced good evidence of his ownership, asked Judge Herrington
what further testimony he could demand ; the reply being : " A bill of sale
from God Almighty, sir." Though rough and unpolished in his deportment,
and without technical knowledge of the law, he yet brought to his aid in his
judicial labors a mind so energetic and vigorous, a discrimination so acute,
and such thorough investigation, that he seldom failed to properl}- apply the
laws.
Hon. Robert Pierpoint was one of the most eminent of the Rutland county
bar. He was born at Litchfield, May 4, 1 79 1, and was one of the seven sons
of David Pierpoint. At seven years of age he was placed with his uncle to
live, at Manchester, Vt. His uncle kept a country inn and the lad, although
in feeble health, aided about the place for nine years as far as he was able. At
sixteen he entered the office of Richard Skinner and began the study of law ;
there he remained until he reached his majority, pursuing his studies with the
utmost enthusiasm. In June, 1812, he was admitted to the bar of Bennington
county and in the same )'ear came to Rutland to live. Shortly afterward he
was made deputy collector of the direct tax ; the office was one requiring tact,
energy and ability, and he performed its duties most satisfactorily. He rep-
resented Rutland in the Legislature in 1819, 1823, 1857; was a member of
the Constitutional Convention in 1822 and 1828 ; member of the State Council
from 1825 to 1830 inclusive, and State senator from 1836 to 1839 inclusive;
county clerk from 1820 to 1839; judge of probate from 1831 to 1S32; clerk
of the House of Representatives in 1832 and 1838; lieutenant-governor in
1848 and 1849. The degree of M. A. was conferred on him by Middlebury
College in 1826 and by the University of Vermont in 1838. He was a judge
of the Circuit Court under the old system from 1 850 to 1856, and held other
honorary positions. His character has been summed up in the words, " He
was an able and good man." In his profession he ranked high and was a for-
midable opponent. He died September 23, 1864, aged seventy-three years.
Israel Smith passed a portion of his professional career in this county. He
was born in Suffield, Conn., April 4, 1759, and graduated at Yale College in
1 78 1. He began practice of law at Rupert, Bennington county, and was sent
to the Legislature from that town four years. He was one of the commission
to establish the boundaries of this State and decide matters connected with its
admission to the L^nion. In 1791 he removed to Rutland and in the fall of
the same year was elected to Congress from the district composed of towns
268 History of Rutland County.
west of the mountains, and re-elected in 1793 and 1795. In 1797 he was
elected chief justice of the Supreme Court. In 1801 he was defeated as a can-
didate of the Republicans for governor, but elected to Congress, and at the
close of his term took his seat in the United States Senate, to which he was
elected the previous October. In October, 1807. he was elected governor of
the State. He died in Rutland December 2, 1810.
Solomon Foot, one of Rutland's and Vermont's most distinguished citi-
zens and statesmen, was born in Cornwall, Addison county, November 19,
1802; graduated at Middlebury College in 1826. On leaving college he be-
came principal of Castleton Seminary, and held the same position again in
1828, having in 1827 been a tutor in the Universit}- of Vermont, at Burling-
ton. He was professor in natural philosophy in the Vermont Academ)- of
Medicine, at Castleton, from 1828 to 183 i. He read law with B. F. Langdon
and Reuben R. Thrall, and was admitted to the Rutland county bar at the
September term, 1 83 1, settled in Rutland and entered at once upon a success-
ful practice, especially as a jury advocate ; he took great part in political affairs,
being a favorite and popular platform orator. His first marked public appear-
ance that gave him notoriety was as president of the monster Whig convention
at Burlington in 1840, at which ten thousand people convened, and his first
words uttered in his loud, melodious voice, have become memorable : " Men
of Vermont, come to order," which is said to have thrilled and hushed the vast
throng in a moment of time. He took a leading part in that campaign, and
from that time entered upon a successful political career. He was a member
of the Vermont Legislature in 1833, '35, 'ij, and '38, and was speaker of the
House in 1837, '3^ and '47. In the State Constitutional Convention of 1836
he was a prominent member ; St^.te's attorney from 1837 to 1842. He was
elected to Congress in 1843 and served until 1847, and was elected United
States Senator in 1850, and served until his death in 1866, making a continu-
ous public service of twenty years. He was president of the Senate during a
part of the Thirty-sixth and the whole of the Thirty- seventh Congress, and his
nomination for the vice-presidency was quite prominently canvassed at
Lincoln's first election. He made many elaborate speeches in the Senate, and
was conspicuous in the great Lecompton debate of 1858. He stood among
great war senators during the Rebellion, and was an associate and adviser of
President Lincoln. In 1854-55 he was president of the Brunswick and Florida
Railroad, and visited England, negotiated its bonds and purchased the iron for
the road. He died at Washington after a brief illness, March 28, 1866. A
memorial funeral service was held in the Senate Chamber, after which the re-
mains were conveyed to Rutland, accompanied by a senatorial committee, and
deposited in the United States Court-room, where an impressive scene occurred
on the delivery of the remains to the people of Rutland, in feeling addresses by
Hon. Luke P. Poland, his colleague in the Senate, and Senator James R. Doo-
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 269
little, of Wisconsin, followed by an address of acceptance on the part of the
people by Hon. William T. Nichols. On the day of the obsequies, citizens
came from all parts of the State, making the occasion one of the most impress-
ive ever witnessed in Rutland. Public services were held and a eulogy pro-
nounced by Rev. Norman Seaver, D.D., and the burial was made at Evergreen
Cemeter}', where a monument of granite has been erected, taken from the same
quarry from which the granite of the Vermont State-House is built. He left
his large library to the United States Court of Vermont. He was twice mar-
ried but left no children. The annals of Vermont will hand down to coming
generations the memory of few more useful and distinguished citizens in public
and national life, and none who held his native State and the town of his resi-
dence in higher regard and greater love.
Charles Kilbourne Williams, LL. D., was born in Cambridge, Mass., January
24, 1782. He was descended from a long line of distinguished ancestors, and a
son of Rev. Samuel Williams, LL. D., an eminent clergyman, HoUis professor in
Harvard College, the first historian .of Vermont and among the early Congrega-
tional ministers of Rutland, and a grandson of the patriot minister. Rev. John
Williams, of Deerfield, Mass., who was carried into captivity to Montreal, in Feb-
ruar}', 1704. His wife was murdered on the way. The subject of this sketch grad-
uated at Williams, studied law with Cephas Smith, jr., and was admitted to the
bar at the March term of the Rutland County Court, in 1803, and at once became
eminent in his profession. In 18 12 he served one campaign on the northern
frontier, and was afterwards for many years major-general of the State mi-
litia. He represented Rutland in the General Assembly in 1809-11, 1814-
15, 1820-21, and again in 1849; State's attorney in 1814-15. He was col-
lector of customs for the district of Vermont from 1S25 to 1829. He was
president of the Council of Censors in 1848. His most distinguishing quality
was as a jurist, and he was elected a judge of the Supreme Court in 1822,
and served until 1824, when he was appointed collector and was re-elected
again in 1829 to 1833, when he was elected chief justiee and held that position
until his voluntary retirement from the bench in 1846. Judge Williams was a
lawyer of deep research and popular manner, and a courteous and learned
judge. The judicial opinions reported are of great value to the profession, and
his judicial history is among the most eminent in the history of Vermont. He
was governor in 1850 and '51, which was his last public office, and crowned a
long and useful service to the State. He was a devout member of the Epis-
copal Church and was frequently a member of the diocesan and general con-
ventions of that denomination. He died suddenly at his home in Rutland,
March 9, 1853. He mariied Lucy Jane, the daughter of Hon. Chauncey Lang-
don, of Castleton. This family consisted of four daughters and three sons,
Charles L., Chauncey K., and Samuel, all of whom became law}'ers, and a
grandson, Charles K. Williams, is now a member of the Rutland county bar.
270 History of Rutland County.
Leonard Williams a brother of Charles K. Williams, was born in Bradford,
Mass., in 1775. Studied law with Daniel Chipman and was admitted to the
bar in in 1795, and after a practice of a few years at Brandon and Rutland, he
was appointed a lieutcntant in the United States army in 1799, and died in the
service in 18 12, at the age of thirty-seven years.
Charles Langdon Williams was born in Rutland in 1821, graduated at Wil-
liams College in 1839, studied law with his father, Charles K. Williams, and
was admitted to the bar in April, 1842. He settled at Brandon in 1844, and
remained there until 1848, and afterward resided in Rutland. He was a law-
yer of eminent attainments and learning, but he was cut off in his useful career,
by consumption and died March 10, 1861, aged forty years. A son, Charles
K. Williams is the only member of this eminently legal family now in practice.
Mr. Williams was the author of the Statistics of the Rutlatid County Bar, 1847,
Revised Statutes of Vermont, 185 i, and Vermont Supreme Court Reports, vol-
umes 27 to 29, of which he was reporter from 1855 to 1857.
Chauncey Kilborn Williams, was born in Rutland in 1838. Graduated at
Williams College, in 1859, studied law with his brother, Charles L. Williams,
and admitted to the bar. After a practice of a few years he removed to Flint,
Mich., where he was for several )'ears a successful lawyer and city judge. He
returned to Rutland and was for a time editor of the Rutland Herald, also of
the Rutland Globe. He was a man of varied culture and historical research,
and a writer of great force and clearness. He was the author of the Lives of
the Governors of Vermont, and Centennial History of Rutland, and was a fre-
quent contributor of historical sketches to the press; was a corresponding or
honorar)' member of most of the historical societies in this country and several
in Europe. He died suddenly in Rutland.
Samuel Williams was born in Rutland, graduated at Williams College and
studied law with his brother, Charles L. Williams. Was admitted to the bar
and practiced for a time in Rutland. He was secretary of civil and military
affairs during the governorship of Frederick Holbrook in 1861-62, also Gov-
ernor Smith in 1863-64, and proved a valuable war secretary. He was for a
few years treasurer of the Central Vermont Railroad. He was State senator
from Rutland county in 1874. He has retired from practice and now resides
in Philadelphia. He recentl)- published a memoir of his father, Charles K.
Williams.
Edgar L. Ormsbee, for twenty }'ears or more a leading lawyer of Rutland,
was born in Shoreham in 1805. In early youth he manifested much origin-
ality and precocity of mind. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1823,
in a class distinguished for its superior standing and scholarship, embracing
such men as Joseph Battell, the eminent patron of Yale College; Julian G.
liuel, a talented lawyer; Hon. John S. Chipman, Member of Congress; Rev.
Thomas J. Conant, president of Madison University ; Rev. E. B. Smith, pres-
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 271
ident of New Hampshire Theological Institution ; Francis Markoe, of the
Diplomatic Bureau, at Washington ; Rev. L. L. Tilden, long a minister at
West Rutland; Hon. Merritt Clark, of Poultney, and Judge Harvey Button,
of Wallingford. Among these men Mr. Ormsbee was distinguished for gen-
eral and classical scholarship and natural talent. He read law with Hon.
Rodne)' C. Ro)'ce and graduated at the Litchfield (Conn.) Law School and
was admitted to the bar in 1826. He quickly rose to a high position and
retained it until his retirement from practice. The only public office he
held was that of State's attorney, from 1845 to 1847. His manner was, un-
happily, not such as to render him very successful at nisi prins ; his forte
was before the Supreme Court. He was argumentative, fond of metaphysical
distinctions ; his style clear, pointed and suggestive, and his phraseology in the
expression of his ideas often showed the purest and most classical diction. In
common cases his angularity and rigidity of manner often diverted from the
force of his argument ; but when his cause was one of sufficient importance to
call forth his best powers of mind, then would he arise in dignity and grace
and pour forth his thoughts in chaste and manly diction, in unsurpassed elo-
quence. His wit was keen, his humor unbounded, his repartee always ready, and
his satire irresistible. Mr. Ormsbee's perceptions were far-reaching and some-
times prophetic. He was one of the first to conceive the feasibility of inter-
communication through Western Vermont with the Canadas and other local-
ities, and entered with voice and pen into zealous advocacy of the project ; his
efforts, against much opposition, did very much to assure the railway system
in which Rutland countj' now shares. He died November 24, 1861, at the age
of si.\ty-four years. His widow still lives at an advanced age.
Moses Strong was one of the early leading members of the Rutland county
bar. He was a son of John Strong, of Addison county, and born in Connec-
ticut. He studied law and married a daughter of Daniel Smith, in Shoreham,
as his first wife. He came to Rutland about 18 10. He was elected to the
office of chief judge of the County Court and held other positions of honor and
responsibilit)'. He died September 29, 1842.
De Witt Clinton Clarke, son of Asahel Clarke, was born in Granville, N. Y.,
September 12, 1810. He entered the University of Vermont, but left it with-
out finishing his course, and subsequently graduated at Union College (1831).
He studied law with Hon. George R. Davis, of Troy, N. Y., and was admitted
to the Rutland county bar at the April term of 1842. He practiced law in
Brandon, where he was for a time in partnership with E. N. Briggs. He
established the Free Press at Burlington in 1846. In 1853 the paper passed
from his possession and he engaged with Governor Charles Paine in the con-
struction of railroads in Texas. Later he established the Burlington Daily
Times. General Clarke was a man of note ; he held many offices of impor-
tance and responsibility. In 1840 he was quartermaster-general of the State ;
272 History of Rutland County.
secretary of the Vermont Senate from 1840 to 185 i ; executive clerk of the
United States Senate from 1861 to 1869; member of the State Constitutional
Convention in 1857 and 1870, and secretary; presidential elector in i860.
He married Caroline T. Gardner, of Troy, N. Y., who died in 1866, without
children. General Clarke died in September, 1870. He was a sparkling
writer both in prose and verse, and an influential editor. In conversation
entertaining ; in official duties, competent, courteous and attentive. Few men
had a wider acquaintance, both with the men of his own State (for though not
born in Vermont, he was of Vermont parentage and a Vermonter through and
through) and among the public men of the country.
Anson A. Nicholson was born in Middletown in 1819. He studied law
with Judge Harvey Button, of Wallingford, and was admitted to the bar in
1843. He practiced first in Chester, Vt., where he married, and two or three
years later removed to Brandon, where he remained a number of years in the
enjoyment of a large practice. About the year 1864 he came to Rutland and
resided here the remainder of his life. His death occurred in 1877. Mr. Nich-
olson was well educated in his profession, enjoyed the respect of his fellow prac-
titioners, and was especially proficient as an office lawyer. The only public
office he held was that of State's attorney (1857-58). He was a fluent and
gifted writer, both in prose and verse, and earh^ in life learned the printer's
trade and at one time edited the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Chief, when he was but
twenty years of age.
Although Frederic Williams Hopkins did not long engage in active prac-
tice of his profession, still his eminent qualifications entitle him to some brief
mention. He was born in Pittsford September 15, 1806, and died in Rutland
January 21, 1874. He was a graduate of Middlebury College, class of 1828,
and studied law with Hon. Ambrose L. Brown, who was his brother-in-law.
In 183 1 he was admitted to the bar and practiced with considerable success
until 1839, when he gave up the profession forever. From 1833 to 1836 he
was register of probate for the Rutland district, and at the time he relinquished
his practice was appointed clerk of the Supreme and County Courts for this
county. This office he filled until 1868, with the greatest credit. He had a
taste for military life and was made adjutant and inspector-general in 1838,
holding the office until 1852. He was a fluent writer of both prose and verse
and an eloquent speaker. His first wife was a daughter of Thomas Hooker,
of Rutland, and his second a daughter of Zimri Lawrence, of Weybridge.
William Douglas Smith was a son of Hon. Israel Smith ; a graduate of
Middlebury College in 1804, and a member of the bar of the count\-. He was
appointed clerk of the House of Representatives of Vermont in 1809, and con-
tinued in the position until his early death in 1822.
Colonel Jesse Gove, a son of Nathaniel Gove, was a prominent member of
the bar in his day. He was born in Bennington, Februar)' 20, 1 783, and fitted
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 273
with Samuel Watson, of Rutland. He read law with Cephas Smith, jr., of
Rutland, and was admitted to the bar of the county at the March term of 1 8 1 8.
In 1809 he was appointed clerk of the United States District and Circuit Courts
for the district of Vermont and held the office till his death. He was ap-
pointed postmaster of Rutland in 1841, and attained the rank of colonel in
the militia.
William Page was born at Charlestown, N. H., in 1779; graduated at Yale
College in 1797, and studied law with Daniel Farrand and was admitted to the
Chittenden county bar in 1806, and retired from practice in 1825. He became
cashier of the Bank of Rutland, a position he occupied for nearly a quarter of
a century. He was secretary of the governor and Council from 1803 to 1807,
and register of probate from 1815 101825. He died in 1S50, aged seventy
years. His son, the late John B. Page, was governor of the State.
John L. Fuller, born in Massachusetts in 1798 ; studied law with Charles
K. Williams, and admitted to the bar in 1822, and in 1824 removed to Penn-
s}'lvania, where he died in 1836 aged thirty-eight.
Darius Chipman, born in Salisbury, Conn., in 1758 ; studied law with Na-
thaniel Chipman ; admitted to the bar in 1781 ; represented Rutland in iSoi ;
State's attorney in 1785 ; removed to New York city in 18 16, where he died,
aged sixty-two years.
Ambrose Lincoln Brown was born in Cheshire, Mass., October 25, 1795,
and fitted at Castleton Academy. He graduated from Middlebury College in
1816, and studied law with Hon. Charles K.Williams, LL. D., of Rutland,
practicing here from 1819 to 1837; from 1837 to 184' engaged in paper-
making and book-selling, and a part of that time as editor of the Herald; after
1 844 he followed civil engineering. He was judge of probate for the Rutland
district from 1832 to 1835 and in 1838-39; represented the town in the Leg-
islature in 1834-35 > was assistant clerk of the House of Representatives 1841,
and judge of Rutland County Court, 1844 to 1847.
James Tilson Nichols, born in 1803 and died in Sudbury, 1868; studied
with Hon. Solomon Foot and Silas H. Hodges, of Rutland, and was admitted
in 185 I ; was assistant clerk of the House of Representatives in 1852; State's
attorney for Rutland county 1859-60; member of the Legislature 1861-63;
senator from Rutland county 1863-64; was a partner of Hon. Robert Pier-
point from 1857 to the death of the latter; went out as a private in the First
Vermont Regiment and was commissioned colonel of the Fourteenth Regiment,
in which capacity he served with honor.
Rodney C. Royce was born in Berkshire in 1800; studied law with Chief
Justice Stephen Royce, and admitted to the Franklin county bar in 1822 ; set-
tled in practice at Rutland, and proved one of the most eminent and brilliant
members of the bar. He represented Rutland in the Legislature in 1830-31
and '32, and was register of probate from 1825 to 1832. He died in 1836,
274 History of Rutland County.
aged thirty-six years. His only living descendant, Edmund R. Morse, is now
a member of the bar.
Nathan B. Graham was born in Southbury, Conn., in 1768; studied law
with his brother, John A. Graham, and was admitted to the bar in 1792. He
was a judge of the Rutland County Court in 1804, 1805 and 1806, and State's
attorney from 1807 to 18 10, when he removed to New York and became an
eminent criminal lawyer. He died in 1830, aged sixty-two years.
Samuel Walker, born in Massachusetts ; graduated at Harvard College
1790 ; studied law with Nathaniel Chipman ; admitted to the bar in 1792, and
removed to Massachusetts in 1820.
Samuel Prentiss, born about 1770; studied law with Nathaniel Chipman;
admitted to the bar in 1792, and died in 182S, aged fifty-eight.
Phineas Smith was born at Roxbury, Conn., in 1793; graduated at Yale
College in 1816; was educated at the Litchfield Law School in Connecticut,
and admitted to practice in Bennington county in 18 19. He practiced law
successfully, and was a noted instructor, and the late Judge Loyal C. Kellogg
was one of the most eminent of his pupils. At one time having a large num-
ber of young men reading with him, he made efforts to form a law-school in
Rutland. He died in 1836, aged forty-six years.
Horace Powers was born in Pittsford in 1805 ; studied law with A. L.
Brown ; admitted to practice in 1843 ; retired from the profession after a few
years.
Calvin Barnes was born at Lanesboro, Mass., in 1794; studied law with
Moses Strong and Rodney C. Royce, and was admitted to the bar in June,
1825, and removed to New York, where he died many years ago.
Edson Allen was born at Guilford in 1804; studied law with Judge Daniel
Kellogg; admitted in Windham county in 1835, and after a practice of two
years in Rutland removed to Ohio, and died a few years since.
George L. Gale, born at Lenox, Mass., in 1807 ; read law with Reuben R.
Thrall; admitted to the bar in September, 1S31 ; removed to Michigan in
1832, where he died many years ago.
Simeon Wright was born about 1796; graduated at Brown University in
1818 ; studied law with William Douglass Smith ; admitted to the bar in June,
1819 ; practiced law a few years in Rutland and Pittsford and then removed to
Michigan in 1823, where he died in 1833, aged thirty-seven years.
Sumner A. Webber was born in Rutland in 1795 ; studied law with Charles
K. Williams, and was admitted to the bar in June, 1825. He removed to
Windsor county in 1826, where he died a few years since.
Henry B. Towslee was born in Pawlet in 1810; studied law with Reuben
R. Thrall, and was admitted to the bar April, 1832. Removed to Wisconsin
in 1839.
Cephas Smith was born in Suffield, Conn., in 1761 ; graduated at Dart-
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 275
mouth College in 1788 ; studied law with Israel Smith, and was admitted to
the bar in March, 1791. Died in 181 5, aged fift3'-four.
Leonard E. Lathrop, a native of Hebron, Conn., born in 1772 ; graduated
at Yale College, read law in Connecticut, and was admitted to the Rutland
county bar in November, 1806; removed to New York in 1834, where he
died in 1840, aged sixty-eight years.
Lewis Royce was born in Northfield in 1805; studied law with William
Upham at Montpelier, and was admitted to the Washington county bar in
1830; removed to New York in 1838.
Chauncey Abbott, a native of Cornwall in 1816, graduated at Middlebury
College in 1836; studied law with E. F. Hodges, and admitted to the bar in
April, 1841 ; after practice of a few years removed to Wisconsin, and has been
a judge of the Supreme Court of that State.
Royal H. Waller was born in Middlebury in 1804 ; studied law with Rod-
ney C. Royce, and was admitted to the bar in April, 1827. He removed to
New York in 1836, where he died many years since.
Nathan Osgood was a native of Sterling, Mass., in 1759 ; read law without
a tutor, and was admitted to the bar in May, 1803, and retired from practice
in 1820. He represented Rutland in 1796 ; county clerk from 1789 to 1805 ;
register of probate from 1803 to 18 10. He died in 1841 at the age of eighty-
two.
Nathaniel Hamlin was born in Sharon, Connecticut, in 1777; studied law
with Cephas Smith, and admitted to the bar at the March term, 1800. He
removed to Ohio in 1S16.
Elias Buel, born at Coventry, Conn., in 1770 ; admitted to the bar in 1793,
removed to Burlington in 1796, where he died in 1832, aged sixty-two years.
Solomon Bingham, son of Caleb Bingham, a noted teacher and book-seller,
afterward of Boston; born at Salisbury, Conn., in 1770; graduated at Dart-
mouth College in 1791 ; studied law with Darius Chipman, and admitted to
the Rutland county bar, it is supposed, in 1793. He removed to Franklin
county, Vt., in 1796, where he was chief justice of the Franklin County Court
in 1813. He died in 1840, aged seventy years.
John Kellogg, the oldest son of John and Roxana (Matoon) Kellogg, of Am-
herst, Mass., was a descendant in the fifth generation, from Joseph Kellogg,
one of the first settlers of the town of Hadley, of which the town of Amherst
originally formed a part. He was born at Amherst, May 31, 1786. In 1805
he came to Vermont, and on the suggestion of Captain Silas Wright, of Wey-
bridge (the father of the eminent senator and governor of New York, who
had been an old neighbor of his father at Amherst), he determined to study
law. He pursued his studies in the offices of Loyal Case Kellogg and Hon.
Horatio Seymour, at Middlebury, and was admitted to the Addison county
bar in 1810. During his entire course of professional studies he supported him-
276 History of Rutland County.
self by his own exertions. He began the practice of his profession at Benson
May 24, 1 8 10, which he pursued for thirty years with dihgence and success
and had a large and valuable professional business, from which he retired in
1840, and spent the rest of his life in agricultural pursuits. He died Decem-
ber 22, 1852, aged sixty-six years. He was postmaster, 1813 to 1822; town
clerk, 1822 to 1828; member of the State Constitutional Convention in 1822,
and representative in the Legislature in 1S22, '24, '25, '27, '28, '29, '30 and
'31, and in 1830 was speaker pro tempore of the House. From 1S25 to 1831,
brigadier-general of the State militia ; in 1838 the Democratic candidate for
United States senator and delegate-at-large to the Democratic National Con-
ventions in 1840 and 1844. He was a man of great industry, methodical
habits of business and clear and sound judgment, and brought to the discharge
of public and private duties great sincerity and integrity. He was three times
married and his son, Loyal C. Kellogg, was long time an eminent judge of the
Supreme Court.
David L. Farnham, born in Benson in 1803; graduated at Middlebury
College in 1823 ; studied law with John Kellogg; admitted to the bar in 1826,
and practiced in Benson until 1828, when he removed to Enosburgh. Vt., and
subsequently to Manlius, N. Y., where he died a few years since.
Ira Harman was born in Pawlet in 1781 ; studied law with Nathaniel Har-
man, and admitted to the bar in March, 1800; settled in Benson in 18 10 and
practiced his profession about twenty years ; for many years was a sufferer
from chronic hypochondria, and died July 17, 1837, aged fifty-six years.
Marshall R. Meacham was born in Benson in 1798 ; studied law with John
Kellogg, and was admitted to the bar in June, 1825 ; practiced until his death
in August, 1833, aged thirty-four years.
Samuel Jackson was admitted to the bar in 1 801, and settled in Benson,
and removed to Ohio in 1804.
Milo VV. Smith was born in Benson in 1800; studied law in Vergennes,
and was admitted to the Rutland county bar in September, 1832; and was
in practice until when he removed to Plymouth, Indiana, where he died.
Loyal Case Kellogg was born in Benson February 13, 18 16. His father
was Hon. John Kellogg, long a prominent member of the Rutland county bar.
Loyal graduated from Amherst College in 1836, and soon afterward entered
the office of Phineas Smith, of Rutland, finishing his studies with his father in
Benson. He was admitted to the bar in 1839 and began practice at once in
Benson. He remained there until 1859, when he was elected judge of the Su-
preme Court, and removed to Rutland in i860, returning to Benson in 1868.
He represented Benson in the General Assembly in 1847, 1850, 1851, 1859
and 1 87 1, where he attained a position among the foremost members. He was
delegate to the Constitutional Conventions of 1847 ^"<i 1870 and was one of
the eight delegates from Rutland county to the Constitutional Convention of
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 277
1857, of which he was elected president. The degree of Doctor of Laws was
conferred on him by Amherst College in 1869. He was elected judge of the
Supreme Court in 1859, and annually re-elected down to and including 1867,
declining the last election. He was a fluent writer, the history of Benson, in
the Vermont Historical Magazine, and much general literature, being from his
pen. He was an able legislator and occupied a place in the front rank of the
legal profession. He died at the family homestead in Benson, November
26, 1872.
In addition to these, of whom sketches have been given, the following
attorneys have practiced in Benson : Albert Stevens, the first lawyer in
the town, practiced two years (1800- 1802); was admitted in Chittenden
county in 1799. Samuel Jackson began practice in about 1807, but soon left.
Both of these are said to have not borne good characters. Ira Harmon settled
here in 1 810 and continued practice about twenty years. John Kellogg, father
of Loyal Case Kellogg, settled in Benson in May, 18 10, and practiced until
1840. Marshall R. Meacham began practice here in 1825 and continued to
his death in 1833. David L. Farnham practiced from 1826 to 1828, and died
in Manlius, N. Y., to which place he removed. Richard W. Smith practiced
one year, 1 830. Milo W. Smith was in practice from 1831 to 1S52, when he
removed to Indiana, and there died.
Ebenezer N. Briggs was born in Marlboro, Mass., in 1801 ; studied law
with Gordon Newell at Pittsford, and was admitted to the bar in December,
1823, and settled in practice at Salisbury. He represented that town in the
Legislature from 1 83 1 to 1835, and was speaker of the Assembly from 1834
to 1836. He was a member of the first Senate of Vermont from Addison
county in 1836-37 and '38, and was the first president of the Senate. He was
State's attorney of Addison county from 1831 to 1840, and a member of the
Constitutional Convention in 1828. Mr. Briggs removed to Brandon in 1840,
and became equally prominent as a lawyer and in political affairs. He was
representative in 1845 and 1848, and was speaker of the House both years.
He was also senator from Rutland county three years, 1842 to 1844. He
was also State's attorney two years. He was a lawyer of wide practice up to
near the time of his death. He died at Brandon.
Rodney V. Marsh, of Brandon, was born July 11, 1807, and became con-
spicuous in the legal profession. He went to Brandon in 1832, after having
studied with Rodney C. Royce and Silas H. Hodges, in Rutland. He was an
ardent politician, was elected to the Legislature in 1856, 1857 and 1858, and
took an active part in the debates of those sessions. He was a man of broad
culture, extensive reading and e.xcellent natural talent. He died March 8,
1872, at Brandon.
Samuel D. Wing was born in Rochester, Windsor count)', Vt., February 4,
1823 ; educated at the Vermont Literary and Scientific Institution ; studied law
2/8 History of Rutland County.
with Hon. Ezra June and Hon. Milo L. Bennett, and admitted to the bar in
1844. After a few years' practice at Brandon, abandoned the profession and
became connected with railroads. He died at Brandon, November 6, 1863.
Barzillai Davenport was a native of Dummerston ; studied law with Hon.
John Lynde, of Williamstovvn, and located in Brandon in 1822 ; he remained
there in practice forty-six years, forty-one of which he was town clerk. He
was justice of the peace twenty-eight years ; representative in the Legislature
1854-55 ; one of the assistant judges of the County Court in 1855-56 and
1857. He was much respected as a man and stood high in his profession.
Other attorneys who practiced in the town of Brandon were Elijah Parker,
Willard J. Parker, Charles L. Williams, SamuelM. Conant and A. A. Nicholson.
Hon. Chauncey Langdon was one of the conspicuous members of the legal
profession in Rutland county. He was born in Farmington, Conn., in 1764,
and graduated from Yale College in 1792. His law studies were pursued with
Judge Gilbert, of Hebron, Conn., after which he came to Castleton, and there
resided until his death in July, 1830. In 1789 and 1800 he was probate judge
for the Fairhaven district ; was elected a trustee of Middlebury College in 181 1 ;
was a Member of Congress in 18 15-16. At the time of his death he was one
of the State councilors, and was otherwise honored by his constituents. It
was said of him by one who knew him well ; " To the members of the profession
to which he belonged, he has left an example of unyielding integrity, persever-
ing diligence and prudent discretion, worthy of their highest respect and imi-
tation. "
Hon. Benjamin Franklin Langdon was a son of the above ; born in Castle-
ton October 12, 1798; graduated at Union College in 181 8 and from the Law
School in Litchfield, Conn., in 1820; was admitted to the Rutland county bar
in 1 82 1 and practiced until his death. May 31, 1862. In 1837 he was appointed
register of probate for the district of Fairhaven, holding the office until 1845.
In 1852 he was elected one of the County Court judges, and retained the office
until 1855. As a lawyer he was well read and a safe and judicious counselor.
Abiel Pettibone Mead was born in Rutland, April 12, 1789, and graduated
at Middlebury in 181 3. He first read medicine with Edward Tudor, of Mid-
dlebury, and attended lectures in Philadelphia ; but he practiced medicine only
a few months, when he began reading law with Hon. Chauncey Langdon, of
Castleton, and practiced there until his death, July 28, 1839. He was register
of probate for the district of Fairhaven from 18 14 to 1823 and from 1829 to
1837; representative from Castleton from 183 i to 1833, and State's attorney
for Rutland county from 1829 to 1835.
Other attorneys who attained some prominence in the town of Castleton
were Hon. Isaac T. Wright, who was admftted in 1832 and practiced until his
death in 1862, at the age of fifty-three. He was an assistant judge, and rep-
resented the town in the Legislature in 1859-60. Hon. Almon Warner, born
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 279
in Poultney in 1792, admitted to the Rutland county bar in 1825 ; removed to
Castleton in 1831 ; register of probate from 1824 to 1829, and judge of probate
from 1 83 1 to his death in 1 861. Selah H. Merrill, born in Castleton in 1795 ;
graduated at Middlebury 1813 ; studied law with Hon. Chauncey Langdon and
admitted in 1816. He died in 1836; was register of probate from 1830 to
1839; State's attorney from 1830 to 1835 ; he is remembered as a man of ex-
ceptional talents and high standing. Robert Temple was a native of Braintree,
Mass., born in 1783; studied law with Hon. Chauncey Langdon and admitted
in 1804. He settled first at Castleton and subsequently removed to Rutland,
where he died in 1834. He was clerk of the County Court from 1803 to 1820.
Hon. Silas H. Hodges, son of Henry Hodges, of Clarendon, was born in
1804, and graduated from Middlebury College in 1821 ; he was admitted to
the bar in 1825 and with the exception of a few years, from 1833 to 1 841,
when he was employed in the ministry, followed his profession in Rutland
until 1 86 1. At the latter date he was appointed to a position in the patent
office.
Spencer Green was a native of Clarendon ; studied with W. H. Smith, fin-
ishing in Wallingford ; after his admission he practiced in Rutland to about I 850,
when he remo\-ed to Danby. He joined the Union army and died from dis-
ease contracted in the service.
Among the attorneys who practiced in Danby and have died, may be men-
tioned the following: Hon. Morris H. Cook, born in Chester in 18 16; studied
with Oramel Hutchinson, of Chester, and began practice in 1840; in 1845 came
to Danby and was admitted to the bar of Windsor County Court in 1844, and
to the Supreme Court of Rutland county in 1847. He was elected assistant
judge of the County Court in 1858, and left a lucreative practice to ser\'e in the
Seventh Regiment during the Rebellion.
Jonathan C. Dexter, born at Jay, N. Y., in iSiO, studied law with Hon.
A. L. Brown, in Rutland, and went to Danby in 1831 ; practiced there five
years and several years in Rutland, and in 1849 went California, where he
died.
Charles E. Bowen was born in Boston, Mass., in 18 16; graduated at Mid-
dlebury College in 1836; studied law with Salmon Wires, and was admitted
to the Lamoille county bar in June, 1844, and practiced a few years at Danby.
William C. Kittredge, son of Dr. Abel Kittredge, was born in Dalton, Mass.,
February 23, 1800; graduated at Williams College in i82i,and studied law
with Hon. E. H. Mills and Hon. Lewis Strong, of Northampton ; was admit-
ted to the bar in Kentucky in 1823, returning to Fairhaven in 1824, in De-
cember of which year he was admitted to the bar of this county. He repre-
sented the town in Legislature eight years ; was senator two years; two years
speaker of the House of Representatives ; five years State's attorney ; six
years judge of the County Court ; one year judge of the Circuit Court; one
28o History of Rutland County.
year lieutenant-governor, and seven years assessor of internal revenue. All
of these posts Judge Kittredge filled with ability and honor. He died in Rut-
land while on his way to Bennington, June ii, 1869.
John Burnam, the first lawyer to settle in Middletown, deserves the atten-
tion of the biographer. He was born in Old Ipswich, Mass., in 1742, and
came to Bennington the first year of its settlement, 1761. In 1765 he removed
to Shaftsbury, and although he had not received more than a few weeks of
schooling, he was prompted to read up a little on law, on account of having
been worsted in a case growing out of the New Hampshire Grants trouble. He
accordingly secured a few law books, and so persistently did he study that in
a short time he became a prominent " pettifogger. " From 1771 to 1779 he
was engaged in mercantile business in Bennington, then returned to Shaftsbury
where he remained until 1785 ; was a member of the conventions of 1776-77,
which declared the independence of Vermont, and was one of the committee to
draft the declaration ; he represented Bennington in the Legislature at its first
session. He was engaged in the trial of many of the earliest cases in the Ben-
nington County Court, and being generally successful he was induced by Na-
thaniel Chipman and Stephen R. Bradley to take the attorney's oath, which he
did. He represented Middletown six years and died August i, 1829, aged
eight\'-seven years.
Hon. Orson Clark, son of Enos, and grandson of Jonas, was born in Mid-
dletown February 2, 1802. He taught school several seasons and studied law
with his uncle, Jonas Clark, and was admitted to the bar at Rutland in Sep-
tember, 1828; he practiced in Middletown until his death in 1848; he repre-
sented his town in 1835-36; was town clerk from 1836 to 1842 inclusive, and
one of the senators from this county in 1840-41.
General Jonas Clark was the third son of Jonas, sr., and was sixteen years
old when his father settled in Middletown. His entire school education con-
sisted of learning to read. His father being poor, the son learned the mason's
trade, which he followed until he was thirty years old, occupying his evenings
and leisure in reading and study; thus he obtained most of his legal educa-
tion, and was admitted to the bar not long after he reached thirty, and soon
gained a large practice. He held the office of State's attorney sixteen succes-
sive years; was assessor and collector of government taxes in 1819; repre-
sented Middletown eighteen years ; was justice of the peace forty years ; was
candidate (Democratic) for governor in 1849, and a member of three Constitu-
tional Conventions. As a lawyer he ranked high and always made the prepar-
ation of his cases a subject of deep study. He died at Middletown February
21, 1854. He had three sons, Merritt (now living in Middletown), Horace and
Charles.
Barker Frisbie was the youngest son of Joel Frisbie, of Middletown, and
studied law with General Jonas Clark, of that town ; was admitted to the Rut-
The Courts and the Bench and Bar.
land bar in 1814, and practiced in Middletovvn until his death, which occurred
in February, 1821. He was elected town clerk in 1815 and held the office
until his death. He was a close student, a man of good judgment and gained
the respect of the community.
Other Middletown attorneys who have left forever the field of action, were
Ahiman Lewis Miner, son of Deacon Gideon Miner, jr., who studied law with
Mallary & Warner, Poultney, and Royce & Hodges, Rutland ; he was admitted
to the bar in 1832; began practice in Wallingford, but removed to Manches-
ter in 1835. He was eight years probate register and three years probate judge
of his district ; two years in the Legislature ; nine years a member of the House
or Senate ; five years State's attorney for Bennington county, and two years
Member of Congress from this district. Roswell Buel, jr., was admitted to the
Rutland county bar in 1845, but did not practice in the later years of his life.
Hon. Jonathan Brace was, doubtless, the first attorney to settle in Pawlet.
He was a member of the Council of Censors in 1785, and returned to Connect-
icut a few years later.
Nathaniel Harmon practiced law in Pawlet for forty years, and won the
esteem of his brethren. Much of that long period he was the only attorney in
the town. He was a member of the Council of Censors in 1834, and of the
Constitutional Convention in 1836. He died in 1845, aged sixty-five years.
Hon. Noah Smith, brother of Governor Israel Smith, practiced a few years in
Pawlet, going there in the early years of the Revolution ; and Hon. Leonard
Sargent, practiced a short time in the town, and then removed to Manchester.
Truman Squier, another attorney in the town at an early day, removed to
Manchester about 1800 where he became prominent.
Other lawyers of the town, of whom details are not available, were Daniel
Church, who practiced here for a time ; afterward in Arlington and Benning-
ton, and died in Toronto ; Nathaniel Harmon and Nathaniel Hamblin, both of
whom removed to Ohio after a few years' practice ; and George W. Harmon,
who succeeded his father, Nathaniel, and removed to Bennington.
Gordon Newell began practice in Pittsford in 1804 He studied with Seth
Storrs, of Middlebury, and was admitted in 1801. He continued practice until
late in life and died July 3, 1865, aged eighty-six years. His education was
not very thorough, but his native talents and great energy enabled him to suc-
ceed to a remarkable degree. He represented the town in the Legislature in
1818-19 and was assistant judge of the County Court in 1847-48.
John Pierpoint, born in Litchfield, Conn., in 1806; studied his profession
in the Litchfield Law School and was admitted to the Rutland county bar in
April, 1827. He at once began practice in Pittsford and three years later re-
moved to Vergennes. He arose to the office of chief justice of the Supreme
Court of Vermont.
John G. Newell and James R. Newell, both sons of Gordon Newell, studied
History of Rutland County.
law and were admitted, the former in 1 83 I and the latter in 1832. John G.
practiced in Pittsford until his ill health forced him to abandon the profession.
James R. practiced with his father a few years^and died August 20, 1864.
Lyman Granger was born in Salisbury, Conn., 1795 ; graduated at Union
College in 1820; studied law with Moses Strong, and admitted to tlie bar in
December, 1821 ; retired from practice in 1826. Represented Pittsford in
1826-27. Died in 1840, aged forty-five.
James Saterlee studied law with John Cook, and was admitted about 1800,
and was the first lawyer of Poultney ; removed to New York in 1808.
Hon. Zimri Howe was born in Poultney in 1786 and graduated from Mid-
dlebury College in 18 10. He studied law with Judge Seymour, of Middle-
bury, settled in Castleton, where he continued to practice until his death in I 862,
at the age of seventy-seven years. He was State senator in 1836—37 and one
of the assistant judges of the County Court from 1839 to 1844. Although
his life was not a public one to the extent that fell to the lot of many others,
it was none the less useful. He was earnest and efficient in supporting and
improving the schools, and was a trustee of the Rutland County Grammar
School for many years, as well as a member of the corporation of Middlebury
College. He was also a zealous advocate of the temperance cause, and all
benevolent societies found in him a strong supporter.
Hon. Rollin C. Mallary was one of the most eminent of the early members
of the county bar. He was born at Cheshire, Conn., May 27, 1784, and re-
sided there until 1795, when he came to Vermont, locating with his parents in
Poultney. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1 80 1, and such progress
had he already made in his professional studies that he was admitted to the
bar in this county in March, 1807. The next October he was appointed by
Governor Smith as secretary of the governor and council. He afterward held
the same office from 180910 1812 and from 1815 to 1819. He soon took
rank among the ablest lawyers in the county and was given the office of State's
attorney from 181 1 to 181 3 and in 18 16. He was defeated for Congress in
1819, owing to the fact that the votes of several towns were not returned early
enough to be counted. He contested the seat and was successful. So ably
did he fill the high office that he received si.x successive re-elections, and his
services were of the highest value. He lived in Castleton until about the time
of his going to Congress. He died in Baltimore April 15, 1831.
Moses G. Noyes, son of Moses, born in Duchess county, N. Y., in 1794;
graduated a Middlebury in 18 19; studied law with David Russell in New York
State and was admitted in 1825. He practiced in Poultney about four years
and then removed to New York. He died in 1832.
William Buell, born January 12, 1835; graduated at the University of
Michigan in 1853 and studied law with J. B. Beaman, of Poultney, and admit-
ted in Rutland county at the March term of 1857. He never practiced here,
having taken up the study of theology, and died September I 1, 1859.
The Courts and the Bench and Bar. 283
James S. Harris was born in Canaan, N. H., January 27, 1788 He studied
law with Richard Skinner, in Manchester, Bennington county, and was admit-
ted to the bar of that county in 181 2. He came to Poultney probabi)' not long
afterward and secured a good practice. He died March 11, i866.
Hon. Eh'sha Ward, born June 20, 1804, in East Poultney ; won a high po-
sition in the profession. He studied with Judge Woods, of Granville, N. Y.,
and passed most of his life, when not filling public office, in western New
York.
Julian Griswold, born in Poultney in 1804, studied law with Hon. Chaun-
cey Langdon, of Castleton, after having graduated from Castleton Academy.
He practiced in Whitehall from 1828 to 1833, went South and died in Georgia
in 1836.
Alexander Woodruff Buel, born in Poultnc}' in 18 1 3, fitted at Castleton
and read law with Jabez Parkhurst, of Fort Covington, J. G. Buel and Hon.
B. F. Langdon, of Castleton ; removed to Detroit in 1834, and became eminent
in politics.
Hon. Darwin A. Finney was born in Shrewsbury November 3, 1814;
studied law with H. L. Richmond and was admitted to the bar in 1841. He
spent his active life in Meadville, and died there after having attained eminence
in his profession. He held several high offices in his adopted town.
Obadiah Noble, of Tinmouth, was a native of New Hampshire, and was
brought to Tinmouth when a child, and died there in 1864 at the age of
eighty-seven years. He was justice of the peace thirty-eight years ; register
of probate in 1799 ; judge of probate from 18 14 to 1828, and assistant judge
of the County Court from 1839 to 1842 inclusive; represented the town in
Legislature six years, and was senator from the county in 1838-39; was mem-
ber of the Council of Censors in 1827 and member of the Constitutional Con-
ventions of 1828 and 1836. He was a man of strong character and intellect.
Henry Ballard, now in practice in Burlington, is a native of Tinmouth, born in
1836; graduated at the Vermont University in 1861, and from the Albany
Law School in 1863 ; was admitted in September, 1864.
The foregoing sketch embraces brief records of most of the members of the
county bar who attained positions entitling them to notice and have passed
away. At the present time the bar of Rutland county includes in its member-
ship many who are eminent in the profession and will compare favorably with
that of any county in New England. Following is a list of the names of the
present bar :
Brandon, George Briggs, Henry C. Harrison, Edward S. Marsh, Eben J.
Ormsbee, W. P. Wheeler.
Castleton, J. B. Bromley, H. L. Clark, M. H. Cook, John Howe, M. J.
Harrington.
Fairhaven, George M. Fuller, W. H. Preston, C. M. Willard.
History of Rutland County.
Middletown, Roswell Buell.
Pittsford, C. S. Colburn.
Poultney, John B. Beaman, Barnes Frisbie, E. S. Miller, F. S. Piatt, Elijah
Ross, W. H. Rowland.
Pawlet, Fayette Potter, D. W. Bromley.
Rutland, Wayne Bailey, Joel C. Baker, James Barrett, James C. Barrett,
Fred. M. Butler, A. G. Coolidge, Edward Dana, Walter C. Dunton, Edwin
Edgerton, Henry Hall, Henry A. Harman, Charles L. Howe, David N.
Haynes. P. R. Kendall, G. E. Lawrence, P. M. Meldon, Edward D. Merrill,
Edward R. Morse, Thomas W. Maloney, D. E. Nicholson, Frank C. Partridge,
John Prout, Redfield Proctor, L. W. Redington, Warren H. Smith, Henry H.
Smith, F. G. Swinington, John D. Spellman, Reuben R. Thrall, W. G. Veazey,
Aldace F. Walker, Charles K. Williams.
Shrewsbury, Ebenezer Fisher.
Wallingford, Harvey Button.
East Wallingford, Henry P. Hawkins.
Westhaven, R. C. Abell.
West Rutland, Joseph E. Manley, W. B. Butler, E. D. Reardon.
Brief records of these attorneys will be found in the various town histories^
CHAPTER XVin.
SECRET .SOCIETIES.
Early Masonic Lodges — Organization of the Grand Lodge of Vermont — Sketches of the Grand
Masters — Prominent Rutland County Masons — Elective Officers of the Grand Lodge from its Or-
granization to the Present — History of Center Lodge — Its Reorganization and Officers — Rutland
Lodge No. 79 — Hiram Lodge No. loi — Royal .\rch Masons — Lodges in the Various Towns — Odd
Fellowship in Rutland County — History of the First Lodge — Grand Army of the Republic.
FREE MASONRY. — Masonic lodges were chartered in this State as early
as 1784, the first being Vermont Lodge, at Windsor, which for nearly a
decade of years was the only organized body in this jurisdiction. Dorchester
Lodge, at Vergennes, was organized in 1798; Union, at Middlebury, 1798;
Washington, at Burlington, 1794; Franklin, at St. Albans, 1794; Center, at
Rutland, October 15, 1794; Morning Sun, at Bridport, in 1800, etc. The
Grand Lodge of Vermont, was organized in 1794; Noah Smith, grand master;
Enoch Woodbridge, deputy grand master ; John Chipman, senior grand war-
den ; Jonathan White, junior grand warden ; Nathaniel Brush, grand treasurer ;
Thomas Tolman, grand secretary ; William Cooley, grand senior deacon, and
Roswell Hopkins, grand junior deacon.
Secret Societies.
Noah Smith was a native of Connecticut, and we have reason to beUeve he
was made a Mason in that State before he came to Vermont. He resided for a
time in Rutland, and was a judge of the Supreme Court in 1789, '91, '92, and
'93. He died at Bennington and was buried with Masonic honors. Enoch
Woodbridge was a prominent citizen of Vermont, a judge of tlie Supreme
Court in 1798, '99 and 1800, and the grandfather of our honored brother, Hon.
Frederick E. Woodbridge, of Vergennes. John Chipman, the grand senior
warden, was a native of Connecticut, and afterward the honored grand master
of Vermont for eighteen years. In 1766 he left Salisbury, Conn., with fifteen
other young men and became a pioneer settler of the Lake Champlain valley,
at Salisbury. He was an aid to the first Governor Chittenden, sheriff of Addi-
son county for twelve years, was in the battle of Le.xington, shouldered his
musket and was with Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga, accompanied Seth Warner's
regiment to Canada, and participated in the capture of St. Johns and Montreal.
He was at the battles of Hubbardton, Bennington and Saratoga, and com-
manded at Fort Edward and Fort George. He was made a Mason at Albany,
N. Y., in 1779, and was a charter member of Dorchester Lodge, No. i, at Ver-
gennes. He died at Middlebury full of honors and years and received a Ma-
sonic burial.
Nathaniel Brush was an honored citizen of Bennington. Thomas Tolman,
the first grand secretary, and there has been but eleven since his day, was a
prominent citizen of Vermont, and quite a public spirited and loyal citizen in
the earlier days of the Mountain Republic, as it was called in the ancient days.
William Cooley, the grand senior deacon, was a resident of Rupert, and died
esteemed by all who knew him. The grand junior deacon. Colonel Roswell
Hopkins, in his day was known and read of all men ; clei'k of the Legislature
from 1779 to 1788, secretary of State from 1788 to 1 80 1 ; an honored citizen
and Mason, and received Masonic honors at his burial. The following brief
biographical notes of other Grand officers must suffice us. John Chipman, of
whom we have spoken, was the second grand master. Jonathan Nye, the
third grand master, was a prominent clergyman. Lemuel Whitney, the fourth
grand master, was a giant in his day, both physically, morally and mentally ;
a native of Massachusetts, he came to Brattleboro in 1787, and died there
April 4, 1847, and was laid to rest with the services of the institution he had
so long loved and served so well. It is said of him: "The Masonic jewels
he wore never invested a nobler man or covered a better heart."
The fifth grand master was George Robinson, an honored citizen of Bur-
lington. Phineas White was the sixth grand master. The seventh grand mas-
ter was George E. Wales, who served for two years. He was a genial and
beloved member of the craft whose kindly nature and free heart proved his
misfortune. He represented Vermont in Congress from 1824 to 1829. The
eighth grand master was Nathan B. Haswell, a sterling man, representing one
286 History of Rutland County.
of the early, prominent and loj'al families of Vermont. He occupied the Ori-
ental chair from 1829 to 1S47, during that period of storm and fire, when timid
men quailed and lost heart before the violent tempest that surrounded them ;
but he, lion-hearted, like a towering monument took his position, firm and un-
yielding as the granite of our mountains, never hauled down the banner of
Masonry, and never allowed a friend or foe to trample upon it under any cir-
cumstances. His firm position, while it brought him political ostracism, social
and religious disfranchisement, gained the respect of his more considerate and
thoughtful fellow men. While the fires burned dimly upon the altars of our
lodges, there was a quiet and unostentatious band of men, who annually relit
the three great lights, and the Grand Lodge never failed to convene for four-
teen years, when not a single subordinate existed for it to represent.
It was the Great Grand Lodge to him, and a gallant band of men stood
beside him, and the roll is an honored one : Philip C. Tucker, Luther B. Hunt,
Lavius Fillmore, Wyllys Lyman, Barnabas Ellis, John Brainard, Joseph Howes,
Ebenezer T. Englesby, Dan. Lyon, Oramel H. Smith, John B. Hollenbeck,
Sumner A. Webber, William Hidden and David A. Murray. When the
thunder had ceased and the clouds cleared away over the field of this terrific
political and religious battle, these stalwart men stood erect, unharmed. God-
like, consistent and faithful Masons. Among their associates were Samuel S.
Butler, Barzillai Davenport, Joshua Doane, Samuel Wilson, Coit Parkhurst,
Heman Green and Oramel Williams.
George M. Hall was a prominent physician of the town of Swanton, and
was grand master in 1868, '69 and'70. He was an eminent member of the
order. L. B. Englesby held the office from 1862 to 1867 inclusive, and hon-
ored it in every way. The others who have held the high office are living.
Rutland has had but one grand master, Henry H. Smith, who filled the office
with ability and honor in 1S76 and 1877. Mr. Smith was born in Middletown,
Vt., April 3, 1837; received a good English education; came to Rutland in
April, 1854; studied law with Reuben R. Thrall and Charles L.Williams, and
was admitted in September, 185 8. He has held the office of county clerk
since 1868.
Among the men who were the early promoters of the plan of Masonry in
Vermont were brother Nathaniel Chipman, whose fame as a jurist has been
excelled by few. He never released his interest in the lodge, or his punctual
attendance upon its communications, whether upon the bench of the Supreme
Court in the United States Senate, or as United States District Judge, and dur-
ing his residence in Rutland was a frequent if not constant attendant upon old
Center Lodge. His name is recorded quite frequently as a visitor in Washing-
ton, Alexandria, Lodge, from 1797 to 1803, while United States Senator, that
then being the nearest lodge to the national capital. His predecessor in the
Senate, brother Isaac Tichenor, was also a frequent visitor to the same lodge.
Secret Societies. 287
He was made a Mason in a military lodge while a lieutenant under Washington
in the regular army. His afiiliation at the time of his death was with Rain-
bow Lodge at Middletown, of which he was at one time master.
The following list of those who have been prominent in the Order in this
count)' are given by Mr. Clark : Ira Allen, Seth Warner, Jonas Fay, Thomas
Cliittenden, Martin Chittenden, Gamaliel Painter, Ebenezer Allen, Heman
Allen, Isaac Tichenor, Israel Smith, Nathaniel Niles, Daniel Chipman, Samuel
Hitchcock, E. D. Woodbridge, David Edmunds, Thomas Leverett, Rev. Wil-
liam Miller, General Sylvester Churchill, Daniel Baldwin, John Stanley, Ly-
man Mower, Martin Field, Jabez Proctor, Salmon Dutton, D. Azro, A. Buck,
Jeremy L. Cross, Samuel Goss, Jeduthan Loomis, Jonas Clark, Norman Wil-
liams, Martin Roberts, Rev. Aaron Leland, Reuben Wood, Rev. Samuel H.
Tupper, Rev. Joel Clapp, Hastings Warren, Daniel L. Potter, Henry Stanley,
Orlando Stevens, David P. Noyes. Rev. Ira Ingraham, Robert B. Bates, Rev.
Sherman Kellogg, Rosvvell Bottum, John Kellogg, Benson, Rev. Josiah Hop-
kins, New Haven, Rev. Joel Winch, Northfield, Dudley Chase, Randolph,
George B. Shaw, Rev. Truman Seymour, Rev. Silas McKeen, D. D. The
later and more familiar names are Jacob Collamer, Charles Linsley, Julius
Converse, Leonard Sargent, Rev. Kitteridge Haven, Luther L. Dutcher, Ho-
ratio Needham, Daniel Needham, Hampden Cutts, Merritt Clark, Homer E.
Hubbell, Harvey Munsill, Frederick E. Woodbridge, George F. Edmunds, H.
Henry Powers, George W. Hendee, Franklin Fairbanks, John Prout, Charles
H. Joyce, Kittridge Haskins, Jacob Estey, R. W. Clarke, B. D. Harris, Edwin
Wheelock, Norman Sea\'er, Edward S. Dana, George Nichols and J. W. Hobart.
History of Rutland County.
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290 History of Rutland County.
Center Lodge, No. 6, was the first lodge granted by the Grand Lodge after
its organization. This was done at a session held as the record reads which
" met at the house of Brother Gove in Rutland " on October 15, 1794. The
petitioners were Nathaniel Chipman, Jonathan Wells, Jonathan Parker, jr., Is-
rael Smith and Cephas Smith, jr. The charter bears date Bennington, Janu-
ary 9, 1795, and of Masonry 5795, signed Noah Smith, grand master, Thomas
Tolman, grand secretary. The first officers named were Nathaniel Chipman,
worshipful master; Jonathan Wells, senior warden ; Jonathan Parker, jr., jun-
ior warden.
Among the Rutland men who were prominent in this lodge in past years
may be mentioned William Storer, the printer who taught Horace Greeley,
" the art preservative ; " Medad Sheldon, father of Dr. Lorenzo Sheldon ; Gor-
don Newell, who was for many years county judge; Jesse Gove, at whose
house the first grand lodge in Rutland convened; James and Ezekiel Porter;
Darius Chipman, brother of Nathaniel and Daniel ; William Page, jr., father
of the late ex-governor, John B. Page; Samuel Williams, LL. D., and his son
Charles K., both eminent men in the State; William Gookin, the manufactu-
rer and merchant of Center Rutland ; Dr. Silas Bowen, of Clarendon, and
man}' others of later years whom we cannot stop to note.
In connection with this lodge Mr. Clark wrote as follows: "The by-laws
of Center Lodge, No. 6, were models, and since I have made them a study, it
has occurred to me that a single article would adapt them to the present as to
make them far superior to those now in use. Some of the provisions will be
given. The regular communications were on the second Monday of each
month, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, unless previously dispensed with ; the fes-
tival of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, was to be celebrated,
which generally ended by one celebration on the 24th of June. There were
twelve celebrations, the memoranda of which were preserved among the papers
of the late Chauncey K. Williams. I cannot enumerate them in full. Charles
K. Williams pronounced an oration St. John's Day, June 24, 1828, on the life
of our distinguished brother De Witt Clinton. The manuscript is undoubtedly
in the possession of his family. It was never published. On other occasions
orations were delivered June 24, before Center Lodge, by Rev. Amos Dewey,
Rodney C. Royce, William Page, jr.. Rev. Ebenezer Hibbard, Rev. Hadley
Proctor, Rev. Nathaniel Niles, Silas H. Hodges, Cephas Smith, jr., and Philip
C. Tucker, which was probably the last, in 1830."
Center Lodge was reorganized by a dispensation granted by Philip C.
Tucker, grand master, to Leland Howard, Calvin Spencer, Dike W. Hall, W.
W. Bailey, Charles Woodhouse, Amasa Pooler, Ruel Parker, Lorenzo Sheldon,
O. H. Round, E. Bailey, Truman L. Reed, Abel Dunklee, Benjamin Smith,
Henry Holden, A. Dikeman, Joel M. Mead, Luther Thrall. Dike W^ Hall,
master ; Ruel Parker, senior warden ; W. W. Bailey, junior warden. The ap-
Secret Societies. 291
pointed officers were : O. H. Rounds, senior deacon ; Calvin Spencer, junior
deacon ; Joseph Gaskill, treasurer ; Henry Holden, secretary. The first meet-
ing was held February 3, 1853. Miner Hilliard was the candidate to receive
the degrees. In January brother W. W. Bailey, an efficient member, died, and
a series of memorial resolutions were adopted. Until 1855 the duties of the
principal officers were performed by brothers Barzillai Davenport, Benjamin
Smith and O. H. Rounds. On the 26th of June, 1856, a public installation
took place at the Congregational Church, Barzillai Davenport, of Brandon
deput)' grand master, presided. An address was delivered before a large au-
dience by Henry Smith, of Claremont, N. H. After the address the lodge
was publicly consecrated and the following officers of the lodge installed :
Benjamin Smith, worshipful master; O. H. Rounds, S. W. ; Ruel Parker, J.
W. ; Joseph Gaskill, treas. ; Amasa Pooler, sec. ; Calvin Spencer, S. D. ; E.
A. Pond, J. D. ; S. D. Jenness, H. S. Smith, stewards; J. H. Smith, tyler.
The procession then moved to the Franklin House, where the lodge partook
of dinner. The principal officers in each year have been as follows :
1856, O. H. Rounds, M. ; S. D. Jenness, S. W. ; Z. V. K. Wilson, J. W.
1857, Z. V. K. Wilson, M. ; S. D. Jenness. S. W. ; E. A. Pond, J. W. 1858,
E. A. Pond, M. ; E. V. N. Harwood, S. W. ; Charles B. Frost, J. W. 1859,
E. A. Pond, M. ; Samuel Williams, S. W. ; E. A. Morse, J. W. 1S60, Sam-
uel D. Jenness, M. ; O. H. Rounds, S. W. ; J. W. Cramton, J. W. 1S61, Sam-
uel Williams, M. ; W. H. Hotchkiss, S. W. ; Moses Hayward, J. W. 1862,
Samuel Williams, M. ; W. H. Hotchkiss, S. W. ; A. R. Howard, J. W. 1863.
W. H. Hotchkiss, M. ; A. R. Howard, S. W. ; Ben K. Chase, J. W. 1864,
Z. V. K. Wilson, M. ; Ben K. Chase, S. W. ; William T. Nichols, J. W. 1865,
E. A. Pond, M. ; Charles H. Sheldon, S. W. ; N. S. Stearns, J. W. 1S66,
Charles H. Sheldon, M. ; Ben K. Chase, S. W. ; B. W. Marshall, J. W. 1867,
Charles H. Sheldon, M. ; B. W. Marshall, S. W. ; A. P. Fuller, J. W. 1868,
B. W. Marshall, M. ; John A. Sheldon, S. W. ; A. P. Fuller, J. W. 1869, B.
W. Marshall, M. ; John A. Sheldon, S. W. ; H. H. Smith, J. W. 1870, John
H, Sheldon, M. ; Henry H. Smith, S. W. ; Hiram A. Smith, J. W. 1871,
John A. Sheldon, M. ; Henry H. Smith, S. W. ; Hiram A. Smith, J. W. 1872,
Henry H. Smith, M. ; Hiram A. Smith, S. W. ; C. F. Rollin, J. W. 1873,
Henry H, Smith, M. ; Hiram A. Smith, S. W. ; C. V. Rollin, J. W. 1S74,
Hiram A. Smith, M. ; C. V. RoUin, S. W. ; Thomas C. Robbins, J. W. 1875,
Hiram A. Smith, M. ; Thomas C. Robbins, S. W. ; George P. Russell, J. W.
1876, Thomas C. Robbins, M. ; George P. Russell, S. W. ; E. M. Edgerton, J.
W. 1877, Thomas C. Robbins, M. ; George P. Russell, S. W. ; E. M. Edger-
ton, J. W. 1878, Thomas C. Robbins, M. ; Judah Dana, S. W. ; Charles E.
Ross, J. W. 1879. Thomas C. Robbins. M. ; Charles E. Ross, S. W. ; John
N. Woodfin, J. W. 1880, Charles E. Ross, M. ; John N. Woodfin, S. W. ;
Frank B. Kidder, J. W. 1881, Charles E. Ross, M. ; John N. Woodfin, S. W.
292 History of Rutland County.
William H. .Bryant, J. W. 1882, John N. Woodfin, M. ; Edward Dana, S.
W. ; Stephen W. Mead, J. W. 1883, J. N. Woodfin, M. ; Edward Dana, S.
W. ; Stephen W. Mead, J. W. 1S84, Edward Dana, M. ; Stephen W. Mead,
S. W. ; Charles Turner, J. W,
Rutland Lodge, No. 79. — This was the second lodge in the town and its
charter was granted by the Grand Lodge June 11, 1868, to Z. V. K. Wilson,
J. Dunham Green, Samuel E. Burnham, L. L. Pearsons, W. H. Schryver, Silas
T. Holcomb, Leander Morton, M. M. Crooker, Albert Pratt, N. L. Davis, Sam-
uel D. Jenness, William B. Thrall, Ben. Tilley, Charles E. Campbell, Fred. A.
Shattuck, C. S. Kingsley and Nathan Stearns. The roll of principal officers
has been: 1867, J. Dunham Green, M. ; S. D. Jenness, S. W. ; N. L. Davis,
J. W. 1868, Nathan S. Stearns, M. ; William B. Thrall, S. W. ; L. H. Hager,
J. W. 1869, Z. V. K. Wilson, M. ; L. L. Pearsons, S. W. ; S. T. Holcomb,
J. W. 1870, L. L. Pearsons, M. ; J. H. Mclntyre, S. W. ; S. T. Holcomb, J.
W. 1871, L. L. Pearsons, M. ; A. H. Cobb, S. W. ; Ion Lippincott, J. W.
1872, Ion Lippincott, M. ; George E. Clark, S. W. ; Charles E. Campbell, J.
W. 1873, L. L. Pearsons, M. ; A. S. Marshall, S. W. ; John M. Otis, J. W.
1874, L. L. Pearsons, M. ; A. S. Marshall, S. W. ; George E. Clark, J. W.
1875, A. S. Marshall, M. ; George E. Clark, S. W. ; Samuel Terrill, J. W.
1876, A. S. Marshall, M. ; Samuel Terrill, S. W. ; Henry Connor, J. W. 1877,
A. S. Marshall, M. ; Samuel Terrill, S. W. ; Samuel E. Burnham, J. W. 1878,
Samuel Terrill, M. ; Samuel E. Burnham, S. W. ; Byron H. Rice, J. W. 1879,
Samuel Terrill, M. ; Samuel E. Burnham, S. W. ; Charles E. Campbell, J. W.
1880, Samuel Terrill, M. ; Samuel E. Burnham, S. W. ; Charles E. Campbell,
J. W. 1 88 1, Samuel Terrill, M. ; J. H. Mclntyre, S. W. ; Charles E. Camp-
bell, J. W. 1882, John. H. Mclntyre, M. ;' William A. Hill, S. W. ; Moses
Ford, J. W. 1883, John H. Mclntyre, M. ; William A. Hill, S. W. ; Moses
Ford, J. W. 1884, John H. Mclntyre, M. ; R. R. Mead, S. W. ; Moses Ford,
J. W.
Hiram Lodge, No. lOi. — The charter of this lodge was granted at the ses-
sion of the Grand Lodge, at Burlington, June 11, 1878, to Lorenzo Sheldon,
William Gilmore. Hiram A. Smith, Charles H. Sheldon, W. B. Butler, J. M.
Dewey, Francis Degan, W. W. Dygert, Daniel Fosburg, Frank Gorham, Lo-
renzo P. Holt, D. D. Holt, L. J. Hoadley, J. E. Harmon, William H. Liscomb,
Richard Lane, Hugh McNeil, Frank A. Morse, W. A. Thrall, Marcellus New-
town, C. E. Nason, M. Odell, S. A. Proctor, H. Pritchard, E. D. Poronto, Jo-
seph Pajeau, Harley G. Sheldon, John A. Salisbury, Charles H. Slason, B. W.
Seymour, Will Tenny, William K. Strong, C. H. White.
p'oUowing are the officers to the present time : — 1 879-80, Hiram A. Smith,
M. ; Marcellus Newton, S. W. ; WillTcnn\-, J. W. 1881, Hiram A. Smith, M. ;
L. J. Hoadley, S. W. ; R. R. Mead, J. W.' 1882, B. W. Seymour, M. ; L. J.
Hoadley, S. W. ; E. C. Fish, jr., J. W. 18S3 and '84, the same officers. 1885,
L. J. Hoadley, M. ; E. C. Fish, jr., S. W. ; J. G. Crippen, J. W.
Secret Societies. 293
Royal Arch Masons. — Davenport Chapter, No. 17, was organized and held
its first convocation in Rutland, January 14, 1867 ; its charter is dated October
28, 1867. The charter members were Z. V. K. Wilson, G. J. Wardwell, E. A.
Pond, W. M. Field, L. B. Smith, J. B. Chandler, S. D. Jenness, A. M. Stockwell,
G. W. Crawford, J. D. Greene, M. Hayward, L. A. Morse, N. A. Woods, E. L.
Cardelle, L. Sheldon, C. Spencer, G. W. Morse, J. H. Mclntyre, B. G. Merritt,
A. Robertson, M. H. Smith, and G. A. Tuttle. The first officers of the chapter
were as follows : E. A. Pond, H. P. ; S. D. Jenness, K.; M. H. Smith, S.; C. H.
Sheldon, C. H. ; S. D. Jenness, P. S. ; E. L. Cardelle, R. A. C. ; J. Dana, G. M.
3d Vail ; A. M. Stockwell, G. M. 2d Vail ; J. H. Mclntyre, G. M. 1st Vail ; G.
A. Tuttle, treasurer; L. A. Morse, secretary; A. Pooler, sentinel. The present
officers are as follows: S. TerriU, H. P. ; A. J. Hessehine, K. ; W. S. Terrill, S. ;
L. G. Kingsley, treasurer ; L. L. Pearsons, secretary ; Rolla Barker, C. H. ;
James Everson, P. S. ; A. T. Tyrrell, R. A. C. ; George D. Babbitt, master 3d
Vail ; E. V. Ross, master 2d Vail ; C. M. Gleason, master ist Vail ; C. E. Camp-
bell, tyler.
Farmers' Chapter, No. 9 (Brandon) — was chartered August II, 1853, and
now has the following officers : F. N. Manchester, high priest ; Hiram Rob-
erts, king; E. J. Bliss, scribe; R. F. Kidder, secretary; James Knapp, treas-
urer; Ozro Meacham, captain of the host; Charles O. Meacham, principal
sojourner ; Philip Ahn, royal arch captain ; F. C. Spooner, master 3d vail ;
V. V. Blackmer, master 2d vail; George A. Crossman, master 1st vail ; R. J.
Carlisle, steward ; J. W. Symons, steward ; S. F. Calhoun, chaplain ; N. S.
Capen, tyler.
PoultJicy Chapter, No. 10 (Poultney) — was chartered August 10, 1854.
Its present officers are as follows : M. J. Horton, high priest ; M. O. Stod-
dard, king ; J. H. Tay, scribe ; F. M. Good, secretary.
Knights Templar — Killington Comtnandery, No. 6 — was organized at
Rutland and held its first convention July 23, 1867. Following are the names
of the charter members : M. H. Smith, J. Barrett, L. Howard, E. A. Pond,
E. A. Morse, E. L. Cardelle, S. D. Jenness, M. S. Richardson, M. Hayward,
H. E. Chamberlin, L. B. Smith, G. A. Tuttle, G. J. Wardwell, C. H. Sheldon,
J. D. Green, G. W. Crawford, B. Davenport, E. G. Tuttle and A. Pooler. The
first officers of the commandery were as follows: M. H. Smith, E. C. ; E. A.
Pond, gen. ; S, D. Jenness, C. G. ; E. L. Cardelle, prel. ; E. A. Morse, S. W. ;
C. H. Sheldon, J. W. ; G. A. Tuttle, treas. ; J. D. Green, rec. ; L. B. Smith,
St. br. ; H. E. Chamberlin, sw. br. ; M. S. Richardson, warden ; James Barrett,
E. G. Tuttle and M. Hayward, captains of guard ; A. Pooler, sentinel. This
commandery has always been in a prosperous condition, and now has the fol-
lowing officers: Will F. Lewis, E. C. ; J. H. Mclntyre, gen. ; J. C. Temple,
capt. gen. ; S. Terrill, prel. ; A. T. Tyrrell, S. W, ; W. S. Terrill, J. W. ; L. G.
Kingsley, treas. ; L. L. Pearson, rec. ; F. H. Chapman, st. br. ; E. A. Fuller,
294 History of Rutland County.
sw. br. ; Chas. Clark, warden ; G. D. Babbitt, F. J. Wade and C. A. Gale,
captains of guard ; C. E. Campbell, tyler.
Davenport Council. — This council was organized under dispensation, June
17, 1867, and was granted a charter bearing the same date. The officers were
S. D. Jenness, T. I. M. ; J. B. Chandler, R. I. M. ; W. H. Schryver, I. M.
The council is now in a prosperous condition and has the following officers:
T. C. Robins, T. I. M. ; H. H. Smith, R. I. M. ; Samuel TerriU, I. M. ; L. G.
Kingsley, treasurer; A. S. Marshall, recorder; J. H. Mclntyre, C. of G. ; C.
E. Kendall, P. C. ; A. J. Hesseltine, steward; R. Barker, sentinel.
Acacia Lodge, N'o. gi (Benson). — Chartered June 10, 1869. Follovving
are the names of the first officers : C. R. Hawley, W. M. ; L. D. Ross, S. W. ;
H. S. Howard, J. W. ; R. P. Walker, treas. ; H. A. Norton, sec. ; D. L. Os-
good, S. D. ; J. H. Bates, J. D. ; Allen L. Hale, t)'ler. The successive mas-
ters since Mr. Hawley have been L. Howard Kellogg, D. L. Osgood and A.
J. Dickinson.
The present officers of the lodge are as follows : Albert J. Dickinson, W.
M. ; Ellsworth H. Fay, S. W. ; Perry Carter, J. W. ; Henry S. Howard, treas-
urer ; Royal D. King, secretary ; David L. Osgood, S. D. ; Wm. Ward, J. D. ;
Patsey Donahue, Henry S. Howard, stewards ; Geo. E. King, tyler.
Wasliington Lodge, F. and A. M., No. 21. — The first Masonic organization
in Brandon was the Washington Lodge No. 21, which was chartered on the
15th day of October, 1802. The first meeting was held on the 25th of No-
vember following, at the house of Hiram Norton. The first officers were
Hiram Norton, W. M. ; Benajah Douglass (grandfather of Stephen A. Doug-
lass), S. W. ; Penuel Child, J. W. ; Ebenezer Hebard, treasurer; Joseph Haw-
ley, secretary ; Justin Price, S. D. ; Jesse and James Barrett, stewards ; Asa
Blackmer, tyler. The lodge went down in 1827 owing to the antipathy created
by the Morgan excitement. The last officers named on records of 1827, were:
Barzillai Davenport, W. M. ; G. W. Kelley, S. W. ; John F. Sawyer, J. W. ;
David Sanderson, treasurer; Matthew W. Birchard, secretary ; Hiram Squires,
S. D. ; Thomas Davenport, J. D. ; L. Grossman and E. E. Lyon, stewards ;
Reuben Kirby, tyler. Stephen A. Douglass was an active member of this
lodge.
The second and present lodge was chartered in January, 1832, under the
name of the St. Paul's Lodge, No. 25. Barzillai Davenport, the last W. M. of
the old lodge, was the first of the present. The present officers are : F. C.
Spooner, W. M. ; R. F. Kidder, S. W. ; James Knapp, treasurer; E. L. Big-
low, secretary ; N. S. Capen, S. D. ; Josiah Simmons, J. D. ; Erastus Spooner,
S. S.; Rollin Griffin, J. S. ; H. O. Sorrell, tyler.
Lee Lodge, No. 30 (Castleton). — This lodge was organized November 24,
1852, under dispensation granted by Philip Tucker, grand master, with the fol-
lowing as its officers : A. G. W. Smith, W. M. ; Almon Warner, S. W. ; Philip
Secret Societies. 295
Pond, J. W. ; Solomon Farwell, sec. ; Smith Sherman, treasurer; Philo Hos-
ford, S. D. ; John R. Spaulding, J. D. The lodge was chartered by its pres-
ent name January 12, 1854, the charter members being A. G. W. Smith, J.
B. Spaulding, Joseph Bishop, Chas. Backus, Almon Warner, Philip Pond, Smith
Sherman and Solomon Farwell. The list of masters to the present time is as
follows: A. G. W. Smith, to December, 1854; A. C. Hopson, to December,
1856; A. G. W. Smith, to December, 1837 ; Pitt W. Hyde, to December, 1858 ;
A. G. W. Smith, to December, 1859; H. F. Smith, to December, 1861; A.
C. Hopson, to December, 1862 ; Simeon Allen, to December, 1865 ; H. F.
Smith, to May, 1S67; B. F. Graves, to May, 1870; J. H. Wilson, to May,
1873 ; E. W. Liddell, to may, 1875 ; E. A. Brien, to January, 1879; E. W.
Liddell, to January, 1S80; Theron H. Streeter, to Januar)', 1 881; E. A.
Brien, to January, 1S83; B. F. Graves, to January, 1885 ; Wm. C. Moulton,
present master. The present officers are : Wm. C. Moulton, W. M. ; E. H.
Armstrong, S. W. ; Glen A. Roberts, J. W. ; Thos. P. Smith, treasurer ; Jno.
M. Currier, secretary ; L. H. Corey, S. D. ; W. C. Walker, J. D. ; Josiah N.
Northrop, chaplain ; L. H. Billings, marshal ; Joseph Williams, R. J. Davis,
stewards ; N. L. Cobb, tyler. Past masters, Benjamin F. Graves, E. W. Lid-
nell, Theron H. Streeter.
Farnicrs Lodge, No. 30 (Danby). — This lodge was chartered October 7,
and organized October 26, 181 1. The charter members were Perez Brown,
Nathan Weller, Henry Herrick, jr., Israel Phillips, John Harrington, Israel
Fisk, David Youngs, and perhaps others. Perez Brown was the first master;
Nathan Weller, senior warden ; Henry Herrick, jr., junior warden. Meetings
were held until 1822 at Herrick's Hall, and then it met during 1823 in the hall
of Charles Wallbridge, at the borough. In 1825 its meetings were again held
at the Corners. After various changes in its place of meeting, it suspended in
1832. Most of the prominent citizens of the town were members of this
lodge. Itslast master was Nathan Weller; senior warden, Josiah Phillips;
junior warden, Lyman R. Fisk. Masonry was revived here on January 10,
1866, when Marble Lodge, No. jS, was chartered. The first master was B.
F. Eddy ; senior warden, W. H. Bond ; junior warden, P. Holton ; treasurer,
David A. Kelley ; secretary, Luther P. Howe; S. D., Isaac W. Kelley; J. D.,
Oliver G. Baker ; stewards, John J. Sowee, Benajah Colvin ; tyler, Alonzo N.
Cook. The following have been past masters : Benjamin F. Eddy, William
H. Bond, Daniel H, Lane, Charles H. Congdon, Plynn Holton, David W.
Rogers, Jared L. Cook. Following are the present officers of the lodge : Dan-
iel H. Lane, W. M.; Lilliam H. Cook, S. W.; William R. Parris, J. W.; Austin
S. Baker, treasurer ; Oscar A. Adams, secretary ; William H. Bond, S. D.;
, J. D.; Edward J. Read, chaplain ; Caleb Parris, marshal ;
James C. King, L. H. Ellis, stewards ; Albert A. Williams, tyler.
Eureka Lodge, No. 75. — This lodge was begun under dispensation in June,
296 History of Rutland County.
1866; the charter was granted January 10, 1867, to thirtj'-six members.
Simeon Allen was the first master; Edward W. Liddell, senior warden; Ham-
lin T. Dewey, junior warden. The present officers of the lodge are as follows:
W. O'Brien, W. M.; La Roy Griffin, S. W.; John W. Owens, J. W.; I. W.
Parkhurst, treasurer; John G. Pitkin, secretary ; W. V. Roberts, S. D.; S.
Ross, J. D.; L. W. Williams, chaplain ; S. Allen, marshal ; W. Pedrick, Owen
O. Thomas, stewards; Benjamin E. Lee, tyler. The past masters of the lodge
are Simeon Allen, William A. Stevens, L. Williams, John G. Pitkin.
A lodge of Mark Master Masons existed in Fairhaven, called " Morning
Star Mark Lodge, No. 4," which was first convened at the lodge-room of E.
Ashley, in Poultney, February 20, 1810. Its officers were E. Buell, W. M.;
Pliny Adams, S. W.; T. Wilmot, J. W. This lodge appears to have been the
successor of Aurora Mark Lodge, No. 2, instituted at Poultney under a war-
rant from Aurora Lodge, No. 25, in 1797 ; the first officers were installed at a
meeting held at Peter B. French's hotel, in Hampton, April, 5797, as follows :
Peter B. French. W. M.; A. Murry, S. W.; J. Stanley, J. W.; and David Er-
win, of Fairhaven, treasurer. Meetings were held part of the time in Poultney
and part in Hampton. A new dispensation was obtained in January, 1800,
and the number changed to 16. The last meeting was held in May, 1805.
Morning Star Lodge* succeeded in February, 1810, and a large number joined.
At the meeting held on the first Monday in February, 18 18, it was voted that
the lodge be removed to Fairhaven, and Samuel Martin was appointed a com-
mittee to inform the grand high priest of the removal. On the i6th of March.
" agreeably to the dispensation of the grand high priest," Morning Star Lodge
No. 4 convened at Fairhaven. John P. Colburn was W. M.; Barnabas Ellis,
S. W.; Thomas Christie, J. W., while among the members were a majority of
the prominent men of the community. The lodge met several times a year
at Dennis's lodge-room ; from January, 1823, to February, 1826, it met at John
Beaman's house — the hotel. The last three meetings of which there are rec-
ords were held at J. Greenough's inn in November, 1827, and January and
March, 1828. It was suspended in the anti-Masonic struggle.
Hiram Lodge, No. 7. — This lodge was organized March 22, 1796, in Paw-
let, and met at the house of Samuel Rose, where William Cooley was ap-
pointed master ; Zadock Higgins, senior warden ; George Clark, junior war-
den. In 1818 Social Royal Arch Chapter No. 10, was chartered in this town,
the three principal officers being Titus A. Cook, Jonathan Robinson and Phin-
eas Strong. These organizations suspended meetings in 1S34, and never re-
sumed.
Otter Creek Lodge, No. 70 (Pittsford). — Chartered January 12, 1865, and
has a membership of about forty. The past masters who are living are James
D. Butler, Rollin S. Meacham, Daniel P. Peabody, Edwin Horton, Rollin C.
Smith. The present officers of the lodge are as follows: Amos D. Tiffany,
Secret Societies. 297
W. M.; Charles A. Flanders, S. W.; Edwin M. Pike, J. W.; Robert R. Drake,
treasurer: Royal W. Barnard, secretary; Charles A. Arnold, S. D.; Amos
Baird, J. D.; Edwin Horton, chaplain; Rollin S. Meacham, marshal; Rollin
C. Smith, Ithiel B. Worden, steward ; Charles J. Fenton, tyler.
Morning Star Lodge, No. 27. — This lodge was organized in Poultney prior
to 1800, but the exact date is not known. Among the early masters were
Harris Horsford, Samuel Ruggles, Captain William Miller, Elisha Ashley,
Henry G. Neal and Alonzo Howe, all prominent men. The lodge, in common
with most others in the State, gave up its charter about 1832, on account of the
anti- Masonic warfare.
The Chapter was organized in this town early in 1853, the first officers
being Henry J. Ruggles, H. P. ; S. P. Hooker, K. ; Merritt Clark, scribe. Mr.
Ruggles held the office of high priest until September, 1861, when he was suc-
ceeded by Henry Ruggles; the latter held the office until 1875, except the
years 1 871-72 when M. O. Stoddard assumed the office.
February 16, 1856, the members of Morning Star Lodge assembled under
dispensation issued by Philip C. Tucker, grand master of the Grand Lodge.
Organization was effected with Henry Ruggles as master; G. L. Hunter, sen-
ior warden ; L. D. Ross, junior warden ; Henry Clark, secretary. The char-
ter was granted January 15, 1857, and the number IJ given the lodge. Henry
Ruggles remained master until 1 86 1, and was succeeded by Nelson Ransom,
who continued to his death in 1867. The masters since that date have been
M. O. Stoddard, Fonrose Farwell, Henry Ruggles, S. L. Ward, J. L. Clark and
E. S. Miller. The stone church was purchased by the Masons in 1869 and a
fine hall fitted up therein. The present officers are : J. H. Fay, W. M. ; C. A.
Haynes, S. W. ; M. J. Horton, J. W. ; Edward Clark, treasurer ; F. M. Rood,
secretary; James Murdock, S. D. ; Frederick Cole, J. D. ; James Bullock,
chaplain ; H. C. Rann, marshal ; M. J. Jones, W. H. Rowland, stewards ; C.
F. ]5oomer, tyler. The present membership is nearly two hundred.
Chipman Lodge, No. 52 (Wallingford). — The charter of this lodge was
granted January 11, 1861, and the following were the first officers : Frederick
Button, W. M. ; D. H. Sabin, S. W. ; H. Shaw, J. W. The charter membejs
were Jonathan Remington, E, D. Sabin, P. H. Emerson, O. A. Eddy, T. L.
Reed, Frederick Button, Seth Philhps, Hosea Eddy, Harvey Shaw, D. H. Sa-
bin, Higiiland Shaw. Following is a list of masters : O. A. Eddy, Highland
Bump, E. E. Clark, A. F. Mattison, J. H. Mandigo, E. L. Cobb, F. H. Hoad-
ley. The lodge has now about forty-five members and the following officers :
E. A. Fuller, W. M. ; C O. Allen, S. W. ; E. P. Ely, J. W. ; C. L. Higgins,
treasurer; Charles H. Congdon, secretary; H. G. Thompson, S. D. ; J. N.
Brown, J. D. John Avery, chaplain ; E. J. Tufts, S. S. ; L. H. Edmonds, J.
S. ; F. H. Hoadley, marshall ; N. Fassett, tyler.
Mt. Moriah, No. 96, (East Wallingford). — This lodge was chartered June
298 History of Rutland County.
26, 1 87 1, and the following were the officers appointed at that time : Ransel
Frost, W. M. ; Alvin Frost, S. W. ; O. M. Pelsue, J. W. ; James Starkey, sec-
retary ; Elias Streeter, treasurer. The membership is now about fifty-five.
F"ollowing are the names of the present officers : P. L. Allard, W. M. ; O. M.
Pelsue, S. W. ; Charles T. Miner, J. W. ; D. C. Allard, treasurer ; B. W. Al-
drich, secretary ; A. E. Doty, S. D. ; L. D. Warner, J. D. ; J. R. Priest, chap-
lain ; M. Anderson, marshal; E. Stewart, Eugene Chase, stewards; D. A.
Graves, tyler. The past masters have been, Gilbert E. Johnson, .0. M. Pelsue,
Lucius R. Earle, John R. Priest, Marshall Anderson.
It will be seen by this brief record of Free Masonrj' in Rutland county, that
a large portion of the leading men of the county, those who have either made
a deep impression upon the various communities represented by them, through
their public services, or gained the universal respect of their fellows by their
high character, have been members of this ancient order. At the present time
Masonry is in a healthy condition in the county and embraces in its ranks very
many of the leading men.
Odd Fellowship. — This order has flourished to some extent in this county
for nearly forty years, and at the present time one lodge and an encampment
are in existence in Rutland village.
The first lodge instituted in the county was
Otter Creek Lodge, No. 10. — On the 9th day of March. 1847, R. M. Fuller,
James Mitchell, Nathaniel Parker, M. G. Rathburn and S. C. Hyde, of Ben-
nington, and Charles S. Terrill, of Middlebur}-, appeared and constituted this
lodge and installed its officers, who were as follows : Dr. James B. Porter, N.
G. ; Evelyn Pierpoint, V. G. ; General F. W. Hopkins, secretary ; Dr. Cyrus
Porter, treasurer ; George W. Strong, warden. The by-laws were suspended
and Robert Hopkins was duly initiated, by Brothers Mitchell, Pierpoint, Fuller,
and Hyde ; George W. Strong served as warden. The record of this initiation
reads as follows : " The ceremony on the part of all was conducted with true
dignity and skill, and particularly in the new office of warden ; and on the part
of the initiated with becoming fortitude and bearing worthy an Odd Fellow."
The five original petitioners were prominent citizens of Rutland, as the
reader of this work will learn. The first regular meeting of the lodge was held
on the 1 6th of March, 1847. O" this occasion Brother Charles Woodhouse,
then of Clarendon, presented a card of clearance from Charter Oak Lodge,
No. 2, of Hartford, Conn., was admitted as an Ancient Odd Fellow and thus
became the second member of the lodge. He had been for many years an
Odd Fellow and is now a member of Killington Lodge, in the active perform-
ance of the duties of the order. It will not be out of place here to remark that
Brother Woodhouse has well and faithfully performed all duties laid upon him
and held honorable rank and position, and been honored as a representative of
the Grand Lodge of Vermont in the Grand Lodge of the United States — the
Secret Societies. 299
highest legislative branch of the order — a position which he filled faithfully
and with distinguished ability for two years. He stands to-day, possibly, as
the oldest Odd Fellow in Vermont, enjoying the higli regard of all his brethren.
At the second meeting of the lodge W. E. C. Stoddard, tlien a prominent
book-seller and publisher in Rutland, was initiated, and Brother Woodhouse
proposed for membership the late honored brother, William D. Marsh, of Clar-
endon. At the meeting on the 25th of March, William D. Marsh and George
R. Orcutt were duly admitted as members. Mr. Marsh was a very efficient
worker in the lodge and at one time deputy grand master of the Grand Lodge.
He was a member of Killington Lodge at his death, which joined with the
Masonic fraternity in paying him a mournful tribute at his burial.
Otter Creek Lodge, during the first year of its life, made a gradual increase.
The persons admitted to membership were Alembert Pond, William D. Marsh,
Alvin Patch, Charles H. Furness, Horace V. Bogue, E. O. Eddy, of Walling-
ford, Newton Kellogg, E. W. Loveland (of Weston), O. A. Eddy (Wallingford),
Josiah L. Wilder (of Weston), H. J. Marsh, William B. Shaw, George A. Tut-
tle, David B. Jones (of Cuttingsville), and Charles Green.
The first visiting card granted was to W. E. C. Stoddard, for si.x months.
At the semi-annual election the following officers were chosen : Evelyn Pier-
point, N. G. ; F. W. Hopkins, V. G. ; George W. Strong, secretary ; Cyrus
Porter, treasurer.
The first lodge-room was in an ell part of the old Fay printing-office, so
called, on Main street, which stood near the site of the present residence of
Hon. William M. Field. At a special meeting held August 19th, the first
public address on Odd-Fellowship in Rutland was delivered by A. E. Hovey,
of New York city. The second person admitted by card was B. F. March, of
Franklin Lodge, No. 2, Georgia. Dr. James B. Porter was elected representa-
tive, and Evelyn Pierpoint, alternate, to attend a convention at Montpelier, Au-
gust 29, for the formation of a grand lodge for the State of Vermont.
Such is a brief account of the career of this lodge during its first year.
The following year (1848) was its most 'prosperous period. The officers of
the first term were. General F. W. Hopkins, N. G.; Dr. Cyrus Porter, V. G.;
Dr. Charles Woodhouse, secretary ; William D. Marsh, treasurer ; George A.
Tuttle, warden ; Charles Temple, conductor ; Dr. James B. Porter, guardian.
Thirty new members were, admitted during the year, as follows: B. Frank
Wilkins, Abraham Stearns, Benjamin Lewis, Thomas L. Sheldon, J. Graves
Benton, George Hopkins, and William Perkins, of Rutland, all of whom took
a card of clearance, for the purpose of forming a new lodge at the place of
their residence ; Henry J. Burdock, B. Rosenblatt, of East Poultney, Cassius
W. Buck, Hiram W. Bennett, Harry Adams, D. L. Green, H. C. Levanway,
Rev. W. W. Ford, John Price, Gilbert Foster, Hiram Adams (of Ludlow),
F. C. Robbins, E. M. Boynton, L. G. Hammond (of Ludlow), W. D. Button,
300 History of Rutland County.
Ira Chaplin, S. W. Dame, George S. Hoard, Green Arnold, James W. Fisher,
Charles H. Kinsman and Moses Frink. The officers during the second term
were Dr. Cyrus Porter, N. G.; Charles Woodhouse, V. G.; W. D. Marsh, sec-
retary ; George A. Tuttle, treasurer ; John Price, warden ; B. F. Wilkins, con-
ductor ; C. W. Buck, inside guardian.
The lodge continued to prosper during the year and there are few inci-
dents to note. The first benefits paid to a sick brother by the lodge were
voted W. E. C. Stoddard February 8, 1848. The first death was that of
Charles Green, which was reported F'ebruary 22, 1848, and at the next meet-
ing brothers George A. Tuttle and Evelyn Pierpoint reported memorial reso-
lutions. The first board of trustees was created June 13, and Evelyn Pier-
poin. George A. Tutde and C. W. Buck were appointed.
The year 1849 does not seem to have been so prosperous as the preceding
one. The officers for the first term were, Charles Woodhouse, N. G.; William
D. Marsh, V. G.; George A. Tuttle, secretary; John Price, treasurer; Rev. W.
W. Ford, warden ; Harry Adams, outside guardian ; C. W. Buck, inside
guardian. Members affiliated, Thomas Briggs, George Howard, Lewis R.
Bucklin, W. H. Lyon, John Cain, H. L. Spencer, George Wood, S. W. Bent.
The first visitation by grand officer occurred June 24 of this year, in the per-
son of Samuel R, Price, the first grand master. He instructed the lodge in
secret work and delivered an address. For the second term of the year the
officers were as follows: W. D. Marsh, N. G.; George A, Tuttle, V. G.; John
Price, treasurer ; D. W. Fisher, secretary ; W. H. Lyon, warden ; C. W. Buck,
guardian. On the 27th of November Brother Charles Woodhouse was granted
a card of clearance, and on motion of Brother John Cain, a special vote of thanks
was tendered him for his faithful services. The career of this lodge need not
be traced in detail ; for these pages it must suffice to say that it pursued its
course with a fair degree of prosperity until the general decline of Odd-Fel-
lowship in 1857, when, having apparently performed its mission, it suspended
operations.
Otter Creek Encampment, No. 7, — This encampment was organized Feb-
ruary 27, 1 87 1, with the following named charter members : Newman Weeks,
L. W. Brigham, Loring Atwood, Henry R. Dyer, John H. Simmons, George
W. Crawford, Charles Woodhouse and Henry Clark. The membership of the
encampment is between fifty and sixty. Tho present officers are as follows :
L. F. Miner, C. R; C. A. Peppier, S. W.; T. J. Moore, scribe ; Louis V.
Green, treasurer ; H. H. Hibbins, H. P.; J. A. McFarland, guide ; A. M. Har-
ris, J. W.
Killington Lodge, No. 29, /. 0. 0. F. — This lodge was chartered August
23, 1 87 1, the charter members being as follows : Charles Woodhouse, Newman
Weeks, H. R. Dyer, Henry Clark, W. L. Parsons, D. B. Channell, E. Pier-
point, B. W. Marshall, George A. Tuttle, Horace Clark, L. B. Smith, and L.
Secret Societies. 301
Atwood. This lodge has been a prosperous one and the present membership
is one hundred and twenty-five. Meetings are held Monday evenings in their
room in the Billings block, Merchant's Row. The present officers of the lodge
are as follows: J. M. Portal, N. G.; T. C. Robbins, V. G.; E. B. Aldrich, record-
ing secretary ; F. M. Warner, permanent secretary ; L. G. Bagley, treasurer.
Metis Lodge, I. O. O. F., No 25. — This lodge was instituted in Poultney,
December i, 1852. Henry Clark, W. O. Ruggles, Henry Ruggles, Geo. L.
Hunter and Wm. Lamb were its charter members. Its first officers were W.
O. Ruggles, N. G. ; Henry Ruggles, V. G. ; Geo. L. Hunter, secretary; Wm.
Lamb, treasurer. The early meetings were held in the Hall of the Sons of
Temperance in West Poultney ; but subsequently the lodge rented the Masonic
Hall until 1871, when it was removed to its rooms. In 1859 the lodge, in
common with many others in the State, ceased working ; but was reinstated
in 1869. The following have been presiding officers of the lodge successively :
W. O. Ruggles, Henry Ruggles, Henry Clark, Geo. L. Hunter, L. D. Ross,
D. H. Odell, John K. Pixley, Andrew Clark, D. H. Odell, R. K. Morrill,
Henry Ruggles, to 1859. Since that date, L. D. Ross, R. K. Morrill, N. C.
Harris, Cyrus E. Horton, N. C. Hyde, M. G. Noyes, James Bullock, F. O.
Betts.
Pico Lodge, No. 32, /. O. O. K, (Wallingford). — This lodge was instituted
U. D. February 7, 1871, and chartered August 23, 1871. The charter mem-
bers were Joel Todd, Geo. W. Kinsman, E. O. Aldrich, Horace Todd
and Bradford Aldrich. The first officers were : Geo. W. Kinsman, N. G. ;
Joel Todd, V. G. ; E. O. Aldrich, recording secretary; Bradford B. Aldrich,
permanent secretary ; Horace Todd, treasurer. The lodge was instituted at
Cuttingsville and removed to East Wallingford in July, 1875. The present
officers are as follows: E. R. Allen, P. G. ; H. P. Hawkins, N. G. ; J. I. Cong-
don, V. G. ; F. O. Stafford, secretary; Elias Stewart, treasurer; Edward
Armstrong, warden; M. M. Tarbell, conductor; S. F. Sherman, I. G. Meet-
ings are held the first and third Thursdaj's in each month. There are about
twenty-five members.
Eureka Lodge, No 22. — This lodge was instituted in Fairhaven in June,
185 I, constituing of ten members ; three others were initiated and three ad-
mitted by card. The last members initiated (making in all fifty-five) was in
December, 1885. The past grands were I. C. Allen, T. E. Wakefield, Joseph
Adams, M. B. Dewey, I. Jones, N. Jenne, G. W. Hurlburt and H. M. Shaw.
The benefit system led to the suspension of the lodge and an efi"ort was made
by Grand Commissioner B. W. Dennis, in 1869, to revive the lodge, and a dis-
pensation was obtained, but there was not sufficient interest shown to make it
successful.
Grand Aniiy of the Republic. —'l\\\'i ox'g-A\\u.dA\o\\\% very strong in Rut-
land county, there being at the present time no less than six posts, all of which
are in a healthful condition.
302 History of Rutland County.
Roberts Post, No 14. — This post (named in honor of the lamented Colonel
Roberts, who fell on the battle-field), was chartered November! i, 1868. The
charter members were J. A. Salisbury, H. W. Kingsley, E. A. Morse, E.
J. Hartshorn, L. G. Kingsley, J. H. Dwyer, W. C. Landon, Wm. Y. W. Rip-
ley, W. G. Veazey, E. M. Rounds, J. C. Baker, C. J. S. Randall. E. H. Ripley,
Jno. H. Hazelton, Redfield Procter, W. C. Dunton, S. E. Burnham, J. B. Lee,
L. B. Webster, S. G. Staley, H. Prindle, C. H. Forbes, H. C. Congdon, C. L.
Long, A. W. White, J. A. Sheldon. The department commander at that time
was W. G. Veazey, and the assistant adjutant-commander, J. H. Goulding.
Tlie first meeting was held in the carpet-room of L. G. Kingsley's store,
and the post occupied its present hall in the Morse Block in 1885. The first
officers were as follows : Wm. Y. W. Riple}% P. C. ; W. G. Veazey, S. V. C. ;
John A. Sheldon, J. V. C. ; C. H. Forbes, adjutant; E. A. Morse, Q. M.
The present membership of the post is 181, and the officers as follows: L.
G. Kingsley, P. C. ; E. H. Webster, S. V. C. ; O. P. Murdick, J. V. C. ; W.
B. Thrall, adjt. ; Oscar Robinson, 0. M. ; C. L. Allen, surgeon ; Jno. Fayles,
chaplain ; C. N. Chamberlain, O. D. ; I. H. Black, O. G. ; Wm. Cronan, S. M. ;
Jas. E. Post, Q. M. S.
SciiHott Post, No 12, of West Rutland, has the following as officers: George
Brown, commander ; S. B. Arnold, adjutant ; C. H. Sherman, 0. M.
Post C. J. Ormsbcc, No. 18, is in Brandon, and has the following officers:
Isaac S. Hall, commander ; C. H. Fobes, adjutant ; O. Meacham, Q. M.
Kearney Post, No. 48, is located in East Wallingford, with the following
officers: J. P. Hawkins, commander; R. L. Chase, adjutant; G. R. Streeter,
O. M.
Joyce Post, No. 49, of Poultney, has the following officers: Samuel Dow-
ling, commander ; M. J. Horton, adjutant; J. A. Benedict, Q. M.
Post J. H. Boswith, No 53, is in Fairhaven. Its officers are as follows: A.
Bonville, commander ; D. J. Edwards, adjutant ; W. A. Smith, O. M.
CHAPTER XIX.
HLSTORY OF TIIK TOWN OF RUTL.VND.i
THE town of Rutland is centrally located in the county of the same name,
and is the shire town of the county. It is bounded on the north by the
town of Pittsford; on the east by Mendon ; on the south by Clarendon and Ira,
and on the west by Ira. Its north line is seven and -^oT)" miles in length ; its
is placed at the beginning of the town histories chiefly on account of
county in comparison with the other towns. In the arrangement of
hey will be taken up in alphabetical order.
Town of Rutland. 303
east line six and tois \ its south line seven and xou . sind its west line six and
-^,ro miles. A large portion of its surface is hilly or mountainous, but along
the valley of the Otter Creek and its tributaries are intervales of considerable
extent especially adapted to cultivation and affording the choicest farming
lands. The eastern part of the town is bordered by the Green Mountains, the
western slopes of which descend to the Otter Creek valley ; and the Taconic
Range extends north and south across the western part. The Otter Creek
enters the town at about the middle of the south line, runs northward and
divides the town into two nearly equal portions. Tributary to it are East
Creek, which enters the town in the northeast corner, flows southwesterly, and
joins Otter Creek near Rutland village ; and Tinmouth River, which flows
northward into the town and joins Otter Creek at Center Rutland ; besides
these there are scores of smaller streams in various parts of the town that find
their way into Otter Creek. Castleton River, which rises in the town of Pitts-
ford, flows south into the town near the northwest part, and at West Rutland
bends sharply to the west, leaving the town near the middle of its western line.
Moon Brook flows westerl)' and enters Otter Creek a little south of Rutland
village. On all of these streams are favorable sites for manufactories where
ample water power is developed ; this is particularly true at Sutherland Falls,
in the extreme north part of the town, and at the falls at Center Rutland, for-
merly well known by the name of Gookin's Falls.
The soil of the town is varied in character. In the valleys and on the level
portions a warm, rich loam is found, which gradually takes on a lighter and
more sandy character as the uplands are reached, finally becoming rocky and
barren on the mountains.
The town lies in latitude 43° ^j' and longitude 4° and 4' east from Wash-
ington, and contains about 26,000 acres of land. Its geological] features have
already been described in another chapter, while its inexhaustible and valuable
marble deposits will be properly treated a little farther on. In natural pic-
turesqueness and beauty of situation, the town can scarcely be surpassed. Ly-
ing at the foot of the loftiest peaks of the Green Mountains, the towering sum-
mits of Killington, Pico and Shrewsbury look down upon the valley of the
Otter ; the beautiful and thriving village of Rutland and its surroundings rest
almost in their shadows and are apparently surrounded by an amphitheatre of
hills or mountains ; but there are winding valleys that break away among the
ranges, giving access to highways and railroads from various directions. Over
these pass the immense resources of the town and vicinity, bringing wealth and
general prosperity to her energetic people.
Charter, Grantees, ete. — The town of Rutland was chartered to the original
grantees over twenty years before America became a free country. Her part
in the struggle which led up to that grand consummation has been pictured in
earlier chapters ; but long anterior to that event the town was probably a sort
304 History of Rutland County.
of center of Indian travel and traffic, and its soil was trod by a white man, who
can be identified fifty years before the end of the Revolutionary War. Otter
Creek was a highway from north to south, and Castleton and Cold Rivers from
east to west across this territory, the convenience of which was appreciated by
Indian traders, whose goods passed from Fort Dummer, in Massachusetts, to
Lake Champlain. Goods were purchased in Massachusetts cheaper than they
could be bought in Canada, and Rutland lay in the direct line of travel. As
early as 1730 James Cross, ^ with twelve Caughnawaga Indians, left Fort Dum-
mer, and in seven days reached Rutland, via Black River, Plymouth Ponds and
Cold River. They reached Otter Creek on Sunday evening. May 3, 1730.
Other white men may have set foot on this soil at an earlier date ; but no per-
son can make such positive statement. On Monday the party manufactured
canoes, and Wednesday rowed thirty-five miles down Otter Creek. A poetic
imagination may picture the beauty of the scene which greeted their gaze at
every bend of the stream as they drifted through the unknown wilderness.
Cross left a brief journal, in which is mentioned the two falls, Sutherland and
Gookin's, in this town; and he wrote of the creek as being black and deep, and
spoke of the soil in flattering terms.
Eighteen years later, when the Massachusetts trade with the Indians had
been crushed by the French and Indian Wars, a party of sixty scouts came
from Black River, and forty of the number passed down on the east side of
Otter Creek, while the remaining twenty went north on the west side ; the lat-
ter thus exposed themselves to the enemy at Crown Point, were driven back
up the creek and down West River, onl}' to be taken oft' their guard and terri-
bly defeated in Windham county.-
The year 1759 saw the opening of a passage way across this county which
has passed into history under the name of the Old Military Road. It extended
from what is now Charlestown, N. H., to Crown Point, and its route was sub-
stantially from Charlestown through to Nott's Ferry, Springfield ; on through
Wethersfield, reaching Charles Button's tavern on Mill River in Clarendon ;
thence si.x miles to Colonel James Mead's tavern at Center Rutland ; crossed
the Otter Creek, and continued northward six miles to Waters's tavern in Pitts-
ford ; thence through " Brown's Camp " in Neshobe (Brandon) twenty miles to
Moore's tavern in Shoreham, and thence to Crown Point. This old road, and
the one cut out in 1776 from Mount Independence, in Orwell, to Hubbardton,
and thence to Center Rutland, were thoroughfares of great importance in the
War of the Revolution. Over the first one mentioned Rogers and his brave
band passed to Crown Point, after their terrible experiences in destroying the
Indian village of St. Francis, and its track was also trodden by ancestors of
many Rutland county families while the State was yet a wilderness. At the
1 This n.ime is given by different writers as " Coss," "Cass," and "Cross."
2 .\adress of Henrv Hall at the centennial celebration in Rutland in 1S70.
^^'s'. Otter
■■^l^iversfro.
L/ ^06- cy^L/L.^:^^ (7 / ^(^.OO^i) ")
Town of Rutland. 305
time of the opening of tlie second road spoken of (1776), a bridge was built
over Otter Creek at Center Rutland, giving that point still greater importance.
There were two forts erected in this town for the protection of the settlers
during the troublous times of the Revolution. One of these, built about the
time of the commencement of the war, stood on wliat is now the " burnt dis-
trict," in Rutland village. The meagre details of its character that are known
give it a length from north to south of ten rods and a width of eight rods, its
south side being nearly on a line with the north side of the Daniels store. It
was, like all of the Vermont forts of that day, made of pickets, generally of
maple, sunk about five feet in the ground and fourteen feet high above ground,
the sides of the pickets where they came together being hewn straight. At
each corner was a redoubt, or " flanker," about eight feet square. At a con-
venient height for effective shooting were port-holes, that were pierced at dis-
tances of about six feet apart ; these lioles radiated inward and outward, being
just large enough at the centers to admit a musket, and extended around the
fort. On the west side was the gate. Inside was a small building for provi-
sions and ammunition, which was afterward used as a dwelling. In the south
part of the inclosure was a well, over which in later years a large flat stone
was placed and earth thrown on top. According to the Vermont Historical
Magazine, as other forts to the north and south were erected, this one soon be-
came of little consequence, and the pickets were gradually carried oft" for fuel.
Another fort was built at Gookin's Falls (Center Rutland) soon after the
organization of the government of Vermont in March, 1778, when it was de-
cided to make Rutland the headquarters of the State troops ; Captain Gideon
Brownson was made commander of the force stationed at this point. It was
situated on the hill east of the falls. Its construction was substantially the
same as the one above described, except that the pickets were hemlock and
a little higher above the ground ; and inside of the outer row was driven an-
other, alternating in position with those of the outermost ones, thus rendering
it bullet proof It was elliptical or oval in form and had port holes like
those already described ; it inclosed two acres, or a little more. On the east
and west sides there were large plank gates for the admission of teams, and
on the south side a small gate through which water was carried from Otter
Creek. In the northwest part of the inclosure was a block-house of hewn
logs, thirty or forty feet square, two stories high, roofed and shingled ; in the
lower story were port holes and others through the caves of the roof, which
projected two feet, thus raking all the grounds surrounding the house. The
north and west sides of this building formed a part of the wall of the fort,
and the door was on the east side of the house. In the northeast and south-
west corners were sentry boxes, elevated on poles so as to overlook the ap-
proaches to the fort; they were boarded upas high as a man's chin, covered at
the top to protect from snow and rain, and a ladder ascended to the little door
3o6 History of Rutland County.
of each. Near the northwest corner of the inclosure was a guard-house of
rough boards, roofed and floored, in which the sentry slept during rehef from
the two hours' watches. Along the north side were the officers' barracks, the
roofs of which sloped against the outer pickets. The soldiers' barracks ex-
tended along the south side, while the intervening space was used as a parade
ground. The fort was supplied with a nine pound cannon, and it is related
that one of the soldiers once remarked to a visitor that as the)' had then a
stock of twelve cannon cartridges, the fort could stand a pretty heavy siege !
The ground to the south and east of the fort was originally covered with scrub
oaks, but these were cleared away south to the creek and east a distance of
fifteen or twenty rods, so as to guard against stealthy attack. This fort was
called Fort Ranger, as will be seen in subsequent pages of the town records;
some of the town meetings were held here and it was the headquarters of the
State troops until 1781, when the presence of the British in large force on
Lake Champlain caused the removal of headquarters to Castleton. This fort,
Mead's saw-mill and grist-mill, John H. Johnson's tavern, and the meeting-
house, made that point an important rendezvous for the town ; it promised in
that early day to become the center of business and traffic. In spite of the
frequent alarms and rumors of Indian incursions during the Revolutionary War,
and the fact that other towns to the northward did actually become the scene
of warfare. Fort Ranger was never attacked by the enemy, and the only dan-
ger its inmates incurred was from straj' shots of Indians or Tories aimed at the
sentries in the darkness of night. On the 27th of March, 1781, the town
meeting was convened in the meeting-house, according to notice ; thence it
adjourned to the tavern of John Hopson Johnson, and thence, as the records
inform us, " for necessary reasons" it adjourned to the " store-house in Fort
Rainger." ^
In 1779 this fort was in command of Captain Thomas Sawyer, and on the
14th of May he received the following orders: —
" The design and object of a garrison being kept at }-our post is to prevent
the incursion of the enemy on the northern frontier and to annoy them should
they come within your reach ; as there are two other Forts, one at Castleton,
and the other at Pittsford, dependent upon yours, you are to take care that
they are properly manned and provided proportionable to your strength at
Fort Ranger. You will keep out constant scouts toward the lake, so as to get
the earliest intelligence of the motion and designs of the enemy. You will
keep the command of Fort Ranger and other forts depending until otherwise
ordered by me or until some Continental Officers shall take the command.
You will post the earliest intelligence of the enemy to me and guard against
surprise. Given under my hand
" Thos. Chittenden, Capt. Gen."
iThe description of these forts is condensed from the account in the I'ermoiil Historiial Magazine.
Town of Rutland. 307
The charter of Rutland was one of the sixty issued by New Hampshire
in 1 76 1. New York had set up her claim to the territory of the State in
1750, an unjustifiable measure which led to the historic controversy which has
been described in earlier pages of this work. The charter of Rutland was
dated September 7, 1761, three years before the French and Indian war was
wholly ended. Governor Benning Wentworth, of New Hampshire, from
whom the charters of towns in Rutland county emanated, did not forget his
personal interests and reserved for himself five hundred acres of land in the town-
ship ; but the grantees had little of which to complain, as they obtained their
lands substantially free; or, as they themselves claimed, "as a reward for their
great losses and services on the frontier, during the late war." The charter
was procured by Colonel Josiah Willard, of Winchester, N. H., and the first
named grantee was John Murray, an Irishman. The latter was a prominent
citizen of Rutland, Mass., and it is thought gave the same name to this
town. Most of the grantees lived in New Hampshire and none of them ever
settled permanently in Rutland. Following are the names of the original
grantees of the town, as they appear in the records : Ephraim Adams, John
Armes, Eliakim Armes, Elijah Amies, John Armes (probably John 2d),
Thomas Bardwell, Thomas Blanchard, Joseph Cass, Oliver Colburn, John
Dandly, Thomas Davis, Jonathan Furneld, Nathaniel Foster, Joseph Hannum,
George Hart, Asa Hawks, John Hinsdale, Nehemiah Houghton, Caleb John-
son, Elijah Mitchell, Benjamin Melvin, Reubin Nimbs, Enos Stevens, William
Smeed, Abraham Scott, Samuel Stevens, jr., Wing Spooner, Zedekiah Stone,
Nathan Stone, Joel Stone, Samuel Stone, jr., Abner Stone, Samuel Stone,
Josiah Willard, jr., William Willard, and Governor Benning Wentworth (500
acres).
A second grant was made in the same year, covering the territory of Rut-
land, under the name of "Fairfield," the grantor being Colonel John Henry
L\-dius, then of Albany. His claim was founded on a deed from the Mohawk
chiefs, confirmed by Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts. ^ He commenced
surveying and preparing to dispose of his easily acquired territory, while other
speculators also began to turn their attention to this locality. In the mean
time John Murray sold his right in Rutland, containing about three hundred
and fifty acres, for two shillings — at the rate of about ten acres for one cent !
Other sales were also made; speculators, those vampires that caused the pio-
neers more trouble than their descendants can appreciate, were active ; the woods
began to resound with the echoes of the axe, and the era of settlement began.
Early Settlements. — James Mead was the first white man to permanently
settle in the town of Rutland. He removed from " Nine Partners," to Man-
1 Soon after the grant to Lyciius he procured the survey of Otter Creek, sending Asa Peabody from
Connecticut to do the work. Henry Hall, of Rutland, says he has seen the original record of that
survey written on a half sheet of foolscap, with all the minute details. The measurement of the fall at
Center Rutland made it twenty-five feet, and Sutherland Fall, one hundred and fifty feet.
3o8 History of Rutland County.
Chester, Vt., accompanied by several other men and their families. Mead was
probably something of a leader among them, and while acting as their agent
he became acquainted with this town. On the 30th day of September, 1769,
he made his first purchase here, which embraced twenty " rights "; ten of these
he sold on the same day. As there were about three hundred and fifty acres
in a right, he retained about 3,500 acres. His purchase was made of Nathan
Stone, of Windsor, and his sale of one-half was made to Charles Button, of
Clarendon. The price is stated in the deeds of purchase as one hundred
pounds, and the price of half to Button as forty pounds ; which transaction
would have been a losing one for Mead. The deeds describe Mead as of Man-
chester, in the county of Albany, New York. The twenty rights of Mead and
Button were located in the southwest part of the town. In the same fall Mr.
Mead built a log house which stood on or near the site of the present residence
of Chapin Wilco.x, about half a mile west of Center Rutland, near the banks of
the West Creek. Here was an ancient beaver meadow, which saved the pio-
neer the necessity of making a place for his dwelling in an unbroken forest.
In March, 1770, when Colonel Mead was forty years old and had a wife
and ten children, the eldest of whom was Sarah, wife of Wright Roberts, the
family, including the son-in-law, thirteen in all, came into the town to take up
their permanent abode. Three days were occupied in the removal from Man-
chester, stopping the first night in Dorset and the second in Danby, and pass-
ing through Tinmouth and West Clarendon. In Chippenhook, in the town of
Clarendon, while Sarah and Mercy were riding on a horse and Roberts was
driving the cows, the three being in rear of the others, they lost their way ;
but they were put upon the right track after wandering about for some time,
by Simeon Jenny, whose dwelling they had reached. He was a noted Tory
and "Yorker," but his counsel was, doubtless, none the less welcome at that
time. Late in the evening of the third day the little party reached their log
house ; but it had no roof and the cold and snows of the early spring made it
entirely untenable. Not far distant were camped a party of Caughnawaga
Indians, their wigwam and its glowing fire looking very tempting to the way-
worn travelers. Mead applied to them to share their rude quarters. After a
brief consultation in their own tongue, the)' arose, threw their hands apart and
cried " welcome;" they then gathered up their traps, gave up their hut to the
family and quickly constructed another for themselves. There the Mead fam-
ily lived until late in the succeeding autumn, when they built a substantial log
house, in which they wintered.
It behooves us to add a little further record of this man who first took up
his residence in this, the most important town in the most important county of
Vermont. He was born at Horseneck, N. Y., August 25, 1730, and died Jan-
uary 19, 1804. He was a member of the Dorset Convention of September 25,
1776, and one of the committee appointed by the W'indsor Convention in June,
Town of Rutland. 309
1777, to arrange with the commander of Ticonderoga for the frontier defense.
He was also colonel of the Third Regiment of militia. His wife was Mercy
Holmes, who was born at the same place April 7, 1731. Their children were
Sarah, born in 1753. James, 2d, born 1754; drowned in the flume at Center
Rutland in 1773. Abner, ist, born 1756; lived on the farm at West Rutland
now occupied by A. J. Mead, his grandson; and died there in 1S13, at the age
of fifty-seven years. Samantha, born in 1757 ; married Keeler Hines, and for
her second husband a Mr. Coggswell ; she died in 18 14. Stephen, born in
1759. Mercy, born in 1761 ; married John Smith, 2d, and lived about one
and one-half miles south of West Rutland on the farm now occupied by John
Brewster ; one of their daughters is the widow of Harvey Chapman, now liv-
ing in Clarendon. Dorcas, born in 1763. Hannah, born in 1764; married
Silas Smith, and for her second husband, Darius Chipman ; died in 1 82 I. Dim-
eas, born in 1766 ; married Dr. James Reed and lived a little west of Colonel
James Mead's. Tameson, born in 1768. William, born September 24, 1 770.
James, 2d, born in 1773 (the year in which his brother James was drowned),
died in 1813 in a western State.
Zebulon Mead, a brother of the pioneer, came into the town from Nine
Partners in 1774 and purchased land including farms now owned by Rollin and
Horatio Mead. Zebulon Mead's son Henry was then thirteen years old. He
remained in the town until his death ; married Mary Munson and had ten
children, seven of whom were sons. Horatio Mead, now living north of Rut-
land village, is the youngest of the sons except one. Joel M. Mead, one of
Horatio's brothers, passed his life on the farm north of Horatio's, now occupied
by Rollin Mead, who is a son of Joel. Horatio Mead is now eighty years old;
has but one son, Stephen, at present one of the selectmen of Rutland. Joel
Mead's widow still lives at eighty-five years of age. He died in 1880.
We cannot follow all of the many descendants of these pioneers except in
the briefest manner. Abner, ist, had as children, Ira, born in 1779. Eliza-
beth, born 1781 ; married Israel Harris, 2d. Truman, born 1783; was a
farmer at Center Rutland. Abner, 2d, born 1785. Laura, born 1787; mar-
ried Solomon Cook. Abial, born 1789; was a physician and practiced in
Esse.x for many years. Philena, born 1791 ; married Charles Huntington and
died 1 8 17. Peter Philander, b<M-n 1793. The mother of these children was
Amelia, daughter of the Rev. Benajah Roots, and died June 17, 1800.
The children of Abner Mead, 2d, were Harriet, born 1808, married Jede-
diah Parmalee, a preacher ; for her second husband she married Henry W.
Porter, son of Dr. James Porter, and died in Rutland, Charity, born 18 10,
married Benjamin Franklin Blanchard, a farmer of West Rutland ; he is dead
and his widow lives on the homestead. A. J. Mead, born 18 15, lives on the
old homestead at West Rutland. Roswell R., born 18 I 8, was a merchant at
West Rutland, where he died ; his children are John A., lives in Rutland, where
3IO History of Rutland County.
he is a successful physician ; Mary L., wife of Professor Metzke, of Rutland ;
and R. R. Mead, chief of the Rutland police. The other child of Abner, 2d,
was John W. H., born 1 820, and died in 1840 while attending Middlebury
College. The mother of these children was Nancy Rowley, daughter of Ros-
well Rowley, who lived where Cyrus Johnson now resides, between Center
Rutland and Sutherland Falls. Abner died in 1859. The other descendants
need not be traced into the present generation ; they have been given thus far
in detail, being entitled to whatever of honor attaches to descendants of the
first settlers in any important community.
During the year 1770 three other families are known to have settled in the
town, possibly one or two others. These were Simeon Powers, whose son
William was the first white child born in the town ; the event occurred on the
23d of September, 1770. On the following day William Mead, son of James,
was born. On the 3d day of October, of the same year, Chloe Johnson, daugh-
ter of Asa Johnson, was born, these first three births in the town thus occur-
ring within ten days. Simeon Powers settled in the spring of 1770, on the west
side of Otter Creek, on what has been lately known as the Kelley farm. In the
succeeding fall William Dwinell came in with his wife and took up his tempo-
rary residence with Mr. Powers, who was his relative. These four families are
all who are positively known to have settled before 1771 ; but during 1770 and
as early as May, Thomas Rowley had begun surveying lots in the town and
mentioned a clearing made by a Mr. Brockway.
On the 3d of April, 1771, Governor Dunmore of New York, issued to a
number of petitioners a charter for a new town under the name of " Social-
borough," embracing the towns of Rutland, Pittsford and a part of Brandon.
This action was in direct antagonism to the order of the king, of July, 1767,
and entirely without authorit}', a fact undoubtedly known to the petitioners.
Following is the text of a petition relative to making this great town the
county seat : —
" To His Excellency Wm. Tryon, Captain General and Governor in Chief in
and over the Province of New York and the Territories depending thereon
in America, Chancellor and Vice Chancllor of the same.
" The petition of the subscribers who are interested in the townships of So-
cialborough, Halesborough, Neury, Richmond, Kelso, Moncton, and Durham
in the county of Charlotte,
" Most Humbly sheweth
"That your petitioners being informed that the appointment of the town-
ship or place for holding the courts in the County of Charlotte will soon come
under your excellency's consideration, they beg leave most humbly to suggest
"That the township of Socialborough is nearly central to that part of the
country which will probably remain a separate county when the northern part
of this province becomes populous, to-wit, from the Battenkill to an east line
Town of Rutland.
from the mouth of Otter Creek, comprising a district about seventy-five miles
in lengtli. That the roads leading North from the Massachusetts Bay and
westward from New Hampshire both pass through the said township, which
your petitioners conceive a strong proof of its being easy of access.
" That the township and the lands in its immediate neighborhood are re-
markably fertile and pleasantly situated on a fine river called Otter Creek which
for many miles is navigable for bateaux and would be throughout but for the
obstruction of the falls.
"That from the best information your petitioners are able to collect,
though the settlement began within three years, there are already thirty- five
families in Socialborough, and twenty more have made improvements and are
expected to remove thither the ensuing spring — the chief of whom have
agreed to take titles for their farms under this government.
" That in the three townships of Durham, Grafton and Chesterfield, which
adjoined each other and extended from Socialborough southward there are
ninety-six families actually settled who hold all their estates under this gov-
ernment.
"That in Chatham, which is the next town adjoining Chesterfield towards
the south there are settled fifteen families, and in Eugene which adjoins it on
the west, forty. In Princeton, which adjoins Chatham on the south, seventy
families, and in West Cambden which adjoins it on the west twelve families.
" That these making in the whole near two hundred heads of families,
chiefly live at a convenient distance from Socialborough and the most remote
of them not exceeding forty miles, and have already the advantage of a toler-
able road, through which loaded carts have passed from Socialborough to Al-
bany the last summer.
" That Col. Reid's settlement which is further North, and which consists
of about fifteen families is at no greater distance from Socialborough than thirty
miles and Major Skene's within twenty miles.
"That from these circumstances your petitioners hope it will appear that
this township is well situated for the county town and not only convenient to
the greater part of the present inhabitants, but will continue to be so to the
county in general (as far as to the said east line from the mouth of the Otter
Creek) when it becomes populous and fully improved.
" That the present inhabitants of the said country are very poor and unable
but by their labor to contribute anything toward a Court House and Gaol nor
is any provision made for that purpose by law.
" Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that unless your Excellency shall
judge some other place to be more proper the county town of the said county
may be fixed at Socialborough in which case your petitioners are willing and
do engage to raise and pay all the money which shall be necessary for erecting
a convenient Court House and gaol for said County.
" And your petitioners shall ever pray, &c.
312 History of Rutland County.
" Charles Nevers, William Shirreff, William Walton, Hamilton Young,
Ricli'd Mailland, Atty, Jacob Walton, Theophilact Bache, W. McAdam, Jno.
Harris Cruger, Henry Van Veck, G. Mazzuzin, Gerard Walton, Wm. Lupton,
Stephen Kemble, John De Lancy, Theod's Van Wyck, James Thyn, Fred
De Puyster, for self and Dr. Jno. Jones, Isaac Roosvelt, Adam Gilchrist,
Jacobus Van Zandt, Sam'l Deall, Fred'k V. Cortlandt, Wm. Cockburn, Garrett
Rapalje. By order."
It will be observed that among these names are many of those belonging
to the old and thrifty Dutch families of New York State. Jacob Walton was
member of the Colonial Assembly of New York in 1769 and William was secre-
tary to the superintendent of police in New York city. William McAdam was
a New York merchant. Samuel Deall was the owner of a tract of land in the
southern part of Essex county, N. Y., and one of the first settlers there.
The chief value of this petition is its account of the first settlements in this
part of Vermont. It is thought to have been presented as early as 1769.
The charter covered about 4,800 acres, the nominal grantees being forty-
eight in number ; but within a few days after the patent was issued the lands
were conveyed to a party of New York speculators, who subsequently became
the chief instigators and promoters of the efforts to eject the New Hampshire
claimants. But the settlers of the territory designated as " Socialborough "
did not purpose to sit down and tamely submit to injustice ; hence the sur-
veyor sent on by the land pirates (Will Cockburn) found his field of labor a
decidedly unpleasant one, as the following extracts from one of his letters will
indicate : —
" Alb.a.i\v, September 10, 1771.
" Sir : — Your favor of the i6th of August, and the $60 2s. gd. of Mr.
Robert Yates, I received on my return here, after being the second time stopped
in Socialborough, by James Mead and Asa Johnson in behalf of the settlers in
Rutland and Pittsford. I have run out lots from the south bounds to within
about two miles of the Great Falls. I found it in vain to persist any longer,
as they were resolved at all events to stop us. There have been many threats
pronounced against me. Gideon Cooley, who lives by the Great Falls [Suther-
land Falls], was to shoot me, and your acquaintance, Nathan
Allen, was in the woods with another party blacked and dressed like Indians,
as I was informed. Several of my men can prove Tounsend and Train threat-
ened my life, that I should never return home, etc
"The people of Durham [now Clarendon] assured me, these men intended
to murder us if we did not go thence, and advised mc b}- all means to desist
surveying I found I would not be allowed to go north-
ward, as they suspected I would begin again, and therefore intended to convey
us to Danby and so on to the southward, and by all accounts we should not
have been very kindly treated. I was advised b\' no means to go that road.
On my assuring them I would survey no more in those parts,
Town of Rutland. 313
we were permitted to proceed along the Crown Point road, with the hearty
prayers of the women, as we passed, never to return
" I have not been able to fix Kier's location and Danby people have been
continually on the watch always Since I have been here, sev-
eral have visited me, asking questions, no doubt to be able to know us, should
we venture within their territories, and at the same time warning us of the dan-
ger, should we be found there.
" Marsh's survey is likewise undone, as I did not care to venture myself
that way. I shall be able to inform you more particularly at our meeting, and
am Sir, your most obedient servant,
" Will Cockburn.
"James Duane, New York."
This shows one feature of the monstrous controversy for the territory in-
cluded in the State of Vermont — a controversy ended only by her final pay-
ment of tribute money for admission to the Union in 1791, as heretofore fully
set forth, Cockburn surveyed what is now Main street in the village of Rut-
land, among other lines ; but he pursued his labor under difficulties. Mead and
Johnson ordered him to cease his work, and others dressed as Indians threat-
ened him with their vengeance, until he was fain to leave their vicinity. (See
subsequent history of Clarendon.)
Settlement progressed. Mead maintained a primitive ferry across Otter
Creek, until the bridge was built, by keeping a boat on each side of the stream,
which must have been a great convenience to the pioneers. By the end of
the year 1773 thirt)'-five families had located in the town, as clearly shown in
a deposition made by Charles Button, in that year. This deposition so vividly
indicates the spirit that animated the settlers in the contest with New York and
their manner of dealing with settlers under grants from the New York govern-
ment, that it merits a place here : —
"Count}' of Cumberland ss. — Charles Button of a place called Durham on
the bank of Otter Creek on the west side of the Green Mountains, in the
county of Charlotte and province of New York, of full age duly sworn on the
holy evangelists of Almighty God deposeth and saith, that the deponent with
others to the number of thirty-five families, seated themselves upon the said
tract, and hold a title derived from the province of New York, that the depo-
nent has lived with family upon the same tract since the eighth day of Febru-
ary 1768, has cleared and improved a large farm, built a good dwelling-house
with other out houses, and was lately offered a thousand pounds current money
of New York for his improvements. That about eleven o'clock at night on
Saturday the 20th instant, as the deponent is informed and verily believes. Re-
member Baker, Ethan Allen, Robert Cochrane, and a number of other per-
sons, armed with guns, cutlasses &c., came to the house of Benjamin Spencer
esq,, of said Durham, who holds his farm under a title derived from the gov-
ernment of New York and brake open the said house, and took the said Spen-
314 History of Rutland County.
cer and carried him about two miles to the house of Thomas Green, of Kelso,
and there kept him in custody until Monday morning. The heads of the said
rioters then asked the said Spencer, whether he would choose to be tried at the
house of Joseph Smith in said Durham, or at his the said Spencer's own door?
To which Spencer replied, that he was guilty of no crime, but if he must be
tried, he would choose to liave his trial at his own door: The rioters thereupon
carried the said Spencer to his own door and proceeded to his trial before Seth
Warner of Bennington : the said Remember Baker, Ethan Allen and Robert
Cochrane who sat as judges. That said rioters charge the said Spencer with
being a great friend to the government of New York, and had acted as a mag-
istrate of the county of Charlotte, of which respective charges his said judges
found him guilty and passed sentence that his the said Spencer's house should
be burned to the ground, and that he should declare that he would not for the
future act as a justice of the peace for the said county of Charlotte. Spencer
thereupon urged that his wife and children would be ruined, and his store of dry
goods and all his property wholly destroyed if his house was burned. Warner
then declared Spencer's house should not be wholly destroyed, that only the
roof should be taken off and put on again, provided Spencer would declare, that
it was put on under the New Hampshire title and purchase a right under the
charter from the last mentioned government. These several conditions Spencer
was obliged to comply with, upon which the rioters dismissed him.
" That a party of the said rioters came to the deponent's house on the
night of Saturday, the 20th instant, as the deponent is informed, and broke
open the doors and sacked the house for the deponent, which they did not find
as he was gone to Crown Point, to take Stephen Weakly upon writs issued
against him at the suit of Samuel Green and one Sprague. That upon the
deponent's return home with the said Weakl)' in custody, another party of the
said rioters took the deponent, obliged him to discharge the said Weakly, and
one Smith and others of the said rioters the next day declared they would pull
down Green's house and give him the beach seal. (Meaning that they would
flog him unless he consented thereto) which he accordiitgly did.
" They then obliged this deponent to give the said Weakly si.x shillings
current money of New York, for taking him the said Weakly into custody,
and declaring for the debts due from him, the said Weakly to the said Green
and Sprague as aforesaid, and afterwards made this deponent promise that he
would never serve as an officer of justice or constable to execute any precept
under the province of New York, and then gave him a certificate in the words
and figures following to wit: —
" ' PiTTSFORD, Nov. 24, 1773.
" ' These are to satisfy all the Green Mountain Boys that Charles Button
had his trial at Stephen Mead's, and this is his discharge from us.
" ' Peleg Sunderling,
" 'Benj. Cooley.'
ToWiN OF Rutland. 315
Which certificate they declared would be a sufficient permit or pass among the
New Hampshire claimants, Green Mountain Boys and further the deponent
saith not.
" 1773, Charles Button."
(See also history of the town of Clarendon).
Button came from Connecticut, and lived on Mill River in Clarendon. The
Benjamin Spencer mentioned was one of the earliest settlers in that town ; un-
der date of April, 1772, he wrote from Durham to James Duane, among other
letters relative to the prevailing troubles, as follows : —
"Sir: The people of Socialborough decline buying their lands, saving four
or five, and sa)' they will defend it by force — the people that settled under
Lydius' title, and those that have come in this spring, have agreed for their
lands. The New Hamp.shire people strictly forbid any further survey being
made of Socialborough, or any settlements being made only under the New
Hampshire title ; which riotous spirit have prevented many inhabitants settling
this spring. You may ask why I do not proceed against them in a due course
of law — but you need not wonder, when I tell you that it hath got to that, the
people go armed, and guards yet in the road to examine people what their
business is and where they are going, and if the)' do not give a particular
account, thej' are beaten in a shameful manner ; and it is got to that, they say
they will not be brought to justice by this province, and bid defiance to any
authority in the province. We are threatened at distance of being turned off
our lands or our crops being destroyed. I have this opportunity of writing by
way of IMajor Skeene, and have not the opportunity of informing you of the
number of lots, and men's names that you may draw the deeds, but will send
them the first opportunity, as it will take some time to view the lots and give
a particular account; I hope the survey of our patent may not be stopped on
account of this tumult, as we shall labor under a great disadvantage if our lands
are not divided this spring. I look upon it to be dangerous for Mr. Cockburn
to come into the country until these people can be subdued, he may come
here by way of Maj. Skeene, but he cannot do any work only what he doth
for us; if he attempts any further, I am afraid of the consequences, but if he
does not care to come, I desire that some person may be employed hereabout
that we may know where our land is, which I should be glad you would in-
form me of, as soon as possible. One Ethan Allen hath brought from Con-
necticut, twelve or fifteen of the most blackguard fellows he can get, double
armed in order to protect him, and if some method is not taken to subdue the
towns of Bennington, Shaftsbury, Arlington, Manchester and those people in
Socialborough, and others scattering about the woods, there had as good be an
end of government. I am with all due regard
" Your humble servant,
" Benjamin Spencer."
3i6 History of Rutland County.
The above two documents allude to what were but mere examples of scores
of similar occurrences for the protection of the rights and homes of the settlers
of Vermont, as the reader of this work has learned. But nothing has ever been
powerful enough to stay the progress of settlement in America, and the pio-
neers came into Rutland with a steadily growing influx that was only partially
retarded by the Revolutionary War.
Among the thirty- five families which had settled in the town prior to 1774,
were those of John Smith and Joseph Bowker, both of whom were men of
prominence. Joseph Bowker and his wife, Sarah, were among the organizing
members of the first Congregational Church formed here in October, 1773, and
his name appears frequently in the early town records. It is believed that he
came from Sudbury, Mass., but the exact date of his arrival in this town is lost.
He then enjoyed the title of" Captain " and was elected moderator of the first
meeting of proprietors of Rutland of which there is an existing record — the
second Tuesday in October, 1773. The first vote at this meeting was "that
Capt. Boker be a Comt'ee man with the old comtee to find the sentor of the
town." This meeting was " held to the Meeting House in said Rutland."
Joseph Bowker soon became a general office-holder for the town, county and
State ; one of the Committee of Safety, town, treasurer (1784), selectman, town
representative, member of the governor's council, etc., and finally judge of pro-
bate and the County Court, and chief judge of Special Court, appointed by the
first Legislature. About 1780 Mr. Bowker, John Smith, Henrj^ Strong and
James Claghorn built a saw- mill on Moon's Brook, about eighty rods from the
north and south road at Rutland. Indeed, during the whole of the period of
his life in this town Mr. Bowker seems to have been a man of great activ-
ity, conspicuous in the public service as connected with the war, and promi-
nent in all things. From a paper read by Henry Hall before the Vermont
Historical Society in 1863, we take the following extract, showing the nature
of some of Mr. Bowker's services for the State, and the pay received there-
for:—
" State of Vermont, to Joseph Bowker, Dr.
Nov. 1777, to attending vendue one day 6s.
July, 1778, to attending vendue one da\' 4s.
To writing three leases, 3s.
To one day in leasing Rockwell's lot, 2s.
To cash paid Gideon Cooley for boarding and transport-
ing the families of Perry and Shorey to the lake,. - . .£2 6s.
Sept., 1778, to cash paid Daniel Washburn for boarding
the family of Robert Perry five weeks £2
To journey of myself and horse to Tinmouth and attend-
ing the trial of John McNeal 9s.
Jan., 1780, to journey to Manchester of myself and horse,
38 miles 13s. 4d.
Town of Rutland. 317
To eight days service drawing a lottery , £2 9s.
To two dollars paid to Widow Weller, for house room
and firewood, 12s.
To six bushels Indian corn for use of State, iSs.
To journey to Sunderland to attend the council, 42 miles, I 3s.
To one day's services, 7s.
To one day of myself and horse to Castleton 9s.
To one day weighing bread and forwarding pro\'isions, 4s.
To one day of man and horse to transport provisions to
Pittsford 9s.
To cash paid Nathan Pratt for transporting Tor\- women
to the lake £2 2s. 2d.
April, 1780, to paper to Capt. Parmlee Allen, ^5 3s. 2d."
On the 20th of October, 1779, Mr. Bowker received from the State treas-
urer _^S 8s, "for examining accounts of a committee to build a fort at Pitts-
ford," and on the 22d of February, 1781,6s., "for examining a muster roll."
The following item in his account throws some light on the dealings of loyal
settlers with the Tories : —
"Clarendon, Jan. 21, 1778.
" Received of Joseph Smith, commissioner of Sequestration, four pounds
one shilling and five pence, L. M., for my time settling with the committee to
try Tories. JOSEPH BoWKER."
Bowker's charges for his services seem insignificant at the present day ; but
money was a scarce article during that period ; State orders and individual
paper constituted a large part of the circulating currency. Bowker made his
purchase of one hundred and fifty acres in Rutland in 1774, which appears to
have been his only real estate operation ; this fact may account for his exemp-
tion from outlawry on the part of the New York government, to which many
of his neighbors were subjected. His farm, according to Mr. Hall, was situated
on the east side of Main street, extended one hundred rods south from about
Green street, to and including part of Handpole or Moon's Brook; half a mile
east of the road he located his dvi'elling, fronting the south and about halfway
down the pleasant slope. He died in the summer of 1784 and is supposed to
have been buried in the old ground at Center Rutland, then the only burial
place in the town ; but no stone marks the place of his rest.
John Smith came from Salisbury, Conn., in 1774 and settled on the farm
now owned by F. B. and J. Q. Smith ; in the year 1780 we find that Samuel
Smith sold to John Smith, his son, for sixty-four pounds 1,020 acres, "in the
township of Rutland, on Otter Creek, in the province of New York." The names
of Thomas Blanchard, John Dandl}' and Oliver Colburn are mentioned in the
deed as the original proprietors of the tract. In 1774, according to the records,
John Smith " surveyed to himself a lot l\ing east of the 15 rights." An attempt
3i8 History of Rutland County.
was made on the part of some of the New York claimants to gain possession
of his farm ; but he resisted them with force, was sentenced to death for the
offense, without trial ; but he was not arrested. He was the first town clerk
of Rutland and the first representative in the General Assembly. He had five
sons and one daughter, their names being John, Daniel, Joel, Silas, Elijah and
Sarah, all of whom lived on the tract of land owned by their father. He bore
the title of " Captain," and with his two sons, John and Daniel, took part in
the battle of Bennington. i The grandson, John, familiarly known as Deacon
John Smith, died in this town in iS6o, at the age of seventy-eight years. Sev-
eral of the descendants of this pioneer are still living in the count)'. Captain
John Smith died July 24, 1806, aged seventy-seven years, and his wife, Phoebe,
died August 4, 1803, aged sixty-eight. His son John died November 22,
1825, at the age of seventj', and the son Silas died August 16, 1801, aged
forty-three j'ears. Elijah had a son named Elijah W. Grove L., Frank and
John Smith were sons of the latter.
Having now devoted considerable space to these first settlers of the town,
let us very briefly note the arrival of the numerous pioneers who took up their
homes here previous to the beginning of the present century, who bore the
trials of the Revolution and successfully contested with unprincipled enemies
for possession of their lands, and laid broad the foundations of the present pros-
perity of the town.
Ichabod Walker came to Rutland from Massachusetts soon after 1770 and
settled near the site of the old court-house on Main street. His name appears
as a purchaser of land here; but he left the place early in the Revolutionary
struggle and after its close settled in Clarendon.
Gideon Walker, from Coventry, Mass., settled first in the town of Claren-
don in 1768, and four or five years later came to Rutland and located on Ot-
ter Creek on the present Baxter farm, where he owned 100 acres. At the
time of the evacuation of Ticonderoga his wife and four children fled to New
Providence (now Cheshire), Mass., where they remained for a time with Lewis
Walker, a cousin of Gideon, who afterwards settled in Clarendon. Daniel
Walker, a brother of Gideon, settled in Clarendon at about the same time with
his brother. Gideon lived to an advanced age and left numerous descendants
who now live in Addison county.
Nathaniel Chipman was one of the very early settlers and occupied a con-
spicuous position in the young community. He was the first judge of the
Supreme Court, a talented lawyer and an able statesman. His eminent qualifi-
1 It is related by descendants of the family that on one occasion Daniel Smith and thirteen others
were sent northward on a scouting expedition. In Shelburne they camped over night in a deserted
log house, and before morning were surprised and surrounded by a band of Indians and Tories num-
bering fifty-seven. The little party, however, kept up a brisk fire all night, and with excellent effect ;
in the morning the besiegers were surrounded and captured and taken safely to Bennington. The old
musket used on this occasion by Daniel Smith is in possession of his descendants.
Town of Rutland.
cations were recognized in many ways by his constituents. His brothers Dan-
iel and Darius were also eminent attorneys and pioneers in this region. (See
Chapter XVII.)
Nathan Tuttle cnnic to the town before the Revolution and at one time
owned a very large tract of land southwest of Rutland village. He suddenly
and unaccountably disappeared in the summer of 1777. His name appears as
moderator of the second proprietors' meeting, of which there are existing rec-
ords, in November, 1773.^ At this meeting he was made a " committee to in-
spect deeds presented, lay out lots," etc.
Benjamin Blanchard was one of the early settlers, but we cannot give the
date of his arrival. He was a millwright, or carpenter, and built the mill, or
a portion of it, for Colonel Mead at Goolcin's Falls. Mead told him if he would
give fort}- daj-s' work on the mill, he should have 100 acres of land south of
the corners at West Rutland. This transaction probably occurred in 1772, as
the records show that he had land of Mead in that year. He did the work
and lived and died on the farm ; so, also, did his son Benjamin, and his grand-
son of the same name. Chalon Blanchard, son of the third Benjamin, died on
the farm in 1883. The elder Benjamin died in 1 801, aged seventy-five, and
his wife Ruth, in 1824.
James Claghorn was an associate of James Mead and one of the pioneers
of considerable prominence. It is on record that he surveyed to himself in
1774, 1 00 acres northeast of a lot bought by him of William Roberts. He was
a selectman in 1779, and in that year it is recorded that he sold to James Mead
sixty acres of land on Otter Creek. He died in 18 13, at the age of seventy-
four; his wife died in the same j'ear.
John Johnson came into the town from Connecticut in April, 1773, and
li\ed where Nahum Johnson now lives, and died there ; he previousl\- settled
where J. M. Dewey now lives, on Otter Creek. Cyrus L. and Nahum are his
sons. The elder John Johnson was a prominent man and held the office of
selectman for several years. Zina Johnson was also a pioneer and located near
West Rutland, on the road to Clarendon Springs. He had sons, Harry, a
lawyer, and Oliver, who died on the homestead before his father's death.
1 One account of his death was as follows : " For a few weeks after the battle of Hubbardton and
before the battle of Bennington, most of the Whigs having fled or taken protection under Burgoyne,
the Tories in this county were entirely lords of the ascendant. Tuttle, who staid here but refused to
take protection, on one occasion being, as was frequently the case, partially intoxicated, met a party
of Indians and Tories, of whom were Solomon Johns and Gustavus Spencer, of Clarendon. An alter-
cation ensued; they threatened him and he, returning the most provoking retorts, daring them to put
their threats into execution, till Johns actually ran him through with his bayonet, killing him on the
spot. The party then tied stones to his body and threw it into Otter Creek below Gookin's Falls.
They then went up to Joseph Keeler's, and told him what they had done, enjoining secrecy during
Johns' life. What had become of Tuttle was not generally -known for several years. After the war
Johns was killed in Canada by the falling of a tree — the manner of his death being considered a Provi-
dential retribution for the murder of Tuttle. When the news of this was received here Keeler pub-
lished the particulars of Tuttle's death."
320 History of Rutland County.
Deacon Wait Chatterton settled in Rutland before 1773 (it has been claimed
as early as 1771, but this is probably an error), locating on the farm recently
occupied by W. H. Johnson. His wife was Susannah Dickinson and they had
seven children, all of whom lived in the town in early years ; but most of the
descendants have disappeared from this region. Wait Chatterton was a prom-
inent citizen, and especially so in the early Congregational Church. His tomb-
stone in the West Rutland burial ground bears as part of the inscription : —
" who after a life of eighty years amid the most eventful interests of the church
and the country, having borne a patriot's toils, discharged the duties of a citi-
zen and enjoyed the hopes and privileges of the Christian, was gathered to his
final rest, April 16, 1837." His wife died in 1832. Wait 2d was also a
prominent man in the community, and lived and died on the homestead ; he
held many town offices. James was another son of Wait ist, and a respected
citizen.
Rev. Benajah Roots was a prominent figure in the Rutland community
from soon after 1 77 1 to the time of his death in March, 1787. He was the first
settled pastor over the Congregational Church, organized in 1773. In the
preface to his first sermon (which was printed) he said he then knew of but one
settled Congregational minister in the whole region of country between Mas-
sachusetts and Canada, and the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers. He came
from Simsbury, Conn., and was a graduate of Princeton College. It is believed
that he engaged to preach for five years, the consideration being the lot of land
reserved for the first settled minister ; though this in reality became his prop-
erty at the time of his installation, by virtue of his accepting the church office.
This lot was situated in the northeast part of the town, and was never of much
value to him ; but he purchased other lands and dealt in real estate to some
considerable e.xtent. The lot on which he subsequently lived, with 1 00 acres
on the opposite side of Otter Creek and 400 acres of wild land, were purchased
by him for ;£'i95 before he came to the town. In February, 1784, he sold to
Samuel Murdock a tract " which is the third division upon the Right of the first
settled Minister, the original grantee, Benajah Roots." There was some dis-
satisfaction in the small congregation after Mr. Roots had preached about five
years, because he asked for more compensation, which led to the employment
for at least a part of the time, of other ministers. In the year 1784 it was
voted by the proprietors, " to levy a tax of two pence on the pound of the
grand list of A. D. 1774, in Order to satisfy Mr. Roots for preaching of late, to
be collected September next." That there was some feeling of antagonism to
the preacher is indicated by the fact that this vote was soon reconsidered and
the tax reduced to one penny. But he officiated more or less in the church
until his death ; was a man of much strength of character and with natural
gifts above the average.
Roswell and William Post were prominent in the town from 1780 to 1 790,
"' •:;ciltly
11,11'
A H 4
Town of Rutland. 321
and settled here among the earliest immigrants; they were probably brothers.
There was also a Jared Post who was a contemporary with the two named and
may have been another brother. Roswell Post was selectman in 1780 and held
the office in several other early years, while William was moderator of most
of the proprietors' meetings down to 1790; and the names both appear fre-
quently in records of land transfers, committees for public duties, and else-
where.
Jonathan Reynolds came to the town at an early day and purchased two
hundred and seventy-five acres of land of James Mead in the Otter Creek val-
ley, the farm, or a portion of it, being now known as the Griggs farm. Mr.
Reynolds was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary Army and was known as a
great hunter and trapper. He died in 1840, when he was one hundred years
old, lacking sixteen days. In the old North Cemetery a stone bears the record
of the death of " Joshua Reynals," who died in 1818 at the age of seventy- five
years. According to the Vermont Historical Alagasine, he lived at the North
(or Merriam's) Mills. We are not aware that the two were relatives. There
was a large number of descendants, who lived on the road from West Rutland
to Sutherland Falls. Morris and Bradley Reynolds live in that vicinity.
Benjamin Capron settled in the town in the early years, and had a family
of ten children ; he located on the turnpike east of the village. Among his
children were Benjamin, jr., who died in August, 1859, and Azor, also de-
ceased. His wife was a daughter of Lemuel Haynes. Laban and Benjamin,
sons of Azor, now live in this town, the former on the homestead. Theron and
William T. Capron are sons of Benjamin, jr., and there are numerous other de-
scendants in the county.
Daniel Greeno settled here before the Revolution, coming from Boston.
He located in the northeastern part of the town where Eugene Thomas now
owns ; his title being defective, he removed to where Amasa Greeno now lives.
He was several times driven from his home during the Revolution, taking
refuge in Bennington. He was at the latter place during the battle and shoul-
dered his gun and fought for freedom ; his wife remained there several weeks
after the battle to aid in caring for the wounded. Mr. Greeno kept a tavern
many years where Amasa now resides ; he had ten children, all of whom lived
to maturity and had families. Of Amasa's children, Amasa A., Benjamin R.,
Betsey L., and Medora V. H. Pond now live in the town. (See biography of
B. R. Greeno in this work).
Amos Hines and Benjamin Farmer, jr., were among the very early settlers
and located, the former on the present Russell Place and the latter near the
Mendon line. Benjamin Farmer, sen., settled near his son when he was eighty
years old, and died there ten years later. Amos Hines died in 1805 at the age
of fifty-seven, and is buried in the old North Cemetery.
Ashbel Cook, who was born May 3, 1741, came to Rutland from Walling-
21
322 History of Rutland County.
ford, Conn., in 1778, bringing with him his family. Of his children Orel Cook
was born soon after his father's removal here, on the 25th of June, 1778. Ash-
bel Cook was a tailor and worked at that trade in Rutland ; he must have been
about the first tailor in the town. It is said that his wife Rachel cooked for
Ethan Allen, Seth Warner and their men for two or three days while they
were preparing for the expedition to Ticonderoga; she would boil two or three
entire sheep at a time for the party. Her name was Rice before her marriage,
and two of her brothers were killed in the Indian massacre at Royalton. She
died in Troy, N. Y., in 1841, at the great age of one hundred years and nine
days. Ashbel Cook died December 16, 1801. Orel Cook, sen., engaged in
the hat manufacture before his marriage and continued to about 1839, keeping
during a portion of the time quite a number of workmen in the business. John
Cook was his fifth child, born in March, 18 19, and learned his father's trade.
In 1839 he went to Troy and carried on the business, returning to Rutland in
1851. From about 1870 he was in trade here, and in 1882 built his block op-
posite tlie Berwick House. Orel Cook, jr., brother of John Cook, became a
prominent man in the community and an estimable physician. He began
practice here about 1845 or 1846 ; was a member of the House of Representa-
tives, and otherwise honored by his fellows. He was born in 18 13, and died
April 8, 1884.
Timothy Boardman came from Middletown, Conn., to Rutland in 1782,
and located on what has always been known as " Boardman Hill," where Sam-
uel Boardman now lives. In the year 1790 he built the house now occupied
by Patrick Kinney. In 1783 he returned to Connecticut, married Mary Ward,
and immediately came back with his bride. During the Revolutionary War
he served in the navy, was captured in the West Indies and kept a prisoner for
six months. He resided on the old homestead until his death, April 3, 1839,
at the age of eighty-six ; he was prominent in the church and was long known
as " Deacon." One of his sons was Elijah, who was also a deacon in the
church for fifty years; he lived on the homestead, and died therein 1S83.
Charles G. is another son, and is deceased.
Joseph Kimball settled early where Ira Hawley now resides. His daugh-
ter Betsey married Abijah Hawley. The farm has always remained in the
family.
Joseph Humphrey came to Rutland in 1783 from Winchester, N. H. He
was employed soon after his arrival by Isaac Chatterton and others in building
operations. About his first employment was on the old jail, on Main street,
now the residence of George E. Lawrence. He purchased sixty acres of land
of John Sutherland in about the year 1790, where R. S. Humphrey recently
lived, for which he paid " £60 lawful money." He died in 185 i. He became
prominent in the very early marble industry at Sutherland Falls. (See account
of Sutherland Falls for other members of the Humphrey famil\- ; also descrip-
tion of the marble industries of the town in later pages).
Town of Rutland. 323
Jabez Ward came from New Marlboro, Mass., in 1784, and settled three
miles north of West Rutland in Whipple Hollow, where Jay Cook now lives.
His sons were Artemas Ward, now living at West Rutland, and eight others,
all deceased but Artemas. The latter was born in 1805 and came to West
Rutland in 1829.
Edward D)-er settled in Rutland in about the )-ear 1789; he was from
Greenwich, R. I. His first wife was Sally Bowman, daughter of Lieutenant
Bowman, of Clarendon, and his second wife was Hannah Hoxie, daughter of
Gideon Hoxie, a Quaker of Chittenden county. Horace H. D3'er, who now
resides a little south of Rutland village, is a son of Edward. It was on Mr.
Dyer's farm that Captain Josiah Hart and a party of Revolutionary soldiers
camped while on their way from Bellows Falls to Ticonderoga. Soon after the
war Mr. Hart visited Rutland, sought out the spring near which the encamp-
ment was made and resolved to settle there, which he did. He was a practical
builder, aided in constructing the first church at Rutland village and other
buildings, and died in 181 1, aged seventy-two years. His grandson, George
W. Hart, lives on the homestead.
We have mentioned Isaac Chatterton ; he settled on a farm now owned by
Colonel Redfield Proctor and recently by German H. Chatterton. Leverett
Chatterton was his son, and was born on the farm in 1789, -and resided on the
place until his death in 1877.
Three brothers named McConnell came to Rutland soon after the Revolu-
tionary War ; their names were John, Samuel and James. They located south
of Rutland village, John on the farm now owned by John C. Doty. He had a
son James, who lived on the homestead until his death in December, 1877.
Samuel died in 1832, aged seventy-two years; and John died in 1839, aged
seventy-seven. They were all respectable farmers, and have descendants now
living in the county. William McConnell, son of one of the three brothers,
lived south of the village, and was a prominent citizen. He died in 1850.
Thomas was brother of James, jr., and died in Rutland.
Jesse Thrall settled in the town in the last decade of the last century,
locating in the west parish in Whipple Hollow. His wife's maiden name was
Mabel Rose. There the venerable Reuben R. Thrall was born December 5,
1795. In 1 8 14 he came to the east part of the town and settled ; he was clerk
in the post-office early in the century, when William D. Smith was postmaster.
Mr. Smith was a lawyer, and Mr. Thrall studied with him, and finally was ad-
mitted to the bar and became Mr. Smith's partner. Although he is now ninety
years old he occasionally does legal business, and is believed to be the oldest
practicing attorney in the world. His wife was Elizabeth Gove, daughter of
Jesse Gove. A daughter of Mr. Thrall married Frederick Chaffee, now of
Rutland, and his son William B. lives in Rutland ; George lives in Denver.
Aaron Thrall died in 1810 at the age of forty-seven ; he lived at the time on
History of Rutland County.
a farm now owned by the Dr. Sheldon estate. Chauncey Thrall settled early
where R. C. Thrall now lives. He was a prominent man — member of the
Legislature, justice, etc., and died in 1844. His son Chauncey died in 1874.
Jonathan G. Thrall, one of the leading farmers of the town, and a man of strong
character, lived one-half mile north of Rutland village, and died in 1852 at the
age of fifty- eight.
Nathaniel Gove was the pioneer of that name in this town and himself and
descendants have filled prominent stations in the community. He was born in
Coventry, Conn., on the 21st of April, 1739, and died in Rutland September
9, 18 1 3. We have but very meagre details of his settlement here, but he came
at an early day; his son, Colonel Jesse Gove, was born in February, 1784, in
Bennington. He early came to Rutland and read law with Cephas Smith, jr.,
and was admitted to the Rutland county bar at the March term of 1818. He
married Sophia Ingersoll in 1809, and in the same )'ear was appointed clerk of
the United States District and Circuit Courts for the district of Vermont, and
held the office until his death. He was appointed postmaster at Rutland in
1841. His military title was gained by his rank of colonel in the militia. He
died April 30, 1842.
Jude Moulthrop came to the town about the year 1792, at which time Na-
than Osgood deeded to him the greater part of the farm now occupied by Mrs.
H. J. Moulthrop ; the northern part of the same farm was deeded to him by
Gideon Tuttle. Jude Moulthrop died December 10, 1800, and left among his
children, Truman Moulthrop, Nathan Moulthrop and a daughter named Laura,
now widow of Daniel Gleason. Truman became a prominent citizen. Tru-
man's third child and first son was Robert Moulthrop, who was born on the
farm now occupied by his heirs, December 8, 1825. Truman Moulthrop held
various town offices and was much respected.
Daniel Graves removed from Whately, Mass., to Rutland county in 1792,
locating first in the town of Ira, where he established a tannery, shoe shop, hat
manufactory and kept a tavern. He-may have lived a few years at West Rut-
land, as we find him in 1796 advertising a " good dwelling, shoemaker's shop,
tan-yard and tan-house, with one acre and forty-seven rods of land situated a
few rods south of the meeting-house. West Parish, Rutland." In any event,
after his death his son George carried on the business until 1832, when he re-
moved to Rutland and built up the tanning business north of the village at
what became known as " Tan-yard Village." This establishment was destroyed
by fire. He also owned a tannery at Chase's Mills, N. Y., in company with
his sons, George and Charles E. He died in 1879 and his sons took control
of the business. George E. Graves now carries on a drug store in Rutland
village.
The eccentric John A. Graham was a resident of Rutland in the last decade
of the last century, and we find him making in 1795 the newspaper announce-
Town of Rutland. 325
ment that his creditors must pay up as he was about to leave the State. He
was the first lawyer located in Rutland and wrote a book of early reminiscences
and memoirs of Vermont men, from which we quote in later pages. He built
his dwelling three stories high, on the corner occupied in later years by Dan-
iels & Bell, Main street, and placed his coat-of-arms on a part of the roof The
heavy tornado of 1789, which unroofed several buildings, moved his house
from its foundation and blew down the coat of-arms.
The Cheney family was a prominent one in the town in early times. Ger-
shom (see extracts from his diary a little further on), Samuel and Abel came
here from Londonderry in 1793 and located on what has been called " Cheney
Hill," north of Rutland village. Abel had six children, one of whom was Ben-
jamin, father of Lyman S., who now lives in the village. Abel lived in Rut-
land only a few years and died in Canada in i860. Gershom became a con-
spicuous figure in pioneer times ; he was an architect and builder of promi-
nence, planned and helped to build the old brick church, and erected many of
the oldest houses in the place, including that recently occupied by Luther
Daniels, and the old Kilburn house next south of the Governor Page residence.
He held most of the town offices, was selectman in 181 2-13 and '14, and made
the grand list after he was eighty years of age. He built tlie first aqueduct
from a spring in the town of Mendon to supply Rutland with water; there was
then no reservoir; he also kept a tavern on his place north of the village for
eleven years. He had no children and died much respected in September,
1855. Gershom Cheney, now living in Rutland village, is a nephew of the
elder Gershom and son of Abel. He was proprietor of the old Franklin House
from 1854 until it was destroyed by fire in 1868.
Eliakim Cheney, belonging to another branch of this name, came to Rut-
land from Dedham, with his brother Abner, before the beginning of the pres-
ent century and located on South Main street. On their land brick were man-
ufactured for many of the early brick buildings in this section. Eliakim had
two sons, Warner and Hiram L. ; they were among the early masons here ;
the former now lives in Troy, and Hiram L. died in 1880; he had also one
daughter, Rosina, now widow of Moses Curtis. George H. and Henry W.,
now in mercantile business in Rutland, are sons of Hiram L. Cheney.
John Ruggles came to Rutland from Pomfret, Conn., in 1794, locating on
what has been called the Ruggles farm, included in which was the site of the
railroad depot. He died in I 83 I, and his farm was inherited by his son, the
late Gershom C. Ruggles, who died in 1885. He was a prominent man in the
community. His oldest son was named John and another was Henry, now of
Boston, and still another, George R., of Aurora, 111.
The Rev. Samuel Williams, LL.D., removed to Rutland in 1788, having
held the professorship of mathematics and natural philosophy in Harvard Uni-
versity. He was born in Waltham, Mass., about 1740. He was during his
326 History of Rutland County.
life here one of the very foremost men of the county ; indeed, of the State.
In 1794 he preached the election sermon, and was chaplain of the Assembly
the same session. (For his connection with the Rutland press see Chapter
XV.) In 1794 he published The Natural and Civil History of Vermont,
which was extended in 1808 ; he was one of the founders of the University of
Vermont. In writing of him John A. Graham said: " He is the most enlight-
ened man in the State, in every branch of philosophy and polite learning."
He died in January, 181 7.
Hon. Samuel Williams was also one of the earliest settlers and most dis-
tinguished residents of Rutland, and one of the few Whigs who remained in
Rutland after the evacuation of Ticonderoga. He was for many years town
clerk and selectman ; represented the town in General Assembly from 1783 to
1794, except 1786, and in 1798-99; councilor from 1795 to 1798; judge of
Rutland County Court from 1790 to 1793 inclusive; chief judge from 1794 to
1799 inclusive, and held this ofifice at the time of his death. He, with the Rev.
Samuel Williams, were the founders of the Rutland Herald, and published it
several years. To him is also to be credited the existence of the Rutland vil-
lage " green," or park, on Main street, most of the funds for its purchase being
contributed by him and he being the first grantee named in the deeds (" To
Samuel Williams and other inhabitants of said town of Rutland.") The tablet
above his remains in the old North Burial Ground bears as a part of the in-
scription : " He was a pillar of church and of state and lived and died the Father
of this Village and the Friend of Mankind. Over the remains of his mortal
part, as a testimony of his virtues, this marble placed by his Masonic brethren,
June 24th, A. L. 5800." He died February 28, 1800.
Levi Long settled in Rutland in 1799, coming from Coventry, Conn., and
locating about three miles northeast from the village. He had seven sons and
one daughter.
Matthias Ames settled on the farm now-occupied by his grandson, Matthias,
in 1785. He was a Revolutionary soldier, from Stockbridge, Mass.
Gad Daniels, from Worthington, Mass., settled in Rutland in 1783, on the
farm now occupied by S. L. Daniels, on the road to West Rutland. His son
Stephen was killed while assisting to build a bridge at Center Rutland in
1835-
John Hall came to Rutland in 1798, when he was but four years old. He
subsequently learned the saddler's trade, and later became a merchant in the
village, with his brother William. Later in his life he gave up trade and re-
tired to his farm in the northern part of the town, where he passed the remainder
of his life. He died in 1868, at the age of seventy-five years. John M.
Hall, now of Rutland, is his son, and the only descendant here. William
Hall was born in November, 1780, and died September 13, 1850. He became
judge of probate and held other positions of trust and responsibility. Henry
Town of Rutland. 327
Hall, now residing in Rutland, and a historical writer of ability, is son of Hon.
William Hall.
Noah Griswold settled in Whipple Hollow in 1 800, where his grandsons
now live. He was the father of Edwin L. Griswold, who lives in West Rut-
land ; the latter has been in the Legislature. Frank Griswold is another son.
James Porter was son of a surgeon of the British army who was in this
country during the Revolution ; he came to Rutland when ten years old to
reside with his uncle, Ezekiel Porter, where he remained until he was eighteen
years old ; he then began the study of medicine and, graduating at the age of
twenty-three, began practice in Rutland, and was prominent in the profession
for more than fifty years ; he was also one of the foremost citizens in all the
affairs of the village. His eldest son, Henry W. Porter, resided at the old
homestead, No. 83 Main street, until his death in 1884; other prominent
representatives of this family were Dr. Cyrus Porter, Dr. James B. Porter and
Dr. Hannibal Porter, and Dr. Charles Porter, of Boston. (See Chapter XVI.)
Among the earliest settlers of Pawlet was Captain Simeon Edgerton, from
Stamford, Conn. He died in 1809 at the age of seventy years, leaving a
widow and twelve children. Jacob Edgerton and two others remained in Paw-
let. Jacob had twelve children, of whom nine lived to maturity, and he died in
1845. ^3ut two of this family are now living. Jacob Edgerton, jr., is still
living in Rutland at the age eighty-five. He has been a prominent citizen in
business and politics; held the office of sheriff" for twenty-two years, and other
positions of honor.
Moses Hale and Stephen Hale were among the early settlers. The latter
located about one and one-half miles east of the village on the turnpike, and
resided there till his death. Franklin S. Hale is his son. Moses Hale was a
prominent man at a very early day and his name appears frequently in the
town records, in land transfers, etc. He was father of Deacon Asa Hale, who
lived at " Tan-yard Village," where he owned a large farm, and of Thomas
Hale, who died in 1812, in middle life. Deacon Asa died in 1843 ^t the age of
eighty-four years, and was a man of prominence in the community.
The foregoing brief sketches embrace the names of a large proportion of
the pioneers who settled in the town previous to the beginning of the present
century. Relative to others of whom less is kno\\;n the reader must content
himself with the briefest memoranda, and such other mention as will appear
in the description of the trade and industries of the town.
Solomon Smith settled in the town early — probably before 1800, and lived
a little east of the village ; he had a son. Deacon John, but his descendants
are all dead. Henry Gould was a prominent citizen in the early years of the
century; was jailor in 1 807, and we find him offering " $50 reward for the ar-
rest of Abner Hayes, the well-known counterfeiter, wlio broke gaol July 2,
1807." Henry was a brother of Nathaniel and died in 1820. Nathaniel
328 History of Rutland County.
Gould kept the old Franklin House in early years, when it was known as
" Gould's Tavern." He was born in Claremount, Vt, September 22, 1786,
and died in Westminster, Vt., March 25, 1853. He had several daughters;
Clarissa married Daniel P. Bell, the early Rutland merchant, and lives in Flor-
ida ; Helen Mary married Elisha Avery, of Detroit ; Priscilla married a Mr.
Elmore, of Peru, N. Y.; Narcissy married Mr. Hawley, of Detroit, and is
dead; Jane married Dr. Cyrus Porter and now lives on the old Porter home-
stead in Rutland.
Jonathan Shaw, born in 1771, died in 1839. His first wife was Mary,
daughter of Obadiah Boss. Dr. Shaw formerly lived in the house now occu-
pied by C. H. Sherman at West Rutland and was a conspicuous man in the
community. He owned a grist-mill at Clarendon Springs at one time, and
died there of a cancer. Moses Lester was a prominent citizen and lived where
Frank Duncklee now owns. He died in 1857 at the age of eighty-seven years.
Captain William Poland was an early settler and died in the town in 18 10 at
the age of seventy-three years ; he has descendants now living in the town,
the wife of Horatio Mead being one of them. Seth Gorham died August 29,
1852, aged ninety years. He was a man of consequence in the town. His
son, Judson Gorham, married Theodocia Thrall. Dr. John A. Mead, of Rut-
land village, is a grandson of Seth Gorham. Lieutenant Samuel Campbell
lived on what was known as " Campbell's Hill," one and one-half miles from
Rutland; he died in 1 8 19, aged eighty-eight years. David Tuttle, who bore
the military title of " Captain," was one of the very early settlers and lived on
the south part of Main street; he died in 1820, aged sixty eight. Robert
Temple, from Braintree, Mass., was born in 1783 and died in 1834; he was
father of Charles Temple and grandfather of Edwin L. Temple, now of Rut-
land ; he was a lawyer, and the family have always been prominent in the com-
munit}- ; Admiral William G. Temple (retired), of Washington, and Robert
Emmett Temple, of New York State, are sons of Robert Temple. Charles
K. Williams came to Rutland in 1790, and died March 9, 1853, aged seventy-
one years ; his wife was Lucy J. Langdon, daughter of Chauncey Langdon,
of Castleton. Mr. Williams was an attorney ; held prominent political of-
fices— ^judge, justice, governor, etc., — and was one of the foremost citizens in
all respects ; Charles K. Williams, now a practicing attorney of Rutland, is his
grandson. (See Chapter XVII.) Jonathan Wells was one of the first settlers
and owned large tracts of land ; the stone that marks his resting place bears
the following inscription : "As a tribute of affection to his memory and respect
for his industry, fidelity, integrity and uprightness, this stone is erected by his
mourning brethren." He died in 18 13. Issacher Reed was conspicuous
among the early settlers, having come here as early as 1794 ; he for a long per-
iod kept the Reed Hotel, a well-known tavern on Main street, which was
burned; the records show that he owned a farm of thirt\'-fi\'e acres on the
Town of Rutland. 329
post road "one and one-half miles from the court-house, well situate where a
tavern has been kept for five years and is now licensed." This announcement
appeared in the Herald ; Mr. Reed also kept a store for a time near West Rut-
land. He died in 1838 at the age of eighty years. Truman Squire Reed,
who died in Wallingford, was a son of Issacher. Hon. Israel Smith was a
leading man in Rutland after about the year 1 79 1, and was the fourth gover-
nor of the State; he held many other important offices, and he died in 1810.
(See history of the Bench and Bar of the County). Dr. James Ross, who has
been sketched in the chapter devoted to the medical profession, died in 1856,
aged forty-five years. Charles E. Ross, now of Rutland, is his son. Deacon
Ezekiel Green, who lived where Ruel Todd now resides, died in 1829; his son,
William Green, succeeded him on that farm and died there ; he had another
son, Enoch, who lived opposite the homestead ; Enoch's son, Hiland E., now
lives on the homestead. Daniel Gleason, 1st, was an early settler and died in
1835 at the age of seventy-three years ; he had sons Charles and Daniel, 2d ;
the latter was a prominent farmer and lived where Caleb Buffum now resides,
south of Rutland village; he died in 1855; his wife was Laura Moulthrop,
sister of Truman Moulthrop. Deacon William Barr was a prominent early
churchman and much respected. He died in 18 1 3 at the age of sixty-four
years ; he was selectman several years beginning with 1785; on his grave-
stone appears the following : " As an officer in the church, highly respected ;
as a neighbor, kind, peaceable and benevolent; as a citizen, firm in the support
of the constitutional rights of his country ; a lover of good men, himself be-
loved by all." Deacon Daniel Ford was another conspicuous church officer of
early years ; he was a farmer and lived at the North Mills; he died in 1829,
aged sixty years. Ozias Fuller was a tanner and lived on Main street, where
Dr. Allen now resides; he died in 1819. Captain Nicholas Goddard was a
well-known character early in this century ; he was a jeweler, his shop being
on the corner of Main and West streets, and was associated there with Captain
Benjamin Lord ; there they manufactured the old-fashioned hall clocks, which to-
day command a higher price than when new. Joseph Allen lived, down to
1858, when he died at the age of ninety-six years, about two miles east of the
village. William Alvord came from Northampton, Mass., at an early day and
died here in Februarj-, 1853, aged eighty-seven years. He was a cabinet-
maker, one of the first in the place, and had a shop on the east side of Main
street where Richard Spaulding is now located ; he was the father of Cephas
and General Benjamin Alvord, former paymaster-general of the army, who
died in Washington in 1884. Dr. Joel Green, who was a partner of Dr. Joel
Porter in 1820, lived where Moses Perkins afterward resided, corner of Main
and Green streets ; Mrs. C. C. Alvord is his daughter and Dunham G. Green
his son. Samuel Merriam was an early settler and a miller at the North Mills,
or " Merriam's Mills," as they were called ; he operated the mills and also had
330 History of Rutland County.
charge of Barrett's distillery at that point; he lived on Cottage street and died
there in 1867. Frequent allusion has been and will hereafter be made to
William Fay, the early publisher of the Herald ; he was a prominent man in
the community for many years. One of his daughters, Mary, became the wife of
Richard Gookin, the manufacturer of Center Rutland ; another married Silas
H. Hodges, and another Horace T. White, then of Rutland ; still another be-
came the wife of Senator Solomon Foot, and the fifth daughter married Al-
bert Robinson, who died in Washington, D. C. A further sketch of Mr. Fay
will be found in the chapter giving a history of the county press. William Page
was born of a family which was prominent in the early history of this State, in
September, 1779. He graduated from Yale College and became a leading
lawyer in Rutland. He was made the first cashier of the Bank of Rutland in
1824, and was otherwise honored by his townsmen. He had a large family of
children ; Hon. John S. Page, of Rutland (lately deceased), was his son (see
biography in later pages), and Mrs. Newton Kellogg, Mrs. Pease, Mrs. J. B.
Hollister and Mrs. William Barnes are daughters ; another daughter, Mrs. S.
D. Winslow, resides in Pittsford. Dr. George Page, of Crown Point, and Eg-
bert Page, who lives in Iowa, are sons. Abner Moon was an early settler and a
tanner one-half mile south of the village, on Moon's Brook; he died in 1836
and has no descendants about here. Joshua Osgood, who died in 1833, was
a prominent farmer and father of Phineas Osgood, who lives on the old home-
stead four miles north of the village. Jonathan Bell was among the first set-
tlers, and died in 1804; he was a prominent man in the early history of the
town, and, according to the inscription on his grave-stone, " was seventeen
years sheriff of the county of Rutland, the duties of which office he discharged
with high reputation to himself and usefulness to the public ; " he has no de-
scendants here now. William Eayres, who died in 1834 at the age of seventy
years, lived where William, his grandson, now resides, in the Greeno neigh-
borhood north of the village ; George N. and James are also grandsons ; the
former is now superintendent of the House of Correction. Cephas Smith was
a prominent man in Rutland early in the century ; we find him in 181 1 offer-
ing for sale " a beautiful situation in the southwest corner of Rutland Green
containing twelve acres, dwelling house, etc.; also in the southwest corner of
the green half an acre of land and a good dwelling-house." The latter was
the Strong place; he died in 1815. Colonel John Ramsdell appears to have
been a prominent man and held the office of selectman several years ; he died
in 1807 and has no descendants hereabouts. Lewis Meacham, also, who died
in 1813, was a respected citizen and father of Hon. James Meacham, of Addi-
son county, and of Lewis Meacham, of New Haven, Vt. Both died in Addi-
son county. Daniel Squier, who died in 1858, at the advanced age of ninet)--
six years, lived near the Osgood place and had a large family. Harwood
Squier, now living on Woodstock avenue, is of this family. Jonathan Dike
Town of Rutland. 331
was a native of Pittsford and lived for many years on the corner of Main and
"Washington streets ; he was a prominent man, held the office of sheriff many
years, and other positions; he died in 1 87 1 at the age of eighty-four years.
Otis Fisher was one of the early butchers of the town and grandfather of
Harrison and Wilson Fisher; he died in 1845. Moses Perkins was an early
settler of the town of Clarendon, and was afterward a farmer on the east side
of Main street in the southern part of the old village. He died in 1858 at the
age of seventy-two years. Henry O. Perkins, of Rutland, is his son, and a
daughter is the wife of Henry Hayward. William Gilmore come from Lon-
donderry with his f-ither and located in the town of Ira before 1800. About
the year 1 8 10 William removed to West Rutland, where he carried on the
farm now occupied by his son, James L. Gilmore. He died in Ira, where he
also owned a farm. Captain William Gilmore, now living in Rutland, is a son
of the elder William, and has been prominent in the business circles of the
town. He was associated with George T. Hodges as a merchant, and in the
firm of Clement, Gilmore & Barnes in the marble business, when it was in its
infancy. He has now retired from most active business. The foregoing
names must suffice to inform the reader of a very large majority of the pio-
neers who devoted their lives to the establishment of homes, and the intro-
duction of early manufacturing operations and mercantile pursuits in the town
of Rutland. Though in many cases the memory, even, of their deeds is lost,
and in others but meagre details of their lives can be gleaned, it is eminently
fit that whatever is known of their coming and going and the part they per-
formed in the up-building of the town should be set down in a permanent
record.
Coming down to a later period the town saw the immigration from various
localities of a class of men, many of whom have left the deep impress of their
life-work on the general, social, and industrial interests of the community ; men
of marked characters, powerful intellect and eminent in moral qualities. A
brief mention of some of these must complete the personal sketches of the
town.
Moses Strong was one of the foremost citizens of Rutland and the present
generation still profits by the results of his energy. He was a son of John
Strong, of Addison county, and was born in Connecticut. He studied for the
legal profession and married in Shoreham for his first wife a daughter of Dan-
iel Smith, in 18 10, about which time he came to Rudand. He lived first where
Charles Ross now resides, and about 1840 removed to what is known as " the
Strong place," on Main street. ^ He held the office of county judge, was fore-
most in the legal profession and a leading citizen. His family consisted of
Moses M. Strong, now living in Wisconsin and seventy-five years old ; John,
1 An architect from tlie East passed through the State at a very early day and made plans for sev-
eral of the largest houses in the village, the Strong house among them.
332 History of Rutland County.
who lives in Washington; George W,, died in 1859;' and four daughters.
He died September 29, 1842. His brother, Samuel Strong, was a conspicu-
ous figure in the battle of Plattsburg, and bore the title of " General ; " he
was of Vergennes. Moses Strong became one of the foremost men of Rutland ;
owned large tracts of land and was very prominent in the early railroad opera-
tions of the State. (See chapter on the Internal Improvements of the County.)
His son, Moses M., was a prominent attorney, and went to Wisconsin where
he now lives and is a prominent citizen.
Robert Pierpoint, who was a resident of Rutland after about the close of
the War of 1812, was a man of eminence in the State. He was born May 4,
1 79 1, at Litchfield, Conn. At seven years of age he went to live with an
uncle in Manchester. He studied law with Governor Richard Skinner, and
though of feeble constitution, was indefatigable in the pursuit of a knowledge
of his chosen profession. In June, 18 12, he was admitted to the bar in Ben-
nington county. Soon after his removal to Rutland he was made deputy col-
lector of the direct ta.x, which duty he suceessfully performed. He was sent
to the Legislature in the years 1819, 1823 and 1857; was a member of the
Constitutional Conventions of 1822 and 1828 ; from 1825 to 1830 inclusive was
a member of the State Council ; was State senator from 1836 to 1S39 inclusive ;
was county clerk from 1820 to 1839; judge of probate 1832-33 ; in 1848 was
elected lieutenant-governor of Vermont ; received the degree of M. A. from
Middlebury College in 1826, and from the University of Vermont in 1838 ; in
1850 he was made judge of the Circuit Court, continuing to 1859. He died in
1864 with honors thick upon him. Evelyn Pierpoint, now a prominent citizen
of Rutland, is his only son.
Charles Burt, who was born at Bellows trails in 1791, came to Rutland in
18 I 3. His father was Leonard Burt, son of Benjamin Burt who died at Bellows
Falls at the age of ninety-four years. Charles Burt was a nephew of William
Fay, the eminent publisher of Rutland village (see history of the County Press),
and engaged in business with him and Mr. Davidson as publishers and book-
sellers. A few years later he formed a partnership with Barnard McConnell
in mercantile business; the firm afterward changed to Burt & Mason (Lester
Mason) and then to Burt & Son (the latter being B. H. Burt) ; this began in
1850 and continued ten years. B. H. Burt continued the business to 1873, and
took in Eugene Sherman ; two years later the latter retired and Mr. Burt
still continues trade alone, and is one of the leading dry goods houses of Rut-
land. Of his children, Charles Fay Burt died in Rutland ; George, in St. Au-
gustine, Florida; James B., is now in Palatka, Florida, and William is in busi-
ness in Chicago ; Henry died in New Orleans ; Helen was the wife first of J.
C. Dexter, the first sherifT of San Francisco, and, second, of General Hall, of
Wallingford, and, third, of Hosea Eddy of that town ; Margaret is the widow
of A. F. Spencer.
I See biography of George W. Strong in later pages of this work.
Town of Rutland. 333
Ebenezer Mussey came to Rutland before 1800 and in that year built the
house on the old Mussey place, which is still standing, a mile south of the vil-
lage, and owned by A. C. Bates. His sons were Harry, Charles, George and
Edward ; the latter the father of W. B. Mussey, a merchant in Rutland ; he
also had two daughters. Edward, who was born in 1798, went to Mendon,
where he kept a tavern until 1850, known as "the old Mussey stand ; " he
subsequently removed to Middlebury, where he kept tavern, and then to the
farm north of Middlebury village now owned by Joseph Battelle ; he died there
in 1878. Besides W. B., he had several sons and three daughters. Harry
Mussey lived and died on the old homestead, had a large family, one daughter
becoming the wife of Gen. Benjamin Alvord, of the U. S. army, and now lives
in W'ashington.
P'rancis Slason, who died in 1884, was born in Stamford, Conn., in March,
1790; he went to Troy, N. Y., in 1804, and nine years later removed to West
Rutland, where he purchased the store of Nathan Bristol and carried on a
mercantile business for forty y;sars. He also became interested in the marble
and other interests, as will hereafter appear; he was a director in the National
Bank of Rutland, from its organization in 1824 to the time of his death; he
lived to the great age of ninety-four years and was one of the foremost citizens
of the town ; his widow and a number of descendants now live in the town.
Luther Daniels came from Keene, N. H., to Rutland in 1814, and became
one of the leading business men and prominent citizens of the village. He first
engaged here as a clerk in the store of Daniel Chipman for three years, when
he returned to Keene and remained until he reached his majority. He then
came back to Rutland and began business in the old Daniels store, which now
forms a part of tlie "Cheney store" on Main street, continuing in trade there
for a period of thirty years and doing the largest business in the place. Daniel
P. Bell was associated with him for a number of years and the firm of Daniels
& Bell was favorably known throughout the county. He was chosen treasu-
rer and president of the Rutland Savings Bank in 1850 and held the office until
1879. He represented the town in the Legislature and in the Senate for four
years, and was foremost in all good works. He died in August, 1885, in the
eighty-seventh year of his age. His first wife was Caroline Bradbury ; she died
in 1837 and in 1844 he married the daughter of Moses Strong and widow of
Rodney C. Royce. Mr. Royce was one of the leading attorneys of the place
and died in 1836, at the age of thirty-six years. A daughter of Mr. Daniels
is the wife of the Rev. Dr. Norman Seaver ; another daughter is unmarried.
Avery Billings came to Rutland in 18 1 8, from Guilford, Vt., and located
on the west side of the creek, where Jesse L. Billings now resides. The place
is a portion of the ministerial lot, and was purchased by Mr. Billings from the
first settled minister. Mr. B. held various offices of honor and trust, and as a
farmer accumulated considerable wealth. He married Marj- Packer, a sister of
334 History of Rutland County.
Rev. Daniel Packer, who was so long and favorably known in the township of
Mount Holly. The Packer family are descendants of the Packers who came ta
this country from England about the year 1651, and settled in Connecticut.
Mary Billings married John Cain, who was a prominent man in Rutland for
many years. Mr. Billings died in 1S60, at the age of seventy-seven, much
lamented.
James Barrett came to Rutland from Concord, Mass., in 18 19, locating in
the village, where he was engaged in mercantile pursuits for a period of about
forty years. He was a prominent man of the town for many years, dying in
1875, in the eighty- third year of his age. When he first came to the village
he occupied the house now owned by E. A. Morse, and subsequently a house
located on the site now occupied by J. B. Harris's residence, and finally the
house corner of Main and Washington streets, in which he resided for a period
of forty years. Mr. Barrett was a descendant of Col. James Barrett, who com-
manded the first regiment raised in Massachusetts, and which contained the
companies who took part in the battles of Concord and Lexington. He was
also one of the Committee of Safety, and also had charge of the collection of
provisions and supplies, for the destruction of which the British troops were
sent to Concord. Of the descendants now living in town there are : the wife
of Evelyn Pierpoint, the wife of Hon. W. C. Dunton, Ellen C. Barrett, un-
married, and Rockwood Barrett, treasurer of the Columbian Marble Company.
Robert Patterson came to Rutland from Montpelier, Vt., in 18 16. He
served in the War of 18 1 2 and was at the battle of Plattsburg. While in the
army he contracted a disease which resulted in paralysis, from the effects of
which he never recovered. He died in 1848, in his si.xty fifth year. He was
the father of six children, three of whom are now living. Robert E. resides
in the town about four miles north of the village.
The Hodges family were of the town of Clarendon, but George T. became
a resident of Rutland in early life. He was the third son of Dr. Silas Hodges,
and born in 1788. He became one of the staunch business men of Rutland
and was called to fill many positions of trust and honor ; he represented the
town in the Assembly and the county in the Senate, several years in each oflice,
and on the death of Hon. James Meacham, member of Congress, in 1856, Mr.
Hodges was chosen to fill the vacancy. He was a director in the old Bank of
Rutland from its organization to his death, and a director and vice-president in
the Rutland and Burlington Railroad Company. He died in August, i860.
Few if any families in the county have greater claims upon the attention of
the annalist than the Sheldons. Medad Sheldon came to Rutland before the
beginning of the present century; his wife was Lucy Bass, of Sharon, Conn.
He built a hotel atXenter Rutland and other buildings, and carried on black-
smithing there. He died July 27, 1846, while on a visit to St. Lawrence
county, N. Y. His eldest son was Lorenzo, born in 1801, died September 5,
i
Town of Rutland. 335
1880. He studied medicine at the Castleton Medical College and graduated
in January, 1820, returning to Rutland to begin practice with Dr. Jonathan
Shaw, with whom he formed a partnership ; one year later Dr. Shaw removed
to Clarendon Springs. Dr. Sheldon removed to St. Lawrence county in 1826,
but remained only two years, when he returned and resumed practice in Rut-
land. Ill 1S35 he became interested with William F. Barnes, and then began
the marble industr}', whicli has since been developed to enormous proportions
by his descendants. Later he was associated with Francis Slason, which con-
tinued until 1865, when he sold out and retired from active business in that
direction. (See biographies of Charles and John A. Sheldon). He continued
to carry on a large real estate business during the remainder of his active life.
He was married in 1823 to Mahala Smith, of West Rutland, a descendant of
tlie pioneer John Smith ; their children were Sophronia, born 1823, died 1872 ;
Darwin Rush, born 1826, died 1834; Charles S., born 1834, died 1835 ; Lucy
Amorette, born 1836, died 1837; Lucy Lorenda, born 1838, widow of Har-
mon Goss, of West Rutland; Harley G., born 1840, lives at West Rutland;
Mary Kate, born 1844, died 1869. The other children of Medad Sheldon
were: Mary Lyman, born 1802, died ; Caroline, born 1804 and de-
ceased; Sophronia, born 1806, deceased ; Lucy Amorette, born 1809, deceased ;
Richard Preston, born 181 1, drowned in Florida; Charles, born 1813, now liv-
ing in Rutland, and the senior member of the great marble firm of Sheldon &
Sons; Henry Aaron, born 1815, deceased; Chandler, born 1820, deceased I
Emily Janette, born 1 82 1, wife of Edward Sheppard, of West Rutland. The
sons of Charles Sheldon, who are associated with him in the marble industry,
are John A., Charles H., Archie L.. and William K. (See history of the mar-
ble industry of the town).
In this connection it is proper to give a brief sketch of William F. Barnes,
who has been mentioned as the partner of Lorenzo Sheldon and the pioneer in
the West Rutland marble business. He was born in Pittsford in 1806. His
parents went West, but he remained here and took up his residence while a
boy with Elijah Boardman, in West Rutland. His younger years, and down
to the time when he was about thirty years old, appear to have been a period
of considerable vicissitude, and developed the remarkable energy, industry and
perseverance that characterized liis after life. In 1836 he discovered the mar-
ble deposit at West Rutland, and was convinced that it was of inestimable
value ; he purchased a tract of hill and swamp lands and began the task of
opening the marble deposit and reclaiming the low lands. A considerable
tract of before worthless land now presents a surface of excellent meadow, and
the Barnes House and another large brick block, erected by him at West Rut-
land, stand upon soil that was made by him. His energy was tireless ; his
perseverance in the face of many difficulties almost phenomenal ; fortunes have
been made from the quarries that he was instrumental in opening, and yet Mr.
2^6 History of Rutland County.
Barnes, although having a considerable estate at one time, did not become
wealthy. He represented Rutland two years in the Legislature and gained the
esteem of his fellow-citizens. He was killed in May, 1871, by a block of mar-
ble which fell in the quarry and struck him on the head, crushing his skull.
(Further reference to his work and life will be found in the chapter devoted to
the marble industry of the county).
Thaddeus Dunklee, from New Hampshire, came to Rutland in 18 12, where
he married Elizabeth Capron, July 29, 1822, by whom he had five children,
Benjamin F., Hiram, Sarah, Samuel and George. But two are now living,
George in Boston, Mass., and Benjamin F. in Rutland. He died in 1859.
Hon. James D. Butler came to Rutland among the pioneers before 1790,
and was one of the early merchants of the village ; his store was situated where
J. M. Haven now lives; he was a partner for a time with T. J. Lyon, and the
firm dissolved in 1796, the business being continued by Mr. Butler. He died
in 1842, aged seventy- seven years. He was father of James Davie Butler, who
was born in Rutland in March, 1815 ; the latter, after proper preparation, en-
tered Middlebury College in 1832 and graduated four years later. In 1840 he
graduated from the Theological Seminary at Andover. In 1842 he started on
a European tour, returning in December, 1843. At different periods down to
1867 he was professor of ancient languages in Norwich University (1845), Pro-
fessor of Greek at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Ind. ; professor of both
Greek and Latin in the University of Wisconsin, and filled several congrega-
tional pulpits. In 1867 hs began another European tour and has been in
Europe twice since. He has also traveled extensively in this country. Pro-
fessor Butler is an able writer in both prose and verse, and has published sev-
eral volumes. He now resides in Madison, Wisconsin.
William Y. Ripley came from Middlebury to Rutland in 1837, locating at
Center Rutland, where he engaged in mercantile business. He soon after
acquired an interest in the marble business, and founded the large industry
now carried on by his sons. (See description of the marble industries of the
town). In 1 86 1 he was elected president of the Rutland County National
Bank, holding the office until his death in September, 1875 ; he was succeeded
by his son William Y. W. Ripley. Fldward H. Ripley, another of his sons, is
a prominent citizen of Rutland village. His daughter, Julia Caroline, is now
the widow of Hon. Seneca M. Dorr and lives at the beautiful residence known
as the " The Maples," just outside of the limits of Rutland village. Mrs. Dorr
evinced literary talent of a high order early in her life. This was developed in
later years until she has gained a reputation throughout the country as a poet-
ess and novelist of the first rank.
David Billings came into Shrewsbur\- from Sunderland, Mass., before 1800.
His son, Benjamin ]5., was born in that town in 1801, and now lives in Mount
Holly. His sons Benjamin, jr., and David C. are in the grocery trade in Rut-
Town of Rutland. 337
land. John S., Franklin, and Lorenzo, the other sons, hve in Mount Holly.
Benjamin came to Rutland in 1856.
Simeon Post came to Rutland before iSooand located about three miles
north of the village. Levi Long lived a half mile from him and was then his
nearest neighbor. Mr. Post died December II, 1841. His son, Alpha A.,
was born in Rutland, and died here April 13, 187 1. James E. Post, now a
manufacturer of sewer pipe in Rutland, is a son of Alpha A. Post.
John Cain, a native of the Isle of Man, came to America in 1832, and soon
after to Rutland; he became prominent here as an architect and builder. His
wife was Mary, daughter of Avery Billings. They had five children, William
J., John, Avery B., Jewett P., and Mary. Mr. Cain was conspicuous in Demo-
cratic politics. He died in Rutland in 1 880. (See biography in later pages
of this work).
The names of many others who have been instrumental in building up the
psosperous manufacturing and mercantile interests of Rutland, or have shone
in professional careers, will appear as we proceed. The long list of names
which we have inserted with brief notes of the personages, although partaking
of the character of mere biographic notes, will yet stand as indicative of the
human elements and powers that have served to develop this town to its pres-
ent position in the front rank of the communities of the State. The pioneers
laid deep the foundations, and their descendants have builded upon them a
structure which is entirely to their credit.
Tozvn Records. — The recorded acts of the pioneers in any locality always
bear a surpassing interest ; and fortunate is the town or county which has pre-
served them from the beginning. This is not the case in the town of Rutland ;
still the existing records extend back nearly to the first organization and pub-
lic proceedings of the proprietors and town ofiicers.
The first proprietors' meeting of which records are in existence was held
on the second Tuesday of October, 1773 ; this must have been one of the
earliest public meetings in the town, for it was but little more than three years
after James Mead made his first settlement. It was at this meeting that a vote
was passed adding Joseph Bowker to the committee to find the center of the
town, as stated a few pages back. It was held in the meeting house, then re-
cently erected on what was long known as " Meeting-house hill " at West Rut-
land. At the same meeting it was " voted that there shall be a proprietors'
Meeting held at the Dwelling House of James Mead in said Rutland on the 3d
Wednesday of November next at 12 o'clock noon."
On this occasion Nathan Tuttle was appointed moderator, and one of the
first votes was " that the Proprietors come to another Division of Land of One
Hundred acres of land to each Right." That they draw for their lots and for
the pine timber land and that each proprietor, after having laid out his lot,
" shall notify the Proprietor next to him by draught, where they have made
History of Rutland County.
their pitch." In that year the soutli Hue of the town was estabhshed. A vote
was also passed " that there shall be a Highway laid through the Town on a
line known by the name of Cockburn's line, lying 3 rods on each side of the
Line and to begin at Joshua Raynals [Reynolds] Line, thence to Continue on
said line till it Meets the south line of the town."
It will readily be understood that the proceedings of those earliest meetings
were generally very brief and on many occasions insignificant in character ;
there were but thirty or forty families in town. As fast as they came their lots
were assigned, they settled down, and for a number of years there was little
public work to be done. This was particularly the case at that period when
the anxieties caused by the prospect of the great struggle for freedom were
uppermost, and during which the homes of the count)' were almost deserted.
At the meeting held in 1775 it was voted " to lay out fifty acres to etch Rite,"
and that " we will begin to lay out by the first Munday of April next ; that
one surveyor shall lay them all out, the drafts of the fifty acres pitches."
Between the years 1775 and about 1780 there was little public business of
importance transacted. Rutland county was not organized (until 1781), the
town being a part of Bennington county, and almost every able-bodied man
was under arms against the tyranny of the mother country. Civil progress
was arrested and the land was filled with the troubled scenes of war. There
was, however, more or less done in transferring lands by the proprietors, who
had secured two hundred and fifty acres to each right, in the several divisions.
While there was heroic pioneer work done in the town anterior and to some
extent during the war of the Revolution, still the real progressive settlement
and growth of the community did not set in until peace took up her gentle
reign throughout the country.
The town officers of 1780, as given in the earliest town meeting records
now existing, were as follows : Town clerk, Joseph Hawley ; town treasurer,
Joseph Bowker ; selectmen, Lieutenant Roswell Post, John Smith, 1st, Lieu-
tenant Moses Hale, Captain Zebulon Mead and Reuben Harmon. These offi-
cers took up the business of the town with commendable energy. Several
highways of more or less consequence had already been laid out and others
were projected. The work of establishing and opening roads has always oc-
cupied a large share of the attention of pioneer officials ; compared with this
feature of the early public work, the remainder was trifling. Roads were al-
most the first necessity ; without them progress was impossible ; with them
neighbors could communicate with each other and reach whatever business
centers existed ; they could transport their household necessities to their homes
and carry away the few surplus products that could be spared ; they could
reach the outer and older parts of the country. In the proceedings of the
meeting of 1 780 one of the first measures adopted was to approve of the action
of the selectmen in laying out roads. A highway described as having been
Town of Rutland. 339
laid out b\' the selectmen in this year was as follows : " A highway 6 Rods
wide in the Easterly part of the town Beginning at a Large Rock Standing near
the Northeast corner of Mr. Reynolds Meadow west of the road, thence north-
erly as the Road now goes from Clarendon to Pittsford, till its comes to where
s'd road crosses East Creek, thence a northerly course continued and upon s'd
road till it comes to the north line of Rutland." This highway was spoken of
in early years as the Great Road.
Another highway was thus described : " A Road in s'd town viz. : Begin-
ning at Dennis Burghe's House, then running easterly on the town line till it
comes to the Great Road, being two rods wiele the town Line being the north
side of s'd Highway."
The records of highways continue through a number of years, from one to
a dozen being opened in each year.
A vote was taken at the meeting of this year on the acceptance of a " bill
from Mr. William Roberts of 2,000 feet of Boards which was Laid in the Meet-
ing-house." Williams Roberts was one of the large land-holders of the town
and bought and sold a large number of tracts, but we do not find his name
among the town officers ; a fact accounted for, perhaps, by his having a pro-
tracted suit with the town officials over the location of a certain highway ; for
several years this contest was a source of much annoyance to the town. In
1 78 1 Benjamin Whipple was empowered to " draw out of the town treasury
money to assist him and those connected with him in carrying on his law suits
against Wm. Roberts concerning a highway now in dispute." Roberts finally
won his action, upon which thirteen of the prominent citizens protested that
they would not pay " costs of court recovered at the Supreme Court," in the
suit. The matter was finally settled in 1785 by Roberts relinquishing thirty-
five pounds of the judgment recovered by him. At the meeting of 1780 an-
other bill was accepted for the necessary charges of Benjamin Whipple, Ros-
well Post and Gershom Beach for " attendance upon A late Convention,"
amounting to " 220 Continental Dollars." It was also "voted that the town
will Build 2 pounds, namely, one Near Coll. Mead's House and the other on
the Hill Near the East Side School-House." " Also made choice of a key-
keeper for each pound, Namely, Coll. James Mead for one and Isaac Cushnian
for the other."
The ne.xt vote that engaged the attention of the meeting furnishes a quaint
comment upon the manner of punishment for small offenders that found favor
with the people of that day. It was " voted that the Selectmen Shall without
Delay Erect Stocks and Whipping Post in some convenient Public Place."
(See Chapter XVII.)
The following list of freeholders of the town appears in the records for
1780, and may be presumed to embrace all or nearly all of the male inhab-
itants of any prominence in the town at that time, as well as some living in
other localities : —
340 History of Rutland County.
Joseph Bowker, William Roberts, Reuben Harmon, Benjamin Whipple,
James Mead, John Smith, Roswell Post, Gershom Beach, James Claghorn,
Zebulon Mead, Silas Pratt, Benjamin Blanchard, John Forbes, Moses Hale,
Daniel Squire, Jonathan Carpenter, Amasa Blanchard, Benjamin Johnson,
Gideon Walker, Thomas Wright, John Smith, 2d, M. Whitney, David Haw-
ley, Benedic Alford, Roswell Post, jr., Jehiel Nordway, Jonas Ives, Benajah
Root, John Sutherland, Ebenezer Andrews, Abner Mead, Ezra Mead, Solo-
man Purdee, Isaac Cushman, Rufus Delano, N. Whipple, Ebenezer Pratt, Asa
Fuller, John Stevens, Nathaniel Blanchard, David Russell, Nathan Pratt, Sam-
uel Williams, Thomas Hall, Gershom Beach, jr., Oliver Harmon, John Moses,
John Johnson, William Post, Joseph Hawley, Henry Strong, Reuben Post,
Zenas Ross, Thomas Lee, Gideon Minor, William Barr, Ichabod Tuttle, Joseph
Lee, Nathaniel Sheldon, Phineas Kingsley, Jeremiah Dewey, Edward Waters,
Phineas Spaulding, Asa Hale, David Whipple, Silas Pratt, jr., Grove Meeker,
Timothy Boardman, Aaron Reed, John Daggett, Israel Harris, Daniel Reed,
Josiah Hall, Soloman Beebe, Nathan Perry, Isaac Chatterton, Henry Mead,
Alexander Beebe, Purchase Brown, Jude Moulthrop, Colburn Preston, Wait
Chatterton, Hugh Barr, Aaron Parmelee, Jonah Moses, John Moses, jr.,
Thomas Moon, Allen Beebe, Christopher Bates, Nathaniel Gove, Reuben
Pitcher, John Hitchcock, Amos Phelps, Ezekiel Beebe, Issacher Reed, John
Austin, Jacob Ratts, Elias Munger, John Ramsdel, Samuel Murdock, John
Claghorn, Joseph Porter, John Cook, Joel Roberts, Jared Watkins, Benajah G.
Roots, Gabriel Cornish, Jabez Ward, John A. Graham, Elias Post, Samuel
Campbell, jr., Ebenezer P. Tuttle, Joseph Clark, Lebeus Johnson, John Ketch-
am, Joshua Pratt, David Strong, Jonathan Reynolds, Frederick Cushman,
Simeon Wright, John Bissel, Elnathan Moses, Joel Post, Miles Baldwin, Clem-
ent Blakesley, Ephraim Cheney, Isaac Jones, Daniel Hawkins, Nathan Os-
good, William Hall, Adam Willis, James Button, Matthew Fowler, Samuel
Prentice.
The annual meeting for 1781 was appointed to be held at the meeting-
house, but was adjourned to the "store house in Fort Rainger " (Ranger).
This was the name of the fort erected at Center Rutland, as before described.
The selectmen were Captain John Smith, ist, Captain John Smith, 2d, Colonel
James Claghorn, John Johnson, and Moses Hale. Joseph Bowker was elected
town treasurer ; John Forbes and Ebenezer Pratt, constables ; Isaac Cushman,
John Johnson and Roswell Post, listers ; John Forbes and Ebenezer Pratt, col-
lectors of rates; Gideon Minor and William Roberts, grand jurors ; Asa Fuller
and Silas Pratt, leather sealers ; William Barr and David Kingsley, " tything-
men " ; Henry Strong and Nehemiah Whipple, " haywards " ; Jeremiah Dewey
and Aaron Miller, " horse branders." These quaint titles indicate that there
were numerous officers deemed necessary in that early day that have safely
been dispensed with since; not onl)' this, such a record is a cheerful comment
Town of Rutland.
upon the political situation in the last century, long before the unseemly scram-
ble for office had begun, and when there were scarcely enough freeholders of
real intelligence in the town to fill the offices, and a man possessed of marked
administrative ability could have at least two offices, if he wanted them.
It was at this meeting of March 17, that "the Articles of Union agreed
upon Between the Committees of the Legislature of the State of Vermont and
the Committee of the Convention of the New Hampshire Grants at Windsor in
February, 1781," were accepted by vote. At the meeting held in June, of
this year, the citizens " proceeded to e.xhibit their accounts as individuals
against the town, which was read before the town and Each one objected
ags't, upon which the town [inhabitants] mutually agreed to Relinquish all
those Demands and Begin Anew in the World — Which was confirmed By
Each Creditor signing a Receipt in full from the town." This was an act prob-
ably without precedent at the time, and that has certainly seldom been repeat-
ed since in any town.
A good deal of attention was paid to religious matters in that year. Rev.
Benajah Roots had, undoubtedly, ceased regular preaching before that time,
and we find that at a meeting held in July it was " voted that Esq'r Bowker
and Mr. Gid'n Minor Shall wait on Mr. Mitchell and thank him for his Labours
for the town the last Sabbath." It was also voted " to apply to Mr. Mitchell
to come to preach among us as soon as his Circumstances will Admit of it."
A tax of one penny on the pound was voted " towards supporting the gospel
among us." To this early and active interest in the spread of religion, coupled
with a no less active interest in the cause of education, how much of the intel-
ligence and morality that pervades all Vermont communities may be attrib-
uted ? One of the meetings of this year was held at the house of John H. John-
son, " inholder in s'd town " ; John Smith, 2d, was made moderator and it was
voted " that Mr. Gid'n Minor, John Johnson and Joseph Bowker, esq., shall
act as a Committee To indeavor to provide a preacher of the gospel for this
town " ; and in December it was " voted to hire the Rev. Mr. Bell to preach
in Rutland one 3d part of the present winter." A wholesome restraint was
placed upon the millers of the town (although, let us hope, it was not neces-
sary), by a vote " that all Millers in this town that takes more Toll than the
law Directs, that the town will assist the authority in prosecuting the same
to effect."
In the land transfers of this year appear the names of David Hawley, David
Parkhill, Asa Edmunds, Daniel Squires, Miles Baldwin, Thomas Lee, Samuel
Beach, Jonathan Carpenter, Samuel Campbell, Eli Brown, Jared Watkins,
Reuben Sackett, and some others, of whom little else now remains of their
memory.
The records describe the town boundaries as follows : " Beginning at the
northwesterly corner of Shrewsbury, thence north 4 deg., east 5^- miles ; thence
342 History of Rutland County.
west 40 deg. north (north 86 deg. west), 7^ miles ; thence south 4 deg. east
5-5- miles to the northwesterly corner of Clarendon ; thence east 4 deg. south
(south 86 deg. east) 6f miles on the line of Clarendon to the first bound."
These boundaries are more definitely described in a later page.
The meeting of 1782 was held at the house of James Mead. The officers
were: Town clerk, Joseph Hawley ; town treasurer, Joseph Bowker ; select-
men, Joseph Bowker, Benjamin Whipple, Roswell Post, James Mead and
Thomas Lee. At the meeting of June 19, it was " voted that Colonel James
Mead shall Repair the old meeting house and Charge the Town for the same."
In November it was " voted that the Selectmen shall go and view and Deter-
mine where the road shall go from the Great Bridge crossing Otter Creek to
Clarendon line leading towards Joseph Smith's." Captain John Smith, ist,
and his son John, with Samuel Williams, were directed to assist in the work.
Some of the highways laid out were not satisfactory to the people ; a fact that
is not strange when the difficulties attending the proper laying out of a high-
way in a wilderness is considered, with the limited facilities then in existence.
As an example of dissatisfaction with a road, it was voted in December of this
year " to not accept a Road Running from the Road by Colonel Mead's to
Benjamin Whipple's Hogpen." If Whipple's hogpen was the real destination
and end of this highway, it is scarcely to be wondered at that it gave dissatis-
faction. The building of bridges over streams in the town was of little less
importance in early times than the opening of roads. The bridge across Otter
Creek near James Mead's we have alluded to ; it was built in 1776. At the
meeting of July 29, 1783, we find that it was voted "to Build 2 bridges across
East Creek, one at or near the fordway near Lieutenant Hale's and the other
Between Jonathan Carpenter's and Mr. Beach's." A tax of one-half penny on
the pound on the list of 1783 "to be paid in labour, grain, beef, pork or
plank," was voted to pay for these bridges. At the annual meeting of this
year the selectmen were made a committee to divide the town into school
districts and it was voted " that the selectmen shall erect stocks near the Meet-
ing House." It was in this year, also, that the inhabitants saw the desirability
of having a better house of worship, and in September a vote was passed " to
Erect a Meeting House Near where the Old Meeting House now stands, as
shall be agreed upon."
A convention was held in 1783 for the consideration of the new county.
There seems to have been a difference of opinion among the various towns as
to the number of towns to be included in the county, and at the meeting of Oc-
tober Rutland refused by vote " to comply with the Resolves of a convention
lately convened on county affairs : Concerning the number of Towns to be in-
cluded in the county." The meeting also voted to " comply with the resolves
of the afore-mentioned Convention concerning the place for the Court House
and Jail." The officers for 1783 were: Town clerk, Joseph Hawley; treas-
Town of Rutland. 343
11 icr, Joseph Bowker ; selectmen, Benjamin Wliipple, Thomas Lee, Jona Car-
penter, John Johnson and Samuel Williams.
For the year 1784 the following officers were elected : Town clerks, Joseph
Hawley and Timothy Boardman ; treasurers, Joseph Bowker and Asa Hale ;
selectmen, Captain Z. Mead, Captain Israel Harris, Ensign John Johnson,
Samuel Williams and i\Ioses Hale. The most important action of the author-
ities this year is indicated by the following in the proceedings of the May
meeting: " Voted that Ensign John Johnson and Mr. Benjamin Blanchard be
Committee to treat with Colonel James Mead with Respect to ground for a
Burying yard and get a Deed of it." This action resulted in the procuring of
the ground now embraced in the old burial lot at Center Rutland, where many
of the fathers and mothers of Rutland sleep — too many of them in unmarked
graves.
It is manifestly impossible for us to follow in detail the action of the town
authorities from year to year ; nor would such a record bear much of real in-
terest, except the settlement of an occasional question or the passage of a
measure of importance. As for example, upon the question of the division of
the town into two parishes (or societies, as they termed it), which came up in
1788. The people of Rutland voted on this subject that " Samuel Campbell
be agent to oppose the Division of the town of Rutland into two societies, be-
fore the General Assembly at the next adjourned session at Bennington, and
John Johnson, Timothy Boardman and Andrew Crocker be a committee to
draw a remonstrance or Petition for the agent to lay before the House of
General Assembly." In spite of this action, however, the town was divided
in October of that year.
The inhabitants had already accumulated considerable live stock and saw
the necessity of so branding animals that the property of the various owners
should not be lost. As early as 1784 we find the following as an e.xample of
so-called " ear-marks," adopted in the towns: John Smith recorded his ear-
mark as " a Half crop the under side the Left Ear."
" Samuel Williams' Ear-Mark is A Crop off from the Left Ear."
"Asa Fuller's Ear-Mark is a half Fenny on the upper side of the left Ear."
" Thomas Hale's Ear-Mark is a Hole in the Right Ear."
" Lieutenant Roswell Post's ear-mark is A Swallows Tail in the Right ear
and a Halfpenny the under side of Left Ear."
" John Johnson's ear-mark is a slit in end of Right Ear and half Penny the
upper side of the same."
Many of the ear-marks stand on the records as simply rude drawings with
the owner's name attached. The necessity for these brands is shown in the great
number of "strays " that are described in the records. As early as 1781 we
find that Lieutenant " Moses Hale of s'd Rutland, took up A Stray Heifer
supposed to be two years old, With A Crop on the Left Ear, the Colour be-
ing a Mixture of Red and White, of which the owner is not known."
344 History of Rutland County.
February 20, 1782, " Found Between Coll. James Mead's and Lieut. John
Sutherland's mills on the Bank of Otter Creek by David Buckland of Neshoba,
a common fox steel trap which was hanging to his Dog's leg of which the
owner is not known." This entry indicates both the honesty of the finder and
the prevailing custom of placing on the town records the various announce-
ments for the public at a time when newspapers were scarce.
In September, 1784, it is stated that there was " taken up by Silas Pratt a
dark Rone Mare about 7 years old. No brand, a starr in her forehead, a dark
mane and Tail a shoe on one fore foot about 14 hand high Trotts and Paces of
which the owner is not known."
The meeting held in June, 1789, was one of considerable importance through
the adoption of one measure intimately connected with the final adjustment of
the land lines in the town. Briefly stated, a preamble was presented at the
meeting setting forth in substance, that on account of the loss of the early
records, it was found impossible to lay out lots so as to do justice to all of the
settlers in the town ; therefore it was resolved that twenty rights or shares of
land be laid out together in the northwest corner of the town, viz.: The orig-
inal rights of Benjamin Melvin, Ephraim Adams, Oliver Colburn, Elijah Mitch-
ell, Thomas Blanchard, Joseph Case, John Hine, John Dandly, Thomas Dain,
Reuben Nimbs, Nathaniel Foster, Nehemiah Houghton, Josiah Willard, jr.,
Abraham Scott, Joseph Hammond, Michael Medcalf, Sampson Willard, Solo-
mon Willard, Prentice Willard, Samuel Wettimore, " being their equal shares
in the town except their rights in the town platts."
It was further voted that fifteen rights be laid out together, viz.: The orig-
inal rights of John Murry, Caleb Johnson, Nathan Stone, Wing Spooner, Joel
Stone, Samuel Stone, jr., Abner Stone, Samuel Stone, Enos Stevens,
Susanna Johnson, Elizabeth Stevens, Joseph Willard and Aaron Willard ; the
boundaries of this tract are as follows: " Beginning at the southeast corner of
the 20 rights, then running south 86 deg. east 856 rods 20 links to or near the
Governor's Lot, then north 4 deg. east, 1013 rods, 18 links, thence north, 86
deg. west, 856 rods 21 links to the northeast corner of the 20 rights, thence
south 4 deg. west, 1013 rods 18 links to the beginning."
It was further voted that five rights or shares be laid out together, viz:
The original rights of Elijah Hinsdell, Samuel Stevens, Joseph Ashley, jr.,
Moses Field and Joseph Ashley, 1 the boundaries of which were as follows :
" Beginning at the northeast corner of the I 5 rights, thence north 4 deg. east,
357 rods 2 links, thence north 86 deg. west, 856 rods 21 links ; thence south,
4 deg. west, 357 rods and 2 links; thence south 86 deg. east, S56 rods 21
links, to the place of beginning."
It was further " voted that Timothy Boardman, William Post, Thomas Lee,
Samuel Campbell and Col. Claghorn be a committee to lay out 200 acres of
1 In the spelling of the names mentioned in these records we follow the writer thereof.
^il^.
Town of Rutland. 345
land, with an addition of 6 acres to each 100 acres for an allowance of
highways, to the original rights of all in the charter of the town of Rutland
whose names are not inserted in the above votes, including all the public
rights, and also to run the outlines of the above 20, 15 and 5 rights and
make proper and legal surveys of all lands so laid out and make a retiu'n of
their doing at the next meeting."
Under this action, there were the three separate divisions made ; the first
one into lots of two hundred acres each ; the second of one hundred and the
third of fifty acres. Hence we find that at a meeting held in 1790 it was voted
that a tax " of one pound be lade on each Right of land belonging to the Pro-
prietors of Rutland, public Rights excepted, to defray the charges that have
arisen for loting [lotting] out two Divisions, the first 200 acres and the 2d 100
acres to each right, and for making a plan of said survey and other incidental
charges." Although the third division to which we have alluded is not men-
tioned in this vote, it was subsequently made. At several of the meetings, be-
ginning in 1790 the proceedings consisted of almost nothing else than the vot-
ing of lands under these divisions, thus conferring or renewing titles. The lots
laid out under this survey are shown on the old parchment map on file in the
town clerk's office at Rutland, and from which a large share of the names are
obliterated. It is probable that the first map was made on paper by Joel Rob-
erts, as in November, 1790, a vote was passed that " Joel Roberts be allowed
one pound ten shillings for assisting in completing the plan of Rutland." Thomas
Rowley made the survey, which was not entirely finished until 1792; for his
service or a part of it (for it seems impossible so small a sum. would have fully
paid him), he was voted one pound, thirteen shillings and six pence In the
same year (1792) Joel Roberts, Asa Hale and Jared Watkins were made " pro-
prietors' agents to take cair of the undivided lands that belong to the pro-
prietors of Rutland, to see that the lumber is not Distroyed or carried away and
to prosecute those who trespass according to law." In the voting of lands to
the proprietors under these divisions, it was almost the invariable rule to vote
the lots to each person where he had already made his settlement. Where the
original settler had died, his heirs were voted the land ; such was the case
with Nathan Tuttle's lot. The undivided lands of the town were ordered laid
out in 1793, Simeon Wright, Nathan Pratt, and William Mead being appointed
to perform the work ; James Mead and Joel Roberts were subsequently added
to the committee, whose instructions were to ascertain how much of the land
remained and apportion it for the best interests of those concerned.
By the year 1794 settlement had so far progressed and stock accumulated
that it was deemed necessary to order that sheep and swine should not be per-
mitted to run at large. Bridges had been built at Sutherland Falls and Reyn-
old's Mill and these were ordered repaired, if needed. One hundred and twenty-
five pounds of powder, three hundred and fifty-four of lead and four hundred
346 History of Rutland County.
and fifty flints were also ordered purchased ; indicating that the vvarHke spirit
engendered by the Revolution was still abroad.
In 1795, among other things, the main road in the east parish was ordered
examined and incumbrances removed ; the inhabitants to be given time to re-
move fences and buildings.
In 1797 the "stage or post road leading from the court-house to Vergennes"
was surveyed.
In 1798 it was "voted that the selectmen agree with Frederick Hill, esq.,
to make an exact copy of the plan of the Town on parchment." This was the
parchment chart now on file in the clerk's office, to which reference has already
been made. Mr. Hill was postmaster of Rutland a number of years.
In 1799 it was " voted that the town and freemen's meetings be held alter-
nately hereafter at the Court- House in the East Parish and at the Meeting-
house in the West Parish." It was also voted that " no Horse, Mule or horse
kind shall be permitted to run at Large on any common land or Publick high-
way for the year ensuing." In the first year of the century the general cause
of harmony was promoted by a vote " that the sum of one hundred dollars be
paid out of the Town Treasury to pay for the encouragement of singing " — a
measure which is, perhaps, unparalleled.
General History. — We need not further trace the records of the various
meetings held in the town for the transaction of public business ; whatever is
noted therein of importance will appear as we progress. Eight years before the
record from which we last quoted was made, the first number of the first news-
paper in Rutland made its appearance. It was issued in the year 1792, and
named the Heralei of Vermont ; or, Rutland Courier. This title was out of all
proportion to the size of the paper. It was published by Anthony Haswell.
This sheet lived but three months ; but on the 8th of December, 1794, the first
number of the Rutland Herald came from the press, and its legitimate successor
is still published in Rutland village. This was an event of more than ordinary
importance in that early period ; the publication of a first newspaper is an
event of more importance in any locality than is often attributed to it, for a
host of reasons into which we need not enter. A full account of this long-lived
journal has been given in the chapter devoted to the press of the county ; but
some mention of its contents in early years cannot fail to interest. A list of
letters advertised in January, 1795, gives the names of Timothy Boardman,
Benjamin Blancherd, Rutland ; Thomas Hammond, Miss Mary Hammond,
Pittsford ; Abel Spencer, Clarendon ; General Isaac Clark, William Wood-
ward, Castleton ; Eber Murray, Orwell ; Bela Farnham, Leicester. Fred. Hill
was postmaster of Rutland.
It was a common occurrence in those days to advertise for runaway boys.
Apprentices were bound out for lengthy periods and their surroundings were
either less happy than those of tradesmen at the present day, or else more at-
Town of Rutland. 347
tention was paid to their breaking their apprenticeship bonds; probably both.
The rewards offered were commonl}' of no account and intended to throw ridicule
upon the offender. For example, in March, 1795, Isaac Hill of Mount Holly,
advertised a runaway boy and offerred "one peck of ashes" for his apprehen-
sion. This is a fair sample of scores of similar announcements. On the 1st
of April there were letters remaining in the Rutland post-office for William
Barnes, Samuel Buell, Matthew Fenton and Phineas Kingsley. William
Barnes lived in the north part of the town where Edgar Davis now lives, and
died in 1865 at the age of seventy-three years, and the man of the same name
for whom the letter was held was his father, who died in 1824, aged seventy-
one.
Phineas Kingsley came here from Beckett, Mass., in 1773 and settled on
the place where the Osgood famil}- noiv reside. In the Revolutionary War
some of his relatives brought their families to Rutland from Sudbury, for
greater safety, and persuaded Mr. Kingsley to take them to Massachusetts.
He afterward returned to Rutland and died here. The late Gershom C. Rug-
gles was a grandson of Mr. Kingsley.
The method of circulating newspapers at that period is shown in the an-
nouncement of Abraham Sprague, made in January, 1796, wherein he stated
that he had engaged to ride from the printing-office in Rutland through Ira,
Castleton, Fairhaven, Westhaven, Benson and Orwell, adding, "he will set out
every MORNING," and carry papers to subscribers. This route was soon after
taken by Oren Kelsey. Simeon Lester was carrying the mail in tliat year from
Rutland to Albany.
Meanwhile the little village (if it can be thus designated), along the main
street of Rutland, was growing and before the beginning of the century had
assumed considerable importance, as will be detailed in the subsequent munici-
pal liistory.
In the year 1802-3 there was considerable danger in this locality from the
approach of small-pox, and the selectmen took action to secure the " innocu-
lation " of the inhabitants. At the meeting of April ist, 1803, it was voted,
in substance, that the selectmen be authorized to license one or more houses,
(under the act to prevent the spreading of the small-pox) " for the purpose of
innoculating persons for the small-pox until the 20th day of April instant, at
which time innoculation shall cease until the first day of September next, when
the said selectmen . . . shall be again authorized to license such house
or houses as they may think proper until the ist day of April next, under such
regulations as they ma)' think necessary and proper," etc.
Major Gershom Cheney, whose settlement here has been described, kept a
diary from the year 1793 to 1828, with some brief intermissions, which is now
in possession of Lyman S. Cheney, of Rutland, and has been kindly loaned us.
While there are few entries bearing sufficient general interest to warrant their
348 History of Rutland County.
publication in these pages, there are still several references to important occur-
rences which, coming down through the years with the stamp of absolute cer-
tainty on their face, are of deep interest to the reader of to-day. The first en-
try in the little book is as follows : " Moved from Londonderry, N. H., to Rut-
land in the spring of 1793." Then follows an interval often years in which
only some private memoranda were made. The winter of 1803-4 is charac-
terized by the writer as "a dredful hard winter," while that of 1811-12 was
" harder than that of 1 803-4. Hay at twenty dollars per ton ; " and the next
winter is noted as "dredful sickley ; the following persons died in Rutland:
Jonathan Wells, esq., died January 18; Esq'r Mathew Fintin [Fenton] and
wife 24th do ; March 1st, Henry Reynolds died ; i8th do.. Mason Hatch died ;
29th, Sally Jane Cheney; 30th, Lewis Meacham ; 31st, Benjamin Cheney
died ; " Daniel McGregor and wife died also in March. This disease which
proved so fatal was a spotted or lung fever.
It will be remembered that in the year 181 i occurred the most disastrous
flood in the history of the county ; it is but barely mentioned in Mr. Cheney's
diary, but it carried away three-fourths, or more, of the mills and bridges in
this town and was even more disastrous in other localities. The freshet oc-
curred in July, and its effects are noted in the town histories of those sections
where it wrought the most havoc. The day of the flood opened bright and
clear; but about nine in the forenoon black clouds arose in the west, and the
rain fell in torrents the greater part of the day. The greatest destruction en-
sued, perhaps, in the towns of Middletown and Tinmouth, to the histories of
which the reader is referred.
On the 2ist of August, 1813, Mr. Cheney noted in his diary that " Benja-
min Cheney got home from the army at Burlington," which shows that the
inhabitants of the county had not forgotten tlieir old spirit of patriotism and
were as ready to relieve their free institutions from oppression as they were in
Revolutionary days to win them, even at the muzzle of the musket. In the
same month Major Cheney, as the diary informs, " left off keeping tavern, after
keeping eleven years." This tavern was located halfway between Rutland
and Pittsford, and was very popular with travelers from Vergennes to Boston.
In the same year appears in the diary the following quaint counsel : " When
you run a nale in your foot put on Beefs gall or burn black greased wool and
steam your foot and bind on the cinders, or put on a poltis of wheat Brand and
Vinegar, sum one of the above will cure your foot."
Under date of December 3d, 1813, is this entry: " At night David Oli-
ver's house was burnt and five of his black children all to a crisp."
Relative to the murder of Joseph Green he wrote under date of February
15, 1814, the "day that Joseph Green was murdered by James Anthony and
found in James Anthony's shop under a pile of wood on the i8th." Two
months later, April 15th, he continues: " James Anthony is condemned to be
Town of Rutland. 349
hung between the hours of i and 3, but he disappointed ten thousand people
by hanging himself in the jail this morning." 1
Returning to Major Cheney's diary we find the following entry: "The Brit-
ish prisoners passed through Rutland between the loth day of March and the
3d day of April, 1815 — about 1,500 in three divisions — they stole all they
could get their hands hold of; tha were from Pittsfield on their wa)- to
Cannada."
Our chief object in making reference to this old diary was the fact of its
containing a vivid and, of course, thoroughly authentic account of the progress
of what is still remembered as "the cold summer" (though the unusual tem-
perature continued through a part of two seasons, 1S16-17). The summer of
1S16 shows the following entries, which tell the story in detail: "This spring
is very cold and backward. 17th of May ; snow on the ground and the ground
is froze hard enough to bear a man. 22d, planted the corn. 4th June ; apple
trees are hardly in full bloom. 5th, warm day. 6th, very cold with snow
squalls which we think this daj' the coldest that we ever knew in June — men
work with their great coats and woolling mittens on. 7th ; this morning ice
as thick as winder glass. 8th ; this day very cold, windy and cloudy. 9th,
this day very cold — eclipts on the moon this evening. loth; this morning ice
+ inch thick, i ith ; cold and very dry, the corn all that is up is cut off by the
frost. 1 2th, the weather is midling warm. 30th ; this morning the frost killed
the corn and beans in low land. July 6th, this day is vary windy and vary
cold. 9th ; this morning the ground is covered with frost, the corn is all killed
on low ground. I saw ice on a leaf in the garden this morning as large as
1 Simeon Ide furnished a sketch of tliis crime for the Vermont Historical Miigazitu; from which
the following is condensed : Mr. Green was a young merchant and early in February Iiad made his
usual preparations to go to Boston for more goods ; the stage on which he was to go started very early
in the morning. He took leave of his family in the previous evening, and with his valise and a consid-
erable sum of money, started to the hotel whence he was to board the stage. From the evidence given
on the trial it appeared that Mr. Green stopped at Anthony's hat shop, and was there killed, stripped
of his clothing and money and his body concealed under a wood pile in the back part of the shop,
llie next day it was discovered that Mr Green had not taken the stage and later it began to be sus-
pected that he had been foully dealt with. It was said that Anthony met Mrs. Green the next morning,
greeted her pleasantly and asked after the health of her husband and children. Excitement prevailed
when it was found that Mr. Green had not gone on the stage, and it is said that Anthony's face showed
evidence of his having had a struggle with some one, which fact probably led to his being suspected
of the crime. James D. Butler asked Anthony how his face became injured, and he replied that he
fell down stairs in the night. Elder McCuller, who was present, was dissatisfied with the explanation,
and ran his cane among the wood in the shop where he felt something soft, and requested the removal
of the wood. This led to the discovery of the body. Anthony was at once arrested. He was found
guilty and hung himself in his cell as stated above. In Mr. Ide's diary he made the following entry : —
" April 14, 1814. This day attended the execution of a dead man ! The assemblage to witness the
execution of James Anthony was unprecedented in this part of the country, the village was literally
filled. I was called out to do military duty on the occasion. About noon we were marched from the
Green to the place of execution (in the meadow), one or two hundred rods northwest of the old origi-
nal framed meeting-house . . . where the gallows was erected and the same exercises performed
that would ha/e been, had not Anthonv hung himself."
350 History of Rutland County.
peas ; corn not half spindled the first day of the month and the driest summer
we ever knew. 22d ; this morning a hard frost, it killed many fields of corn.
Aug. 29th ; this morning the ground was white with frost. October i8th,
this morning the snow is si.x inches deep; the springs not risen any yet. Feb.
14th, this is the coldest day that ever was in Vermont."
Thus ends the record for that year, as far as it relates to the remarkable
character of the weather. It will be seen that crops generally were destroyed,
and that at a period wlien they were greatly needed. The country was suffer-
ing from the expenses of the war and a general scarcity of provisions, and con-
sequently the destruction of the crops caused a double degree of distress. The
frigid temperature e.xtended throughout the Northern States, rendering it im-
possible to look to other favored localities for relief Every person who had
succeeded in raising part of a crop, felt the necessity of keeping it for the next
year's seed ; while others, with that selfishness often developed at such times,
would not spare of their store except at greatly advanced prices. To make
matters worse, during the summer of 18 17 the cold weather continued to an
extent not generally known, except by the very few who can remember so far
back. On the 20th of May, according to the diary of Major Cheney, " the
ground was white with frost. Tlie 28th, this morning a very hard frost. 31st,
this morning the ground is froze, ice as thick as winder glass. June 8th, this
morning a white frost. 17th, this morning a white frost; I saw ice on potatoe
tops." A warmer period now intervened until the latter part of August. On
the 25th is the entry : " This morning a white frost, but not to do damage, the
first since June. October ist and 2d, hard frost, the first that killed the corn.
October 24th, some snow and very cold, the ground froze hard."
There was a good deal of suffering throughout the State ; but probably not
nearly so much as in some regions more affected by unusual cold. The gen-
eral height of the cultivated lands of Vermont were in her favor, and more of
the crops were saved from frost than in many other sections.
A few more entries are found in the old diary of interest to the local reader.
On the 22d of February, 181 8, is this: "At four o'clock this morning John
Fenton's house took fire and he was burnt to death. The house took fire from
ashes that was set in the back room in a tray ; he was 68." On the 24th of
the same month it was considered of sufficient importance for him to chronicle
the fact that " Moses L. Neal this day came to Rutland with 3 loads of goods
from Boston, 12 days gone."
Advancing to December, 18 19, he wrote, "we have had a fine season for
corn as I ever knew ; the summer has been very warm and fine. Pork $5 a
100; beef $4.50 ; corn 50 c. bushel ; wheat $1 at Troy ; cider $1 a barrel at
the press; a hard time for farmers to pay debts." In the same year he records
that "this summer built the new brick meeting-house in part — 300,000 brick.
I have worked the most part of the summer and superintended the building of
Town of Rutland. 351
the brick and timber. Ephraim W. Bisbee took charge of the cornice of the
house and up one tier of timber above the bell — the cost thus far has been
about 7,000 dollars." The church structure progressed and under date of
August 19, 1 82 I, we find this: " Carried on the sled to the new meeting house
6 cherry pillars for the pulpit to stand on"; and September 19 he wrote:
" Dedication of the new brick meeting house to-day ; about 1,000 people."
We conclude our extracts from the diary with the record of June 28,
1825 : " La F"ayette arrived at Whitehall this day ; we heard the cannon very
plane."
But little remains for us to record of the general history of the town down
to the railroad era of 1850, when a period of development began which has
continued to the present day, presenting one of the most remarkable instances
of growth in New F^ngland. The town officials inaugurated such occasional
public measures as the times seemed to demand, and, while there were no
spasmodic periods of advancement, the development of the various agricultural,
mechanical and mercantile interests was steady and healthful.
A proposal came up in the town as early as 1813 for the erection of a pub-
lic school-house " on the Green, so-called, in the East Parish in Rutland " ;
but the selectmen promptly voted it down. In March of the following year
the selectmen were " requested to dispose of such of the town poor as have be-
come an annual charge, at public auction to the best bidder for the interest of
the town." This was in former years the method of providing for the board
and lodging of paupers, a method which seldom worked satisfactorily and has
fortunatel}' gi\-en wa\' to the present more humane provisions for the destitute.
Rutland was one of the first to see the injustice of the former plan, and in
March, 181 5, it was " voted that the selectmen and overseers of the poor for
the town of Rutland be instructed to procure a poor-house in which to keep
and employ the poor of the town." This action was the forerunner of the pur-
chase of the town farm in 1831, at which time it was " voted that $2,000 be
raised by the town, payable in four equal installments of $500 each year there-
after for four years, for the purpose of purchasing or hiring a farm and suitable
buildings for the support of the town poor." The commissioners to carr}' out
this measure were Robert Temple, Francis Slason and George T. Hodges.
In pursuance of this action a farm was acquired by the town, situated just east
of the present West Rutland marble quarries. It is now the propert)' of H. H.
Brown. It contained about i 50 acres and was purchased of Philip Proctor in
March, 1831, for $2,000.
In the year 1838 there was considerable agitation of the subject of making
different arrangements from those then existing for the care of the town poor.
Francis Slason had been for a few years previously overseer of the poor, and
in March, 1838, it was voted in town meeting that the town was willing to
associate with not less than eight other towns, under the act of October 31,
352 History of Rutland County.
1837, — the selectmen to learn what other towns would join in the movement
— and all to submit to this town any arrangement that may be recommended
for the several towns to make in relation to the poor. This agitation of the
matter proved abortive. Francis Slason was at the same time appointed to
take charge of the town farm ; but this action was rescinded in March, 1839,
and the care of the farm remained with the selectmen. In the same year Sam-
uel Griggs and George T. Hodges were appointed to appraise all property and
adjust the accounts of the town farm and make a report, of which 500 copies
were ordered printed. Matters remained stationary until 1841 when a com-
mittee of two, William Y. Ripley and Samuel Griggs, was appointed to con-
sider the expediency of building a new house or repair the old one on the town
farm ; and in the same year a committee consisting of Edward Dyer, Moses
Perkins and Francis Slason was appointed to sell the farm and buy another, if
deemed expedient; this was not done, and in 1842 the overseer was directed
to provide for the poor elsewhere, if it could not be properly done on the farm
then owned.
There were no important changes made in the arrangements for support of
the poor until 1876, when the farm was sold to Lorenzo Sheldon, in January,
for $5,500. The present town farm was purchased the year previous to this
sale, and lies near the southwestern corner of the town. It contains between
400 and 500 acres of land, with appropriate buildings, the whole possessing a
value of about $12,000.
In the year 1884, according to the last published report, there were forty-
seven inmates of the poor-house, the expense of caring for whom was $3,658.37.
In the same year $5,506.82 were expended for the maintenance of outside poor
in the town. The inventory of property on the farm, outside of farm and build-
ings amounts to almost $4,000.
The prosperity of this town, in common with that of other parts of the
county, was somewhat checked during the financial crisis of 1837-38, as fully
detailed in the preceding chapter on the financial interests of the county ; but
this entire State suffered less from this cause than many other regions ; and the
prosperity of Rutland county was too firmly grounded in the thriving agricul-
tural industry, the promising condition of her manufactures, the conservative
and judicious character of her business men generally and the industry and fru-
gality of all her inhabitants, to be permanently or seriously interfered with, by
even so general a crisis as that referred to. General growth and advancement
continued, though slower than many would have been glad to experience, for
want of rapid and adequate transportation in and out of the county previous to
the railroad era. Surplus products had to be transported by teams to White-
hall (after the completion of the Northern Canal in 1823), and mercantile goods
and manufacturers' stock must come in by the same slow and costly route.
But a day was at hand when all this would cease and such a period of develop-
Town of Rutland. 353
ment be inaugurated as few, even of the most sanguine, dared to hope for.
The building of the railroads of the county and the wonderful consequences to
the x-arious communities has been fully described in a preceding chapter on the
internal improvements of the county, and in subsequent municipal history, and
need not again be entered into here. Let it suffice to say that the town of
Rutland at once assumed a degree of commercial importance not surpassed by
that of any other in the State ; especially was this the case with the village of
Rutland. An era of extensive building operations began ; the village grew
phenomenally; manufactures multiplied ; the great marble industry doubled
and redoubled, and the town entered upon a permanent career of thrift and
growth which now distinguishes it among all others in the State.
Following are the present town officers of the town : — Town clerk, Edward
S. Dana ; selectmen, John O'Rourke, George E. Royce, F. D. Proctor, S. W.
Mead, W. C. Landon ; treasurer, H. F. Field ; first constable and collector
A. T. Woodward ; second, P. F. O'Neil ; listers, C. H. Granger, L. Valiquette,
jr., O. D. Young, W. T. Capron, W. C. Landon ; auditors, E. H. Ripley, P.
M. Meldon, G. T. Chaliee ; trustee public money, W. H. B. Owen ; grand
jurors, E. D. Reardon, D. N. Haynes, T. VV. Maloney, T. H. Brown, E. D.
Merrill; fence viewers, J. G. Griggs, H. H. Dyer, Michael Kennedy, Nahum
Johnson, B. W. Marshall, J. W. Lamphier, George C. Underbill, John Raleigh ;
Inspector leather, L. Valiquette ; pound-keepers, G. C. Thrall, A. J. Newton ;
town agent, George E. Lawrence ; superintendent schools, J. J. R. Randall.
THE TOWN OF RUTLAND IN THE WAR OF THE REIIELLION.
To the reader who has perused the chapter in this work devoted to the
military history of the county, as it relates to the Rebellion, little need be
added concerning the part taken in that gigantic contest by this particular
town, aside from the complete list of recruits as given a little further on. The
action of the inhabitants of the town towards aiding in putting down the Re-
bellion was prompt, and when the time came that money and other mater-
ial support of the people was needed to advance the good cause, they were not
backward in supplying it.
The first reference we find in the records of public action relative to en-
listments was made on January 20, 1863, when the selectmen were authorized
to raise money to reimburse G. P. Hannum, David Morgan and John W.
Cramton for bounties theretofore paid to recruits, not to exceed $17,000. In
July of that year it was resolved that " until the 5th of January next, or until
the quota under the recent call for troops is filled, the selectmen are author-
ized to pay recruits not exceeding $500." In November, 1863, it was re-
solved (in substance) that the selectmen be authorized to borrow on the town
credit $65,000, or as much thereof as necessary to pay each man who should
volunteer from the town between that date and January 5, 1864, or had there-
354
History of Rutland County.
tofore volunteered, to make up the last quota, $500 to each resident of Rut-
land and $200 to each non-resident. It was also voted to pay drafted men of
the town under the then late draft, $100. The $200 above noted as to be
paid to non-resident recruits was afterwards raised to $300 and $200 more af-
ter six months of honorable service, or at the time of his discharge, or to be
paid to his heirs if he died in the service. The moneys raised on the town
credit were secured by the issue of town orders bearing six per cent, interest
and payable in annual installments of $10,000 each, beginning in 1868. On
the 21st of September, 1864, it was voted to pay re-enlisted men, who were
credited on the then last call for 500,000 men, the sum of $500.
On the 5th of January, 1865, the selectmen were authorized to issue orders
to the amount of $50,000 to pay the indebtedness incurred in raising volun-
teers since December 19, 1864, and to others who might enlist under the call
for 300,000, payable $5,000 each year from 1867 to 1876 inclusive. This res-
olution was subsequently rescinded and the selectmen authorized to raise $50,-
000 payable in four, six and eight months, with interest.
All other means that seemed desirable for the advancement of enlistments
under the various calls and the consequent avoidance of a draft, were promptly
adopted by the town authorities and energetically carried out by the people.
Mass meetings were held, private subscriptions liberally made and all neces-
sary labor efficiently prosecuted.
The following detailed alphabetical list shows the enlistments in the town
and the organizations which they joined : —
Volunteers for Three Years, Credited Previous to the Call for 300,000 fc/-
nnteers of October 17, 1863. — Emerson Aldrich, co. G, 5th regt. ; Eugene Alex-
ander, 2d battery; Arthur A. Allen, co. C, nth regt. ; Charles Allen, co. D.
7th regt; Henry Ance, co. B, 7th regt.; John Austin, co. D, 7th regt.; Alvin
C. Bailey, Charles H. Bailey, co. B, 2d regt, ; James J. Bailey, co. E, ist s. s. ;
James J. Bailey, co. E, 2d s. s. ; Lemuel J. Balch, co. B, 3d regt. ; John Bal-
lard, CO. G, 5th regt. ; Isaac Barker, co. B, 7th regt. ; James Barrett, co. G,
cav.; Joseph Belair, co. E, 5th regt.; Amasa P. Bigelow, co. I, 7th regt; Eben
Bishop, CO. D, 7th regt; Jesse Bishop, co. G, 5th regt; Smith B. Bishop and
Thomas C. Bixby, co. D, 7th regt ; John Blake, co. B, 7th regt. ; George E.
Blossom, CO. G, 5th regt; David Bover, co. B, 2d regt; Samuel R. Brewer, jr.,
CO. B, 9th regt. ; Hammond L. Brockenraid, co. B, 2d regt. ; Martin V. B.
Bronson, co. F, 1st s. s. ; Gardner E. Brown, co. D, 7th regt. ; George L.
Brown, co. H, cav. ; John A. Brown, co. D, 7th regt. ; Henry B. Brush, co. I,
2d regt ; Samuel T. Buel, q. m. 7th regt ; Michael Burke, co. H, cav. ; John
Burns, co. B, 7th regt. ; Edward Butler, co. I, 7th regt ; James Butterfly, co.
B, 2d regt'; Oliver J. Cain, co. D, 7th regt; William J. Cain, q. m. s., 2d
regt.; Patrick Callaghen, co. H, cav.; Patrick Carney and James Caton, co. F,
6th regt. ; Calvin H. Chapman and George A. Cheney, co. D. 7th regt. ; Lo-
Town of Rutland. 355
renzo Cheney, co. G, 7th regt. ; William S. Cheney, co. H, cav. ; Justus C.
Clark, CO. D, 7th regt.; Joseph A. Clifton, co. B, 2d regt.; John Coffee, co. C,
loth regt; Joseph Collett, co. I, 7th regt; Timothy Collins, 2d battery; Ben-
jamin E. Combs, CO. C, 2d regt. ; James Conlin, co. B, 7th regt. ; Edson A.
Cook, CO. H, cav.; Palmer Coppins, George Fox and George Croft, co. D, 7th
regt.; Frank Currier and Loren Curtis, co. G, 5th regt. ; William W. Cutting,
CO. F, 1st s. s. ; James Daley, co. G, 5th regt. ; Daniel Danforth and William
Devline, co. F, 6th regt.; George Eddy, co. B, 2d regt.; Henry O. Edson, co.
H, cav.; Thornton N. Elliott, co. A, 7th regt.; Albert Falk, co. C, loth regt;
Eugene Felio, co. B, 7th regt. ; Henry C. B. Fillmore, co. D, 7th regt. ; Will-
iam H. Fisher, co. G, 5th regt. ; William H. H. Fisher, co. D, 7th regt. ;
William E. Fitzgerald, co. H, cav. ; Henry S. Foot, co. C, i ith regt. ; Daniel
W. Freeman, co. G, 5th regt. ; Zebulon Garue, co. H, cav. ; George W. L.
Gary, co. B, 2d regt.; Gardner L. Gates, co. G, 5th regt.; Edwin A. Giddings,
CO. F, 1st s. s. ; William Gilman, co. M, iith regt. ; John Glannon, co. G, 5th
regt.; Michael Gleason, ist battery; Frederick Gould, co. I, 7th regt; Joseph
B. Graham, co. B, 9th regt. ; William W. Graham, co. C, 9th regt. ; Dunham
J. Green, co. D, 7th regt. ; Joseph Guertin, co. H, cav. ; James Hagan, co. G,
5th regt. ; Joseph Hagan, co. F, ist s. s. ; Patrick Haggarty, co. K, 3d regt. ;
George R. Hall, 5th c. s. ; Henry C. Hall, co. B, 7th regt. ; George W. Ham-
mond, CO. G, 5th regt. ; Thomas Hartney, co. F, 6th regt. ; Albert Hathorn,
CO. I, 2d regt.; Samuel A. Hathorn, co. D, 7th regt; William H. Hathorn,
2d regt; John Hazelton, co. H, cav.; James H. Hewitt, co. B, 2d regt.; John
A. Hicks, jr., loth, s. m.; Daniel A. Hilliard and Henry Hinckley, co. G, 5th
regt.; James Hinckley, co. B, 2d regt.; Charles H. Hines, co. C, iith regt.;
Edward W. Hines, co. F, ist s. s.; Alonzo D. Hodges, co. B, 2d regt.; George
J. Howard, co. G, 5th regt ; Albert W. Hunt, co. F, 6th regt. ; P""rank T.
Huntoon, co. H, cav. ; Edward F. Jackson, co. F, 1st s. s. ; George Johnson,
CO. I, 7th regt.; Henry Johnson, co. B, 2d regt.; James Johnson, co. D, 7th regt.;
George E. Jones, 7th regt, c. s; William M. Jones, co. H, cav. ; Daniel E_
Kellogg, CO. B, 9th regt. ; John F. Kelley, co. B, 2d regt. ; Patrick Kelley,
2d bat. ; F"rancis Kennedy, co. C, lOth regt. ; John Kennedy, co. K, 2d regt. ;
James W. Keyes, co. C, 9th regt. ; John B. Kilburn, co. D, 7th regt. ; Joseph
W. Kimball, co. G, 5th regt. ; Nelson King, co. C, loth regt. ; Henry W.
Kingsley, loth regt., q. m. s. ; John F. Kirk, co. G, 5th regt. ; George W.
Knight, CO. H, cav. ; Hiram B. Kyser, co. B, 5th regt. ; Wallace E. Ladd, co.
I, 7th regt. ; Patrick Lahany, co. G, 5th regt. ; Joseph Lamb, co. H, Sth regt. ;
Cliauncey R. Lamphere, co. F, 1st s. s. ; Solomon Langle}', co. I, 7th regt. ;
John E. Leonard, co. M, iithregt. ; Nathaniel B. Lewis, co. H, cav. ; Patrick
Lloyd, CO. B, 2d regt. ; Ralph Locklin, co. H, cav. ; Arunah A. Long, co. D,
7th regt.; Peter Lovett, co. M, nth regt.; William W. Madison, co. G, 5th
regt. ; Joseph Makin, co. F, 4th regt. ; John A. Manahan, co. F, ist s. s. ;
356 History of Rutland County.
Abraham Mango, co. B, 2d regt. ; Michael Mannigin, co. F, 6th regt. ; James
R. Martin, co. I, 5th regt. ; James Mason, co. G, 5th regt. ; John McDonough,
CO. A, 7th regt. ; James McGee, co. C, loth regt. ; John McGowan, co. G,
5th regt. ; James McGuire, co. F, 6th regt. ; Neely McHolland, co. B, 2d regt. ;
Thomas Mclntyre, co. I, 7th regt. ; WilHam McKean, co. B, 2d regt. ; Wilham
McKeever, co. F, ist s. s. ; Joseph McLaughlin, co. M, iith regt.; Thomas
McMahan, 2d bat. ; James McMahan, co. F, 6th regt. ; Martin McManus,
Timothy McManus, co. G, Sth regt. ; Charles B. Mead, Eugene C. Mead,
CO. F, 1st s. s. ; George Mead, co. I, 7th regt. ; George S. Mead, co. F, 1st s.
s. ; Edwin S. Metcalf, co. B, 9th regt. ; Henry Miller, co. D, 7th regt. ; John
S. Miller, co. B, 2d regt. ; Henry Moren, co. G, 5th regt. ; Harlan P. Morgan,
CO. H, cav. ; Edmund A. Morse, 7th regt., q. m. ; Franklin E. Morseman, co.
E, 5th regt. ; George W. Mortrom, co. B, 7th regt. ; Michael Mullaney, co. G,
5th regt. ; Oliver P. Murdick, James Murphy, co. D, 7th regt.; Patrick Mur-
ray, CO. F, 1st s. s. ; Michael Murphy, co. B, 7th regt.; Carlos W. Nichols,
CO. C, 7th regt. ; Rufus D. Nims, co. D, 7th regt. ; John O'Brien, 2d bat. ;
James O'Gara, co. G, 6th regt.; Michael O'Gara, co. I, 7th regt.; Thomas
O'Gara, co. B, 7th regt. ; Michael O'Neal, 2d bat. ; David Oney, jr., co. C,
lOth regt. ; Jacob Page, co. B, 2d regt. ; Charles Patnod, Anthony Pelkey,
Gustavus Perkins, Loren Perkins, co. G, 5th regt. ; Leander Pelkey, co. K, 2d
regt. ; Charles Perkins, co. B, 2d regt. : Levi Pierce, William A. Pierce, co. C,
lOth regt. ; Daniel R. Pike, co. L 2d regt. ; Henry Pittan, co. G, 5th regt. ;
Alpha C. Post, James E. Post, John Pratt, co. D, 7th regt. ; Dean W. Reed,
CO. H, cav. ; Edwin F. Reynolds, co. F, 6th regt. ; John Rice, co. D, 7th
regt. ; Joseph Rice, James O'Riley, co. H, cav. ; Edward H. Ripley, co. B, 9th
regt. ; William Y. W. Ripley, 1st s. s. ; Cyrus P. Rising, 7th, h. s. ; William F.
Robbins, co. A, 4th regt. ; George T. Roberts, 7th regt., col. ; Corydon R.
Rowell, CO. D, 7th regt. ; Nelson B. Rugg, co. B, 7th regt. ; Abner E. Sander-
son, CO. H. cav. ; Henry Sanderson, co. B, 7th regt. ; Charles Schafifner, co. C,
loth regt. ; Jonathan B. Sellick, co. C, 7th regt. ; Alfred A. Severance, co. D,
7th regt. ; Life A. Severance, co. F, 6th regt. ; Emmett R. Seward, co. B, 7th
regt. ; John Skiddy, co. K, 2d regt. ; George R. Small, ist bat. ; George W.
Smith, CO. D, 7th regt. ; James C. Smith, 2d regt. ; Lawrence Smith, co. B,
2d regt. ; George H. Snay, co. A, 6th regt. ; Wooster C. Sprague, co. L 2d
regt. ; Daniel W. Squier, co. E, 2d s. s. ; Willard H. Squier, co. E, 2d s. s. ;
John G. Stevens, James A. Stewart, co. H, cav. ; Henry W. Stocker, John F.
Stocker, co. B, 7th regt; Isaiah St. Peter, co. L, nth regt.; George Strong,
CO. I, 7th regt. ; William K. Strong, co. E, 2d s. s. ; Daniel Sullivan, co. B,
9th regt. ; Nelson A. Sumner, co. M, nth regt. ; John W. Thomas, co. F, ist
s. s. ; John W. Thomas, co. F, 9th regt. ; James Thompson, ist bat. ; William
B. Thompson, William B. Thrall, co. D, 7th regt. : Peter Ward, co. G, 5th regt.
Austin J. Ware, co. B, 7th regt ; Charles E. Ware, co. D, 7th regt. ; George W.
Town of Rutland. 357
Ware, co. G, 5th regt. ; Myron C. Warner, co. F, cav. ; Edward A. Weeks, co.
D, 7th regt. ; Luther C. Weeks, co. F, 6th regt. ; James R. Willard, 4th, band ;
Erastus Worthen, co. B, 2d regt. ; Henry M. Worthen, co. H, cav. ; John Wor-
then, CO. B, 2d regt. ; Rodney Worthen, co. D, 7th regt.
Credits Under Call of October \yth, 1863, /w- 300,000 Volunteers and Sub-
sequent Calls — Volunteers for Three Years. — Edrick Adams, co. L, iith regt.;
WiUiam H. Allen, co. C, nth regt; William Allen, 2d battery; John G. Am-
brose, CO. H, cav.; Francis Anthony, 54th Mass.; David Baird, jr., co. B, 7th
regt; Thomas E. Baird, ist battery; George A. Baker, 2d battery ; .Orlando
S. Bishop, CO. H, cav.; Lewis W. Bovia, co. E, nth regt; Aurick S. Brackett,
CO. A, 8th regt; Royal A. Braggs, 54th Mass.; Martin V. Bronson, co. F, 1st
s. s.; Arunah A. Brown, co. C, cav.; Alexander Bruce, ist battery; George P.
Burbee, Peter D. Burbee, William H. H. Burbee, co. G, nth regt.; James
Burns, co. D, loth regt; William Gasman, co. A, 5th regt.; Henry M. Clark,
CO. A, nth regt; Charles Clinton, co. F, 9th regt; Elbridge G. Colburn, co. I,
8th regt; Seymour Conger, co. E, cav.; James Conlin, co. B, 9th regt.; Will-
iam Connors, co. E, 7th regt ; William Covill, co. L 3d regt. ; John Co.x, co. I,
17th regt.; George W. Crosby, co. E, 7th regt.; William H. Day, co. H, cav.;
David H. Dean, co. E, nth regt ; William Deveruin, 13th U. S. I. ; William
Devline, co. F, 6th regt.; Charles Dexter, loth regt.; John W. Dickinson, co.
L, nth regt ; John M. Digman, co. G, cav. ; Michael Donavan, co. H, cav. ;
George Doty, co. E, 2d s. s.; Thomas Downs, co. C, nth regt.; Thomas Drum,
loth regt.; Nelson Ducharme, Peter Ducharme, Xavier Ducharme, co. M, cav.;
David Dunn, co. H, cav.; Henry G. Eldred, 2d s. s.; Joseph Ferguson, co. B,
7th regt.; Aaron G. Firman, co. I, 7th regt. ; Henr\' C. Flanders, co. M, cav.;
Patrick H. F'oster, regt. ar,; John H. Freeman, 54th Mass.; Jesse M. Freeman,
CO. B, nth regt; James French, 3d battery; Frank Fushu, John F"ushu, 2d
battery; John W. Gardner, co. E, nth regt. ; Ricliard Gauthier, co. H, cav. ;
Francis A. Gibbs, co. E, cav. ; Joseph Ginger, co. C, loth regt. ; Horace E.
Goodyear, co. A, 6th regt.; John M. Gookin, co. G, cav.; Edwin H. Hanson,
CO. I, cav. ; George Hart, Nathan E. Hayes, 54th Mass. ; John Hewitt, co. B,
2d regt.; Henry Hinkley, co. \, 7th regt.; Carlos C. Hinkley, co. H, nth
regt. ; Sylvester E. Hodges, co. E, 2d s. s. ; Charles Holleiibeck, loth regt. ;
Charles N. Norton, co. H, 5th regt; James A. Howard, c^v.; Hcman Jackson,
CO. F, loth regt.; Henry P. Jackson, William Jackson, 54th Mass.; William D.
Johnson, William Jones, co. C, cav.; Philip Kerevan, 6th regt.; George King,
CO. K, 7th regt; Lewis King, co. E, nth regt. ; Albert Knight co. H, 5th
regt. ; James Knowles, 7th regt. ; Reno Laclaire, co. P, nth regt ; Wesley J.
Lamphere, Samuel Langley, 7th regt.; Lander S. Langley, 54th Mass.; James
G. Law, Dennis Locklin, loth regt.; Edwin C. Lewis, co. G, 6th regt.; Justin
Longley, 13th U. S. I. ; Sullivan S. Longley, 13th U. S. I. ; Martin A. Lucas,
reg. ar. ; Austin Malley, co. F, 17th reg. ; Patrick Marrion, co. D, 9th reg. ;
358 History of Rutland County.
Julius P. Martin, Russell C. Martin, cav. ; Oliver Martin, 2d battery ; Chaun-
cey Maxham, co. B, 9th regt. ; Almon McClunin, co. A, cav. ; Cornelius
McLane, co. K, cav.; Harvey McDonald, co. C, nth regt.; John E. McGinnis,
CO. B, 9th reg.; John McGuire, Charles Minor, cav.; Andrew H. Mero, Charles
E. W. Mero, 54th Mass.; Joseph L. Minor, co. E, nth regt.; John Morris,
Samuel Morse, lOth regt. ; Peter Murphy, Russell Norton, cav. ; Charles
O'Brien, co. B, 9th regt; Nichols O'Donnell, co. C, nth regt.; William
O'Neil, nth regt.; John Owens, Monroe Partridge, Earned L. Persons,
Alpheus P. Perry, cav. ; Abel Peters, co. C, loth regt. ; Ira Phillips, co. I, 6th
regt. ; Amos E. Porter, 3d battery ; Henry W. Pratt, co. D, cav. ; Sidney
Pratt, CO. H, Sth regt.; Thaddeus R. Preston, co. A, nth regt.; Daniel Prince,
CO. A, Sth regt. ; Luke Quilty, co. E, 7th regt. ; James C. Ouow, 54th Mass. ;
Joseph F. Ray, co. H, nth regt. ; Calvin R. Reed, cav. ; Joseph Rice, co. E,
7th regt. ; John Riley, co. B, 9th regt. ; Levi Russell, 3d battery ; Michael W.
Ryan, 2d battery ; Frank A. Sanborn, 2d s. s. ; George H. Scott, William
Scott, 54th Mass.; Clark W. Smith, cav.; Charles F. Sprague, reg. ar.; Oliver
Sprague, ist battery; George L. Starkey, co. E, nth regt. ; Jeremiah Starr,
13th U. S. I. ; Robert Stewart, cav. ; Andrew St. John, co. A, nth regt;
George F. Storms, 54th Mass. ; Daniel W. Storr, co. A, 6th regt. ; Timothy
Sullivan, co. C, nth regt. ; Charles A. Thompson, cav. ; Nathan C. Thomas,
CO. K, 2d regt ; George Tillotson, 13th U. S. I. ; Calvin Warner, co. C, nth
regt ; Patrick C. Waters, co. G, 5th regt ; John Weeks, 54th Mass. ; William
Wheeler, co. A, 6th regt. ; Erwin T. Whitcomb, Sth regt. ; Cyrus Williams,
John W. Williams, 54th Mass.; George H. Williams, co. D, nth regt.; Leland
J. Williams, loth regt; John Worthen, co. D, 7th regt.
Volunteer for Two Years — Francis Cooney, 5th regt.
Volunteers for One Year — Nye J. Allen, co. K, 7th regt. ; Henry G. An-
thony, CO. C, 6th regt. ; Alexander Austigan, John Baker, 9th regt. ; Marvey
J. Bartlett, nth regt. ; Jesse H. Bates, 2d battery; Thomas Reardon, Warren
L. Bemis, 9th regt ; Benjamin F. Brown, co. H, cav. ; George Brown, co. A,
7th regt. ; John Carroll, co. C, lOth regt ; Anson K. Carr, Co. F, 9th regt. ;
Nathan W. Churchill, cav. ; Francis E. Clark, 9th regt. ; William Dalphy, co.
H, cav.; Peter Dumas, co. K, 6th regt.; Edward C. Durfey, James A. Filmore,
CO. D, 7th regt.; Lucius D. Graves, co. B, 9th regt.; Patrick M. Grover, co. K,
9th regt. ; Allen C. Haven, Frank Haven, 2d battery ; Patrick Kelley, cav. ;
Erastus Laird, Haskill Laird, co. C, nth regt; Joel R. Martin, Wesley E.
Martin, John Muray, jr., Joseph Murray, 9th regt ; Joseph Odett, co. A, 7th
regt.; Alexander Paro, 2d battery; Henry C. Powers, co. L 7th regt.; William
Powers, CO. K, 9th reg.; Thomas G. Rowe, co. C, nth regt.; Chauncey Stan-
ley, CO. K, 9th regt; Edward Stanton, co. C, loth regt; John J. Starks, co. B,
7th reg.; Martin V. Stewart, Warren F. Stewart, co. B, 9th regt; Peter Tatro,
CO. D, nth regt; Edward B. Wells, co. B, 9th regt. ; Elisha O. White, co. C,
I ith regiment.
Town of Rutland. 359
Volunteers Re-enlisted. — Peter Agin, co. E, ~t\\ regt ; Henry Ance, co. B.
7th regt. ; Joseph Ashley, 2d bat. ; George C. Babcock, co. F, 6th regt. ; Al-
vin C. Bailey, co. B, 2d regt. ; Samuel W. Bailey, co. I, 2d regt. ; John Bal-
lard, CO. G, Sth regt. ; Carlos J. Barnes, co. B, 8th regt; Eben Bishop, co. D,
7th regt. ; Jesse Bishop, George E. Blossom, co. G, 5th regt. ; Royal C. Bost-
wick, George L. Brown, co. H, cav. ; Charles H. Bowers, co. I, 7th regt. ;
Gardner E. Brown, Oscar B. Bryant, James B. Burt, Oliver J. Cain, co. D, 7th
regt. ; Patrick Callaghan, co. H, cav. ; Brigham M. Caswell, Calvin H. Chap-
man, CO. D, 7th regt. ; Waldo J. Clark, co. G, cav. ; William O. Cochran, Jo-
seph Collett, cav. ; James Coughlin, co. F, 6th regt. ; George Cox, co. F, 7th
regt. ; James Crowley, 2d bat. ; William Cunningham, co. B, Sth regt. ; Dan-
iel W. Cutler, CO. E, 6th regt. ; Charles A. Dam, co. C, 4th regt. ; Henry M.
M. Dorrance, 7th N. C. S. ; Martin Dwyer, co. H, cav. ; Thomas Eagle, George
M. Elliot, 7th regt. ; Henry W. Fales, 2d bat. ; William R. Farrington, co. K,
2d regt. ; Eugene Felio, co. B, 7th regt. ; Henry G. Fillebrown, co. C, 4th
regt. ; Henry C. B. Fillmore, William H. H. Fisher, co. D, 7th regt. ; Will-
iam H. Fisher, co. G, 5th regt. ; William E. Fitzgerald, co. H, cav. ; Will-
iam H. Flint, 2d bat. ; Samuel J. Gambell, co. K, 2d regt. ; Zebulon Garue,
cav. ; Michael Gleason, co. G, 5th regt. ; Henry C. Hall, co. B, 7th regt. ;
Thomas Hartney, co. F, 6th regt. ; Albert Hathorn, co. I, 2d regt. ; Ed-
ward W. Haynes, co. D, Sth regt. ; Edward Hinkley, cav. ; Michael Hogan,
CO. E, cav. ; Alonzo Hoyt, Henry F. Hudson, George Johnson, James John-
son, 7th regt. ; Joseph W. Kimball, Hiram B. Kyser, Patrick Lahany, John
Lambert, 5th regt. ; Solomon Langley, co. I, 7th regt. ; Duglass P. Loomis,
CO. G, 5th regt. ; Edward McEvoy, co. C, cav. ; William McKean, co. B, 2d
regt. ; Charles S. Monroe, co. G, 5th regt. ; Oliver P. Murdick, co. D, 7th
regt. ; Abner Niles, co. F, Sth regt. ; James O'Gara, co. G, 5th regt. ; Thom-
as O'Gara, Charles Patnod, 7th regt. ; Anthon\- Pelkc)', Loren Perkins, 5th
regt. ; Martin Piel, 2d bat. ; Levi Pierce, John Plath, co, D, 7th regt. ; Henry
Pittan, CO. G, 5th regt. ; Levi Raymond, co. H, 6th regt. ; Michael Reynolds,
John Rice, 7th regt. ; Abraham Rivers, co. G, 5th regt. ; James M. Ross,
cav. ; Henry Sanderson, co. B, 7th regt. ; Willard W. Sawyer, co. \, 8th regt. ;
Alfred A. Severance, co. D, 7th regt. ; Charles T. Sleeper, cav. ; Francis
Snay, co. C, 7th regt. ; Daniel W. Squier, 2d s. s. ; Willard H. Squier, 2d s. s. ;
Charles Stebbins, James A. Stewart, cav. ; Joseph St. Peter, George Strong,
William H. H. Wardwell, Austin J. Ware, Charles E. Ware, 7th regt. ; George
W. Ware, co. G, 5th regt. ; Ira C. Warren, Henry S. Waterman, John S.
Williams, cav. ; Erastus Worthen, co. B, 2d regt. ; Rodney Worthen, co. D,
7th regt.
Enrolled Men who Furnished Substitutes. — B. M. Bailey, Benjamin H. Burt,
H. G. Clarke, A. F. Davis, W. C. Dunton, J. G. Griggs, Lucius A. Morse,
John B. Proctor, J. J. R. Randall.
Naval Credits. — Michael Brassey, William Churchill.
360 History of Rutland County.
Veteran Relief Corps. — William H. Proctor, Henry A. Smith, Edward
Wheeler.
Not Credited by Name, twenty-one men.
Volunteers for Nine Months. — Luzerne Allen, Anthony Austin, co. H,
14th regt. ; Joseph Ayers, co. A, 13th regt. ; Horace Barney, co. K, 12th
regt. ; Ned T. Birdsall, Allen B. Bissell, Jacob M. Bixby, co. K, 12th regt. ;
Thomas Blake, co. A, 13th regt. ; William Botchford, co. H, 14th regt. ; Napo-
leon Bourasso, Joshua H. Bradley, co. K, 12th regt. ; Barney Breslin, co. A,
13th regt ; Abram B. Burnett, William H. Button, Willard Campbell, Henry
L. Capron, co. K, 12th regt. ; Sylvester S. Chase, Peter Cheisen, co. H, 14th
regt.; Henry W. Cheney, Daniel Chittenden, co. K, 12th regt.; Spencer C.
Cheney, co. H, 14th regt. ; Charles Claghorn, co. K, 12th regt. ; Alanda W.
Clark, CO. H, 14th regt. ; Ezra Clark, Martin C. Clark, Sylvester H. Clifford,
Thomas Clifford, co. K, 12th regt. ; John Collins, co. A, 13th regt. ; John Con-
lin, CO. H, 14th regt. ; William Conners, John Constantine, co. K, 1 2th regt. ;
Daniel Conway, co. H. 14th regt. ; Edward Coppins, co. K, 12th regt. ; James
Corey, Patrick Corey, John Crowley, Timothy Cummins, co. A, 13th regt.;
George E. Davis, James H. Davis, William H. Davis, co. K, 12th regt. ; James
Davis, CO. H, 14th regt.; Anthony Donelly, co. A, 13th regt.; Walter C.
Dunton, co. H, 14th regt.; Charles Dyer, co. I, 12th regt.; James H. Dyer,
Melvin C. Edson, co. K, 12th regt. ; John F. Eggleston, Charles W. Ellis, co.
H, 14th regt; John English, Thomas Farrell, co. A, 13th regt; William W.
Felt Albert W. Field, Reuben A. Field, co. K, 12th regt ; Thomas Frainor,
CO. A, 13th regt ; Asa T. Fuller, co. H, 14th regt. ; Peter Garrity, co. A, 13th
regt ; Frederick Gee, Daniel M. Gleason, William H. Gleason, Martin Goslin,
George H. Griggs, co. K, 12th, regt. ; John Gleason, Franklin B. Grooms, co.
H, 14th regt. ; Adolphus Guinnetts, co. A, 13th regt; Charles E. Hale, co. H,
14th, regt. ; James Hardy, co. K, 12th regt ; William E. Harkness, Christo-
pher Hathorn, co. K, 12th regt. ; Lewis H. Hemmenway, co. H, 14th regt. ;
William Hinckley, 14th regt.; Charles F. Huntoon, co. K, 12th regt. ; John
Hurley, Co. H, 14th regt ; Edward C. Jackson, William H. Jackson, co. K,
1 2th regt ; Franklin Johnson, co. H, 14th regt.; Patrick Joyce, co. A, 13th
regt. ; Michael Kennedy, Levi G. Kingsley, co. K, 12th regt. ; Henry P. Kins-
man, Silas Knight, co. H, 14th regt. ; James Knowles, Nicholas Lamb, co. A,
13th regt. ; Walter C. Landon, Harrison H. Lee, Philip Loesel, Milo Lyman,
CO. K, 1 2th regt ; Thomas Lynch, Edward Lyons, co. A, 13th regt. ; Edward
Lysten, John D. Lysten, Joseph G. Mailhoit co. K, 12th regt ; Patrick Mangan,
CO. A, 13th regt. ; Henry C. Martyn, co. H, 14th regt ; Charles Mason, Ly-
man A. McClure, co. K, 12th regt ; David McDevitt, Michael McEnerny, Pat-
rick McEnerny, co. A, 13th regt ; John McGaw, co. H, 14th regt. ; Joseph Mc-
Laughlin, Patrick McMahon, co. A. 13th regt. ; John McManus, co. H, 14th
regt. ; John A. Mead, Justus J. Moore, co. K, i2th regt ; Michael Moylan, co.
Town of Rutland. 361
A, 13th regt. ; George M. Murray, co. H, 14th regt. ; William A. Muzzey, co.
K, 1 2th regt. ; William T. Nichols, col. 14th regt. ; S. Nims, co. H, 14th regt. ;
Michael O'Laughlin, 13th regt; William Oney, Anthony Parker, John H.
Patch, 1 2th regt. ; John Patten, co. A, 13th regt. ; Larnard L. Pearsons, James
Phalon, Charles Plumer, Charles J. Powers, co. C, 12th regt.; Charles W.
Petty, CO. H. 14th regt; Michael Quilty, Isaac Reed, co. A, 13th regt ; George
H. Ray, CO. K, 1 2th regt; Marvin Reynolds, co. H, 14th regt; Thomas E. Reyn-
olds, Charles H. Ripley, Edgar M. Rounds, Ruel Rounds, co. K, I2th regt ;
William Salmon, co. A, 13th regt; Leroy J. Sargent, Robert Shannon, Harley
G. Sheldon, co. H, 15th regt ; Bartholomew Sheridan, John T. Sinnott, co. A.
13th regt ; Michael Sherry, Samuel Sherry, Matthew Slattery, Willard M.
Smith, Theodore Southard, Charles R. Spaulding, Addison W. Spaun, Stephen
G. Staley, co. K, 12th regt. ; Carlos A. Snow, co. H, 14th regt. ; Patrick Sta-
pleton, 13th regt. ; Charles A. Stiles, co. G, 12th regt. ; George A. Stocker,
CO. H, 14th regt ; John Sullivan, co. A, 13th regt. ; Reuben R. Thrall, Ter-
rence TuUy, 13th regt. ; Charles Waterhouse, John Wilson, Parker Winter, co.
K, 1 2th regt ; Stillman C. White, Harvey O. Williams, co. H, 14th regt.
FiirnisJied Under Draft, Paid Commutations. — George W. Allen, Melvin
Barrett, Reuben H. Beals, Warren E. Blanchard, George Button, Laban Cap-
ron, Isaac Chatterton, Ardin E. Day, George Dunklee, George R. Dunn, James
Enright Alfred P. Fuller, Solomon P. Giddings, Spencer Gorham, James H.
Harmon, R. S. Humphrey, Henry M. Huntoon, Lewis T. Lawton, Dennis
Locklin, John McKeogh, John M. Otis, Orrin A. Peck, Clarkson Phillips,
George Pratt, Edward Ryan, Stafford Sawyer, Norman Seaver, George C.
Thrall.
Procured Snbstitutfs. — Rockwood Barrett, Charles Coleman, Edgar Davis,
Horace H. Dyer, Benjamin F. French, Edwin P. Gilson, Henry G. Hunt, Rol-
lin B. Jones, Davis G. Moore, Benjamin F. Mussey, John B. Reynolds, Orvil
L. Slader, Ner P. Simons, G. L. Vance, Samuel Williams.
Entered Scrviee. — James Brooks, John Hopkins, Patrick Hopkins, John N.
Langley, Thomas Mumford, William K. Strong, Hiram York. (See Chapter IX).
RUTLAND POST-OFFICES.
A post-office department was established by the State of Vermont in 1784,
several years previous to her admission into the Union, for the purpose, as
stated, " of promulgating the laws, conveying timely notice to the freemen of
the State of all proprietary proceedings and other matters of importance to the
public, which can in no other way be effected so extensively and attended with
so small expense, as by the appointment of regular posts for the conveying of
the same to the parts of this State. To carry out this design, five post-offices
were established — one in Rutland, one in Bennington, one in Brattleboro, one
in Windsor, and one in Newbury; these were placed under the same regula-
362 History of Rutland County.
tions as those of the general government. Post-riders were allowed two pence
per mile for their labor. Anthony Haswell, then of Bennington, was ap-
pointed postmaster-general. This department existed until the admission of
the State into the Union in 1791, at which time the office in Rutland was in
charge of Frederick Hill, and it was reorganized by the United States author-
ities March 30, 1793, the same postmaster continuing until 1796, when Na-
thaniel Gove was appointed.
The post-office has been located in Rutland village at various periods in
Main street. West street, and Washington street, previous to the erection of
the present United States court-house, in 1854, when it was removed to its
present location. The office became presidential in 1853, when John Cain was
nominated and confirmed as postmaster on the 21st of February of that j-ear.
The list of postmasters here, with the years of their service, is as follows :
Frederick Hill, March 20, 1793, to October i, 1796; Nathaniel Gove, Octo-
ber I, 1796, to October i, 1801 ; David Smith, October i, 1801, to July i,
1804; Samuel Prentiss, July i, 1804, to July i, 1805 ; Thomas Hooker, July
I, 1805, to December 19, 1810; William Douglas Smith, December 19, 1810,
to March 28, 1822; Reuben R. Thrall, March 28, 1822, to June 20, 1829;
Royal H. Waller, June 20, 1829, to March i, 1836; Thomas J. Ormsbee,
March I, 1836, to April 9, 1841 ; Jesse Gove, April 9, 1841, to May 23, 1842;
Jonathan C. Dexter, May 23, 1842, to November 29, 1844; Moses Hawkes,
February 10, 1845, to July 3, 1845 I Jonathan C. Dexter, July 3, 1845, to
February 22, 1849; Charles Burt, February 22, 1849, to May 17, 1853;
Josiah Pratt, May 17, 1853, to October 20, 1853; John Cain, October 20,
1853, to February 7, i860; John Merritt Hall, February 7, i860, to July 14,
i860 ; Isaac McDaniels, July 14, i860, to March 28, 1861 ; Martin G. Everts,
March 28, 1861, to May 4, 1870; John B. Kilburn, May 4, 1870, to April 24,
1874; Albert H. Tuttle, April 24, 1874, to July 16, 1885. Lyman William
Redington was appointed July 16, 1885.
William D. Smith held the office twelve years ; Albert H. Tuttle, eleven
years ; John Cain, seven years, and Martin G. Everts, nine years. There are
only eight persons living who held the office, the oldest of whom is Reuben R.
Thrall.
The post-office at Wist Rutland was established March 30, 1826, when
Rev. Amos Drury was appointed postmaster. The longest term of service at
this office was that of James L. Gilmore, who filled the station twenty-one
years. There have been twelve postmasters, as follows : Amos Drury, March
30, 1826, to June 12, 1829; Horace Green, June 12, 1829, to December 10,
1831 ; Lucius L. Tilden, December 10, 1831, to September 14, 1838; Jona-
than C. Thrall, September 14, 1838, to March 7, 1839; William R. Clement,
March 7, 1839, to February 25, 1842; William W. Slason, February 25, 1842,
to May 24, 1842 ; Asa Perry, July 29, 1842, to May 4, 1849 ; Francis Slason,
Town of Rutland. 363
May 4, 1849, to May 30, 1853 ; Prentiss L. Goss, May 30, 1853, to December
6, 1864; James L. Gilmore, December 6, 1864, to July 16, 1885, when Joseph
E. Leonard was appointed.
The office of Center ./?////«;/(/ was estabhshed May i, 1850, with John B.
Proctor as postmaster. Nine officials have administered the office, of whom
Mrs. Roxana VV. Keyes held the office nineteen years. The office became
presidential in 1882, and ceased to be such in the following year. The fol-
lowing are the names of the postmasters: John S. Proctor, May i, 1850, to
May 18, 1852 ; William H. Liscomb, May 18, 1852, to May 29, 1852, eleven
days only; Peter Dudley, May 29, 1852, to August 29, 1856; George R.
Angier, August 29, 1856, to December 6, 1858; James Lampson, December
6, 1858, to June 20, 1861 ; Seneca M. Dorr, June 20, 1861, to July 9, 1863 !
Roxana W. Keyes, July 9, 1863, to May 25, 1882; Henry C. Harris, May 25,
1882, to May 25, 1885, when Patrick H. Dolan, the present incumbent, was
appointed.
The post-office at Sutherland Falls was established February 9, 1855, with
Thomas J. Ormsbee as postmaster. Eleven different men have held the office
since, the longest term being that of Benjamin F. Taylor, who held it twelve
years. The name of the office was changed to Proctor January 21, 1885.
The following is a list of the postmasters here : Thomas J. Ormsbee, February
9, 1855, to January 13, 1858; Francis A. Fisher, January 13, 1858, to June
17, 1862; James Lytle, June 17, 1862, to December 18, 1863; Henry P.
Roberts, December 18, 1863, to January 12, 1865 ; John B. Reynolds, Janu-
ary 12, 1865, to January 24, 1865 ; Fayette Vaughan, January 24, 1865, to
January 4, 1870; M, C. Turner, January 4, 1870, to August 7, 1871; John
M. Hall, August 7, 1871, to February 7, 1872; Henry C. Hayward, February
7, 1872, to October 10, 1872; Benjamin F. Taylor, October 10, 1872, to May
2"] , 1885, when Henry E. Spencer was appointed.
CHURCHES.
The Congregational Chiireh of Rutland — In preparing a history of the
Congregational Church of Rutland, we cannot better secure the interest of the
reader than by drawing largely upon the sketch of the churches of the town
prepared and delivered by Chauncey K. Williams at the centennial celebration
of the settlement of Vermont in 1 870, and then bringing the history of the
various church organizations down to date. In the minds of the first settlers
of the county, wrote Mr. Williams, and more particularly those of New Eng-
land, although they abhorred the idea of any connection between church and
state, yet, after all, in some respects, the matters of civil and religious polity
were intimately connected. They emigrated mainly for religious motives, or,
as they themselves expresed it, to "carryforward the reformation." It was
manifest to them that religious freedom could not exist without civil liberty,
364 History of Rutland County.
and it was equally manifest to them that civil liberty, or an)' government short
of anarchy, could not exist unless it was founded and formed upon the corner-
stone of religion and religious worship. Hence the first thing done was to lay
the foundation and establish a form of civil government. This done, then they
commenced to make provision for the support of public worship and for the
enjo\'ment of Christian institutions and ordinances. This was also true of Ver-
mont. In Bennington, which is the oldest of our chartered towns, in the rec-
ords of their first proprietors' meeting the first act after the election of officers
was the appointment of a " committe to look out a place to set the meeting-
house." The same is true of the early settlers of Rutland. All through the
early records of the town will be found votes in reference to the employment
of preachers, providing places of public worship, and kindred subjects. To
show the nature of these votes, we give the record of the town meeting of Jan-
uary 4th, 1 78 1 : —
" Voted, That Mr. Gideon Miner, John Johnson and Joseph Bowker, esq.,
act as a committee to endeavor to provide a preacher of the Gospel for this town.
"Voted, That the above committee apply to Mr. Mitchell of Woodbury as
preacher aforesaid.
" A motion being put to know whether it was the minds of the town to
settle a minister as soon as they can find one that they can be agreed on, it
was voted in the affirmative."
The proper ecclesiastical histor\' of Rutland may be said to have begun in
1773, when, on the 20th day of October, the first Congregational Church and
society was formed in Rutland, with fourteen members, namely: Joseph Bow-
ker, Sarah Bowker, William Roberts, Eben Hopkins, Samuel Crippen, Daniel
Hawley, Charles Brewster, Abraham Jackson, John Moses, Enos Ives, Jehiel
Andrews, Sarah Andrews, Annah Ives and Mehitable Andrews.
Over this church was settled the Rev. Benajah Roots. (See sketch of his
life in former pages.)
There were here at that time about thirty families, and he was engaged here
to preach for five years. In consequence of his settlement he also received a
right of land, which by the charter was reserved to the first settled minister.
He remained as pastor of this church until his death, which occurred March
16, 1787, in the sixty-second year of his age. As first constituted, there were
only thirteen members, and there were six additions to it down to 1874-75,
when there was a powerful revival, which brought into the church forty-five
persons. We have not time now to speak of the result of his ministrations,
but must pass to his successor.
Rev. Lemuel Haynes, in his day and generation, was one of the most re-
markable men in Vermont. Fifty years hence it may be, and probably will
be, difficult to apprehend the difficult position in which not only he, but also-
the people of that parish were placed in employing such a clerg\-man to minis-
Town of Rutland. 365
ter unto them. Mr. Haynes was a partially colored man, his father being of
unmingled African extraction, and his mother a white woman of respectable
parentage. His name was that neither of his father or mother, but (probably)
that of the family under whose roof he received his birth. He was born at
West Hartford, Conn., July 18, 1753. When he was five months old he was
carried to Granville, Mass., and bound out as a servant until he was twenty-
one. During a revival he became a professor of religion, and being persuaded
that it was his duty to become a preacher of the Gospel, he commenced the
study of the ministry with Rev. Daniel Farrand, of Canaan, Conn., and on the
29th of November, 1780, he was licensed to preach. On the 9th of Novem-
ber, 1785, he was ordained to preach at Torrington, Conn., the Rev. Daniel
Farrand preaching the sermon. After remaining in Torrington a short time
he took a missionary tour through Vermont, at the request of the Connecticut
Missionary Society. The result of this trip was that he was invited to settle in
West Rutland, where he remained till May, 18 18, when he was dismissed.
From here Mr. Haynes went to Manchester, where he remained three j^ears,
and in February, 1822, removed to Granville, N. Y., where he passed tlie last
eleven years of his life, dying there on the 28th of September, 1833.
He was succeeded by the Rev. Amos Drury, who was born at Pittsford in
1792, and studied theology with the Rev. Josiah Hopkins of New Haven, and
at the Auburn Theological Seminar}-. He was ordained at West Rutland, June
3, 1819, and dismissed in April, 1829. On the 6th of May following (1829)
he was installed pastor of the Congregational Church at Fairhaven, where he
remained until the 26th of April, 1837, when he was dismissed, and June
29. 1837, hs was installed over the Congregational Church at VVesthampton,
Mass.
He was succeeded by the Rev. Lucius Linsey Tilden, who was born in
Cornwall, in 1802, and graduated at Middlebury College in 1823, and after
spending some time in teaching he commenced the study of theology at Ando-
ver Theological Seminary, where he graduated, and was settled over this
church in March, 1830, and dismissed in March, 1839.
He was succeeded by the Rev. Aldace Walker, D. D., who was ordained
and installed on the 30th of December, 1840, and was dismissed in 1862.
Aldace Walker was the son of Leonard Walker, who was born October 5,
1766, and whose lineage can be traced directly back through a line of remark-
able men to Richard Walker, wlio came from England to Massachusetts only
ten years after the landing of the Pilgrims. Leonard Walker lived in Strafford
after he was a little more than thirty years old (1797) and died there in 185 i
at the age of eighty-five. Aldace Walker was the youngest of thirteen chil-
dren, frail in body, but active in mind, and everybody's pet in his youth. In
his thirteenth year he was bound an apprentice to his older brother, Charles,
at the blacksmithing and carriage-making trade in New Ha\-en. Before his
366 HisioRY OF Rutland County.
apprenticeship was finished he was released to begin his preparation for the
ministry ; he began his studies at Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N. H.,
and went from there to Dartmouth College, from which he graduated with
honor, to enter upon his theological studies, first for two years in New Haven,
and finally for a year at Andover. He was called to the Congregational
Church at West Rutland November 26, 1840, and was ordained December 30.
Here he continued in a most successful pastorate until 1862, \\-hen he was dis-
missed at his own request, on account of the breaking down of his health tvvo
years earlier. He removed to Wallingford, where he was over the Congrega-
tional Church there for sixteen years. He died in Rutland July 24, 1878.
Next to Rev. Dr. Aldace Walker came the Rev. Henry M. Grout, a gradu-
ate of Williams College in the class of 1854, who was ordained September i,
1858, and installed on the 26th of August, 1862. He removed to Massachu-
setts in 1867, and was followed by Rev. George L. Gleason, who was ordained
February i, 1S66, and installed at West Rutland October 17, 1867, and dis-
missed on the 22d of March, 1869. There is no pastor installed over the West
Rutland Church at the present time ; but the Rev. B. Fay Mills is preaching
to the congregation. The Sunday-school is held regularly and comprises one
hundred and twenty scholars. H. A. Smith is superintendent. The question
of building a new church in this parish has been agitated for two or three years
and finally culminated in a contract for the erection of a new house of worship,
to be completed for occupancy in the spring of 18S6. The deacons of the
church are R. C. Thrall, H. A. Smith and C. A. Parker.
On the 22d of October, 1787, the town was divided into two parishes by
the following bounds or division line: "Beginning at the center of the north
line of said town, thence parallel with the east and west lines of the town till
it strikes the Otter Creek, thence up the creek as the stream runs to the south
line."
The church in the east parish was established October 5th, 178S, with
thirty- seven members. Rev. Mr. Ball makes a minute, in what is now the first
volume of their church records, that the only record found by him when he
came here (in 1797) was a short note on the back of a confession of faith,
signed by Augustine Hilbred, moderator, giving an account of the establishing
of the church, in which Pittsford, West Rutland and Pouitney with their mem-
bers assisted, and that the church was established " upon the plan of the Con-
vention of the West District of Vermont, which was supposed to be agreeable
to the Gospel." They did not, however, adopt all of the articles of said con-
vention, but made one or two exceptions. During the preaching of Dr. Will-
iams " the half-way covenant," as it was called, was adopted, but was discon-
tinued in 1797, as Dr. Ball says, because " it was supposed to be unwarrantable
and defective."
The pulpit was supplied by different candidates till near the close of the
Town of Rutland. i6-j
year 178S, when Rev. Samuel Williams, LL. D., was employed. He contin-
ued to supply the pulpit until October, 1795, wlien he relinquished preaching,
and was succeeded by Rev. Heman Ball, D. D, Since the death of Dr. Bali
there have' been five pastors — Rev. Charles Walker, Rev. William Mitchell,
Rev. Silas Aiken, D. D., Rev. Norman Sea\'er, D. D., and Rev. James Gibson
Johnson.
Rev. Heman Ball, D. D., son of Charles Ball, was born in Springfield, Mass.,
July 5, 1764, and graduated at Dartmouth College in 1 79 1. He studied theol-
ogy with the Rev. Joseph Lathrop, D. D., of West Springfield, Mass., and was
ordained pastor of the Congregational Church here, February i, 1797, the ser-
mon being preached by Rev. Dr. Lathrop, and remained pastor until his death.
In 1794 he received the honorary degree of A. M. from Yale College, and that
of D. D. from Union College in 18 16, and was one of the trustees of Middle-
bury College from its organization until his death. Several of his sermons were
published, among which was one on the death of Washington, and an election
sermon in 1804. Rev. Dr. Sprague says: " He was highly respected for his
talents and virtues, and exerted an extensive influence in the church." He died
here, December 17th, 1821, and was buried in the West Street Cemeter}-, and
is the only clergyman who has died during his pastorate of this church.
Rev. Charles Walker, D. D., was born in Woodstock, Conn., in 1791. He
studied theology at Andover (Mass.) Theological Seminary, graduating in 1821.
He was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church here, January i, 1823,
and was dismissed March 14, 1833. He was installed over the Congregational
Church in (the east village of) Brattleboro, January I, 1835, and was dismissed
February 1 1, 1846, and on the 27th of December of the same year was installed
over the Congregational Church in Pittsford, and was dismissed December 6,
1864. He received the honorary degree of A. M. from the University of Ver-
mont in iS23,and from Middlebury and Dartmouth Colleges in 1825, and that
of D. D. from the University of Vermont in 1847. He delivered the annual
election sermon before the Legislature of Vermont in 1829, which was pub-
lished, as were also some of his occasional sermons. He died in Binghamton,
November 28, 1870.
Rev. William Mitchell, son of John and Abigail (Waterhouse) Mitchell, was
born at Chester, Conn., December 19, 1793, and graduated at Yale College in
1818. He studied at the Andover Theological Seminary, graduating there in
1 82 1, in the same class with his immediate predecessor. Rev. Dr. Walker, and
was licensed June 5, of the same year, by the Middlesex (Conn.) Association,
and engaged as a home missionary in Northwestern New ^'ork. He was or-
dained October 20, 1824, and was settled over the Congregational Church in
Newton, Conn., from June, 1825, to May, 183 i. He was installed pastor of
the Congregational Church here, March 14, 1833, and dismissed June 2, 1846.
He was acting pastor in Wallingford from August 8, 1847, to March 28, 1852.
368 History of Rutland County.
In the fall of 1852 he became agent of the Vermont Colonization Society, and
served in that capacity three years ; after this he served some two years as
agent of the New York, and then of the New Jersey Colonization Society. In
1858 he removed to the residence of his son, John B. Mitchell, at Corpus
Christi, Te.xas. About a year before his death he organized a Presbyterian
Church at Corpus Christi, and b\- his own exertions secured the funds for a
church building, which was partly erected at the time of his deatii. He died
August I, 1867, of the yellow fe\'er, which also carried oft' two others of his
household.
On the 2ist of April, 1847, Rev. Henry Hurlburt was unanimously given
a call to become pastor of the church. In pursuance of this call Mr. Hurlburt
came to Rutland and preached some time, but on the 2d day of October, 1848,
he informed them that owing to the condition of his health, he must decline the
call. He, however, remained here and occupied the pulpit some weeks longer.
Rev. Silas Aiken, D.D., son of Phineas and Elizabeth (Patterson) Aiken,
was born at Bedford, N. H., May 14, 1799. and graduated at Dartmouth Col-
lege in 1825 with the highest honors of his class, being valedictorian. He
studied theology with Rev. Bennett Tyler, D. D., and Professor Howe, and
was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in Amherst, N. H., March
4, 1829, and was dismissed March 5, 1837, having accepted a call to Park
Street Church, Boston. He was installed over that church March 22, 1837^
and resigned his pastorate and was dismissed in July, 1848. March 28, 1849,
he was installed over the Congregational Church here, Rev. Benjamin Larabee,
D. D., president of Middlebury College, preaching the sermon, and was dis-
missed at his own request, July i, 1863, from which time until his death he
remained in Rutland without a charge. He had been at different times chap-
lain of the Massachusetts Senate, trustee of Dartmouth College, member of the
prudential committee of the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign
Missions, director of the Prison Discipline Society, etc. He received the hon-
orary degree of Doctor of Divinit}' from the University of Vermont in 1852.
He died here April 14, 1869.
Rev. Norman Seaver, D.D., son of Norman and Anna Maria (Bigelow) Sea-
ver, was born in Boston, Mass., April 23, 1834, and was graduated at Williams
College in 1854. He studied theology at the Andover Theological Seminary,
graduating there in i860. He was ordained here as colleague pastor with Rev.
Dr. Aiken, August 29, r86o. On the resignation of Dr. Aiken, July i, 1863,
he became sole pastor, and was dismissed in September, 1868, at his own re-
quest. December 30, 1868, he was installed pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church (Henry street), Brooklyn, N. Y., where he remained seven years. He
then accepted the pastorate of the Fourth Presbyterian Church, Syracuse, N.
Y., where he remained until the spring of 1885, when he resigned and is now
pastor in one of the prominent churcnes in St. Paul, Minn. He received the
honorar)' degree of D.D. from Middlebury College in 1866.
Town of Rutland. 369
Rev. James Gibson Johnson, sixth pastor, was born in Providence, R. I.
He prepared for college at Washington, D. C, and entering Union College at
Schenectady, N. Y., graduated there in the class of 1863. He studied theology
at the Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey, and graduated in 1866.
He was ordained at Newburyport, Mass., December 27, 1866, and was settled
over the Second Presbyterian Church in that city, where he remained until
October i, 1868, when he resigned. Immediately after his resignation he em-
barked on a tour through Europe and the East, and was absent about a year.
Returning October 7, 1869, he took up his residence in New York city, where
he continued to reside until his acceptance of the call, April I, 1 870, to the
pastorate of the Congregational Church in Rutland, and was installed April 21,
where he remained until the fall of 1885. The church is at the present writing
without a pastor.
In 1788 a petition was presented to the Legislature of Vermont from a
part of the inhabitants of Rutland and Pittsford, being in what is known as
" Whipple Hollow," asking for the establishing of a parish by the name of
" Orange Parish." The petition was referred to a committee, and on their re-
port the request was refused. They, however, organized themselves into a
parish, built a meeting-housfe and employed the Rev. Abraham Carpenter as
their pastor, who remained with them until his death. He was what was called
" a strict Congregationalist," and in 1773 or 1774 was settled according to the
rules of that denomination in Plainfield, N. H., without any action on the part
of the town, in March, 1779. The town voted to accept him as the minister of
the town, and by this action he received the right of land belonging to the first
settled minister, consisting of three hundred and sixty acres, and worth prob-
ably about the same number of dollars. He continued to preach there eight or
ten years longer, preaching in his own kitchen, in pri\-ate houses or in the open
air, until he was dismissed and came to this town. He remained connected
with the "Orange Parish" until his death, which occurred in September, 1797.
The first house of worship for this society was erected on the west side of
what was long known as " Meeting-house Hill " at Center Rutland, and was
used until 1787. When the parish was divided the East Parish had thirty-six
members whose names were as follows : Reuben Harmon, Eunice Harmon,
Mary Cushman, Charles Cushman, Abner Lewis, Oliver Harmon, William Post,
John Andrews, Benjamin Risley, Mrs. Claghorn, Chaziah Post, Azubah Lewis,
Eunice Risley, Sarah Cook, Mary Andrews, Jehial Andrews, Silas Wyllys,
Roswell Post, Moses Sargent, Israel Harris, William Barr, William Barnes,
Issachar Reed, Thomas Hale, Samuel Williams, Miles Baldwin, Eben. Andrews,
Sarah Andrews, Mary Barr, Anna Baldwin, Thankful Himes, Mabel Andrews,
Rachel Cook, Sarah Harris, Sarah Sargent, Mrs. Wyllys. Subsequently the
West Parish erected an edifice opposite the present old brick church. The
East Parish has erected three churches — the first being a framed building sit-
370 History of Rutland County.
uated on the southeast corner of the old Main street burial ground ; the second
was on the east side of the same street on the site occupied by the late resi-
dence of George A. Merrill. This church was built by Gershom Cheney in
1 8 19 and cost about $10,000; it was occupied until i860, when the present
brick church on Court street was erected at a cost, including the chapel, of a
little more than $54,000.
The present membership of the society is 670 ; the entire number of mem-
bers received into the church since its organization is 1,311; membership of
Sabbath-school, 502. The church officers areas follows; Deacons, John B.
Page, Henry F. Field, Rockwood Barrett, John A. Sheldon and Sidney W.
Curtis. Clerk, G. K. Montgomery ; treasurer, Frank W. Garry. Sabbath-
school superintendent, Henry F. Field ; first assistant, D. K. Hall ; second
assistant, G. K. Montgomery.
Baptist Churches. — The Baptist Church, in Rutland, was organized in 1823,
with Rev. Hadley Proctor as the first settled minister, commencing his labors in
1827, and remaining here seven years, until 1834. He was born at Marblehead,
Mass., in 1794, was converted when seventeen years of age, and became a mem-
ber of the Baptist Church at Newton, Mass. He was licensed by that church
" almost immediately thereafter to preach." He commenced the study of the-
ology with Rev. Dr. Chaplin and removed with him to Waterville, and grad-
uated in 1823, in the second graduating class of that institution. From Wa-
terville he went to China, Maine, and was ordained over the Baptist Church in
that place in 1823, and remained there until he came to Rutland. From here
he went to Brandon, and was the preceptor of the seminary until 1836, when
he again ^became pastor of the church here. In 1837 h<^ ^"^^ again called to
the Baptist Church in China, and remained with that people until his death,
April 12, 1S42.
In 1834 and 1835 Rev. Samuel Eastman was pastor of the church.
After the second removal of Mr. Proctor, Rev. Arus Haynes was called to
succeed him, and was ordained pastor of the church in the fall of 1S37, and
dismissed in 1840. He was born in Middletown, in this county, in August^
18 1 2, and graduated at Brown University in 1837. In 1842 he was settled
over the Baptist Church in Jersey City, N. J., and remained there until 1848,
when he became pastor of the church in East Brooklyn, N, Y. In 185 1 he
made a journey to Europe in hopes of restoring his lost health, but not suc-
ceeding, he returned to this country, and in 1852 resigned his pastorate. In
the winter of that year he went to Key West, Florida, and died March 31,
1853, while on his return home.
The next pastor was the Rev. Joseph M. Rockwood, who was ordained and
settled February 9, 1842, and dismissed in September, 1849. He was born at
Bellingham, Mass., in 18 18, and graduated at Dartmouth College in 1837,
studied theology at the seminary in Waterville, Me., and at the Newton The-
ological Seminary.
Town of Rutland. 371
He was succeeded by Rev. Lelaiid Howard, who was settled in 1852, and
dissolved the pastoral relation in i860. He was born at Jamaica, Vt., October
13. '793. and was baptized in Shaftsbiir)-, by Rev. Isaiah Mattison, when
about seventeen years of age, and from that time commenced to preach. In
1814 he commenced the study of theology with Rev. Joshua Bradley, of Wind-
sor, and closed his studies with Rev. James M. Winchell, of Boston. He was
ordained November 16, 18 17, at Windsor, in this State, and settled as pastor of
the Baptist Church in that town, and remained until 1823, when he became pas-
tor of the First Baptist Church in Troy, N. Y. In 1828 he returned to Windsor
and remained until 1833, when he was installed over the First Baptist Church
of Brooklyn ; he left there in 1837, and preached a year in Meriden, Conn., and
in 1839 was settled in Newport, R. I., and in 1840, at Norwich, N. Y. From
1 843 to 1 847 he was pastor of the Fifth Street Baptist Church in Troy, and
from there, in 1847, he went to Hartford, N. Y., where he remained until he
came to Rutland. In addition to his regular pastorate here, he, from time to
time, supplied the pulpit in the absence of a regular pastor. He was chaplain
of the House of Representatives of Vermont in 1 83 I, and of the Senate in
1861. He died May 5, 1870.
The next pastor was the ■ Rev. Francis Smith, who commenced liis labors
on the first Sunday of May, i860, and preached his farewell sermon July 27th,
1862. He was born at South Reading, Mass., July 12, 181 2, and graduated
at Brown University in 1837, and pursued his theological studies at Newton
Theological Seminary, graduating there in 1 840. He came to Rutland from
Providence, R. I., and after closing his labors he returned to that place.
Rev. Mr. Smith was succeeded by Rev. J. C. Fernald, of Cambridge, Mass.
He was ordained to the ministry here, March 23, 1864, and became pastor
of the church. He remained but a short time.
Rev. Orlando Cunningham supplied the pulpit from November, 1865, to
August 5, 1868. He was born in Rockingham, Vt., January 31, 1814, and
after studying theology with different clergymen, was ordained at Princeton,
Mass., in November, 1841, and was settled over tiie Baptist Church in that place,
and remained there until 1843, when he went to Sterling, in the same State,
and was pastor of the Baptist Church until 1850. In 1850 he was settled at
Middlefield, Mass., and remained until 1855, when he received and accepted a
call to the Baptist Church in Lebanon, Conn. In 1865, on account of a failure
of his eyesight, he resigned his pastorate and came to Vermont to recuperate.
During the summer and a portion of the fall of that year, and until he came to
Rutland, he supplied the pulpit of the Baptist Church in Bellows Falls.
Mr. Cunningham was succeeded by Rev. Edward Mills, who commenced
his labors as pastor of this church November i, 1868. Rev. Edward Mills was
born in Rochdale, England, June 30, 1828, and came to the United States in
January, I 83 I, studied theology with his pastor, Rev. Henry F. Lane, of Law-
372 History of Rutland County.
rence, Mass., and was licensed to preach by the First Church of Lawrence, May
I, i860, and was ordained pastor of the church at Hermon, N. Y., June 20,
1 86 1. He resigned July 9, 1862, and immediately became pastor of the church
of Adams Center, N. Y., where he remained until May i, 1865, when he was
settled at Westminster, Mass. From here he removed to West Troy, N. Y.,
and remained pastor of the Baptist Church in that place until his settlement
over the Baptist Church in Rutland.
On the 1st of May, 1875, the Rev. Judson K. Richardson became pastor
of the church, and was succeeded by the Rev. Charles A. Reese in 1883 (Sep-
tember i), who is at the present time officiating for the societ)'. The present
membership is 390, and that of the Sabbath-school 415.
Tlie first church building was erected on Main street, on the lot a part of
which is now occupied by the parsonage. This building was used until I 87 1,
when on the i8th of Jul)' the corner-stone of the present handsome brick edi-
fice was laid on Center street, and on the evening of February i, 1872, the
new house was opened with appropriate services. Its cost was about $42,000.
The present church officers are John Murray, Luther Angler, Eri W. Horner,
Benjamin W. Marshall, Dennison M. White, deacons; D. M. White, J. E. Til-
son and Thomas J. L\'ons, trustees; R. R. Kinsman, clerk; J. E. Tilson, Sun-
day-school superintendent.
The Baptist Church at West Rutland was organized in June, 1884. The
first pastor was H. C. Leavitt, who died in January, 1885, and was succeeded
by the present pastor, Rev. A. N. Woodrufif. The church edifice was built
during the year 1884, and cost about three thousand dollars. The church
membership is thirty-nine, and that of the Sunday-school sixty. The deacons
are James Hazelton, Albert Fish. L. T. Barber is superintendent of the Sun-
day-school.
■ Methodist Churches. — When the preaching of the Methodist faith in this
vicinity first began we have been unable to learn, but it was early in the cen-
tury, as old residents remember services held in the school- house and private
houses more than sixty years ago. The First Methodist Church organization
was effected at Center Rutland in I S3 I, with a membership of fift\'-two, and
probably the first pastor stationed there was Rev. F. W. Smith, who officiated
in 1834 and 1835. It is probable that the church was erected there not many
years later — the building now occupied by Mr. Harris as a store. Mr. Will-
iams was able to gather the following names and approximate dates of their
service at Center Rutland : 1838, William F. Barnes ; 1 84 1 , E. Hall ; 1 842, M.
Townshend, Thomas Hunt; 1843, William Griffin, William H. Hull; 1844,
William Griffin ; 1846-47, H. Warner, jr. ; 1S48-49, A. Lyon ; 1850, C. Bar-
ber; 1852, William Ford. In 1854 the churches in Rutland and Center Rut-
land, were united.
On the I Jill day of March, 1853, James L. Slason and William A. Burnett
Town of Rutland. 373
were appointed a committee to make arrangements for Methodist preaching
at the East Village during the year. They immediately took steps to employ
a preacher, and to procure a place for holding meetings, and strange as it may
seem now, they were refused the court-house, although it had been before, and
was then and for some time thereafter, used by other religious societies. The
result of their arrangements may be seen from the following " Notice," which
was left at every house in the village : —
" Providence permitting, there will be Methodist preaching at the Railroad
Depot in this Village, next Sunday afternoon at 5 o'clock, by Rev. John Par-
ker, of the M. E. Church. Yourself and family — all are invited to attend.
Per order of the Official Board.
"William A. Burnett, Secretary.
" Rutland, June ID, 1853."
The service was held, and from that time to the present there has been a
Methodist Church in this village. Steps were at once taken to erect a church
building, the corner-stone of which was laid July 27, 1854. The first pastor
was Rev. John Parker, and there were but six members as follows : William A.
Burnett and wife, Mrs. Mary and Miss Jane Thrall, and Misses Jane and Lucy
Duncklee. Services were held for a time in the third story of the old Perkins
block until the erection of the first church in 1855-56, which was followed
by the present edifice in 1873 ; it cost about $5,000. The present site was do-
nated b>- the late William Y. Ripley, whose heirs also purchased the old Cen-
ter Rutland Church. The following are the names of the clergymen and the
years of their service: 1853, John Parker; 1854, Alexander Campbell, An-
gelo Carroll; 1855, Alexander Campbell, A. Carroll; 1856, John Kiernan, J.
W. Carhart; 1857, John Kiernan, C. H Richmond; 1858, C. R. Ford, Ed-
win H. Hynson ; i8'59, C. R. Ford, George S. Chadbourne ; i860, M. Lud-
lum, W. W. Atwater; 1861, M. Ludlum, W. W. Atwater ; 1862, George S.
Chadbourne, J. E. Metcalf; 1863, George S. Chadbourne, Edwin H. Hynson;
1864, Alexander Campbell, George S. Chadbourne ; 1865, A. Campbell, J.
W. Elkins; 1866, D. W. Dayton; 1867, D. W. Dayton; 1868, A. F. Bailey;
1869, A. F. Bailey; 1870, Barnes M. Hall; 1871 ; H. F. Austin,
1875 ; Joel W. Eaton, 1877; J. M. Edgerton, 1879; J. W. Quinlan, 1881 ;
D. R. Lowell came in the spring of 1882, and the present pastor in the spring
of 1 885. The present church membership is l"]"] and that of the Sabbath-
school 300. The church officers are as follows : stewards, L. F. Southard,
George C. Thrall, C. W. Nichols, F. W. Shedd, A. R. Howard, D. L. Morgan,
S. P. Curtis, H. S. Howe, A. D. Slack, George Ellis, and E. W. Morgan. Class
leaders, W. B. Clawson, C. C. Kinsman, T. B. Kelley, H. G. Bateman, George
Proctor, C. H. Bunker, H. C. Harris, and Mrs. Mary Williams. The Sunday-
school superintendent is D. L. Morgan, and W. D. Sherman is sexton.
A new Methodist Church was organized at West Rutland in 1884 and a
374 History of Rutland County.
church built in the same year at a cost of about $5,000. The society has less
than fifty members and is ministered to by Rev. J. G. Perkins. The stewards
are Asel W. Ward, E. D. Toronto and A. E. North.
Trifiity Church. — The first notice that we have of the Protestant Episco-
pal Church in Rutland is a notice that appeared in March, 1784, that Rev. Mr.
Chittenden would deliver a sermon to the Episcopal Society, in the State-
house, Rutland, and on the 30th of September of the same year it was an-
nounced that " a Protestant Episcopal Church is formed in Rutland and vicin-
ity under the pastoral care of Mr. Ogden." No results appear to have fol-
lowed from this organization, although the annual conventions of the church
were held in Rutland, and the parish was represented by lay delegates in 1795,
1802 and 1807. In 1817 another attempt was made, and February 19 of
that year " the Protestant Episcopal Society of Trinity Church, Rutland," was
organized by the Rev. George T. Chapman, then of Greenfield, Mass. On
the 13th of September, 18 18, Bishop Griswold, of the eastern diocese, visited
Rutland, and in his annual address says that this church has been very desir-
ous to obtain the permanent services of a settled minister, and has manifested
a very laudable liberality in offering to subscribe for his maintenance. They
have been disappointed and disheartened.
In 1826 " St. John's Church, Centerville, Rutland," was received into con-
nection with the convention, and Rev. Louis McDonald, as minister, in June
1826, reports that " services have been kept up between this and the east par-
ish alternately since February last."
In 1 83 I Rev. Moore Bingham officiated for some time, but for how long it
is not possible to ascertain, as " visiting minister " of St. John's Church, and
from this time that church seems to have ceased to exist.
The parish had no permanent place of worship until 1833, when they
erected a church on Main street not far from West street. They subsequently
sold the building for $1,000 and erected the elegant new structure in 187S at
a cost of $40,000. The corner-stone was laid by the Rt. Rev. W. H. A. Bis-
sell, D. D., bishop of Vermont. He also consecrated the church December
4, 1 879.
In January, 1832, Rev. John A. Hicks accepted the rectorship of Trinity
Church, and from that time the real existence of the church may be dated.
Rev. John Augustus Hicks, D. D., was born in New York city, February 21,
1800, and graduated at Columbia College in 1823, and at General Theological
Seminary in 1826. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Onderdonk in Grace
Church, Jamaica, August 22, 1826, and ordained priest by Bishop White, May
28, 1828, in Philadelphia. He was for a short time assistant minister to the
Rev. Evan M. Johnson, in Jamaica and Brooklyn. He was rector of Trinity
Church, Easton, Penn., from April i, 1827, to April, 1831, when he accepted
a call to St. John's Church, Troy, N. Y., which he resigned in January, 1832,
Town of Rutland. 375
on being invited to the rectorship of Tinnity Church, Rutland. He remained
in Rutland twenty-eight years, resigning July 7, i860, to accept the Will-
oughby professorship in the Vermont Episcopal Institute, with the general
charge of the theological department, he having been a member of the board
of trustees from its organization in 1856. In 1S65 he resigned his trusteeship
and professorship, and had since that time devoted himself to missionary work
in Georgia, Milton and Fairfax. He had been a member of the standing com-
mittee of the diocese for over twenty years ; a member of the board of trust-
ees of the General Theological Seminary ; a member of the board of law
agents since 1847, and since 1857 secretary and treasurer of the board. He
represented the diocese of Vermont in general (triennial) conventions of the
church for the United States at ten different times. He received the degree of
Doctor of Divinity from the University of Vermont and from Trinity College.
He died at Burlington November 4, 1869, at the age of sixty- nine years.
On the resignation of Rev. Dr. Hicks, the Rt. Rev. John Henry Hopkins,
D. D., LL. D., D. C. L., Oxon., officiated until the first of October, i860,
when he was elected and accepted the office of rector for two years.
Bishop Hopkins was born in Dublin, Ireland, January 30, 1792, and came
to America with his parents in 1800, and was educated chiefly by his mother.
He was originally a maker of iron, then studied law and was admitted to the
bar and practiced his profession at Pittsburgh, Pa., and was rapidly rising in
eminence, when, in 1823, he left the bar for the ministry, and was ordained a
priest in May, 1824, and immediately became rector of Trinity Church, Pitts-
burgh. In 1 83 1 he resigned and became assistant minister of Trinity Church,
Boston, where he remained until he was elected the first bishop of the sepa-
rate diocese of Vermont in May, 1832, and was consecrated in New York Oc-
tober 31st of the same year by Bishop White. He immediately came to Ver-
mont, accepting at the same time the rectorship of St. Paul's Church, Burling-
ton. He resigned the rectorship of that church in 1856, in order that he
might devote himself more unreservedly to diocesan work and the building up
of the " Vermont Episcopal Institute." He died at Burlington January 3,
1868.
Rev. Roger S. Howard, D. D., succeeded Bishop Hopkins, and became
rector December i, 1861, and remained until June, 1867, when he resigned.
Rev. Dr. Howard was a native of Vermont, and graduated at Dartmouth Col-
lege in 1829. He represented the town of Thetford in the Legislature of Ver-
mont in 1849. He subsequently studied for the ministry, and before coming
to Rutland was rector of a church in Greenfield, Mass., and subsequently in
Portland, Maine. From here he went to Woodstock, and on the first Sunday
of July, 1867, became rector of St. James Church. He remained here some
over a year, and then resigned to accept the presidency of Norwich University
and the rectorship of St. Mary's Church, Northfield. Rev. Dr. Howard was
3/6 History of Rutland County.
succeeded by Rev. John Milton Peck, who assumed the rectorship of the church
August I, 1867, and remained here three years. He was succeeded by the
Rev. Walter Mitchell, who was followed by the Rev. H. M. Denslow, he hav-
ing had charge of the parish until 1885; the church is at present without
a rector. The present church officers are : Charles Clement, senior warden ;
George R. Bottuni, junior warden; George E. Graves, treasurer ; Benjamin
Burt, W. F. Lewis, O. Wooster and Levi Kingsley, vestrymen.
In 1859 an Episcopal church and society was organized at West Rutland
by the name of Grace Church, and was admitted into the union with the con-
vention of the diocese June 6, i860. Rev. D. Wills had pastoral charge of
the church during a part of the years 1859 and i860. After him Rev. Albert
Bailey took charge of the church, officiating one-half of the time. In the
year 1878 a neat church was erected and in the following year the Rev. Ed-
ward P. Lee became rector and has remained to the present time. The ves-
trymen of the church are W. W. Felt, Henry J. Harmon, E. Tremaine,
David Peters, Dr. D. Fosburgh. Judah Dana is secretary of the vestry. The
Sabbath-school has a membership of about twenty-five and the church fifty-
five.
St. Paul's Universalist Church. — The first preaching in this faith was by
Dr. Charles Woodhouse in the year 1836. when he conducted services in the
old court-house and when that proved inadequate, in an open grove. He re-
moved to Clarendon in 1844 and presided over the church in that place for
several years, returning to Rutland in 1855 ; he remained here two years, dur-
ing which period the Unitarians and Universalists of the vicinity united in their
worship, their meetings being held in the second story of the old Perkins block,
corner of West street and Merchants Row (now the Landon block). There
was no regularly organized society and parish until January i, 1885, when the
following officers of the parish were selected : Benjamin Billings, jr., moder-
ator; A. P. Fuller, clerk; D. H, Barber, treasurer; Dr. J. E. Thompson, E.
H. Wood, and O. L. Hill, trustees. The officers of the society are J. G. Put-
nam and O. L. Hill, deacons. Rev. G. W. Perry has charge of the church and
it is hoped to erect an edifice during the year 1886.
Second Advent Church — This society was organized with forty-two mem-
bers in 1858 by Miles Grant, with Rev. Matthew Batchelder as first pastor.
During the following year a modest church was erected on West street. This
was torn down and in November, 1883, a neat new church was erected. The
present pastor is Rev. T. L. Drury, who came in the spring of 1882. The so-
ciety has about sixty members. J. M. Ballon is deacon.
Roman Catholic Churches. — "Prior to 1837," wrote Mr. Williams, "there-
was no organization of the Roman Catholic Church in Rutland, and in order
to attend the services of their own church the members of the denomination
were compelled to, and did, go to Castleton and other places. During that
Town of Rutland. 377
year, or the next, this was made a " missionary station," and the Rev. J. Daly
occasionally held services here and at other points in Western Vermont.
The Rev. Z. Druon came here as a missionary in 1854, and in 1S55 estab-
lished St. Bridget's Church at West Rutland, and St. Peter's Church in East
Rutland, both being in one parish. He remained until January 5, 1857, at
which time the parish was divided into two separate parishes. During the
year 1855 a small church was erected in the St. Peter's parish, which was used
until 1869, when, on the 5th of July, the corner-stone of the beautiful and com-
modious stone edifice, Rutland, was laid by the bishop of the diocese of Bur-
lington ; it was finished in 1873 and cost nearly $60,000. Under the very
efficient direction of Rev. Father Boylan, his church and schools have rapidly
increased in membership. In the year 1882 the Mount St. Joseph convent was
erected on grounds adjoining those of St. Peter's Church, which is managed on
the general plan of an academy and boarding-school and is taught by the Sis-
ters of St. Joseph ; its cost was about $75,000.
Upon the division of the parish, as before detailed, in 1857, Rev. F. Picart
became pastor of St. Bridget's Church, where, he remained until November,
1859. He was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Lynch, through whose exertions
the funds for the erection of the beautiful stone edifice at West Rutland were
mainly collected. He continued pastor until 1869, when he was succeeded by
Rev. Charles O'Reilly, who still retains the office. The first church used at
West Rutland was built of wood, and the present one was finished in 1 86 1, at a
cost of about $20,000 ; the entire property is worth about $25,000 ; the mem-
bership is about thirteen hundred and that of the Sunday-school three hundred-
Church of the Sacred Heart of Mary. — In the year 1869 a Roman Cath-
olic Church bearing the above name was organized from the French popula-
tion of the vicinity, with the Rev. Louis Gagnier as parish priest. The con-
gregation met for a time in Chaffee's Hall, but soon took steps towards erecting
a church on Lincoln avenue, which was so far completed as to be used in the
spring of 1870. The first pastor was succeeded by Rev. J. M. Cloarec, and in
1875 the Rev. J. M. Gelot came ; he still retains the charge and has been as-
sisted since 1881 by his brother. This society has a branch church at West
Rutland, bearing the same name and organized in the same year. A new
church was built there in 1883 at a cost of about $5,000. In 1884 a French
Catholic school was opened which has now about one hundred pupils. It is
taught by J. L. Hernot and a lady assistant.
In February, 1857, a religious society calling themselves " Christians,"
founded by Elder Miles Grant, of Boston, was organized by the name of " Christ
Church." They, in i860, built a church or chapel on West street, which is
now known as the " Free Christian Chapel." The first regular preacher was
Elder Matthew Batchelder, who remained about three years, and was suc-
ceeded by Elder H. F. Carpenter, who was followed by Elder George W. Stet-
son. The church is now, and has been for a number of years, vacant.
378 History of Rutland County.
A Liberal Christian Society was organized in Rutland, July 20, 1867. Since
the society was organized it has been supplied from one to five Sabbaths each
by Rev. Dr. Stebbins and Rev. William Tilden, of Boston, Rev. J. F. Moors,
of Greenfield, Mass., Rev. Mr. Reynolds, of Concord, Mass. In addition to
these temporary supplies Rev. C. A. Hayden, of Boston, supplied the pulpit
one-half of the time for six months. Rev. F. W. Holland was employed by
the society from the second Sunday of February to the second day of August,
1869. He was succeeded by the Rev. L. W. Bingham, who commenced his
labors on the third Sunday of September, 1869, and remained until the second
Sunday of September, 1870.
THE SCHOOLS OF RUTLAND.!
In the organization and early settlement of the town of Rutland the subject
of education was not overlooked, and a system of public instruction, similar to
that adopted by the other towns in the State, and known as the "common
school " system, was early inaugurated. It is essentially the system which,
with some modifications, has, during the last two hundred and fifty years, been
the basis of popular education in New England.
It is founded on the doctrine that State policy requires that the people of
the State are, to a certain extent, educated.
Its aim is to give to the youth of the State such an education as will fit
them for the ordinary duties of life.
Hence the State exercises a certain jurisdiction and supervision over its
educational institutions. The work of the common schools has been and is the
instruction of the youth of the State in the rudimentary branches of education,
leaving the higher departments of learning to the academies, seminaries and
colleges. Hence it is that a very large majority of the people receive from the
common schools of the State all the education that they receive from any
source. The common schools of Rutland have, during their history, compared
favorably with those of the other towns in the State. There are at the present
time, exclusive of the graded school, eighteen school districts in Rutland, with
an enrollment of sixteen hundred and eighty pupils.
Three of these districts have each two schools, one has three schools, and
one six. The other districts have each one school. The number of teachers
employed at the present time is twenty-nine. The present town superintend-
ent of schools, J. J. R. Randall, has held the office for many years.-
The Rutland Graded School is also a public school. It is, at the present
time, composed of one high school, five grammar schools, four intermediate
schools, six secondary schools, and five primary schools, with a total enroll-
ment of eleven hundred and sixty-five pupils, and employing twenty-three
teachers.
1 Contributed to this work by J. J. R. Randall, superintendent of schools.
2 It should be noted that this office is distinct from that of superintendent of the Graded School.
Town of Rutland. 379
In the primary, secondary, intermediate and grammar departments are
taught the branches established by the State to be taught in the common
schools, while in the High School are taught the higher branches, including
the Greek and Latin languages.
The Graded School is free to all pupils residing in the graded district.
Non-resident pupils are charged tuition fee.
The course of study in the High School for the year 1885 is as follows :
Algebra, English composition, physical geography, geometry, astronomy, phys-
ics. United States history, English history, general history, English literature,
Greek, Latin, declamation and composition.
With the exception of a few private schools, the district schools constituted
the only means of instruction in Rutland until 1852. In that year an academy
was opened in a new building on Main street. That building now constitutes
a part of the present High School building, extensive additions to it having
been made in 1879. Luther Lowell was the first principal of the academy,
commencing in the autumn of 1852 and continuing until the close of the spring
term in 1854. He was succeeded by George A. Weeks, who began in the
autumn of 1854 and continued to the end of the spring term in 1855, when
the academy ceased to exist as an institution, and was superseded by the
Union School.
" The establishment of public high schools by the union of contiguous dis-
tricts, for the benefit of the older and more advanced scholars of such districts,
was authorized by the Legislature of Vermont in 1841." Under this act a
union district was formed in the village of Rutland, by the separate votes of
four districts. On the 6th of April, 1855, by a public meeting of the districts,
the union was consummated, and soon after a high school was established.
The districts that united to form the Union school district were as follows :
District No. 2, with its building on Green street ; District No. 20, with its
building on the " turnpike," now known as Woodstock avenue ; District No.
19, with its building on the corner of West and Church streets; District No.
18, with its building on School street.
All of the above buildings are still standing where they then stood, except
that on Green street, which was pulled down in 1882, and a new one was
erected in its stead on the corner of Madison and Prospect streets in 1883.
This new building was first used for the spring term of 1883.
At the time of the organization of the Union district the following named
gentlemen were the prudential committees of the several districts that united
in the Union district : No. 2, F. W. Hopkins, H. A. Dyer, Josiah Huntoon.
No. 18, L. L. Whitcomb. No. 19, John Landon, Joseph Gaskill, H. G. Clark.
No. 20. John B. Page, W. H. B. Owen, Ethan Judd.
After the organization of the Union district was completed the following
named gentlemen were chosen as the officers of the Union district for the first
38o History of Rutland County.
year, 1855-56: No. 2, H. R. Dyer, Josiah Huntoon, Moses Perkins. No. 18^
Rev. E. S. Barrett, Charles R. Shaw, B. K. Abbott. No. 19, W. A. Burnett,
W. W. Ingraham, H. G. Clark. No. 20, John B. Page, W. H. B. Owen, Ethan
Judd. John B. Page, chairman ; James Barrett, moderator ; F. W. Hopkins,
clerk ; Newton Clark, treasurer.
Officers for 1856-57: No. 2, Henry Hall, D. G. McClure. No. 18, Calvin
Brewer, L. L. Whitcomb, Calvin Brewer, jr. No. 19, W. A. Burnett, J. H.
Bowman, Daniel Verder. No. 20, John B. Page, Luther Daniels, James Ross.
John B. Page, chairman ; Robert Pierpoint, moderator ; J. H. Bowman, clerk ;.
Luther Daniels, treasurer.
Officers for 1857-58: No. 2, D. G. McClure, Dr. D. E. Page, M. L. Rich-
ardson. No. 18, Hiram Haynes, E. S. Barrett, S. G. Hubbard. No. 19, Johrt
Landon, D. Verder, G. C. Ruggles. No. 20, J. B. Page, James Ross, Z.
Terrill, J. B. Page, chairman ; James Barrett, moderator ; J. H. Bowman,
clerk ; Luther Daniels, treasurer.
Up to that time the prudential committees of the several districts that formed
the Union district had constituted the Union district committee. But the num-
ber of members was found to be inconveniently large, and at the annual school
meeting in 1858, it was voted that the committee of the Union district should be
composed of the chairman only of the district committees and a member elected
at large by the Union district.
Officers for 1858-59: No. 2, J. J. R. Randall; No. 18, D. E. Grandy ;
No. 19, H. G. Clark; No. 20, J. B. Page; Union district, William A. Burnett.
J. B. Page, chairman ; James Barrett, moderator ; J. H. Bowman, clerk ; Lu-
ther Daniels, treasurer.
Officers for 1859-60: No. 2. J. J. R. Randall; No. 18, D. E. Grandy;
No. 19, H. G. Clark; No. 20, J. B. Page; Union district, William A. Burnett.
J. B. Page, chairman; James Barrett, moderator; J. H. Bowman, clerk; Lu-
ther Daniels, treasurer.
Officers for 1860-61 : No. 2, J. J. R. Randall; No. 18, D. E. Grandy;
No. 19, H. G. Clark; No. 20, J. B. Page; Union district, J. H. Bowman.
J. B. Page, chairman; J. J. R. Randall, moderator; J. H. Bowman, clerk ;
Luther Daniels, treasurer.
Officers for 186 [-62: No. 2, J. J. R. Randall; No. 18, D. E. Grandy;
No. 19, Newman Weeks; No. 20, James Ross ; Union district, J. H. Bowman.
J. J. R. Randall, chairman ; James Barrett, moderator; J. J. R. Randall, clerk ;
Charles B. Mann, treasurer.
Officers for 1862-63 : No. 2, J. J. R. Randall ; No. 18, J. D. Billings; No.
19, J. M. Putnam ; No. 20, James Ross ; Union district, J. H. Bowman. J. J.
R. Randall, chairman ; James Barrett, moderator, J. J. R. Randall, clerk ; H.
G. Clark, treasurer.
Officers for 1863-64: No. 2, J. J. R. Randall ; No. 18, D. E. Grandy; No.
Town of Rutland. 381
19, Z. V. K. Willson; No. 20, W. H. B. Owen; Union district, H. G. Clark.
J. J. R. Randall, chairman ; James Barrett, moderator; J. J. R. Randall, clerk;
H. G. Clark, treasurer.
Officers for 1864-65: No. 2, J. J. R. Randall; No. 18, H. B. Douglas ;
No. 19, Z. V. K. Willson; No. 20, N. S. Stearns; Union district, H. G. Clark.'
J. J. R. Randall, chairman ; G. P. Hannum, moderator ; J. J. R. Randall, clerk ;
W. C. Landon, treasurer.
Officers for 1865-66: No. 2, J. J. R. Randall; No. 18, James O. Shea;
No. 19, H. O. Perkins; No. 20, N. S. Stearns; Union district, B. F. French.
J. J. R. Randall, chairman ; William A. Burnett, moderator ; J. J. R. Randall,
clerk ; W. C. Landon, treasurer.
Officers for 1866-67: No. 2, J. J. R. Randall; No. 18, Patrick Toohey ;
No. 19, H. O. Perkins ; No. 20, Isaac McDaniels ; Union district, N. S. Stearns.
J. J. R. Randall, chairman; William A. Burnett, moderator; J. J. R. Randall,
clerk ; W. C. Landon, treasurer.
Graded School. — The Union School was in successful operation during
twelve years, and was superseded by the Rutland Graded School.
"At a special meeting of the legal voters of the village of Rutland, held
February 20, 1867, a vote was passed whereby all the school districts in said
village were consolidated into one district, to be called the Rutland Graded
School, which vote was legalized by the Legislature of Vermont, ATarch 28,
1867 ; and on the 9th day of April following, at an adjourned meeting of the
voters of said village of Rutland, the organization of the graded school district
was completed by the choice of officers of said district."
Officers of the Rutland Graded School for the year 1866-67: Rev. Silas
Aiken, president and superintendent ; William A. Burnett, secretary ; W. C.
Landon, treasurer. Trustees : George A. Merrill, J. B. Kilburn, J. M. Haven,
Rev. R. S. Howard, G. C. Ruggles, N. P. Simons, D. E. Grandy.
Officers for 1867-68: Rev. Silas Aiken, president and superintendent;
T. C. Potter, secretary; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: George A.
Merrill, J. B. Kilburn, J. M. Haven, H. O. Perkins, G. C. Ruggles, N. P. Si-
mons, D. E. Grandy.
Officers for 1868-69: N. P. Simons, president and superintendent; T. C.
Potter, secretary ; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees : George A. Merrill, J.
B. Kilburn, J. M. Haven, H. O. Perkins, G. C. Ruggles, J. N. Baxter, D. E.
Grandy.
Officers for 1 869-70: Judah Dana, president and superintendent; A. H.
Tuttle, secretary; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: George A. Merrill, J.
B. Kilburn, J. M. Haven, H. O. Perkins, G. C. Ruggles, J. N. Baxter, D. E.
Grandy.
Officers for 1870-71 : Judah Dana, president and superintendent; A. H.
Tuttle, secretary ; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees : J. M. Haven, J. B.
History of Rutland County.
Kilburn, Henry Clark, H. O. Perkins, G. C. Ruggles, J. N. Baxter, D. E.
Grandy.
Officers for 1871-72: Rev. William J. Harris, president and superintend-
ent; A. H. Tuttle, secretary; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: J. M.
Haven, W. C. Dunton, Henry Clark, W. Y. W. Ripley, G. C. Ruggles, J. N.
Ba.xter, D. E. Grandy.
Officers for 1872-73 : Rev. William J. Harris, president and superintend-
ent; A. H. Tuttle, secretary; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: J. M.
Haven, W. C. Dunton, Henry Clark, W. Y. W. Ripley, G C. Ruggles, J. N.
Baxter, L. L. Whitcomb.
Officers for 1873-74: Rev. W'illiam J. Harris, president and superintend-
ens ; A. H. Tuttle, secretary; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: J. M.
Haven, W. C. Dunton, Henry Clark, W. Y. W, Ripley, G C. Ruggles, J. N.
Baxter, L. L. Whitcomb.
Officers for 1874-75 : Rev. William J. Harris, president and superintend-
ent; A. H. Tuttle, secretary; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: J. M.
Haven, J. B. Kilburn, Henry Clark, W. Y. W. Ripley, G C. Ruggles, A. F.
Walker, L. L. Whitcomb.
Officers for 1875-76: Rev. J. W. Eaton, president and superintendent ; A.
H. Tuttle, secretary ; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees : J. M. Haven, John
B. Kilburn, Henry Clark, W. Y. W. Ripley, G. C. Ruggles, A. F. Walker, E.
L. Foster.
Officers for 1876-77 : J. B. Kilburn, (acting) president and superintendent;
Henry Clark, secretary ; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees : E. L. Temple, J.
B. Kilburn, H. W. Cheney, W. Y. W. Ripley, G. C. Ruggles, A. E. Walker, E.
L. Foster.
Officers for 1877-78: J. J. R. Randall, president and superintendent ; J. C.
Barrett, secretary ; V\^ C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees : G. C. Ruggles, E. L.
Temple, H. W. Cheney, A. F. Walker, E. L. Foster, J. B. Kilburn, Orlando
Wooster.
Officers for 1878-79: J. J. R. Randall, president and superintendent; J. C.
Barrett, secretary; VV. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: E. L. Temple, J. B.
Kilburn, H. W. Cheney, Orlando Wooster, G. C. Ruggles, A. F. Walker, E. L.
Foster.
Officers for 1879-80: J. J. R. Randall, president and superintendent; J. C.
Barrett, secretary; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: J. B. Kilburn, Or-
lando Wooster, G C. Ruggles, E. L. Foster, H. W. Cheney, A. F. Walker, E.
L. Temple.
Officers for 1880-81 : J. J. R. Randall, president and superintendent; W.
R. Page, secretary ; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: G. C. Ruggles, E. L.
Foster, H. W. Cheney, E. L. Temple, A. F. Walker, Rockwood Barrett, Or-
lando Wooster.
Town of Rutland. 383
Officers for 1881-82: J. J. R. Randall, president and superintendent; W.
R. Page, secretary ; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees : E. L. Temple, H. W.
Cheney, A. F. Walker, Rockwood Barrett, Orlando Wooster, E. P, Gilson, E.
L. Foster.
Officers for 1882-83: J.J. R. Randall, president and superintendent; P.
M. Meldon, secretary ; W. C. Landon, treasurer. Trustees: Orlando Wooster,
Rockwood Barrett, E. P. Gilson, E. L. Foster, A. F. Walker, C. H. Granger,
E. D. Merrill.
Officers for 1883-84: J.J. R. Randall, president and superintendent : P. M.
Meldon, secretary ; H. F. Field, treasurer. Trustees: Orlando Wooster, Rock-
wood Barrett, E. P. Gilson, E. L. Foster, A. F. Walker, C. H. Granger, E. D.
Merrill.
Officers for 1884-85 : J. J. R. Randall, president and superintendent ; P. M.
Meldon secretar\' ; H. F. Field, treasurer. Trustees : Orlando Wooster, Rock-
wood Barrett, E. P. Gilson, E. L. Foster, A. F. Walker, C. H. Granger, E. D.
Merrill.
At the opening of the Union High School in the autumn of 1S55 the fol-
lowing named teachers were engaged: C. E. Johnson, A. B., principal ; Miss
Sarah S. Jewett, preceptress ; Miss Ellen S. Howard, assistant ; Edward H.
Randall, assistant principal ; Mrs. A. E. Hopkins, teacher of music.
Mr. Johnson continued as principal until the close of the spring term
in 1858.
D. G. Moore, A. B., succeeded Mr. Johnson, and continued as principal
until the close of the spring term in 1865. D. J. Newland, A. B., succeeded
Mr. Moore, and continued as principal until the close of the fall term in 1866.
Judah Dana, A. M., succeeded Mr. Newland as principal. He commenced
with the winter term of 1866-67 and continued as principal of the Union High
School until the close of the spring term in 1867, when, on the organization
of the Graded School, which superseded the Union School, he was made prin-
cipal, and continued as such until the close of the spring term in 1878.
Oscar Atwood, A. M., succeeded Mr. Dana as principal, and is at the head
of the school at the present time.
The names of the teachers at this date — fall term, 1885 — are as follows :
High School: Oscar Atwood, A. M., principal; Adah A. Walker, first
assistant ; Julia A. Kelley, second assistant.
Grammar Schools : Harriet H. A. Calhoun, Emilie A. Roberts, Belle Rug-
gles, Ella C. Latham, Kittle C. E. Lincoln.
Intermediate Schools : Abbie A. Adams, Georgie A. Barnard, Luna A.
Whitlock, Nellie J. Meldon.
Secondary Schools: Flora J. Davis, Anna B. Lord, Emma E. Wardwell,
Hattie A. Lyon, Lizzie L. Hall, C. Belle Young.
Primary Schools : Rhoda W. Southard, Lizzie H. Landon, Rosa C. Carri-
gan, Sarah R. Pierce, Agnes S. Palmer. Timothy Sullivan, janitor.
384 History of Rutland County.
Library. — In connection with the Graded School there is a Hbrary, accessi-
ble to all the pupils, containing over twelve hundred volumes of well-selected
books. This librarj' is gradually increasing in size from year to }'ear.
Apparatus. — The school is also equipped with philosophical and mathe-
matical apparatus. Also with maps, charts, etc., etc.
In addition to the public schools there are at the present time in Rutland
several private and parochial schools. About one hundred and twenty pupils
are in attendance at the private and four hundred and seventy-five at the par-
ochial schools.
Medical Profession. — The past history of this profession has been treated
in a preceding chapter, where it may be learned that many men eminent in
the healing art have been, residents of this town. It remains only to gi\'e
the following list of the physicians at present practicing in Rutland, with brief
personal notes : —
Charles L. Allen was born in Brattleboro, Vt., June 21, 1820, and was ed-
ucated at Middlebury College, from which he graduated in 1842. He pursued
the study of medicine in Williamsboro, N. C, and with his father, Jonathan
Allen, in Middlebury. In 1846 he graduated from the Castleton Medical Col-
lege, and practiced in Middlebury, Vt., from 1846 to i860; he was made pro-
fessor of chemistry in the college in 1855 ; performed the duties of professor of
chemistry and natural history in Middlebury College in 1856; professor of
the practice of medicine in i860; practiced in Castleton from i860 to spring
of 1862, and in 1862 gave lectures on the practice of medicine in the Univer-
sity of Vermont. In the summer of that year he entered the army and was at
once appointed on the board for the examination of candidates for surgeon and
assistant surgeon; commissioned in 1862 brigade surgeon of volunteers; he
resigned in 1864 and came to Rutland in the fall. In 1865 he gave lectures in
the University of Vermont on civil and military hygiene. He has since been
in practice in Rutland, and is examining surgeon for pensions, and consulting
physician of the Mary Fletcher Hospital at Burlington.
H. F. Crain was born in Walpole, N. H., 1810, was educated at Dartmouth
Medical College, and was connected with the anatomical department from
1829 to 1832 inclusive. He practiced from that time until the fall of 1882
(fifty years) in Springfield, Vt.; from there he came to Rutland, where he has
since resided.
M. R. Crain (in partnership with H. F. Crain, his father) was born in
Springfield, Vt., in 1855. He was educated in medical department of the
University of Vermont, graduating in 1879. He practiced in Springfield until
1882, removing from that place to Rutland. '
Dr. M. Goldsmith was born in Maryland in 1818. He was educated in
South Hanover, Ind., and studied medicine first with his father, in Cincinnati,
O., and in New York College of Physicians and Surgeons; in 1839 went to
Town of Rutland. 385
China as surgeon of an East Indiaman, returning in 1840 ; graduated in 1841,
was also inspector of surgery there two years. In 1845 he came to Castleton
and remained ten years ; in 1844 was appointed professor of surgery at Castle-
ton, then removing to Louisville, Ky. ; in 1855 was elected professor of sur-
gery in the Kentucky School of Medicine and remained until about the be-
ginning of the late war, when he was appointed surgeon of volunteers and
served most of the time after Shiloh as medical director of the hospitals at
Louisville, Ky. He has been president of the Vermont State Medical So-
ciety, and the State Society of Kentucky ; is honorary member of the New
York State Medical Society, and member of various other medical and scien-
tific bodies. Dr. Goldsmith was the principal agent in the establisliment of
the Rutland Dispensary, in which some of the more complex diseases are treated
gratuitously. Dr. Goldsmith holds the office of superintendent, and about five
hundred cases are treated annuall)'. It possesses a large library and all in-
struments for treatment of all diseases and operations. (See Medical chapter.)
J. D. Hanrahan was born in Rathkeale, county Limerick, Ireland, in 1844.
He was partly educated there, finished his studies in New York University Med-
ical College, graduating in 1866. He practiced in the United States Navy up
to June, 1865, and was located in New York until 1867, then coming to Rut-
land. He has an office with William M. Stearns, of West Rutland.
John A. Mead was born in Fairhaven, Vt, April 20, 1841. He was edu-
cated at Middlebury College and studied medicine with Prof Joseph Perkins,
in Castleton, and was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
New York city. He practiced in Kings Count}' Hospital and Asylum four years,
when he removed to Rutland. He has been treasurer of the Rutland railroad
since August, 1883, also holding the same office for the Addison railroad. He
is vice-president of the State Trust Company, director of Clement National
Bank, member of pension examining board and phj'sician and surgeon to House
of Correction since it was built.
E. A. Pond was born in Franklin, Mass., July 6, 1828. He was educated
in the Franklin Academy, Massachusetts, and by private instruction. He
studied medicine with Dr. S. Atwood, of Franklin, and with Dr. Lynch in
South Carolina. He also studied at Baltimore for a few years, attending lec-
tures in Maryland University, Tremont Medical School, Boston, and the Med-
ical Department of Harvard, receiving degree of M.D. in 1853. He soon after-
ward came to Rutland where he has since resided. He was formerly a mem-
ber of the American Pharmaceutical Association, and a member of the Vermont
Pharmaceutical Association. In 1873 he was elected a member of the Ameri-
can Association for the Advancement of Science, and was assistant surgeon to
the Board of Enrollment at Rutland during the late war. He is the Inventor
of Pond's Sphygmograph, for measuring and tracing arterial pulsations, which
is now in use throughout the world.
386 History of Rutland County.
John C. Keenan was born in North Dorset, Vt., 1837, and studied medi-
cine in Hoosick Falls, attending lectures in Albanj' and Burlington. He was
graduated from the University of Vermont in 1878. After practicing in Bur-
lington two years he came to Rutland, where he still remains.
Oscar James Gilchrist was born in Mclndoes Falls, Vt., August 8, 1849.
He was educated at Dartmouth College and studied medicine at Dartmouth
College, medical department, graduating at Long Island College Hospital,
Brooklyn, Long Island, 1874. He practiced at Mclndoes Falls until the fall
1880.
Charles S. Caverly was born in Troy, N. H., September 30, 1856. He
was educated at Kimball LTnion Academy, Meriden, N. H., leaving there in
1874; he remained at Dartmouth College until 1878, when he entered the med-
ical department of the University of Vermont, in 1881. He has practiced in
Rutland since graduating.
J. H. Putnam was born in East Montpelier, Washington county, Vt., in
1838, and was educated at the Morrisville Academy. He,studied medicine
with Dr. W. H. H. Richardson, Montpelier, attending lectures at Castleton.
He was in the army five years, and after that time took a course at Bellevue
Hospital, New York, and a third course at Long Island Hospital, graduating
in 1867. He practiced ten years in Ludlow, coming to Rutland in 1877.
P. H. Brassard was born in Summerset, Province of Quebec, Canada, June
29, 1853. He studied medicine in the Laval University, Quebec, and was grad-
uated February 8, 1878. He then practiced in St. Johnsbury, Vt., two years,
and since that time has resided and practiced in Rutland.
B. H. Haynes was born in Middletown, Vt., October 12, 1813. He se-
cured an academic education and studied medicine in Castleton and in Wood-
stock Medical College, and was graduated from the latter in 1S41. He first
practiced in Wells, Vt., then Granville, coming to Rutland in 1S62.
J. E. Thompson was born in Jericho, Chittenden county, Vt., November 22,
1853. He had an academic education and studied medicine in the University
of New York, graduating with the class of 1878. He practiced in Cabot,
Washington county, with Dr. S. L. Wiswell, three years, thence coming to
Rutland, where he has since resided.
S. H. Griswold was born in Chester, Mass., September 14, 1818. He was
graduated from Castleton Medical College in 1844. He first practiced medi-
cine in Hoosick, N. Y., then in Clarendon Springs, Vt., five years, West Rut-
land twenty-four years, coming to Rutland in 1874, where he has since resided.
Mary Vail Grinnell was born in Danby, and studied medicine in the New
York Woman's Medical College and Philadelphia Woman's Medical College,
and was graduated in 1SS3. She has practiced in Rutland since that time.
J. H. King was born in this State in 185 I and received his education in the
Barre Academy and collegiate department of the University of Vermont.
Town of Rutland. 387
He studied his profession in the Howard Medical School, Boston, graduating
in 1 88 1. In September of that year he began practice in Rutland.
Dr. George H. Fox was born in the town of Waliingford, Vt., in 1830.
He studied medicine with his father, who was one of the prominent physicians
of the county for a period of nearly fifty years, and afterwards, in 185 I, grad-
uated from the Castleton Medical College. He practiced at Waliingford until
1864, when he came to Rutland and has been actively engaged here since that
time.
Daniel Fosburgh, of West Rutland, was born in Canada in 1834. He
studied his profession in Cambridge, \'t. , and graduated from the medical de-
partment of the University of Vermont in 1863. He began his practice in
West Rutland in 1875.
Charles Woodhouse was born in Wethersfield, Conn., November 11, 1812.
He studied medicine alone and took his degree from Hahnneman Medical Col-
lege, of Chicago, in 1865. He was afterwards elected professor of insanity
and medical jurisprudence, practicing in Illinois and in this State. He received
the degree of A. M. from Lombard University, Illinois, and was admitted to
the bar in Iowa in 1857, practicing for a short time. He also studied for the
ministry under Rev. I. D. Williamson, D. D., of Albany. His ministry in the
Universalist Church extended over a period of thirty years, principally in New
England. He has lived in Rutland and practiced medicine since 1867.
G. R. Sanborn was born in Monkton, Vt., in 1827. He studied medicine
in the Vermont Medical College at Woodstock, and took his degree in 185 i.
Practiced first in Charlotte, then in Newhaven, and came to Rutland in No-
vember, 1883.
F. Hamilton was born in Hartland, Me., 1857. He was educated in Bran-
don and at Middlebury College and was graduated in 1878. He also studied
medicine in the University of Vermont and in the New York Homeopathic
College, New York city, and was graduated from the latter institution in 1882,
practicing first in Brandon for about two years, then coming to Rutland where
he is at present practicing.
Charles A. Gale was born in Williamstown, Vt., August 31, 1853. He
received his education at Goddard Seminary, Barre, Vt. In 1876 he attended
medical lectures in Vermont University, Dartmouth Medical College and Hahn-
neman College, Philadelphia, receiving his diploma from the latter in i88o_
He has since practiced in Rutland.
Tlic Denial Profession. — It is almost a certainty that the first professional
dental work was done in Rutland in 1 807 ; although the early regular physi-
cians, of course, wrapped their instruments of torture, known as "turnkeys,"
in their silk pocket handkerchiefs and wrenched out the decaying teeth of
their patients before that date. But in June, 1807, D. Rosetter, "surgeon
dentist," to quote from his card in the Rutland Herald (from New York), pro-
History of Rutland County.
posed to continue at Gordon's Tavern until the 20th of June. " Those per-
sons who have lost their front teeth may now receive his professional assist-
ance for their replacement." He then adds, with the same apparent confi-
dence in his statements that inspires the accomplished dentist of to-day, that
" this operation is seldom attended with any pain whatever." We have no
means of knowing how long this early visiting dentist continued his practice
in this section ; but for many years later the inhabitants were forced to rely
upon the regular physician, or dentists who made periodical visits to this place,
for the extraction or repair of their teeth. In the year 1837 Dr. A. G. \V.
Smith was in practice in Castleton and undoubtedh- did work for the people of
this town. He advertised the insertion of what he termed " incorruptible
teeth." A year later Dr. H. D. Meacham was practicing dentistry in Wall-
ingford. He announced the insertion of "porcelain and animal teeth."
The first dentist to take up his permanent residence in Rutland and reach
eminence in the profession was Dr. Eleazer Van Ness Harwood. He was born
in Ticonderoga, N. Y., June 26, 18 16. In the fall of 1832 he began studies
in the Oneida Institute, at Whitestown, N. Y., but on account of a change in
the character of the school he left at the end of si.x months and in the next
fall entered Castleton Seminary for another equal period. In August, 1835,
he entered Middlebury College, where he remained until May, 1838, when fail-
ing health forced him to relinquish study. He spent a period at Cape Cod, at
the end of which he entered Union College and graduated with honor in July,
1839. Three years he followed teaching in Tennessee and North Carolina.
In 1842, having married the daughter of Chapman Hitchcock, of Pittsford, he
joined her brother Charles in working the homestead farm. Two years later
he purchased a farm which he worked for two years, when the condition of
his health compelled him to seek lighter employment. He accordingly took
up the study of dentistry late in the fall of 1847. He began regular practice
in the office of Dr. G. B. Armington, a regular physician, and in July, 185 i,
came to Rutland, where he acquired a large practice. Dr. Harwood was a man
of estimable character and exceptional attainments. He was for many years
a prominent deacon in the Congregational Church and in many wa}-s received
evidences of the confidence and respect of his townsmen.
Following is a list of the dentists at present practicing in Rutland, with
brief personal notes : —
H. Turrill was born in Shoreham, Yt., in 1831. He studied dentistr}- in
Brandon and practiced there six years ; then in Castleton five years ; in Mid-
dlebury six years, coming to Rutland in 1878.
H. A. Dalrymple was born in Heath, Mass., in 1S48. He studied in Penn-
sylvania Dental College, graduating from that institution in 1874. He practiced
ten years before coming to Rutland in 1882, where he has since resided.
Thomas Mound was born in Leicester, Vt., January 31, 1850 ; studied den-
tistry in Brandon, \'t., and Boston. He has practiced in Rutland since 1873.
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Town of Rutland. 389
F. M. Schell, D. D. S. (partner of Thomas Mound), was born in Church-
town, N. Y., May 6, 1864. He was graduated from the New York College of
Dentistry in 1885, thence coming to Rutland.
L. T. Lawton was born in the town of Windsor, Vt., in December, 1838,
and studied his profession at Brattleboro. He came to Rutland in 1S61 and
has been in continuous practice since. His brother was his partner for six
years.
A. Kilburn was born in Whiting, Vt., in 1847, "^"d learned his profession
in Brandon and Rutland, at the latter place with Dr. E. V. N. Harwood, be-
fore mentioned. Dr. Kilburn has practiced his profession in Rutland for about
twenty years.
Following is a list of the attorneys at present practicing in Rutland, with
brief personal notes. (For history of the Bar of the County, see Chapter
xvn.)
W. G. Veazey was born in Brentwood, N. H., December 5, 1835. He
was educated at the Phillips Academy, Exeter, N. H., and Dartmouth, graduat-
ing from the latter in 1859. He studied law at Exeter and in the Albany Law
School. He was admitted to the bar in December, i860. He practiced in
Springfield, Vt., until l86l,when he entered the army, coming to Rutland
in the fall of 1863. He was reporter in Supreme Court eight years, registrar
in bankruptcy several years, State senator two years, judge of Supreme Court
since 1879, and delegate to the National Convention in 1872.
John Prout was born in Salisbury, Addison county, Vt., November 15,
1815. He studied law at Salisbury and Vergennes, and was admitted 1839.
He practiced in Addison county to 1854, since that time has been in Rutland.
He was a member of the Legislature from Salisbury three years, State's attor-
ney of Addison county three years, and Rutland county two years ; represented
Rutland in the Legislature two j'ears and as senator one year (1867). The
same )-ear he was elected judge of the Supreme Court ; he held that office two
years when he resigned.
W. C. Dunton was born in Bristol, Addison county, Vt., November, 29,
1830. He was educated at Franklin Academy, Malone, N. Y., and Middlebury
College, studying law with Dillingham & Durant in Waterbury, and Linsley &
Prout, in Rutland. He was admitted to the bar in September, 1858 ; was State
senator one term (1880), judge of probate from 1865 to 1877, then resigned
and was appointed judge of the Supreme Court and held that office until Oc-
tober, 1879.
Charles K. Williams was born in Rutland March 8, 1857. Educated at
Harvard College, graduating in 1878. He studied law in Harvard and Co-
lumbia Law Schools and with Prout & Walker ; was admitted to the bar Sep-
tember, 1880.
P. R. Kendall was born in Coventr)-. Vt., November 24, 1848; educated
390 History of Rutland County.
at Dartmouth and was graduated in 1871. He studied law with Tiinoth\' P.
Redfield, MontpeHer, and was admitted to the bar at the September term,
1873, practicing first in Barton, Vt., until September, 1875, when he came to
Rutland. He was elected State's attorney in the fall of 1884.
F. M. Butler was born in Jamaica, Windham county, Vt., 1854. He secured
an academic education and studied law with Judge Hoyt, H. Wheeler and E.
L. Waterman ; admitted to the bar in March, 1877. Has practiced in Rutland
since that time.
L. W. Redington was born in Waddington, St. Lawrence county, N. Y.,
March 14, 1849. He fitted for college at Williston Seminary, East Hampton,
Mass., and entered Yale in the fall of 1866. At the close of his freshman year
failing health forced him to leave college, and he graduated from the scientific
department of Williston Seminary in 1869. He then studied one year in Co-
lumbia Law School, New York cit}-, and finished his legal studies in the office
of the late Matt H. Carpenter, of Milwaukee. He was admitted to practice in
the bar of Milwaukee in 1871. After a tour of Europe he located in Rutland
in 1875. In 1876 he was elected grand juror; he was Democratic nominee
for the Legislature in 1876, 1878 and 1882, and in 1878 was elected; he was
■delegate at large to the Vermont National Convention in 1880; Democratic
nominee for Congress in 1882 ; chairman of the Democratic State Convention,
1882; Democratic nominee for governor in 1884; appointed municipal judge
for Rutland, 1884 ; elected twice to the same office, and resigned in July, 1885,
to accept the ofi:ce of postmaster of Rutland village. (See biography in later
pages).
Henry H. Smith (county clerk since 1868), was born in Middletown Octo-
ber 3, 1837 ; came to Rutland in April, 1854; studied law with R. R. Thrall
and Charles L. Williams, and admitted to the bar in September, 1858.
Reuben R. Thrall was born in Rutland in 1797. Studied law with William
Douglass Smith, admitted to the Rutland count)' bar at the June term in 18 19,
and has been in practice since that period, and has some cases on the docket
which he attends court every term to look after, although ninety years of age,
and was reported in a recent law magazine as the oldest practicing lawyer in
the United States, if not in the world. He was postmaster of Rutland from
1822 to 1829 and was State's attorney in 1836.
Henry Hall was born in Rutland, in 18 14, graduated at Middlebury in
1835, studied law with Edgar L. Ormsbee, admitted in September, 1839. He
has never been in full practice of the profession. He was registrar of probate
from 1840 to i860, but has devoted most of his time to literary and historical
pursuits and to public lecturing.
H. A. Harman was born in Pawlet, in 1845. He was educated at Williams
College and Harvard College, graduating in 1 87 1. He studied law at Har-
vard and was admitted to the bar in 1872, practicing in Bennington first, com-
ing to Rutland in 1884, where he still remains.
, f^p « < 1 *,
Town of Rutland. 391
George E. Lawrence was born in Weybridge, Vt., June 10, 1844. He
was graduated from the Middlebury College in 1867 and from the Albany Law
School 1 868, practicing in Rutland since 1870. He has been judge of the Mu-
nicipal Court from 1876 to 1878, and State's attorney from 1878 to 1880.
He is a partner of P. M. Meldon.
P. M. Meldon was born in Rutland April 20, 1859, and was educated at
Middlebury College, graduating in 1880. He studied law with Prout & Walker,
Rutland, and was admitted to the bar in September, 1882. He is a partner
of George E. Lawrence.
Joel C. Baker was born in Danby, Vt., in 1838. He studied law with Da-
vid E. Nicholson, Wallingford, and in Danby, and was admitted to the bar in
1862. He was editor of the Rutland Herald sevevA years, and has practiced
law since about 1862, first in Wallingford and since 1868 in Rutland. He is a
partner of Charles L. Howe.
Charles L. Howe was born in Mount Tabor, Rutland county, in 1855.
He is a graduate of the New York College of Pharmacy and was engaged as
druggist seven years. He began the study of law with Joel C. Baker in 1879,
and was admitted to the bar in March, 1882. He has been associated with
Joel C. Baker since April i, 1882.
James C. Barrett was born in Woodstock, Vt., in 1852. He was graduated
from Dartmouth College in 1874 and studied law at Woodstock with William
E. Johnson. He was admitted to the bar in 1877, practicing since 1878 in
Rutland. He has been associated with James Barrett since 1882.
James Barrett was born in Strafford, Vt., in 18 14. He was graduated from
Dartmouth College in 1838, studying law in Buffalo and later in Woodstock,
Vt. He was admitted to the bar in 1842. He first practiced in Woodstock
and then in Boston ; thence returned to Woodstock where he practiced until
elected judge of the Supreme Court (1867), which office he held until 1S80.
He came to Rutland in 1882 and is a partner of James C. Barrett.
Edwin Edgerton, though not now in active practice, is a member of the
county bar. He was born in Windsor county, Vt., February 13, 1801, and
was admitted to the bar in that county in December, 1825. He came to Rut-
land in March, 1844, and practiced until 1875. He was for a time in partner-
ship with Edgar L. Ormsbee and had several other partners, but was at the
head of the business himself, as a rule. He is now enjoying a vigorous old
age.
John D. Spellman was born in Rutland, November 4, 1855. ^^ received
his education in the common schools ; studied law in the office of the Hon. C.
H. Joyce, George E. Lawrence and Redington & Butler. He was admitted
to the bar in March, 1882, and has since practiced in Rutland.
Warren H. Smith was born in Brookfield, Vt., March 25, 181 8. He was
educated in Randolph Academy and studied law at Randolph with William
392 History of Rutland County.
Nutting, being a classmate of Judge Hibbard. He was admitted to the bar
June I, 1843, practicing in Poultney until March, 1848. He then came to
Rutland ; was justice of the peace from 1848 to 1875, and chairman of the com-
mittee of the bar for the examination of candidates.
Frederick Swinington was born in Leicester, Addison county, Vt., Decem-
ber 14, 1849. He graduated from Middlebury College in the class of 1875
and studied law with Prout & Walker and in the Harvard Law School ; was
admitted to the bar in March, 1878, since which date he has practiced in Rut-
land.
David E. Nicholson was born in Tinmouth, Vt., June 7, 1813, and was ed-
ucated in the common and select schools ; studied law in Wallingford with
Judge Harvey Button. He was admitted to the bar in 1S43 and practiced at
Wallingford until 1865, when he came to Rutland. Was senator from Rutland
two terms, State's attorney two terms, represented Wallingford two terms in
the Legislature, State railroad commissioner two terms ; he is now in his sec-
ond term as assistant county judge.
Aldace F. Walker was born in Rutland, May 11, 1842; was educated at
Middlebury College, graduating in 1862. He studied law in New York city
and was admitted to the bar there in 1867 ; he practiced there until 1873, when
he came to Rutland. He is now a member of the firm of Prout & Walker.
E. D. Merrill was born in Wellsville, Vt., in 1851. He was graduated
from the Chandler Scientific School of Dartmouth College in 1872. He
studied law in Rutland with Redington & Butler, and was admitted to the
bar in 1883.
D. N. Haynes was born in Wallingford in 1858, and studied law with Joel
C. Baker, of Rutland ; he was admitted to the bar in 1883. During the year
1882 he attended the Albany Law School.
Edward D. Reardon was born at Newport, N. H., October 28, 1856; he
read law with Hon. Edmund Burke in that place and was admitted to practice
in 1880. He practiced in Hamilton county, Mo., during 1880-81 and came to
Rutland in the spring of 1882. He was city attorney and city clerk of Hamil-
ton county while there, and is at present deputy collector of internal revenue
for this district.
J. E. Manley was born at Sutherland Falls in the town of Rutland, Vt,
February 15, 183 I. He was educated at the common schools and at Castleton
Seminary, from which he graduated in July, 1864. He settled in West Rut-
land and engaged in the marble business in 1857 ; was elected justice of the
peace for the town of Rutland in 1859 and held the office and was trial justice
for thirteen years; read law with C. H. Joyce and was admitted to the Rutland
county bar in 1875 ; became a member of the Supreme Court of Vermont in
1877. During all of this period he has been engaged more or less in the mar-
ble industry and is at present manager and principal owner of the Standard
Marble Company, organized in 1883.
Town of Rutland. 393
MUNICIPAL HISTORY.
Let us see what J. A. Graham. LL. D., " late heutenant-colonel in the ser-
vice," of Vermont, and the first lawyer in Rutland, had to say of the place
before 1795: "Rutland is a shire town, and the capital of the County of
the same name ; it lies on Otter Creek, between Killington and Ira Mountains;
It is distant from Bennington about sixty miles, and is divided into two par-
ishes, called East and West Rutland. On the East side is the main street, three
miles in length, the centre of which, for near a mile, lies high, streight and level,
and much resembles Dartford.
" In the centre is a square, containing about five English acres, known by
the name of Federal-Square (which name I had the honour to give it); in tront
of this, on the east side, stands a new Court-House, built of wood, by no means
an ornament to the place, owing to the bad taste, and want of judgment in
architecture of the Committee appointed to lay out the money, which was
raised by voluntary contribution, for the purpose of erecting this building. In
this are held the sessions of the General Assembly (established here and at
Windsor alternately), the District Court under the Federal Government, the
Supreme Court of the State, the Courts of Common Pleas, and the Court of
Probate for the district of Rutland. The Goal stands about one hundred rods
south of Federal Square, on the West side of the main street ; it is a good
building and answers every purpose for which it was designed. About half a
mile North of the Court-House, is a neat Church. On each side of the Square,
and Main street, are built some handsome and elegant houses ; particularly on
the East side, are several which draw the attention of all travellers — the largest
of these was intended for the residence of the bishop of Vermont.
"The upland is filled with lime-stone, the low lands abound with clay. The
intervale lands on the Creek are of a deep rich soil, and produce excessive crops
of hay, and Indian corn ; but, unfortunately for the husbandman, the Indian
corn is often cut off by the frosts. The uplands produce wheat, rye, oats, bar-
ley, beans, peas, hemp, and flax. About half a mile from the Court-House, in
the main street, a Silver Mine has lately been discovered, said to be of great
value ; but for the truth of this I cannot pretend to be answerable ; though be-
yond doubt there is a Copper Mine in the vicinity ; and there are great quanti-
ties of iron ore near Rutland. There are two great falls of water here, known
by the names of Medes's and Sotherland's Falls, on each of which are corn and
saw-mills. Mr. Osgood, in the year 1794, erected, on Otter Creek, the best
corn-mills in the County. Here also is a Printing Office, an Oil Mill, a Hat
Manufactory, a large Brewery, and a Manufactory of Nails. The water is con-
veyed from the mountains in wooden pipes, laid about two feet under ground.
Every material for building, except glass and paint, are made here. The prin-
cipal timber is pine, maple, hemlock, and birch. Pot and pearl ash are made
in c^reat abundance. The wolf and bear often descend from the East mount-
394 History of Rutland Countv.
ains, and do much damage, destroying the sheep and corn. The value of the
land is from twenty shillings to sixty pounds an acre. The number of inhab-
itants about sixteen hundred, emigrated from England, Ireland, New Hamp-
shire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the State of New York."
The above forms a most interesting and, doubtless, a tolerably correct pic-
ture of the town of Rutland and the little village of that remote day, and is a
basis for the subsequent history that should not be ignored.
In many respects the site of the village of Rutland is not surpassed in gen-
eral adaptation and beauty of situation and surroundings by that of any village
in the State. The older part, which Mr. Graham has described, stretches in
length from north to south over a gracefully rounded low hill, which is in real-
ity a foot-hill of the Green Mountains. This hill slopes off westward to the
valle\' of Otter Creek, and down this slope and on the level lands at its foot is
thickly built the newer and now most active part of the village. Towering
heavenward on the east are the majestic peaks of Killington, Shrewsbury and
Pico, forming part of the Green Mountain Range, and west of Otter Creek
stretch the less important Taconic Range, their sides covered with forests from
the peaks downward to near their feet, where are interspersed the cultivated
fields and thrifty-looking farm-houses that characterize the better parts of this
county. In summer days this valle}' and its environs form a scene of grandeur
and picturesque loveliness that is seldom equaled, even by the lavish hand of
nature.
According to Mr. Graham's further statements, " Doctor Williams, Mr.
Mattocks, Mr. Smith, Mr. Buell, Mr. Bell, Mr. Osgood, Messrs. Chipmans,
Messrs. Williams, are the leading people of the town." He then proceeds to
pay a high tribute to the learning and character of Samuel Williams, LL. D.
Of Nathaniel Chipman he says: "Mr. N. Chipman is one of the first Law char-
acters in the State. He has been District Judge, and Chief Judge of the Su-
preme Court. Mr. Darius Chipman is a good lawyer, assiduous and persever-
ing in his profession, a gentleman of wit and humour, and a most agreeable
companion.
" Mr. Mattocks is treasurer of the State, which office he discharges to the
universal satisfaction of the people. Mr. Smith was educated at the University
of Connecticut, and was bred to the Law ; he is a good scholar, conversant in
special pleadings, and is now a representative from the State, in Congress ; his
manners are mild, modest, and agreeable.
" Mr. Buell is a practitioner at the Bar, and much merit is due to him for
his ambition and perseverance in the objects of his pursuit, the more so per-
haps for his devoting himself to a laborious profession, while nature has en-
dowed him with great original talents for Poetry, the fascinating charms of
which few minds have sufficient resolution to withstand.
" Mr. Bell [Jonathan Bell noticed in a previous page], is High Sherift" of
Town of Rutland. 395
the Count}-, a gentleman of tlie strictest honour and veracity, has a tenacious
memory, and I can with propriety declare he is better informed in point of the
local business, and the true situation of individuals, in the different counties,
than any person in the Commonwealth."
Mr. Graham then pays a very eulogistic tribute to Mr. Stephen Williams,
who was one of the selectmen of the town in 1795-96 and '97. We find no
records further of this pioneer. In connection with a high testimonial to the
character of Rev. Lemuel Hayes, Mr. Graham concludes his notes on this town
by stating that " on the West side of the town, the farmers are better husband-
men than those on the East, and raise the best wheat, butter and cheese ;
great quantities of wheat they send off to foreign markets." '
With the early settlers in the immediate vicinit}- of tlie site of Rutland
village and their locations, the reader has already been made familiar. Among
these pioneers he has learned also that there were many men of strong char-
acter, a large measure of general intelligence and vigorous energy and enter-
prise that enabled them to accomplish important work in the new community.
This site, as we have endeavored to show, was a prominent one, although it is
generally believed that the situation at Center Rutland offered better advan-
tages as the site of a village than this ; and it is probable that if the owners
of the land in that vicinity in early da\-s had not held it at so high a figure,
the larger business center of the county would have been located at that
point.
The village of Rutland in early days, as indicated by Mr. Graham's de-
scription, and indeed down to about the year 1846, was built almost entirely
on Main street and West street. Green street and Woodstock avenue are old
highways, but aside from these all the streets in the village have been opened
since the year named. Previous to that time from near the top of the hill on
West street to the creek there were only four houses — the Ruggles houses
(three in number) and Chipman Thrall's. The old State-house, now the old-
est building in the village, was erected about the year 1775, and there the
courts were held from 1784 to 1792, having been held previous to 1784 and
after the county organization in 1781, at Tinmouth. The building then com-
prised only two rooms, one having a floor and the other none. The west end
contained the court-room, with a floor and seats on the north side, a little ele-
vated, for the judges, and benches for the jurors, witnesses and spectators.
The east end had no floor and was used miscellaneously for other public pur-
poses. The first jail was built of logs and stood a few yards northwest of the
court-house; this was used but for a few years, when the stone jail on Main
street (now the residence of George E. Lawrence) was erected. There is much
of historic interest attaching to the old State-house, as it has come to be
known. It was there that the first United States District Court held in Ver-
1 For sketch of Mr. Graham's life see chapter on the Bench and Bar of the County.
396 History of Rutland County.
mont convened, on the first Monday in May, 1791, witli Nathaniel Chipman as
judge, and Fredericl< Hill, clerk. The State Legislature met there in 1784
and 1786, alternating with Windsor, and in 1786 the old structure was for a
brief period in control of the anti-court mob.
On the corner where Daniels & Bell were for years prominent merchants of
the place (now occupied by the store of G. W. Hilliard) was a building
erected previous to 1795 by John A. Graham, from whose book we have
quoted ; parts of the old structure are incorporated in the present building.
Just south of this stood the old Franklin House, for years one of the most pop-
ular hostelries in the county. The Herald was then published at what was
known as the old Fox place, on Main street, and a bookstore kept in connec-
tion with the office, as was customary in early years. In the old numbers of
the Herald we look for advertisements of the early business of the village ;
but find little to enlighten us until after the beginning of the present century.
In numbers of the paper for the year 1797 is an advertisement signed Elias
Buell, who offered for sale for ready pay, " an elegant Mansion House forty-
four by thirty four feet. Beautifully situate fronting the Square in Rutland,"
etc. " The premises are well situate for a Merchant, or public house for which
it is now licensed."
Trobridge Maynard was a saddler, probably about the first in the town,
and advertised in 1796 for " a smart active boy about fourteen years of age to
learn the business." He died in 1801, aged only thirty-four years. James
Daviss and William Leadwell were clothiers in 1795 and in January called for
"a couple of likely good journeymen taylors." Joseph Munn kept the tavern
near the court-house (the Franklin), and Crafts & Ingalls came out in 1796
with a column announcement of their general mercantile business " adjoining
Munn's tavern." William Hale was a cabinet-maker " 100 rods west of the
State house, Rutland," in 1796, and about that time the partnership between
Ralph Pomeroy and Daniel Parsons was dissolved, and soon afterwards Mr.
Pomeroy became associated with " Dr." Thomas Hooker, as merchants ; Mr.
Hooker was a prominent business man before the beginning of the present
century, and lived on the east side of Main street north of the Daniels & Bell
store; in 1795 we find him advertising that he had "just received from Lon-
don a large and general assortment of drugs, medicines," etc. The firm of
Pomeroy & Hooker was a prominent one for some time and they probably
added groceries to their stock. Mr. Hooker died in April, 1836, at the age of
sixty-six years. In 1795 William Storer was a silversmith and Sampson Ladd
a carpenter and joiner ; both of them called for an apprentice in that year.
Eben. Mussey, who has already been mentioned among the pioneers of the
town, dealt in leather, etc., half a mile south of the court-house, Rutland, and
advertised " well-tanned sole and upper leather, skins and Boot Legs of supe-
rior quality ; " he died in 1841, aged seventy-seven years. In the same }-ear
Town of Rutland. 397
we learn that Messrs. Pepoon, Fuller & Co., " have for sale at their store next
door to the old Corner Tavern in Rutland, now kept by Captain Lester, an as-
sortment of dry goods, groceries, crockery and hardware." This firm was
probably successor to John Gove and Ozias Fuller; in 1796 the firm became
Silas Pepoon & Co., the company being Silas Whitney. In June, 1795, Eli-
jah Taylor made the public announcement that he " has opened a tavern at
the house lately occupied by Major Buell, in Rutland." Issaclier Reed was a
merchant at tliis titne, "a few rods cast of the meeting house," and in July,
1795, offered for sale a " store lately occupied by Mr. Lewis, a few rods north
of the court-house." He for years kept Reed's Hotel on West street. Eleazer
Wheelock was a well-known resident of the village and was here as early as
1795, in which year he was engaged in delivering newspapers on what he
termed his "northern ride;" in later years he owned the hotel now known
as the Brock House ; Mr. Wheelock subsequently became prominent in the
large staging business that was carried on for many years, and died in 1841.
One of the principal lines was from Albany to Burlington, passing through
several of the towns of the county; another came in from Boston and an-
other from Rutland to Whitehall. Rutland and Castleton were the prominent
stage headquarters of this county. Mr. Wheelock's daughter became the wife
of Dr. James Porter. John and William Smith were blacksmiths here in 1795,
and in the same year David Stevens, "late of Walpole, N. H.," advertised the
opening of " the boot and shoe-making business a few rods north of the meet-
ing-house, East Parish, Rutland ; " he also carried on a small tanning and cur-
rying business ; he adds to his card, " if distance renders it inconvenient to
Pay when the work is done, Credit will be given till the first of Sleighing ; "
which was certainly a fair proposal. Ralph Page was a clothier and merchant
" one mile west of the court-house." Abel Page, an early settler, long kept
tavern where Nicholas Davis now lives on West street ; afterwards kept by
Alanson Dyer. Mr. Page was grandfather of Mrs. General Custer. He re-
moved west many years ago, and died in Michigan. Jonas and Anthony But-
ler were merchants. Joseph Atley was a distiller here in very early years, and
it is probable that it was his distillery which John A. Graham alluded to as a
" large brewery ; " for it is doubtful if there was a brewery of any kind here
then. Uri Hill did the house and sign painting for the little village, and as
evidence that the light accomplishments were not neglected it is announced
that Aug. St. Paul had opened a dancing school in Rutland and Middlebury ;
the sessions in Rutland being held at the houses of Nathaniel Gove and " Land-
lord Munn." The //r/vr/c/ was then printed by J. Kirkaldie. His son David
lived at Center Rutland and and was a mail carrier in early life; later he lived
just east of the site of the Bardwell house ; he died in 1853.
In connection -with this account of early mercantile operations, it will be of
interest to Hve the following incident, related by the venerable R. R. Thrall:
398 History of Rutland County.
He thinks that one of the first stocks of goods in the village was owned by one
of the Osgoods and was sold from the house then occupied by Captain David
Tuttle, which stands on the west side of Main street — the only double house on
the street. At the time the goods were placed on sale the house was in proc-
ess of building. The chamber was occupied by a clergyman, and when he was-
absent on Sundays, a woman who also lived in the house, or a part of it, would
go up stairs, take up one of the loose boards which then constituted the cham-
ber floor, let her boy down through to the store-room by a rope, where he
helped himself to such of the goods as she directed. The boy was arrested for
the theft, and when his mother upbraided him for stealing he replied, " Mother,
you taught me to steal." He afterward went to South America, and it is be-
lieved was there executed for murder. William Page, father of John B. Page
received a letter from him to the effect that if his father or mother was alive he
wanted them to know of his fate.
In the }-ear 1784 the Legislature of Vermont established five post-offices in
the State, at Bennington, Brattleboro, Windsor, Newbury and Rutland. An-
thony Haswell was then postmaster-general. The office in this place contin-
ued under State administration until the State became a member of the Union
in 1 79 1, when it passed under control of the United States government. Fred-
erick Hill was the first postmaster of Rutland after the change. (See later
pages.)
In the year 1804 the State Legislature met for the last time in Rutland;
it has already been stated that the sessions of 1784 and 1786 were held here.
In 1790 it met at Castleton ; 1792 in Rutland and continued its sessions here
until and including 1797. In 1808 the State-house was erected at Montpelier
and that became the permanent headquarters of the State government.
The growth of the village was not rapid for many years. The commercial
demands of the surrounding country were limited to the necessities of the
farmers, which were very small compared with those of the same number of
modern families. The potash and pearlash manufacture was one of consider-
able importance in the early years and provided a means of exchange between
farmers and merchants at a time when money was very scarce ; the land had
to be cleared and the forests biu-ned, so that the source of this product was a
natural one. G. W. L. Daniels & Co., successors to James Barrett, jr. & Co.,
were largely interested in this line of manufacture ; they also made brick largely.
In the year 1807 we find Zenas Allen, of the Tinmouth furnace, advertising
potash-kettles for sale.
As the farms surrounding the \'illage become more productive and the area
of producing lands much larger, the growing of wheat was begun in quantities
that left a surplus for foreign market ; this surplus gradually increased, and in
the course of the succeeding twenty-five years was the chief export from the
county and the source of important revenue. Troy and Lansingburgh were
Town of Rutland. 399
the principal markets, previous to 1823, when the Northern Canal was opened,
when Whitehall became the market. The little village simply kept pace with
the demands of its surroundings. In 1807 Abijah Lathrop took the store
which had been occupied since 1804, or earlier, by Wells & Washburn, and
kept a general stock of goods. S. Prentiss was then postmaster. In 1809 the
Vermont Courier was published " a few rods south of the court-house," by
Thomas Pomroy, Messrs. Hall & Green then kept a store and there were
other insignificant business changes ; but nothing of importance occurred in
the place for a number of years aside from the great freshet of i8ii, which
swept away two-thirds of the mills and bridges in the county.
Coming down to 1820 we find that Miles W. Blanchard had removed " from
the large building at the head of the West street, to the West side of Main
street, one door south of the brick school-house," where he did a saddler's bus-
iness, carriage-painting and trimming. Silas Warren & Co. were hatters and
sold " ladies' bonnets." Orel Cook had begun his hat manufacturing business.
Benjamin Burt was in the bookbinding business, and Fay & Burt were publish-
ing the Herald. Bela Paul was a shoemaker and Paige & Jewell kept a gen-
eral store. W. D. Smith was postmaster. Among the advertisers in the Her-
ald were John Conant, of Brandon, stoves ; Beman & Mallary, Poultney, in the
same business ; Ben. Dix, general store in Rutland ; Harris & Young, Poultney,
brewery ; William & John Hall, general store in Rutland ; Caleb Hall, Clar-
endon, stoves and hollow ware ; William Alvord & Son, Rutland, furniture ;
and James Barrett, jr. & Co., showed that they were among the most enter-
prising merchants by tlie regular publication of a two column advertisement of
their goods. The annual meeting of the " Social Library " was held on the
first Monday in March, at Gould's Hotel; E. W. Bisbee was clerk. The po-
litical situation of that period was looked upon by the editor of the Herald as
" rather novel." " We are on the eve of an important election," said he, " and
from general appearances a stranger would hardly mistrust that there were any
such privileges amongst us as elections. It can hardly be said that we have
an}' politics or any parties." Whether this condition of affairs was a source of
anxiety or of congratulation to the readers of the Herald may be a question.
The foregoing page shows that the business of the village had materially
increased. This fact is also indicated by the incorporation of the Bank of Rut-
land on the 1st of November, 1824, and the incorporation about that period of
several manufacturing companies. On the 25th of October, 1S25, the Rut-
land Iron Manufacturing Company was incorporated by Moses Strong, Rodney
C. Royce, Charles K. Williams and associates ; the capital being placed at
$100,000. Several years previously William Gookin and Richard Gookin,
with others, incorporated the " Rutland Cotton Manufacturing Company." In
1836 Moses Strong, John Strong, George W. Strong, Ruel Parker, Edward
Dyer and James Colvin, and associates, incorporated the " Clarendon Manu-
400 History of Rutland County.
facturing Company " for making cotton and woolen goods at Clarendon. In
the same year William Fay, James Barrett, jr., Luther Daniels, William Hall,
Aaron Barnes, Alvin Tierney, William Barnes, Moses Lester, William W. Ford,
Robert Goddard, James Porter, Jared C. Burdick, incorporated the Rutland
East Creek Manufacturing Company, for the making of woolen goods in Rut-
land. The marble industry, also, began to attract attention and capital, in-
spiring hopes that have since been more than realized. In 1S32 a resolution
was passed in the General Assembly that the representatives in Congress and
senators be instructed to use all honorable means to procure the passage of a
" law which shall effectually protect our citizens engaged in the manufacture
of marble from foreign competition."
While almost none of the incorporated companies above noticed ever began
manufacturing, the bare fact of incorporation shows the spirit of enterprise then
existing and the progressive character of the leading men of the village and
town.
In 1836-38 some of the business houses not before mentioned were George
T. Hodges and William Gilmore, who had formed a partnership, while Daniels
& Bell had recently dissolved, Mr. Daniels continuing alone; A. L. Brown, ^
Alanson Mason and James Barrett, jr., formed a partnership in the tanning
business in Mendon ; Gershom Cheney, 2d, "a few doors north of the Episco-
pal church, would inform his customers that he has recently so arranged his
business in the line of coopering " as to furnish stock at wholesale and retail ;
the firm comprising Charles Burt and Barnard McConnell, in staple and fancy
dry goods, dissolved, and Mr. Burt joined with Lester Mason in the business ;
John F. Knight carried on tailoring and would take country produce for his
goods; James Porter was a general merchant; in 183S E. Pierpoint and Will-
iam Y. Ripley became partners and took " the brick store once occupied by
William Gookin & Son," for general mercantile business (Center Rutland) ;
Nelson G. Howard carried on a general store ; White, Everson & Co. had book
stores in Rutland and Castleton, the firm being William Fay, A. L. Brown, H.
T. White and J. Everson ; Orel Cook, dealer in hats and caps, had " a leetle the
best assortment that he has had for many years " ; Alanson Dyer called on
delinquents to pay for meat, tallow, etc.; Clark & Harrington were a firm of
attorneys, and Jesse Gove would attend to the business of pensioners, " twc
doors north of the court-house " ; William Hall wanted an apprentice in the
saddlery business, and Snell & Whitney were blacksmiths. Thomas J. Orms-
bee was postmaster in place of R. H. Waller, resigned, in 1836. Between the
Papineau war, a predicted war with France, the "bank mania," as it was
termed, the approaching financial crisis and the general activity in the political
field, it was a stirring period from 1835 to 1838. The Herald, always Whig
1 Mr. Brown was elected town clerk in 1826 and efficiently performed the duties of that office for a
period of nearly forty years. He died in 1S65. His daughter and a son reside in Rutland.
Town of Rutland. 401
or Republican, posted the name of Harrison for president, with the Whig ticket
senators for Rutland in the names of Robert Pierpoint, Wilham C. Kittridge
and Thomas D. Hammond ; The Vermont Anti-Slavery Society had become
of some importance in politics and held its second annual meeting in 1836 at
Middlebury, with Samuel Cotting, a former manufacturer of wire screens, etc.,
here, as secretary. The local newspapers were over-burdened with political
discussions, and the columns of the Herald and the Middleburj' Free Press in
particular bristled with invective. The Middlebury editor was characterized as
"the restless, rattle-headed young man of the Free Press, late of the anti-Ma-
sonic party, but now hanging on the skirts of the Van Buren ranks," while he
in return speaks of the editor of the Herald zs " Grandfather Fay." General
Jackson finally signed the Distribution Bill, by which a large sum of surplus
revenue was distributed among the various States, giving Vermont nearly half
a million dollars, a measure that for a short time caused a feeling of encourage-
ment ; but this was soon dispelled, as detailed under the heading of financial
interests a little further on.
Although Rutland escaped the disastrous results of that era to a greater ex-
tent than many other localities, still new enterprises of a mercantile or manu-
facturing character were abandoned for the time.
At that time Castleton and Clarendon were successfully contesting with
Rutland for a right to the title of the most thrifty village in the county. An-
other important cause of the lack of growth and the more rapid development
of the village resources for quite a period was the absence of railroad com-
munication with other prominent business centers. The community felt their
isolation seriously, and it was not until a railroad was assured that the place
awakened to the fact that it might become one of the most thrifty villages in
the State. The people of the village encouraged every movement towards
securing railroad transportation. In reference to the Champlain and Connect-
icut River Railroad (incorporated in November, 1843), a meeting was held in
this village on the 3d of March, 1846, at which the following preamble and res-
olutions were adopted : —
" Whereas, It is probable that the whole capital of the said corporation
will soon be subscribed and the work upon said road be commenced, and,
"Whereas, It is believed that the success of this enterprise will greatly
conduce to the interest and prosperity of this town and of its inhabitants, and
deserves such aid and encouragement as it is in our power to bestow, therefore,
" Resolved, That whenever said railroad shall cross any e.xisting highway in
this town, the said corporation shall not be required to raise or lower said high-
way, so that said railroad may pass over the same, but this town will do the
same so far as said highway is concerned, without expense to said corpora-
tion." 1
1 The above resolution was rescinded in the following year, but it was rather on account of the
impracticability of its provisions than from antagonism to the railroad enterprise. 26
402 History of Rutland County.
The railroads came, as we have detailed in the chapter on the internal im-
provements of the county, and with them such a marvelous impetus was given
to the growth and prosperity of the village as the most sanguine had not antici-
pated. Meanwhile the village was incorporated, under an act of the Assembly
passed November 15, 1847. The first section of this act reads as follows: —
" Section i. — That part of the town of Rutland embraced within the fol-
lowing boundaries to wit : Beginning at the east side of the highway at the
northern corner of land owned by Charles K. Williams ; thence east on the
north line of the said land, and in that direction 100 rods ; thence due south to
the south bank of Moon's Brook ; thence west along said bank until it strikes
Truman Moulthrop's land ; thence in a straight line to the southeast corner of
Jonathan C. Thrall's land ; thence north on the east line of said land to the
northeast corner of the same ; thence due north to the north line of land set
off to Lydia Fay, as dower in her husband's estate ; thence east on the north
line of said land and in that direction to the east side of the highway first men-
tioned ; thence to the first mentioned bounds, shall hereafter be known by the
name of the village of Rutland, and the inhabitants of said village are hereby
constituted a body politic and corporate with the usual powers incident to pub-
lic corporations, to be known by the name of the village of Rutland." ^
The village was divided into seven wards in 1856 of which the following
were designated as the boundaries : —
Ward I. — All of Main street north of the court-house square, including
the streets and roads running east out of it, to the north and east lines of the
village.
Ward 2. — All of the court-house square and all of West street, to and in-
cluding Wales street.
Ward 3. — All of all Alain street south of the court-house square, includ-
ing Green street, to the east and south lines of the village.
Ward 4. — All of Washington street, including Pleasant, Prospect and Mad-
ison streets, to the south line of the village, and west to and including the
Bardwell House.
Ward 5. — All of Merchants Row, from the Bardwell House to West street,
and all of the buildings and streets west and north of West street, including all
of the territory east of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad track south to the
line of the village.
Ward 6. — All of the remainder of West street from Wales street, includ-
1 These boundaries have since been changed, and are now as follows : " Commencing at a point
on the east bank of Otter Creek, where a continuation of Robert Moulthrop's north line would strike
said bank of said creek, at the water's edge at low water mark ; thence easterly to the said Moulthrop's
northeast corner ; thence easterly in the same direction to a point due south from the bridge crossing
Moon's Brook, on Green street; thence north to a point due east of H. H. Baxter's northeast corner;
thence west to said Baxter's northeast corner; thence westerly on ."iaid Baxter's north line, and in the
same direction to East Creek ; thence southwesterly on the east bank of said East Creek to Otter Creek,
and thence southerly on the east bank of said Otter Creek, to the place of beginning."
Town of Rutland. 403
ing the streets and buildings leading out and south of West street, to the east
corner of Merchants Row, and the streets and buildings on the north side of
West street, Cottage Place, Grove, Spring and Pine streets to the north line
of the village.
Ward 7. — All the streets and buildings situated west and south of the
Rutland and Burlington Railroad track, to-wit: east side of Forest and east
end of Pierce streets, Franklin, Union, Furnace, Howe, Granger, Brown and
Cherry streets, to tlie south and west lines of the village.
In January, 1848, the rights and privileges of the " Fire Society," under the
local protection of which the village had remained for many years, were relin-
quished to the new corporation, and a meeting was called for the 5th of Janu-
ary of that year, at the court-house. The meeting was held and Solomon
Foot was made moderator and F. W. Hopkins, clerk. The officers elected at
this meeting were as follows: trustees, George T. Hodges, Robert Pierpoint,
Luther Daniels, Solomon Foot, Charles Burt, R. R. Thrall and Moses Perkins.
Fire wardens, James Barrett, jr., Silas H. Hodges, George W. Strong, Ephraim
Butterfield, William W. Bailey, Robert Pierpoint and Jacob Edgerton. Treas-
urer and collector, John B. Page. A committee was appointed to report by-
laws at the next meeting; it consisted of Silas H. Hodges, Robert Pierpoint
and R. R. Thrall.
Let it be remembered that at this time there was scarcely a building on the
western slope of the hill or on the flat below, except a little way down on West
street — and that was only thirty-five years ago; but a railroad had reached
the town, and great changes were already inaugurated.
Among the instructions to the trustees at the July meeting of 1850, they
were directed to "clear out and cover up such ditches as they shall think proper."
This was the precursor of the sewer system of the village. The board was
also instructed to " extend the plank walks and construct them through the
Main street north and south from Mrs. Temple's to Mr. Perkins's on both sides •
also, on the street from Mr. Perkins's east on the north side as far as they think
proper." And in the following year (1851) it was deemed incumbent on the
trustees to issue the following edict : " No person shall drive or ride any
horse or other beast upon the plank sidewalks, except to cross the same ;
penalty fifty cents." It reads as if these regulations might be twice as old as
they are.
A glance at the business interests of 185 1 shows that H. L. Spencer
was conducting the "Rutland county bookstore;" J. R. Parker & Co. had
recently opened " a new clothing store near the depot a few rods north of Lan-
don & Graves' store ; " D. P. Bell was a general merchant and O. L. Robbins the
same ; James Barrett & Son were still largely engaged in trade ; J. B. Kilburn
was a hatter in Chaffee's building; Joseph Gould would take daguerreotype
miniatures " for a few days only, over Barrett & Son's store ; " B. H. Kinney
404 History of Rutland County.
was about to locate here as a " sculptor and monumental marble-worker; " H.
T. Dorrance was a saddler in the village, and John Quilty carried on the tailor-
ing trade ; Dr. E. V. N. Harwood announced that he had taken rooms at the
Franklin Hotel and would remain "as long as business requires;" Charles Clem-
ent had a " cash store " at Center Rutland, which he disposed of in April to
William H. Liscomb and John Osgood ; George W. Strong advertised for wood
for the Rutland and Washington Railroad ; the Rutland Savings Bank was
just getting into successful operation ; Pratt & Foster kept the Franklin Hotel ;
Charles Burt was postmaster and Reuben R. Thrall and W. H. Smith were
partners in the law business ; J. B. Proctor kept a store at Center Rutland ; a
new line of stages was recently opened from Castleton to Salem, N. Y., by Bard-
well, Field & Co., and another by H. Bryant from Rutland to Bethel, Wood-
stock and Windsor.
In 1850 Melzar Edson and Marcus P. Norton purchased of William Hall
the " lot adjoining the depot grounds on the east and fronting on the main road
leading to the village from the west," on which it was intended to lay out-streets.
They announced that "in view of the prospective increase of business in our
village consequent upon the completion of the Rutland and Burlington Rail-
road, this offers a rare chance," etc. Had they properly appreciated the value
of that " rare chance," a higher price would undoubtedly have been placed on
those lots.
The reader has already learned something of the enormously rapid devel-
opment of this village between 1850 and the end of the war of the rebellion;
it was phenomenal in New England The real estate business was, perhaps,
the most important traffic in the place. Far-sighted men who had faith in the
influence of railroads to draw around their depots and lines the business of a
village or city, purchased lands on the before neglected flats, and were jeered
at for so doing. New streets were rapidly laid out and improved, lots were
surveyed and sold, and the sound of hammer and trowel were heard on every
hand. The marble industry was becoming one of the greatest importance and
a source of wealth which gave the utmost stability to the extensive building
and business operations, which might otherwise have changed the era of pros-
perity into one of disaster. Manufacturing establishments were removed hither
from other parts of the county_and population followed.
The chief products of the county in 1850 and before, were grain, wool,
butter and cheese ; fine stock-breeding had not then become a prominent in-
dustry. Before the railroad era the business of the place was all on Main street.
The brick buildings of the village were James Porter's store, Robert Temple's
house, Orel Cook's house, D. Butler's house, William Butman's house, J. C.
Burdick's house, the Eleazer Wheelock Hotel (now the Brock House). There
were three other hotels, the Grove House, which stood ne.xt north of Knowlton
& Carver's store, the latter adjoining the old court-house ; the Franklin Hotel
Town of Rutland. 40S
and the Reed Hotel ; another pubUc house was kept by Abel Page ; the latter
was on West street on the lot now owned by Nicholas M. Davis.i
In 185 I the farm of 150 acres, embracing a large portion of the flat land on
which the village is now built, originally owned by Moses Strong, was sold to a
syndicate of six men, called the " Rutland Land Company," who cut it up and
sold it in lots.
Before i860 the following named new streets had been opened; Grove
street, laid out in 1848 ; Cottage street, opened in 1S52 and extended in 1858 ;
Madison street, Pleasant street and Prospect street, opened in 1852 ; Evelyn
street, opened in 1853 and extended in 1866; Freight street and Forest street,
opened in 1853 ; Wales street, opened in 1853 and extended in 1862 ; Spring
street, opened in 1853 and extended in 1868; Meadow, River, Franklin, Mechanic,
South and School streets, opened in 1854; Court and Centre streets, opened
in 1856 and Nickwacket in i860. All this shows the remarkable extension of
the village during those years. There was some opposition to the rapid prog-
ress down the hill-side and upon the flats, particularly in regard to the post-
office, which was removed to its present location in the year 1854; but the
powerful influences at work could not be resisted, and soon it became a matter
for wonder why the business part of the place was ever placed on the hill.
The prominent business houses in the year i860, as indicated by their an-
nouncements in the press, were Isaac M. Southwick, wholesale groceries and
provisions ; C. Burt & Son, general merchants ; Barrett & Son, hardware ;
A. F. Spencer and F. Chaffee, clothing and furnishing goods; J. B. Kilburn,
cloaks, fancy goods, etc. ; French & Kingsley, hardware ; Landon & Kingsley,
grocers; I. D. Cole, clothing, fur goods, etc. ; F. Fenn & Co., drugs and toys;
H. O. Perkins, flour and feed ; H. C. Wood, boots and shoes; Pond & Morse,
drugs, toys and fancy goods; Clark Brothers, jewelers; Fisher & Haven, dry
goods; Bowman & Mansfield, foundry; Julius H. Mott, successor to William
L. Belknap, merchant tailor, hats and caps, etc. ; E. N. Merriam, music, sew-
ing-machines. A. F. & M. C. Davis were large brick-makers. The Bardwell
House had been built and opened in 1852, and the Franklin Hotel renovated
and improved.
Returning again to the records we learn that, as another evidence of the
general spirit of progress, a meeting was called in June, 1S58, to see if the peo-
ple would aid in putting up gas works, and the same \-ear $500 were appro-
priated to erect fences around the parks on Main street. In March, 1 859, a
proposal was advanced at a meeting, that the people buy the land between
West and Center streets and west of Court street, for a public square ; and to
see if the corporation would purchase a vacant lot between Washmgton and
1 The house where William H. B. Owen now lives is said to be the building whence the indemnity
was taken to be paid to New York when Vermont entered the Union. The house was at one time the
property of John A. Orahani and later of George T. Hodges.
4o6 History of Rutland County.
Center streets and east of Dr. Page's residence and the new bank, for a public
park. This proposition called out from some individual, who may have been
more facetious than wise, a proposal to buy three acres in " Nebraska" (a name
applied to a portion of the low land) for musters and bull fights. In 1867 a
special meeting was held to consider the project of lighting the village with
gas, and a committee was appointed to confer with the owners of the stock of
the Rutland Gas Light Company as to the purchase of their works ; General
Baxter then held a majority of the stock. (See Gas company a little farther
on.) The bad sanitary condition of the village in 1867 led to agitation of the
introduction of abetter sewer system; but the matter was postponed until
1872, when the sewerage was greatly extended. It was in the latter year, also,
that the Municipal Court was established, with M. G. Everts as judge.
Additional streets were opened after 1.860 as follows : Strong's avenue, in
1861 ; South street extension, Maple, Summer and Church streets, in 1864;
Merchants Row extension in 1866 ; Lincoln avenue in 1867 ; East street. Pearl,
Baxter, Garden, North and Maple street extension, opened in 1869; Temple
street, opened 1 870 and Washington street extended; State street opened in
1879.
City Charter. — It is scarcel}' to be wondered at that after such a period
of prosperity as has been enjoyed b)' Rutland, an eftbrt should be made towards
securing its incorporation as a city. A committee was appointed on the ist of
October, 1880, to consider and act upon this subject. They met on the 13th
of that month, the following being present: George H. Cheney, F. A. Field,
R. Barrett, M. J. Francisco, H. C. Tuttle, W. Y. W. Ripley, J. W. Cramton,
J. M. Haven, A. F. Walker, Charles Woodhouse, James Levins and D. C.
Pierce. Colonel Walker gave the outline of a city charter for the government
of the village, and on motion he was instructed to draft a completed charter,
and a list of persons from each town was made to confer with the board on
the subject. In the succeeding week a meeting was held at which Col-
onel Walker read the charter ; the matter was laid over one week and one
thousand copies of the proposed charter ordered printed and distributed. After
some revision, extending over the ne.xt two weeks, the charter was accepted
and a committee appointed to place the matter before the Legislature. For
various reasons the whole subject was allowed to drop and nothing has since
been done in that direction.
Architecture. — The comparatively recent erection of the prominent build-
ings of Rutland and the good taste and judgment of their builders, have re-
sulted in a general st\ie of architecture that seldom characterizes villages of
similar size. The slope of the hill and portions of the lower land are covered
with private residences and grounds that are not often surpassed in beauty,
even in much larger communities; while the business portion of the village, its
churches and public buildings exhibit excellent architectural styles. Such
Town of Rutland. 407
structures as the Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian and Episcopal churches, the
opera house, town hall, the Baxter Bank building, the Morse block, the three
prominent hotels, the Clement Bank building, the Marble block, the New Rich-
ardson block, the Graded School building, and many others that need not be
mentioned, give to the streets of Rutland a metropolitan appearance and in-
dicate wealth and prosperity.
Officers. — Following is a list of the moderators (and presidents since
1 881) of the village trustees from the date of incorporation to the present,
with the dates of their service : —
1848 to 1850 inclusive, Solomon Foot; 1851 to 1853 inclusive, James
Barrett; 1854 to 1856 inclusive, A. L. Brown; 1857, Rockwood Barrett;
1858, Lyman P. White ; 1859, James Barrett ; i860, Martin G. Everts ; 1861,
Newman Weeks ; 1862, G. P. Hannum ; 1863, W. A. Burnett; 1864-65, G.
P. Hannum ; 1866, M. G. Everts; 1867 to 1869 inclusive, J. M. Haven;
1 87 1, Charles F. Adams; 1871 to 1873 inclusive, Charles H. Joyce; 1874 to
1880 inclusive, M. G, Everts; 18S1, Charles Woodhouse (president); 1882-
83, John B. Page; 1884, J. D. Hanrahan ; 1885, George R. Bottum.
Officers of the village of Rutland, 1885-86: President, George R. Bottum.
Trustees, William B. Thrall, Ward i ; Charles E. Bourne, Ward 2 ; M. A.
Bourne, Ward 3 ; N. F. Page, Ward 4 ; P". H. Chapman, Ward 5 ; Samuel
Hayward, Ward 6 ; J. D. O'Hearne, Ward 7. Clerk, R. R. Mead. Treas-
urer, Henry F. Field. Attorney, F. G. Swinington. Auditor of accounts,
John N. Woodfin. Collector of taxes, A. T. Woodward. Judge of munici-
pal court, Albert Landon. Street commissioner, John D. Ellsworth. Water
commissioners, N. L. Davis, W. C. Landon, Joseph M. Davis. Engineers fire
department: Chief, K. K. Hannum; first assistant, W. V. Eddy; second as-
sistant, D. Corcoran.
Financial Interests. — \\\ its financial affairs the village of Rutland has al-
ways been at least as stable and fortunate as the average of places of its size.
The inherent sources of wealth in the town and the sagacious and conserva-
tive business methods of the merchants and manufacturers have proved suffi-
cient to carry the community safely through financial crises which have left a
history of wreck and ruin elsewhere. The still remembered crisis of 1837-38
was felt to some extent in Rutland county ; but the village itself had not then
reached a degree of mercantile importance, the crippling of which could pro-
duce a very serious effect. There were then but eight or nine places of busi-
ness in the village and none of them of very great magnitude ; there was one
bank, but it so managed its affairs that, although it was forced to temporarily
suspend specie payments, a fate that overtook nearly every bank in the coun-
try, it still passed through the ordeal with a reputation for soundness enjoyed
by few other financial institutions. Early in 1836 the Rutland Herald began
to reveal in its columns the state of public affairs that had much to do with
4o8 History of Rutland County.
the stringency which soon followed in the money markets of the country. The
" bank mania," as it was termed, was characterized as " a monster," and con-
gratulatory remarks were publislied upon the prospect of the distribution of
the surplus revenue among the States, some $475,000 of which, it was said,
would come to Vermont. These expectations, although realized only by the
application of the money to school purposes, served to keep up public
spirit for some time. Luther Daniels, Moses Watkins and W. Fay (then pub-
lisher of the Herald') were selected as trustees to receive the quota of money
expected for Rutland. Towards the close of the year 1836 the newspapers
contained premonitory items of approaching " hard times," and the prices of
provisions, etc., were quoted as advancing. Martin Van Buren was elected in
the fall of 1836, an event which did not at all please the Herald, a rabid Har-
rison organ, and in January, 1837, the president issued his famous treasury or-
der, which failed to relieve the prevailing want of confidence. The first busi-
ness failure in this section, which received any attention from the Herald was
that of Holbrook & Fessenden, of Brattleboro. This was followed by
that of Stephen Hinsdale, of Bennington, a large manufacturer whose ruin
involved that of several others. In the issue of the Herald for March 28,
1837, appeared a long and ably written editorial calling earnestly upon the
people of Rutland village to show a spirit of co-operation and helpfulness in
business matters ; the article was apparently inspired not alone by the general
stringency of the times, but also by the general apathy of citizens in matters
looking to the growth and prosperity of the place. This editorial was fol-
lowed by another of similar tone the following week, in which it was stated
that Rutland offered advantages as a field for " great enterprise and impro\'e-
ment and the investment of capital advantageously." The extensive water-
power was cited and the " immense quarries of the most beautiful marble in
the world, limestone for lime, clay for brick," building stone, etc., were quoted
as material attractions to capitalists. A great variety of timber, fertile soil
and the establishment of tanneries and shoe manufactories were noted as desir-
able fields for investment. " The day has gone by," wrote the editor, " for
pjitteringm these things," adding that it was not really an inauspicious time
for the establishment of business industries. But it is apparent that this edi-
torial partook of the character of the boy's whistling to keep his courage up ;
for within two or three weeks the same editor " regrets to find that from va-
rious causes the prospect before us looks somewhat gloom\' and discouraging
for the present season," and cannot advise any one to e.xtend his business.
"To depend on credit," he wrote, " at this time is out of the question, when
money is said to be vvorth from twenty-five to fifty per cent, and dismay and
ruin seem to be extending their ravages all over the country." Notices of
numerous failures began to be quoted from other journals, those in New York
city having reached in May the sum of $60,000,000. Banks everywhere sus-
Town of Rutland. 409
pended payment and the greatest depression ever experienced ensued ; and in
the midst of it all the Herald cheerily shouldered the entire responsibility on
"Jackson and Van Buren's better currency," and the unauthorized and unnec-
essary interference of the government with the currency.
On the 19th of May, 1837, ^ meeting of representatives of the banking
institutions of the State was held at Montpelier, at which the following banks
were represented : Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Windsor, Woodstock, Orange,
Newbury, Caledonia, Orleans, Montpelier, Burlington, Bennington, Manches-
ter. Thomas Emerson, of Windsor, was made chairman, and a committee of
five was appointed to draft resolutions. One of the resolutions expressed " the
highest confidence in the general soundness of our banks and in their abund-
ant ability to perform all their engagements to the public." It was also re-
solved that it was a wise policy to keep all the bills at par by redeeming them
in Boston and other Atlantic cities, thus providing a check upon over-issue ;
and that " the banks of the State will take eftectual measures to keep bills at
par with those of Boston." A lengthy address to the public was prepared and
published, setting forth the causes leading to suspension of specie payments in
the State, with assurances of the soundness and safety of the moneyed interest.
An editorial was printed in the Herald on the 30th of June, congratulatory
upon the practical escape of Vermont from the disasters of other localities.
In January, 1838, the Commonwealth Bank of Boston failed, an event which
created considerable feeling in this vicinity. Early in the year mentioned the
banks generally began specie payments and the local press printed expressions
of congratulation upon this condition of affairs. In April, 1838, rumors of
the failure of the Windsor and Newbury Banks were circulated, causing re-
newed apprehensions ; the former bank did fail, involving others, and some
business failures followed. In the month of May the Bank of Rutland re-
sumed specie payments, as did also those of Montpelier and Burlington, and
business began to revive. By the 7th of August all the banks of the State,
except the "rotten concern at Windsor," as the editor of the Herald termed
it, had resumed and the financial affairs of the various communities soon at-
tained their former prosperity.
The country at large has suffered on two or three occasions, since the one
above alluded to, from depression in business, stringency in money affairs and
" hard times " generally ; but it is a fact, and one that is eloquent upon the
conservative and careful business methods of the citizens of Rutland county,
the great resources of the community and the general well-to-do condition of
the people, that these periods of depression exerted but little influence here ;
or, at least, not sufficient to cause a tithe of the failures and catastrophes that
spread dismay through other sections of the country. Manufactures and mer-
cantile interests have gone on with a sure and tolerably steady development,
and stable banking institutions have been founded to meet the demands of
History of Rutland County.
trade and finance, until now few towns, or counties, of similar size to Rutland
are better endowed in this respect. Below we give a record of the financial
institutions of Rutland.
Rutland Savi)igs Batik. — This institution was incorporated in 1850, with
the late Luther Daniels as the first president and treasurer. The deposits were
small at first, but the bank rapidly won the confidence of the community and
deposits increased steadily until at the present time more than $1,500,000 are
entrusted to its care. Mr. Daniels honorably filled the office of president for
twenty-nine years. He was succeeded by William M. Field, who still holds
the office. Mr. Field has been a trustee for twenty years. Newton Kellogg
is the present treasurer, and has held that office and the assistant treasuryship
for sixteen years. This bank has recently made a purchase of what has been
known as the " Morse Block," but which will hereafter be called the Savings
Bank Block, paying for it about $35,000. Elegant offices will be fitted up and
provided with one of the best Cincinnati burglar-proof safes.
T/ic Rutland County National Bank. — This bank was chartered as a State
bank in I 861, with a capital of $100,000. It did a successful business until
1865, when it was reorganized as a national bank with a capital of $200,000 ;
the charter has since been extended until 1904. The bank now has a paid
capital of $300,000 with a surplus fund of $75,000, and undivided profits to
the amount of about $i6,000. William Y. Ripley first held the office of presi-
dent, with James Merrill as cashier. Upon the death of Mr. Ripley, in Sep-
tember, 1875, his son William Y. W. Ripley succeeded to the office, and still
holds it. Henry F. Field was elected to the office of cashier, to succeed Mr.
Merrill, who resigned in 1867 to accept the position of treasurer of the National
Trust Company of New York city, where he died in 1873. The present direc-
tors of the bank are William Y. W. Ripley, James Huntoon, John Miller, John
Prout, Edward H. Ripley, Charles H. Sheldon, E. C. Lewis, John D. Miller,
Henry F. Field.
Tlie Baxter National Bank. — This institution was organized in August,
1870, with a capital of $300,000. H. H. Baxter was the first president, with
J. N. Baxter, vice-president, and George R. Bottum, cashier. H. H. Baxter
died in February, 1884, and J. N. Cramton succeeded him in the office. In
1884 J. N. Baxter resigned the office of vice-president and Hugh H. Baxter
succeeded him. The capital is $300,000, with a surplus of $100,000. The
bank building erected by H^ Henry Baxter is perhaps the finest structure in
the village for business purposes, and cost about $8o,000. The present direc-
tors of the bank are as follows: J. W. Cramton, Hugh H. Baxter, George E.
Royce, James C. Dunn, L. G. Kingsley, W. C. Dunton, E. D. Keyes, W. C.
Landon, G. R. Bottum.
[No account of the business interests of Rutland would be complete with-
out some reference to General H. H. Baxter, a biograph}' of whom will be
o
^.
Town of Rutland. 411
found in later pages of this work. Although not a native of the town, he came
here at a time when he could soon make his influence tell upon the village.
Becoming largely identified with the marble industry, in its earlier years, his
energy and foresight was largely instrumental in developing it. About the
close of the war he removed to New York, where he became associated with
some of the largest financial operations of that city. His death occurred in
February, 1884; the reader will find the record of his life in the biography
alluded to.]
The Clement National Bank. — A private banking business was carried on
by Charles Clement & Sons from 1876 until the organization of the Clement
National Bank in 1883 ; the institution began business in August of that year.
The first officers were Charles Clement, president ; W. C. Clement, vice-presi-
dent ; P. W. Clement, cashier. These offices are filled by the same persons at
the present time, with the exception of cashier, E. T. Smith being the present
incumbent of that position. The directors are, in addition to those named,
Joel C. Baker, John A. Mead, H. A. Sawyer, J. N. Woodfin, N. R. Bardy, D.
M. White, A. H. Tuttle. The capital is $100,000.
The State Trust Company. — This institution is established in the same
offices with the Clement National Bank, and was chartered in 1S80. Its char-
acter is that of a savings bank and it has a capital of $100,000. Following are
the names of its officers: Charles Clement, president; John A. Mead, vice-
president; E. T. Smith, treasurer; N. P. Kingsley, E. J. Ormsbee, P. W.
Clement, W. C. Clement, M. S. Colburn, H. O. Edson and J. N, Woodfin,
with the officers above named, are trustees.
TIic Rutland Trust Company. — This organization was incorporated in 1882
with a capital of $100,000, of which one-half is paid in. It is a savings insti-
tution, governed by the customary regulations of such organizations. The
present officers are as follows: Justin Batcheller, president; H. H. Dyer (who
succeeded Edson P. Gilson), vice-president; George K. Montgomery, treas-
urer ; H. H. Dyer, Justin Batcheller, Levi Rice, A. F. Walker, Henry H.
Smith, George Willis, Edson P. Gilson, George Briggs, directors. The com-
pany has its offices with the Killington Bank.
The Merchants National Bank. — This institution was organized February
10, 1885, with a capital of $ioo,000, and an authorized capital of $300,000.
John N. Baxter is president ; John A. Sheldon, vice-president, and Charles W.
Mussey, cashier. The directors are John N. Baxter, Charles S. Colburn, War-
ren H. Smith, Egbert C. Tuttle, Evelyn Pierpoint, Henry H. Brown, John A.
Sheldon, Rockwood Barrett, Nahum P. Kingsley, Hannibal Hodges, Silas L.
Griffith.
The Killington National Bank. — This bank was incorporated in 1883,
with a capital of $200,000. Following are the officers and directors, there
having been no change in the board since the bank was established : Redfield
412 History of Rutland County.
Proctor, president; E. P. Gilson, vice-president; George K. Montgomery,
cashier; Redfield Proctor, E. P. Gilson, Frederick Chaffee, H. H. Dyer, Henry
H. Smith, George Willis and John A. Sheldon, directors.
The National Batik of Rutland. — In 1824 " The Bank of Rutland " was
chartered, with a capital of $50,000. Robert Temple was the first president
and William Page, cashier. It retained its first name until 1866, when it was
reorganized as a national bank, assuming the name at the beginning of this-
paragraph, with a capital of $300,000. Hon. John B. Page was made presi-
dent; Francis Slason, vice-president, and S. W. Rowell, cashier. The capital
was afterward increased to $500,000. Owing to various causes the bank went
into liquidation in January, 1885, at which time Carlos Sherman was president,
and Evelyn Pierpoint, cashier. Those two gentlemen, with W. H. Smith,,
were appointed a finance committee to close up the affairs of the institution,
which work is at present in progress. The charter of the bank e.xpired May
17, 1885.
The Marble Savings Bank. — This institution was organized Februar}' i,
1883, and during its short life has now in deposits and accumulations $400,000,
with surplus and profits of $4,000, and twelve hundred depositors. It is located
in Ripley's marble building, Merchants Row. Following are the officers : E. H.
Ripley, president; E. C. Lewis, vice-president; E. L. Temple, treasurer;
trustees, E. H. Ripley, W. C. Dunton, E. C. Lewis, J. C. Dunn, L. G. Kings-
lej', C. H. Sheldon, C. E. Ross. A. F. Davis, Levi Rice. W. B. Shaw, and F.
A. Barrows.
Insurance. — This branch of business, which is closely allied to the mercan-
tile and financial interests of every place of importance, is well represented in
Rutland, and such has been the case for many years past. The village has-
suffered from several quite disastrous fires, but those whose business sagacity
impelled them to protect their property by insuring with the local agencies,
found their trust safely established. The first insurance company of a local
character was chartered for business in this village many years ago, in just
what year we have been unable to learn ; but it transacted but very little bus-
iness and suspended operations. The New England Fire Insurance Company
was chartered in 1880 and the organization was perfected in March, I 88 I. The
incorporators were Bradley Fish, B. W. Marshall, F'. M. Butler, H. O. Edson,
O. Cunningham, C. Parmenter, E. C. Lewis, L. W. Redington, G. H. Fox, J.
M. Haven, D. L. Morgan, S. C. White, C. C. Dunn, John B. Page, L. G. Bag-
ley. J. M. Haven was made president; Bradley Fish, 1st vice-president; F.
M. Butler, 2d vice-president ; C. Parmenter, secretary ; B. W. Marshall, treas-
urer. In May, 1885, Mr. Fish died and L. W. Redington was elected presi-
dent, and now holds the office with C. Parmenter as vice-president and secre-
tary ; H. O. lidson is treasurer. The directors are as follows : Lyman W.
Redington, Cyrus Jennings, Thomas C. Robbins, John A. Sheldon, Henry O.
r _ ^ * I t *'
Town of Rutland. 413
Edson, John A. Mead, Charles A. Gale, M. Ouinn, A. H. Tuttle, Fred M.
Butler, F. H. Chapman, Chester Parmenter, George H. Verder. The com-
panj- is doing a safe and growing business and enjoys the confidence of the
communit)'.
M. J. Francisco, corner of Merchants Row and Center street, has the oldest
insurance agency in Rutland; he began the business in 1S64, and still retains
about the same companies then represented by him, as follows : North British,
London ; London, Li\'erpooI and Globe, of London ; Phoenix, of London ;
Fire Association, of Philadelphia ; Queen, and the Guardian, of London ; this
lias been a strong agency and has paid heavy losses in some of the more de-
structive fires of the village. When the Bates House burned in 1876, Mr.
Francisco paid almost $100,000. The gross capital of the companies rejjre-
sented by him amounts to about $200,000,000.
C. Parmenter represents, besides the New England Company before de-
scribed, the Sun, of London ; the British American, of Toronto ; the West-
chester, of New York ; the Franklin, of Philadelphia, and the Springfield, of
Massachusetts. In life business he has the Fidelity and Casualty Company.
The insurance business of Burnham & Temple was established in 1866 and
they have always represented a large number of strong companies. Among
them are the ^-Etna Insurance Compan}', the Hartford Fire Insurance Com-
pan\-, and the Phoenix Insurance Compan}-, of Hartford, Conn. ; the Niagara
F"ire Insurance Compan\', the Continental Insurance Compan}', the German
American Insurance Company, and the Home Insurance Company of New
York ; the Insurance Company of North America, Philadelphia, and the Im-
perial Fire Insurance Company, of London ; they also represent the Travelers
Life and Accident Company, of Hartford. The firm is composed of E. L.
Temple and S. E. Burnham.
Kellogg Brothers (S. H. Kellogg and J. N. Kellogg) have their insurance
offices in the Morse block, where the senior member of the firm has done a life
business for many years. About one year ago a fire business was added, which
is increasing to their satisfaction.
Tlic Fire Department. — The historj- of the Rutland Fire Department may
be said to begin with the incorporation of the " Rutland Fire Society " by the
Legislature in the year 1829 — a society which for many years not onl\' de-
vised and adopted measures for the protection of property from fire, but gov-
erned the village to a large extent in other directions. The incorporators of
the fire society were James D. Butler, Robert Temple, William Fay, Moses
Strong, Thomas Hooker, William Hall, John Ruggles, William Page, James
Porter and Jonathan Dike, jr. It will be seen that every one of these men was
a representative citizen, and their names must have carried influence and char-
acter with the organization. The society was given the usual powers for en-
forcing regulations to protect the village from fire.
414 History of Rutland County.
The records of the doings of this society for several years are very meagre ;
indeed, there was httle for it to do, except to hold occasional meetings and
adopt such simple measures as seemed desirable. In the year 1836 we find a
call for a meeting at the court-house, at which the engine company and the
hook and ladder company were notified of the annual meeting to be held De-
cember 29th. J. D. Butler was president and F. W. Hopkins clerk.
On the 4th of August, 1845, a meeting of the inhabitants of the village was
called and George T. Hodges occupied the chair. It was there stated that the
number of legal voters in the village reported by a census taken was one hun-
dred and twenty-five.
The following petition was presented to the meeting, and signed by ninety-
three of the citizens : —
" To F. W. Hopkins, esquire, justice of the peace within and for the county
of Rutland : —
" We, the undersigned, inhabitants and legal voters in the town meeting of
the village of Rutland, constituted agreeably to an act of Legislature passed on
the iith day of November, 18 19, entitled, 'An act to restrain certain animals
from running at large within the villages of this State,' hereby make applica-
tion and petition that a meeting of the inhabitants of this village may be called
for the purpose of forming a fire society and making by-laws agreeably to an
act of the Legislature passed the 19th day of November, 1839, revised statutes,
chapter 14th.
"Rutland, July 28th, 1845."
The following resolution was offered by Hon. Robert Pierpoint : —
" Resolved, By the inhabitants of the village of East Rutland, established
by virtue of the act of the Legislature passed November 11, 1819, in legal
meeting assembled, — That a fire society be established in said village."
A committee was appointed to report a code of by-laws for the government
of th.e corporation ; the committee was William Page, Robert Pierpoint and
A. L. Brown.
Among the pi'ovisions of the by-laws it was ordered that the annual meet-
ings be held on the first Tuesday of January, to choose officers, etc.; that there
should be constituted in the village an engine company by the enlistment of
not more than fifty members; that power should be given to vote and assess a
ta.\ on the grand list of the members of the corporation to erect one or more
cisterns or reservoirs for water and keeping in repair hose, ladders, hooks, en-
gine house, etc. The first officers of the corporation were as follows : Presi-
dent, Robert Pierpoint ; vice-president, Charles Burt ; clerk, F. W. Hopkins ;
treasurer, William Page ; collector, H. W. Porter ; fire wardens, Robert Pier-
point, Luther Daniels, G. H. Hodges, Fphraim Butterfield, James Barrett, sr.,
Jacob Edgerton, Moses Perkins.
A committee was appointed to raise the company authorized and another
Town of Rutland. 415
to report on reservoirs. The report of the latter directed the erection of a
reservoir "back of the North church, to be connected with the aqueduct, with
logs leading from it south through the length of the street [Main street], with
a branch running therefrom a sufficient distance down the west street, the bore
of which to be three inches."
This was the first action towards supplj-ing the village with means for ex-
tinguishing fires through the use of the aqueduct water in pipes. Previous to
that time a few small cisterns and buckets had been used with the engine.
At the time of the organization of this society the property of the fire de-
partment was of insignificant proportions. There was a small wooden building
standing not far from the site of the Graded School building, on what was for-
merl}' called "The Common"; in this was located tlie only engine — a mere
tub that could do little more than sprinkle a section of a street, with a few
ladders, etc.
The second meeting of the society was held on the 6th of January, 1846,
and the same officers were elected. One hundred dollars was raised for repair-
ing the engine-house, procuring hose, hooks, ladders, etc. The committee on
reservoirs reported that they could "obtain land two rods square back of the
meeting-house for $15." Estimates were made on the cost of the logs through
Main street, $264; on West street, $24; house over the reservoir, $60; brick
reservoir of 30,000 gallons, $174; nothing was accomplished under these pro-
ceedings ; by-laws for the government of the society were reported by Evelyn
Pierpoint.
In the following year steps were taken to incorporate the village, and in
1848 the fire society relinquished its powers and rights to the village corpora-
tion, as stated in earlier pages. A corporation meeting was called for January
7, 1852, one of the subjects of which was "to insist upon some section [in the
by-laws] to provide against fire." Another "to see if nothing can be done to
provide water." Again in August of that year a meeting was called to "take
such action as will effectually supply the village with water," or, "to authorize
the trustees to make such contract by laying down iron pipes, or otherwise, to
carry into effect the resolution oi the Aqueduct Company to supply the village
with water in such manner as they shall deem best." The Aqueduct Company
was a private association.
It will be seen from these measures that the village, with its prospects for
growth such as they were at that time, when the railroads were just opened
through the place and a general impetus was given to the community, felt the
necessity of both a greater supply of water for private purposes, and better
facilities for the extinguishment of fires ; the two subjects were, of course, in-
timately associated. A fire had occurred in December, 1852, in R. R. Thrall's
building, in commenting upon which a local newspaper said : " But little de-
pendence can be placed on one small engine, especially when there is no thor-
4i6 History of Rutland Countv.
oughly organized company to manage it." Efforts had already been made in
that year to reorganize the engine company and a hook and ladder company,
so as to place them upon a more efficient basis. A notice was published in
January to the eft'ect that " those intending to join these companies will meet
at the engine-house of No. 2 (Washington), on Wednesda}-, January 14, for the
purpose of electing officers." This was signed by R. Barrett, W. H. B. Owen,
B. Burt, M. Edson, C. Page, W. F. Gookin, O. L. Robbins and M. G. Everts,
and by E. Pierpoint for the hook and ladder company.
In that year the village trustees were instructed to " furnish the engine
company such extra hose, ladders, hooks and other articles as may be neces-
sary for sufficient protection and defense against fire with our present engine" ;
and to ascertain the cost of a new engine and apparatus complete. In the suc-
ceeding year they were instructed to contract with the Aqueduct Company to
supply the village with water, if they think advisable ; also, to procure an en-
gine for the village not exceeding in cost $600, and a hose-cart and two hun-
dred feet of leading hose. This measure was not carried out at that time ; in
1855 the trustees were authorized to construct three additional reservoirs, and
in the succeeding year to "examine and ascertain the expense necessary to put
the village in a proper state of preservation and safety against fire, and report."
In 1857 a report was made recommending repairs on the two engines (a recent
one having then been purchased), at a cost of $100, with the purchase of three
fire-hooks, chains, ropes, six axes, four iron bars, twelve short ladders, fifty
buckets, one hose carriage, one carriage for ladders and hooks, twelve pike-
poles and hooks, and a new engine at a cost of not more than $i,ooo. No
engine was purchased at this time. The fire wardens were directed to form
two fire companies forthwith. It was about this time (1858) that the Wash-
ington Fire Company was organized, as hereafter stated. In the same year a
committee was appointed which reported through Robert Pierpoint in favor of
erecting a building for the two engines on the corner of Wales and Center
streets ; this was not carried out.
In 1858 the water supply was taken in hand by the village authorities, as
hereafter detailed, and during the year some five miles of pipe were laid. In
August, 1859, Frederick Chaffee, Henry G. Wescott and Rockwood Barrett
were appointed as a committee to procure a new engine for No. i Compan}'.
The old tub previously used by this company, which was infelicitously named
" Torrent," was to be sold, the " Nickwackett " purchased, and its compan\-
soon organized. Considerable trouble was experienced over the proposed
changes and it was publich- moved that all engines and equipments be sold.
It is needless to state that this was not done ; the aqueduct and reservoir were
also completed at a cost of over $14,000. In i860 the tru.stees were directed to
provide a suitable engine-house for No. i, not exceeding in cost $1,200; this
resulted in erecting the present Nickwackett house, No. 2 was repaired and
Town of Rutland. 417
500 feet of new hose purchased. In 1861 the by-laws were changed so as to ,
give the chief engineer of the department and the fire wardens extended pow-
ers, with the object of making the service more effective.
The report of the chief engineer for 1863 stated that the two engine com-
panies were in good condition but that the hose needed some repairs. The
trustees about that date contracted for a stock of hooks and ladders. George
Dennis was chief in 1863 and Benjamin K. Chase in 1865-68.
Previous to this date the village had suffered severely from fires. The first
one of importance occurred on a night in July, 1845, and swept away ail the
buildings on Main street between the old " Butler House " and what was known
as the " three-storied store " (the Daniels store). And a still more destruct-
ive conflagration occurred in the night of April 3, 1868, involving a loss of
$50,000. It was occasioned by the bursting of a lamp in the old Franklin
House, then kept by Gershom Cheney, and the building was soon a mass of
flames. An adjoining block occupied b}- W. H. B. Owen followed ; the court-
house next caught fire and was entirely destroyed, with two wooden buildings
adjoining, and the brick store adjoining Owen's. The Franklin House was filled
with guests at the time of the fire, but all e.scaped in safety.
In the winter of 1865-66, also, numerous smaller fires occurred ; December
24 the gas-house caught fire, and on the 6th of January Richardson's livery
stable was destroyed ; January 9 the Union block burned ; January 22, Page
& Freeman's store room; February 6, John Wardwell's house; March 15,
Travis's bakery. These frequent fires and the growth of the village led to the
purchase of the steamer in 1868. In 1868 N. F. Page was made chief engi-
neer and was succeeded in 1869 by J. M. Davis; he held the office until 1871
when he was succeeded by Walter C. Landon, who efficiently performed the
duties of the position until 1883. He was succeeded by the late James Levins,
and upon his death in January, 1885, K. K. Hannum was elected. In the year
1S72 the town hall was finished, and as the new hose companies were organ-
ized and their equipments purchased, as hereafter noted, one of them with the
steamer and Washington engine and hose company were quartered there.
Since the division of the village into wards, a fire warden has been elected for
each ward. Those at present filling the ofiice are as follows; Ward i, F. L.
Vaughn; Ward 2, M. J. Mallee ; Ward 3, M. B. Haney ; Ward 4, George
Cornell ; Ward 5, J. W. Cramton ; Ward 6, A. F. Hutchinson; Ward 7, John
Ballard.
The present fire department of Rutland comprises Nickwackett Engine No.
I, Washington Engine Company No. 2, Killington Steamer Company No. 3,
J. W. Cramton Hose Company No. 4, H. H. Baxter Hose Company No. 5,
J. A. Sheldon Hose Company No. 6, J. D. Hanrahan, Hose Company No. 7,
and Union Hook and Ladder Company ; besides these organizations the
Reynolds Independent Hose Company No. i was formed in the summer of
41 8 History of Rutland County.
The Washington Engine Company No. 2 was organized March 15, 1858,
but the details of the first organization are not now accessible. Five years
later and on the 31st of January, 1863, a reorganization was effected and H.
L. Litchfield elected foreman, which office he held a number of years ; C. C.
Howe was made first assistant foreman and C. F. Richardson, second assistant.
Since the death of Mr. Litchfield, the different foremen of the company have
been C. C. Howe, J. W. Cramton, N. L. Davis, Roswell Patch, Augutus Ross,
G. P. Russell, G. W. Kenney, K. K. Hannum and A. T. Woodward, the pres-
ent foreman. Following are the ofificers of the company in 1885 : A. T. Wood-
ward, foreman ; C. A. Stockwell, first assistant ; John Foyles, second assistant ;
G. P. Russell, clerk; E. R. Green, treasurer; L. L. Whitcomb, auditor; W. O.
Gleason, foreman leading hose ; John McMahon, foreman suction hose ; Will-
iam H. Tulfore, steward.
The company have a good hand engine, hose cart, about 600 feet of hose
and other necessary equipage.
Nickwackett Engine Company No. i was organized, as has been seen, for
the purpose of making effectual the engine which succeeded the misnamed
Torrent in 1859. We have been unable, after diligent inquiry, to procure the
names of the first officers. The company has had among its foremen, Michael
Ouinn, the late Governor Page, Stephen G. Staley, N. F. Page, Edward South-
wick and A. Austin.
The first engine used by the early fire organization which preceded the
Nickwackett was a "crank" engine, which gave little promise of distinction in
quenching fires. It was superseded by the Torrent, which has been mentioned
in foregoing pages.
The Nickwackett Engine Company has one hand engine, a hose cart, 300
feet of new cotton hose, 400 feet of old cotton hose, and all the necessary ap-
pliances for use in emergencies in which it may be called upon to act. Fol-
lowing is a list of the present officers: A. Austin, foreman; H. Austin, first
assistant ; Ed. Laroe, second assistant ; J. H. Douglass, clerk ; P. J. Flynn,
treasurer; John Ducharme, foreman leading hose; Louis Abar, foreman suc-
tion hose; William Smith, steward; O. W. Currier, chaplain; H. Austin, Joe
Laroe and William Smith, auditors. Its total membership is about sixt\'.
Killington Steamer Engine Company No. 3 was organized in October,
1868, and at the same time a second class Amoskeag steamer was purchased
by the village. The officers for the first two years were N. L. Davis, foreman ;
H. M. Bates, secretary; L. G. Kingsley, treasurer. In 1870 Chester Kingsley
was elected foreman. Beginning with the year 1871 L. G. Kingsley was elected
foreman and has held the oflfice ever since. Following are the present officers
of the company, and there lias been no change for several }'ears past : L. G.
Kingsley, captain; J. H. Mclntyre, first assistant; B. W. Marshall, second as-
sistant; L. Valiquette, jr., secretary; A. S. Marshall, treasurer; B. W. Mar-
Town of Rutland. 419
shall, auditor; W. A. Hill, engineer; Henry Wilkin, assistant engineer; Jo-
seph Currier, stoker; Frank Rose, foreman leading hose; A. H. Hutchinson,
foreman suction hose.
This company is very thoroughly equipped with the engine, a four-wheeled
hose cart, ample hose, etc.
The J. VV. Cramton Hose Company No 4 was organized July 11, 1876, the
first officers being as follows: Foreman, S. M. Wilson; first assistant, D. R.
Snow ; second assistant, J. C. Pease ; clerk, W. F. Eddy ; treasurer, F. C. Rob-
bins. There were twenty-four members at the first meeting. The officers re-
mained the same for 1877, with the exception of the clerk, to which office F.
A. Beebe was elected. Mr. Wilson remained foreman until the election of
1880, when W. F. Eddy was elected. He held the office to April, 1883, when
he was made an assistant engineer and J. R. Bates was elected to the vacancy.
He still holds the office. The present officers are as follows : J. R. Bates, fore-
man ; M. A. McClure, first assistant; E. M. Woodruff, second assistant; C. F.
Bixby, clerk ; E. B. Aldrich, treasurer ; F. H. Welch, steward.
The H. H. Baxter Hose Company No. 5 was organized in July, 1875,
with the following as the first officers of the company : George W. Dunton,
foreman ; William Howe, first assistant ; W. H. Monty, second assistant ; G.
W. Staley, clerk. Mr. Dunton has capably filled the office of foreman since
the organization. Following are the officers of this company: W. C. Landon,
president ; H. H. Baxter, vice-president; George W. Dunton, foreman ; George
W. Staley, first assistant; H. C. Green, second assistant; John Gilman, clerk;
William Cochran, treasurer. The company has a handsome hose cart and 100
feet of hose, with other efficient equipment.
The J. A. Sheldon Hose Company No. 6 was organized in 1876, under
the name of the "Centennial Hose Company;" it was reorganized under its
present name on the 8th of April, 1881. W. B. Young was foreman under the
first organization. When the change occurred G. L. Young was elected to the
office, with J. E. McDonough as first assistant; Bert Mills, second assistant;
C. L. Smith, treasurer ; H. W. Blaisdell, clerk. John A. Sheldon is president
and W. K. Sheldon, vice-president. Following are the present officers of the
company: W. B. Young, foreman; J. E. Crowley, first assistant; J. Hum-
phrey, second assistant ; P. J. Lloyd, clerk ; S. J. Lalor, treasurer ; C. E. Jones,
steward.
The J. D. Hanrahan Hose Company No. 7 was organized in 1S78, under
the following officers: James McGurk, foreman; William Hubbard, first assist-
ant ; E. J. Bruten, second assistant; C. J. Cocklin, clerk; James Ward, treas-
urer. Mr. McGurk was elected in the succeeding year and declined the office
in August, 1879, when E. J. Bruten was elected. Mr. McGurk was again
elected in 1 880. For 1 88 1 and 1 882 J. J. Caten was elected to the office ; 1 883
and 1884, C. J. Cocklin was elected. The present officers are as follows: E.
420 History of Rutland County.
J. Burke, foreman; P. A. Caten, first assistant; M. F. Mangan, second assist-
ant ; T. H. Howe, clerk ; J. J. Caten, treasurer.
The Union Hook and Ladder Company was organized in February, 1864,
with the following officers: Foreman, VV. C. Landon ; first assistant, J. M. Da-
vis ; second assistant, C. Kingsley; clerk, J. S. Bowman; treasurer, E. Pier-
point ; auditor, J. C. Dunn ; steward, W. B. Thrall. There were thirty-one
members. The company became somewhat involved in indebtedness, for which
the members were assessed, and in January, 1867, a reorganization was effected
with substantially the same officers. Two extension ladders were purchased
for the company in 1877. W. C. Landon and G. W. Hilliard held the office
of foreman for a number of years, and were succeeded by James Levins. The
present officers are as follows : E. J. Bruten, foreman ; Miles Welch, first assist-
ant ; Patrick Monahan, second assistant; Patrick F. Madigan, clerk; William
Lynch, auditor; William Burke, steward; Dominick Corcoran, treasurer.
The Independent Hose Company No. i, which has been mentioned, has
elected the following officers : President, Guy H. Reynolds ; foreman, John
Harrison ; first assistant, Edward Sweeney ; second assistant, John Corcoran ;
treasurer, Charles Bailey; clerk, Arthur McLane ; steward, Patrick McGuirk.
The fire department has at the present time the use of fifty- seven hydrants
distributed throughout the village, and the Gamewell Fire Alarm, with fifteen
boxes. K. K. Hannum is now the efficient chief engineer, having taken the
office upon the death of James Levins, in January, 1885.
Water Works. — In addition to what we have written of the village water
supply, and its connection with the fire department, it will be of interest to
note a few further facts. The first important supply of water to the village
was provided through the instrumentality of Gershom Cheney, who laid wood-
en pipes from a large spring in the edge of the town of Mendon to the village,
and posts were set up at the houses of residents, who paid a certain tax for the
water supply. This arrangement continued until several years after the incor-
poration of the village, during most of which period it was in the control and
ownership of the "Aqueduct Company." We have already stated that one of
the first acts of the village authorities was the extension of the old pipes for
fire purposes. The subject of a better water supply was almost constantly agi-
tated for many years and various projects discussed.
In 1857 a committee of six was appointed to investigate the matter, and
their report recommended substantially that water sufficient to afford an abun-
dant supply be brought in iron pipes to the summit of Dr. Porter's lot on Main
street, where a reservoir should be erected ; thence in six-inch pipes to Main
street at Hodge's corner ; thence in a five-inch pipe to Washington street, and
in two-inch pipes to other parts of the village ; the size of the last named pipe
was aftewards changed to three inches. Bonds were to be issued for $l6,000
to pa)- for the works, which should be the property of the corporation. A
Town of Rutland. 421
meeting was called to act upon these recommendations, and they were
adopted. Robert Pierpoint, C. B. Mann and H. H. Baxter were made a com-
mittee to superintend the entire work. The result was the aqueduct and reser-
voir mentioned in the account of the fire department. A board of three water
commissioners was provided for, to be elected annually, the first board being
Robert Pierpoint, Lyman P. White and James Barrett. About five miles of
pipe were laid in 1858. It was arranged that persons already holding posts in
the Aqueduct Company should have water from the new pipes at the rate of
$5 a year for a family of five persons, and at proportionate rates for a larger
number. The Franklin House rates were made $45 ; Huntoon's Hotel, $15 ;
stores, $5. Between this time and 1862 the water commissioners extended
the pipes in East, Green, Grove, Pine, Cottage, Howe, Elm and Pleasant streets.
But with the very rapid growth of the village at the period in question, the
new supply soon failed to meet public necessities. The great fire of 1868 also
showed a lack of sufficient facilities for such emergencies. At the annual meet-
ing of that year a committee of five was appointed to examine into the subject
of getting an adequate water supply ; they recommended the erection of new
works at a cost of about $20,000, and the issue of bonds for that amount ; the
committee to superintend the construction of the works were John B. Page,
Lyman E. Roys, S. G. Staley and John M. Hall. The recommendations were
carried out.
This supply sufficed for ten years only, and in 1878 it became apparent
that a still more extensive water system was imperatively needed. The East
Creek as a source was thoroughly discussed and finally adopted ; the trustees
were empowered to issue bonds to the amount of $28,000, and a new twelve-
inch iron aqueduct was laid from a point on the creek about three miles from
the reservoir, which gives about sevent\' feet head, to the reservoir. In 1879
water-pipes and hydrants were extended throughout the village at a cost of
more than $20,000 more. At the source a large stone and gravel filter is con-
structed which permits only clear water to enter the aqueduct. This supply is
undoubtedly ample for many years to come and gives the village water in
abundance and of excellent quality.
Gas-light Companies. — No effort was made towards lighting the streets of
Rutland until the year 1863, if we accept the limited use of lamps, provided in
many cases by private enterprise. In the year 1863 a charter was obtained for
the organization of the " Rutland Gas-light Company," with a capital of $40,-
000. General H. H. Baxter was the prominent actor in this enterprise, his
associates being Charles Sheldon, George A. Tuttle, John W. Cramton, A. C.
Bates, John B. Page and George A. Merrill. This company began operations,
erected gas-works, laid pipes and started manufacture, which was continued
until 1867. The gas made was not of the best quality, owing to the imperfect
method of manufacture. It was, however, a step in the right direction.
422 History of Rutland County.
On the 28th of March, 1867, a charter was obtained for the People's Gas-
light Company, which is the organization now supplying gas to the village.
The original capital was $60,000, which has since been increased to $70,000.
The entire plant of the old organization was purchased, the necessary additions
made, improved methods of manufacture adopted, and the works put upon a
thorough-going basis. The presidents of the company since the change have
been George A. Merrill (the first president, with George A. Tuttle as secretary),
and Z. V. K. Wilson. The present officers and directors are W. B. Mussey,
president; George R. Bottum, clerk and treasurer; N. C. Dye, superintend-
ent ; J. H. Heustace, gas engineer ; W. B. Mussey, John W. Cramton, John
N. Ba.xter, E. D. Keyes, John A. Sheldon and Samuel M. Willson. There are
now more than fifteen miles of pipes laid in the village, and one hundred and
seventy-four lamp-posts and burners light the streets. The private consump-
tion is large in proportion to the population of the village.
Street Railway. — A street railway company was incorporated November
13, 1882, under the following names: Martin G. Everts, John A. Sheldon,
Evelyn Pierpoint, Redfield Proctor, J. B. Hollister, W. C. Dunton, C. C. Pierce,
George H. Cheney, Rockwood Barrett, George A. Merrill, John N. Woodfin,
James C. Dunn and A. H. Tuttle. The capital stock authorized was $25,000.
In the summer of 1885 an organization was effected, E. Pierpoint, president-
treasurer ; John N. Woodfin, secretary. The proposed line is to extend from
near the fair ground to Centre and West Rutland, through Strong's avenue,
Merchants Row, Grove street, Spring street. State street, etc. While this work
is passing through the press, efforts are being made to secure sufficient sub-
scriptions to complete the road. The road is now in process of construction.
Opera House. — Previous to the erection of the old Ripley Music Hall, in
1869, by William Y. Ripley, the town hall was used for most of the public
amusements and gatherings in the village. The loss of the Music Hall by fire
in 1875 was severely felt, and in 1881 General E. H. Ripley erected the pres-
ent Opera House on the site of the burned structure. The Opera House was
dedicated in October, 1881. The building presents a handsome exterior, while
the interior is admirably adapted to the purposes for which it was designed.
It seats about 850 persons. The interior of the house was designed by and
finished under the architectural direction of J. J. R. Randall, of Rutland.
THE MARBLE INTEREST OF THE TOWN.
In a preceding chapter Mr. Wardwell has treated in a thorough manner the
general marble industry of the county, leaving us the task in the various town
histories of merely detailing the formation, growth and present condition of the
several companies and firms that are now engaged in its production. The real
beginning of the marble industry in this town dates farther back than is com-
monly supposed, though it did not attain prominence until about the middle of
Town of Rutland. 423
the century. The venerable Artenias Ward, of West Rutland, who has lived
in the town eighty-five years, says he quarried marble there more than fifty
years ago for grave stones, while the father of William F. Barnes (whose name
was also William) and Gardner Tripp dug out fiat pieces of marble as early as
1820; these pieces were split and hewed into tolerable shape for grave stones,
and William Denison, a shoemaker and general mechanic, cut them into still
more presentable form and inscribed on them the virtues of the departed.
These stones were taken out near West Rutland village, where the great quar-
ries of to-day resound with the blows of steam-driven quarrying machines, and
also in Whipple Hollow. Many of the older stones in the ancient burying
ground at West Rutland were thus obtained years before work began in the
quarries for commercial purposes. Here and there a man whose circumstances
would admit of it, quarried enough marble in rough blocks to make a founda-
tion for his house; others used better pieces for fire-place jambs, generallj' in
the rough, but now and then polished. We are speaking now of a period im-
mediately succeeding 1820. With the efforts of Messrs. Humphrey and Orms-
bee in one locality and William F. Barnes in another, the marble industry may
be said to have really begun, in a commercial sense.
Of the quarries and mills now in operation at West Rutland, those of S/icl-
don & So>/s are the largest. This firm is composed of Charles Sheldon and
his sons, John A., Charles H. and William K., and is the legitimate successor
of the firm that was formed in 1850 by Charles Sheldon, Lorenzo Sheldon,
David Morgan and Charles H. Slason. There was but one quarry opened then
on the property purchased by them, its opening dating from 1844. The mar-
ble was all hauled to Whitehall by teams and the business was necessarily lim-
ited by that fact. In the spring of 1841 the firm built an eight-gang mill and
with the opening of the railroad in I 85 I a wonderful impetus was given to the
business. The old mill ran at first only about nine months of the year and
during the day-time only. In 185 i the old mill burned and on its site was
erected a mill with eighteen gangs of saws. In 1857 the firm became Charles
Sheldon, Lorenzo Sheldon, Henry A. Sheldon and Charles H. Slason, Mr.
Morgan retiring. In 1865 another change occurred, Lorenzo and Henry A.
Sheldon retiring, and the firm becoming Charles Sheldon, Charles H. Slason,
John A. Sheldon and Charles H. Sheldon In 1866 their mill again burned,
and one of twenty-four gangs was erected ; and in 1875 a second one of the
same capacity was added. In the mean time two other quarries were opened,
one in 1859 and the other in 1864. These comprise the three extensive quar-
ries now in process of working by the firm. On the first of October, 1881,
Mr. Slason retired from the firm, leaving the members Charles Sheldon, John
A. Sheldon, Charles H. Sheldon and William K. Sheldon. In the same \-ear
a twenty-gang mill was added, with capacity for forty-eight. All of these
mills are now commonly run night and day. Their finishing department was
424 History of Rutland County.
added in 1879-80, employing at times one hundred and twenty men in making
stock for the trade; eight turning lathes are in use, six polishing lathes and
three rubbing beds. During the past j'car the average number of men employed
was four hundred and fifty. The product comprises the different varieties of
the Rutland marbles, statuary, the lower grades of white, and all varieties of
blue. The annual product is valued at about $450,000. The store near the
quarries was built by the firm in 1865, and at the present time H. H. Brown,
a former clerk, and the head of the firm of H. H. Brown & Company, is in
charge of the trade; the walls of all the principal buildings belonging to these
works are of marble ; numerous derricks rise against the sky ; teams of oxen
and horses haul enormous blocks of marble about the grounds ; the unceasing
sound of the saws is heard, and the whole presents a scene of business activity
that is welcome to the practical eye.
The Vermont Marble Company now owns and operates the following quarries
at Proctor: The "old quarry," so called, which has been operated for fifty
years ; the Adams quarry, quarried about twenty years ; the Mountain Dark,
a mile and a half north, opened five years ago ; the Changreau quarry, opened
one year ago ; all opened by this company or its predecessors. It has also a
very large amount of quarry property undeveloped and some quarries partly
developed but which they are not now working. At West Rutland the com-
pany owns nearly one-half mile in length on the marble belt, on which there
are seven quarries open. Three or four of them are operated at a time by
turns as they can be worked to the best advantage. The company also owns
a large amount of quarry property in Clarendon, south of Clarendon Springs,
recently purchased and not fully developed. At Proctor they own the " old
mill," so called, of sixteen gangs, and the several new mills, built at different
times within ten years but attached to each other, and having, with the old mill,
seventy-four gangs at Proctor. At Center Rutland there are two mills, one at
the north side of the river known as the Continental mill, with twelve gangs,
and one at the south side known as the Clement mill, with twenty-six gangs.
At West Rutland there is a steam mill with sixteen gangs. Four gangs of the
old mill at Proctor were put in fifty years ago. Three additions have been
made to it since, one of six gangs by the Sutherland Falls Company in 1869.
The first section of the last mill was built by Dorr & Myers in 1868 and con-
tained eight gangs. The next one of twelve gangs was built by the Suther-
land Falls Marble Company in 1876. The next one of thirty gangs was built
by the Sutherland Falls Marble Company in 1879 and '80, and the last one of
eight gangs has been recently built. The mills at Center Rutland were orig-
inally built by Charles Clement, but a new one of fourteen gangs was built by
the Vermont Marble Company in 1882. The mill at West Rutland was built
by the Rutland Marble Company about 1870. The Vermont Marble Company
was formed by the consolidation of the Sutherland Falls Marble Company and
Town of Rutland. 425
the Rutland Marble Company, and was organized October i, 1880, with its
present officers. The annual value of its product is about $800,000 and from
nine hundred to one thousand men are employed. It produces the white and
blue marbles from the West Rutland deposit, the veined marble at Sutherland
Falls and the dark marble from the Mountain Dark and Changreau quarries,
embracing all the standard varieties from pure white to nearly black. It is a
member of the Producers' Marble Company, having a percentage of 54.72 of
the sales of that company. ^
Gilson & Woodfiii. — Just north of and almost adjoining the quarries and
mills of the Sheldons are those of Gilson & Woodfin (E. P. Gilson and John N.
Woodfin). These quarries were opened in 1845 by Joseph Adams and Ira C.
Allen, of Fairhaven, for whom William F. Barnes worked by contract until
1849, when they took a lease. The product was then taken to Fairhaven to
be sawed by water-power. There was for more than thirty- five years but one
opening made. In 1869 the quarry was sold to Charles Clement, Farrand Par-
ker and Edwin P. Gilson, who constituted the firm of Clement, Parker & Gil-
son. This firm put up an eight-gang mill and otherwise increased the works
until 1S74, when the firm was changed to Gilson, Clement & Woodfin, com-
posed of E. P. Gilson, Walter P. Clement and John N. Woodfin. In 1878 Mr.
Clement retired and the firm assumed its present style. Since 1S78 the works
have been increased three different times ; five gangs of saws were first added
and later eight more, while large additions were made to their buildings. They
now operate twenty-one gangs of saws, have erected a finishing shop, coping
shop and tenement houses, and employ about one hundred and fifty men. The
product comprises the white and blue Rutland marbles, and amounts to about
$150,000 annually. The product is all sold now by the Producers' Marble
Company.
Ripley Sons. — The marble works now carried on under the above firm
name are among the oldest in the county. The late William Ripley removed
to Center Rutland from Middlebury, where had been engaged in business,
about the year 1835. There he had his attention called to the marble indus-
try by William F. Barnes, who was just beginning the long series of opera-
tions towards the development of the quarries. Mr. Ripley foresaw the im-
portance of the industry and the two men bought the valuable water-power at
Center Rutland where their mills are now situated, and erected an old-fash-
ioned pendulum mill of eight gangs of saws ; this building is still standing.
The slow but gradual development of the business continued until 1850, when
the partnership was dissolved and a contract entered into by which Mr. Ripley
or his assigns should be supplied with marble from the quarry delivered free
of charge on his switch, for a time without limit, he to saw and market the
same and divide the profits with Mr. Barnes. This arrangement continued
426 History of Rutland County.
until the year 1865, when WilHam Y. Ripley retired from the business and his
sons, William Y. W. Ripley and E. H. Ripley, assumed control and still retain
it ; the same contract is in force with the Vermont Marble Company, which
has come into possession of the property (which see). The quarry from which
this supply comes is known as the old Foster opening, and is north of the Gil-
son & Woodfin quarries. William Y. Ripley built another mill of eight gangs
in the early history of the business, and the two were operated until 1881,
when a twent3'-gang mill was erected. In 1877 one of the old mills was
changed to a finishing shop and turning shop. In 1882 a new contract, sup-
plementary to the one alluded to, was entered into with the Vermont Com-
pany, by which Ripley Sons receive a supply of blue marble from West Rut-
land and Sutherland's Falls marble of the dark variegated variet}-. Seventy-
fi\'e men are emplo\-ed by the firm and the annual product has a value of
about $100,000. The stock of the company is sold by the Producers' Marble
Company. W. T. Ripley, son of William Y. W. Ripley, constituting this firm,
is inventor of the Ripley sand feed, an improvement of great utility, which
was patented in 1884; its object is to give a more uniform and economical
feed of sand to the saws, and it seems to accomplish it successfully. It is in
use in many of the mills.
Columbian Marble Company. — The quarries of this company are those
opened by Moses P. Humphrey and Edgar L. Ormsbee, about one and a half
miles south of Sutherland Falls. The first mill at Sutherland Falls was built
to saw this marble in 1837-38. The hard times of that period and other
causes involved the company to some extent and it gave up the work. Work
was again begun on these quarries in 1868 by the "North Rutland Marble
Company." In the year 1871 the Columbian Marble Company, with nearly
the same stockholders, purchased the former compan\''s property and rights.
The first officers were Dr. Timothy Gordon, president ; Rockwood Barrett,
clerk and treasurer. The present officers are : Samuel J. Gordon, president ;
Rockwood Barrett, clerk, treasurer and general manager. The mills of the
present company are located in Rutland village near the railroad track, and
contain thirteen gangs of saws, which are run night and day. Marble is also
turned largely in this mill, and to Dr. Barrett is due to a great extent the
credit of first employing fixed tools in turning marble ; the turning done pre-
vious to 1876 was done by hand and in a small way. About one hundred and
fifty men are employed by the company. The product of their quarries em-
braces light clouded marble of various grades, and the dark variegated varie-
ties ; they also handle the Bardillo Marble Company's goods, of Brandon, con-
sisting of blue marble and a variety resembling Italian bardillo.
The Valido Marble Company's quarrj' is located at West Rutland adjoining
that of the Esperanza Marble Company. The mills and shops are at Fair-
haven and were opened in 1884 by the company. The capital stock is $300,-
Town of Rutland. 427
000, divided into shares of $100 each, and is chiefly owned by J. B. and G.
H. Reynolds and W. H. Johnson. The marble produced at the company's
quarry is, as itsj name (Val-e-do) impUes, exceedingly beautiful and in sound-
ness is far superior to that of any quarry that has as yet been developed in the
State. The company eniplo)-s from seventy-five to one hundred men at the
quarry and in the mills. The mills and finishing shops are run by water
power.
TJtc True Blue Marble Coti/pauy. — This company was organized May 26,
1884, with the following ofiicers : J. W. Cramton, president; J. N. Baxter,
treasurer; George B. Royce, secretary. These oflScers remain the same, ex-
cept that E. D. Keyes is now treasurer and manager. The mill and quarry
are at West Rutland, with offices both there and at Rutland village. The cap-
ital of the company is $200,000. Before the organization of this company
Mr. Royce, associated with nine others, who comprise the present principal
stockholders, prospected about a year with the view of opening the business
of manufacturing and selling blue marble, now the most fashionable variety.
Upon the strength of their investigations the company was formed and four
farms were bought, the one upon which the quarry is situated having been
purchased of John O'Rourke for $10,000 ; it was secured by O'Rourke of Mr.
Dwyre, who obtained of the Chatterton estate. The company's mill has eight
gangs^of saws running night and day, and the product is sold as fast as pro-
duced. The product embraces the finest grades of dark, extra dark veined
and mottled blue marble, in block, sawed and finished stock. The marbles of
this quarry it is claimed now command the highest average price of any Ver-
mont marble, a fact resting largely upon the prevailing taste and fashion.
The Dorset Marble Covipauy has its offices in Rutland. It was organized
under special act of the Legislature in I 88 1, with a capital of $300,000, and
the following officers, who still retain their respective positions : President, E.
J. Hawley, of Manchester ; treasurer and clerk, J. H. Goulding. The company
purchased two quarries and a mill property at East Dorset of J. B. Hollister,
who had previously worked them, and subsequently a quarry and mill at West
Rutland, of Carlos S. Sherman, and a mill at Hydeville, in the town of Castle-
ton. The West Rutland quarry had been worked before by Mr. Sherman.
The product of the East Dorset quarries is Italian or monumental marble, and
of the West Rutland quarry both white and blue marble. The company have
thirty-two gangs of saws running and employ about one hundred hands. The
sales of the company are about $125,000 annually. The product of this com-
pany is taken and sold by the Producers' Marble Company.
The Esperanza Marble Company. — This company was organized in Janu-
ary, 1883, with the following officers: H. C. De Rivera, president and treasu-
rer ; George F. Breed, secretary ; W. O. Sargent, superintendent. The quarry,
which is in Whipple Hollow about one and one-half miles north of those of
428 History of Rutland County.
Sheldon & Sons, was opened in November, 1S82, the product being a fine
quality of blue marble, fine in grain, and susceptible of a brilliant polish. Pre-
vious to the present year (1885) the product of the quarries was sold to the
trade in blocks; but in the year named an eight-gang mill was erected and
started in June. In September of the same year the management of the quarry
and mill was placed in the hands of Andrew J. Dunton, who was with the Co-
lumbian Company for thirteen years. The company have offices in New York
and Boston, and the officers at the present time are P. S. J. Talbot, president ;
Henry C. De Rivera, treasurer and secretary; Andrew J. Dunton, general
manager; W. O. Sargent, superintendent.
Center Rutland Marble Company. — In the year 1880 Colonel Benjamin
P. Baker, then residing in New York city, purchased what is kno.vn as the " old
Griggs farm " (the birth-place of his wife), and discovered thereon a valuable
deposit of marble. After finding a vein of beautiful variegated dark marble,
he opened a quarry and in 1881 organized the "Center Rutland Marble Com-
pany," with several of his New York friends, Horace K. Thurber, S. V. White,
Edward A. Seccomb, and others, associated with him. The company ener-
getically continued the work of quarrying. Colonel Baker having removed from
New York and taken up his permanent residence on the farm, personally su-
perintending the work. The samples obtained from the quarry and adjoining
points on the farm proved eminently satisfactory, and after two years the com-
pany erected an eight-gang mill adjacent to the track of the Central Vermont
Railroad and convenient to their quarry. This, though not one of the largest,
is one of the best and most convenient mills in the State. Although the beauty
and variety of the product was all that could be desired, the heavy percentage
of unsoundness in the blocks led to the abondonment of the original quarry.
Colonel Baker tendered the company (just before his death in November, 1884)
an interest in another opening on his private portion of the farm, called the
" North Star " quarry ; this, with blocks purchased elsewhere, has enabled the
company to continue the business, which, with the liberal backing of its mem-
bers, has steadily grown to the present time. About fifty men are employed,
and with an increased capacity to twenty gangs acquired by them through the
recent possession of the property near by known as the " Albion Mill," they
are enabled to turn out a large quantity of work. A new railroad station was
opened in connection with the office and mill of the company in 1884, to which
Colonel Baker gave the name of " Rutland Valley" ; this title is now associa-
ted with the neighborhood formerly known as " Double Road Crossing." The
present officers of the company are Edward A. Seccomb, of Brown & Seccomb,
New York, president; Albert H. Smith, of Wells, Robeson & Smith, New
York, vice-president; Horace K. Thurber, of Thurber, Whyland & Compan)',
New York, treasurer ; Charles E. Baker, Rutland Valley, manager ; J. D.
Sleeper, Rutland Valley, superintendent.
Town of Rutland. 429
JFt'si Rutland Marble Covipauy. — Tlie quarrj- operated by this company
was opened about the year 1865 by David Morgan. The product is what
comes under the descriptive title of West Rutland marble, similar in its finish-
ing qualities to the Italian product and of fine texture. The company now
operating the works was chartered in the fall of 1881, its first officers being E.
M. Nelson, president ; William P. Manley, secretary and treasurer. The capi-
tal stock was placed at $250,000 and is largely held by Massachusetts men.
In April, 1883, William W. Clark succeeded Mr. Manley as secretary and treas-
urer. The company has mills at West Rutland and at Salem, N. Y., the ca-
pacity of which is about 250,000 feet per annum from the twelve gangs of
saws running. About fifty men are employed by the company, and the busi-
ness in all of its general features is constantly growing.
Standard Marble Company. — The quarry operated by this company is lo-
cated at West Rutland and was opened in September, 1883. Organization as
the " Standard Marble Company" was perfected in October, 1883, with N. W.
Bachelder as president ; J. E. Manley, clerk, and J. D. Rogers, treasurer. Mr.
Batchelder is now the president, and Mr. Manley manager. The product of
the quarry at the present time is blue and variegated marble ; but the deposit
is said to include white marble also. The mill used by the companj' is part of
the property known as the " American Marble Company," and is owned by a
gentleman of Glens Falls.
The Producers' Marble Company. — The intelligent reader of the few
preceding pages may naturally have arrived at the conclusion that in a busi-
ness of the immense magnitude of the Rutland marble industry, where sev-
eral large and powerful corporations are engaged, competition and opposi-
tion would be likely to spring up which would tend to render the business of
little profit to those engaged in it, and of little benefit to the community at
large. To avoid a possibility of such results, as well as to equalize prices of
marble for the benefit of workers throughout the country, the " Producers'
Marble Company " was organized on the 1st of January, 18S3. This company
handles the entire product of five of the largest marble producing companies
in the world, viz. : The Vermont Marble Company, Sheldon & Sons, the Dor-
set Marble Compan}-, Ripley Sons and Gilson & Woodfin. The entire prod-
uct of these companies is put into a pool upon a basis that gives each an equit-
able share in the business, and sold at uniform prices in Rutland and at their
branch offices in New York, Boston and Chicago. In short, so enormous is
the amount of marble handled by the company that it practically controls prices
throughout the world. The kinds of marble handled by the company embrace
all the best varieties — the Rutland, Sutherland Falls, East Dorset, Italian and
what is termed Mountain Dark. The shipments of the company in the year
1S84 reached the enormous quantity of about 6,000 car loads, and their goods
are penetrating into all of the civilized countries of the world, shipments now
being made into Australia and South America.
430
History of Rutland County.
The present officers of the company are Redfield Proctor, president ; John
A. Sheldon, vice-president ; E. P. Gilson, secretary and treasurer ; general
manager, D. K. Hall.
Early Marble hidustry at Sutherland Falls. — At the risk of some minor
repetitions of statements already given in a preceding chapter on the general
marble industry of the county, we here append a brief review of the important
business at this point, as furnished in some manuscript notes left by the late R.
S. Humphrey. He states, upon the authority of Samuel Butler, that the first
marble taken from what was first known as the Humphrey Quarry, afterward
owned by the Columbian Marble Company and now by the Vermont Marble
Company, was in the fall of the year 1836, and that the first saw started at the
falls for sawing marble was on Monday, the 26th day of September, 1837.
In the summer of 1836 VVillard and Moses Humphrey became convinced
that the quarrying and sawing of marble could be made profitable. They had
little capital ; there were no railroads ; there was no post-office nearer than
Pittsford and West Rutland, and they were entirely lacking in practical knowl-
edge of the work they resolved to undertake. The first work was done in the
Columbian Quarry by blasting out the blocks with gunpowder, hauling them
with ropes, pulleys and rollers up an inclined plane to a wagon or sled, and
thence to the falls with oxen. Several small openings were made in prospect-
ing for marble, one of which was about thirty rods north of the first or Colum-
bian opening ; one on the Capron Farm, and one west of the Capron House,
near the Back Road. But they did not begin work on what was afterwards
distinguished as the Sutherland Falls Quarry until the summer of 1838. The
building of the first mill, with four gangs of saws, was begun in the winter of
1836-37, previous to which date they had associated with themselves E. L.
Ormsbee, of Rutland, under the firm name of Humphreys & Ormsbee. On
the 26th day of September, 1837, the first saws began to swing. Up to this
time not more than five or six men had ever been employed by the firm at one
time. The mill was a substantial stone building, part of the walls of which
helped to form the north wall of the "lower mill."
The financial crisis of 1837-38 crushed all business at this point, and after
a struggle of about a year from the time when sawing began, the firm yielded
to the pressure, gave up everything to their creditors and assigned to Francis
Slason, of West Rutland. Under his direction the business was carried on
three or four years, with Moses Humphrey as superintendent ; the Humphrey
brothers soon gave up all interest in the business and removed from the place.
Mr. Ormsbee retained some hold upon the property and associated himself
with his brother, T. J. Ormsbee, who carried on the business two years longer.
Their principal business was sawing marble that was drawn there from West
Rutland, the local trade taking most of the sawed stock, and a small part of it
finding its way via Whitehall to points farther west. Between 1845 and 1854
Town of Rutland. 431
the marble business at Sutherland Falls was substantially at a stand-still,
quarries having in the mean time been opened at West and Center Rutland,
and larger mills erected. The wood-work in the old mill fell into decay ; the
quarry openings became frog ponds, and the entire enterprise seemed to have
drooped into permanent stagnation.
For a few years before his death in 184S Joseph Humphrey, jr., had carried
on a business of considerable importance for the time in finishing grave-stones
in a shop built by himself A part of the period he was associated with Hills
Taylor, under the firm style of Humphrey & Taylor, and their work attained a
favorable local reputation.
In the year 1854 the North River Mining Company, which had been pros-
pecting for marble in the town of Sudbury, undertook the resuscitiaton of the
Sutherland Falls business. The railroad was now in operation, supplying
means of transportation, and circumstances seemed more favorable for the
business. But the quarries at West Rutland had been largely worked, as we
have before shown, and there was a large quantity of the marble in the market;
it was of a finer grain than that taken out at the falls and easier worked ; this
labor being then nearly all done by hand labor, it was for the interest of mar-
ble-workers throughout the country to favor the sale of the West Rutland pro-
duct. These facts, with the active competition inspired by the energetic men
who had engaged in the business, made it difficult to market the Sutherland
Falls marble in large quantities. The old mill had been rebuilt and started,
however, and some of the Sudbury marble sawed ; a small business was started
and it gradually grew, one of the favorable conditions being the excellence of
the marble of this locality for out-door uses. But the slow growth of the trade
and other causes told heavily upon the resources of the company, and in 1857,
after a three years' struggle, the company failed ; all business was again sus-
pended.
The management of the works during this company's regime was in the
hands of Francis A. Fisher, who resided at the falls until 1866, when he re-
moved to Rutland, and lived there until his death, which occurred in 1878.
In 1857 a reorganization was effected and the "Sutherland Falls Marble
Company" was formed. It contained as its leading spirits such men as George
Madden, of Middletown, N. Y. ; Emerson Bryant, of Boston ; ex-Governor
John B. Page, and Judge John Prout, of Rutland ; H. P. Roberts assumed the
position of superintendent and manager. The business now began to grow ; a
few more houses for workmen were erected and six gangs of saws were added
to the mill ; but still the workers of marble preferred the softer stone from
West Rutland, the sales of which were being pushed with energy. Equal en-
terprise at the falls, with the real merits and beauties of the marble, however,
combined to foster the steady growth of the business at this point and it pros-
pered accordingly.
432 History of Rutland County.
Mr. Roberts, the manager, lived at the falls five or si.x years and was suc-
ceeded by J. S. Hughes, of Middletown, N. Y. Both of these men became
engaged in railroad contracting after leaving this place. A. C. Wicker, of
Fairhaven, was book-keeper and clerk for a short period, and after his depart-
ure Warren Decker assumed the position. Between i860 and 1864 J. E. Cor-
win was clerk for about two years. He became in later years a bank president
in Indiana. Mr. Humphrey mentions among those whose faces were familiar
at the time of which we are writing, either in connection with the marble in-
dustry or otherwise about the place, A. F. Manley, who was foreman for years
on the quarry; Hills Taylor, who worked many years in the coping-shop;
William Maynard, Henry and G. J. Cady, James and Daniel Rogers, J. C. and
A. C. Powers, William and D. B. Humphrey, N. S. Warner, Leverett Chatter-
ton and others.
In the year 1864 J. B. Reynolds became general superintendent and man-
ager of the marble business at the falls. Under his administration the industry
made material advancement. The mill was increased to twelve gangs ; tene-
ment houses erected, etc. It is claimed, also, that some of the investments,
particularly for the "crane shed," with machinery for handling and storing
marble, that cost about $40,000, and the project of carrying water in a pen-
stock from Beaver Pond for propelling the hoisting machinery and pumping
the quarry, with other extensive operations, were unwise and resulted in heavy
loss. Harvey Re)'nolds, a brother of the superintendent, was interested in the
business for a time, and in connection with A. F. Manley had a contract for
quarrying marble by the foot.
J. B. Reynolds finally made a contract with S. M. Dorr and J. J. Myers by
which they were to carry on the business of sawing and selling the marble un-
der a lease. While this arrangement was in force the two men purchased of
T. J. Ormsbee the land and water privileges where the present large mill
stands and in 1867-68 they erected the first eight-gang mill on the site ; it was
their enterprise, also, that first conveyed the motive power from the water-way
at the level of the old mill in the hollow, up to the level of the railroad track,
where the bulk of the great business is now done.
The business as conducted by Dorr & Myers, through some complications
and differences which need not be detailed, was finally placed in the hands of
a receiver, in the person of Redfield Proctor. He assumed the management of
the interest in the fall of 1868 and removed to Sutherland Falls at that time.
M.\NUF.\CTURIXG INTERESTS.
In attempting to describe the manufacturing interests of Rutland, it may
be prefaced that they have almost entirely grown to their present proportions
since the advent of the railroads, if we except the incipient marble opera-
tions. Without railroads manufacturing industries could not thrive in compe-
;•«- « 1-.,V
Town of Rutland. 433
tition with those of other locaHtics where transportation was rapid and cheap,
even with the possession of the ample water power of this town. But the
moment that manufactured products could he marketed at low rates, then cap-
ital and energy were turned in that direction, and the lapse of thirty years has
witnessed the up-building of a manufacturing interest solid in foundation, com-
prehensive in variety and such as will surely grow and add largely to the
wealth and prosperity of the village and town. Our description of these va-
rious industries must of necessity be very brief: —
The Howe Seale Company. — Nine-tenths of the weighing scales used in
the world are made in the State of Vermont. A large proportion of these are
made in Rutland by the company above named ; the ingenious, accurate and
beautiful scales turned out b}^ this companj- are \-astly different utensils]|from
those of the days when our grandmothers went upon the principle that a pint
of most ordinary commodities was a pound, or, what was little better, hung a
package on one end of the tilting bar of the antique steelyard and a weight on
the other, looked at the irregular notches and guessed at the weight. Those
old-fashioned household utensils have long been superseded and to-day not
only do Americans use the Vermont scales throughout this country, but on
them the Chinese and the Japanese weigh their teas, the Australian his wool,
the South American his gutta percha, the African merchant in Cape Town his
ivory; in short, they are seen wherever civilization has made their use desira-
ble.
The invention of the Howe scale dates from the year 1855, when F. M.
Strong and Thomas Ross, two young men of energy and mechanical genius,
began studying the problem of how to make a perfect w^eighing device. Their
success was ample and in 1856 their first patent was secured. In the fall of
the same year they put up their first scale in Vernon, N. V. About the same
time they finished and exhibited specimens of their hay scales and other
smaller styles at the fair of the American Institute, in New York, where the)'
attracted favorable attention. In the spring of 1857 John Howe, jr., then of
Brandon, Rutland county, became impressed with the value of the invention,
purchased the patent of the inventors and began their manufacture at Bran-
don. A stock company was subsequentl}- organized and the business contin-
ued until 1877; but the works at Brandon were not conveniently situated rel-
ative to railroad shipments, and it was determined in 1877 to remove the entire
plant to Rutland. In making this change Hon. John B. Page was largely in-
strumental and has ever since held the office of treasurer or president of the
company. Eleven acres of land, a tract triangular in shape, situated at the
junction of the Central Vermont and the Bennington and Rutland railroads,
was purchased and during the years 1877-78 commodius and convenient build-
ings were erected for the works ; to these various additions have since been
made. A careful study was made to adapt the buildings to their several pur-
434 History of Rutland County.
poses in the best possible manner. A thorough watch service was instituted,
and for protection from fire hydrants were located on the gounds, supplied
by a powerful pump and furnished with ample hose. The buildings are all of
one story, wood, lined with brick and supplied with the best apparatus for car-
rying on all of the various branches of the work. We cannot go into a de-
tailed description of the advantages which the Howe scale possesses over oth-
ers ; but, in brief, their chief advantage (and it is a most important one) rests
in the placing of chilled iron balls between the platform and the bearings
which rest upon the delicate knife edges which contribute to the accuracy of
the scale. The principal effect of these balls is to relieve the knife edges, upon
the preservation of which depends the wear of the scale and its continued ac-
curacy, from all possibility of injury from the inevitable oscillation of the plat-
form when placing goods upon it. No other scale uses this feature, which is
covered by patents.
The Howe Scale Company is one of the institutions of Rutland and has
contributed much to its growth and prosperity. From two hundred and fifty
to four hundred hands are employed on the average. The annual value of the
product of the company is now from $1,000,000 to $1,250,000. The present
officers of the company are , president ; 1 W. W. Reynolds,
superintendent; W. F. Lewis, assistant superintendent ; J. W. Norton, cashier
and clerk ; agencies are established in the principal cities of the world and all
nations are patrons of the company.
The Lincoln Iron Works. — These works are now operated by a stock com-
pany with $50,000 capital (increased to that sum from $40,000), of which Red-
field Proctor is president ; W. A. Patrick, superintendent, and Rockwood Bar-
rett, treasurer. The foundation of the business dates from the fall of 1 86S,
when Thomas Ross began here the manufacture of stone, mill and quarrying
machinery, and the crescent coffee and spice mill, the invention of Thomas and
Crawford D. Ross. Thomas Ross was one of the inventors of the Howe scales,
as before noted; he was killed on the 5th of January, 18S1, by the bursting
of an emery wheel in his works. In 1882 the present company purchased the
property and have since doubled its capacity; about sixty hands are employed.
The shops are on West street, near the railroad.
D. Slwrtslecve & Company ( 0. L. Rabbins and B. E. Norton), Foundry and
Machine Shop. — The senior member of this firm was the originator of the busi-
ness', having leased a small shop, in which he was the sole workman, m 1877.
He is a good mechanic, an inventor of some note, and energetic ; hence he
succeeded, and in the following year built his shop. Again in 1880 and 1881
he was compelled by increasing business to erect additions to his works. In
1883 O. L. Robbins and D. M. White became his partners. In February,
iThe lale Hon. John B. Page was president of the company at the time of his death in October,
Town of Rutland. 435
1884, B. E. Horton purchased Mr. White's interest. Their general business is
the manufacture of all kinds of quarrying, stone and slate- working machinery,
and iron and wood-working machiner)', granite turning and polishing machine-
r\-, and Shortsleeve's patent gang stone-sawing machines. About $25,000 are
invested and thirt}' hands employed.
y. H. HoIdics &■ Co., Boiler Manufacturers. — The firm of Holmes Brothers
(John and Joseph H.) was established in 1872, on Strong's avenue, in the same
business as at present. In 1881 the business was removed to its present loca-
tion, near the railroads, and in the following j'ear D. M. White bought an in-
terest in the works. The manufacture of boilers is extensively carried on by
them.
Rut/and Foundry and Machine Shop and Charles P. Harris Manufactur-
ing Co. — The Rutland Foundry and Machine Shop was originated before 1S40
by Blake & Daracut, of Boston, and was one of the earliest manufacturing
establishments in the village. Through the influence of those gentlemen the
Brandon Iron and Car Wheel Company's plant w as brought here and the com-
pany merged with the other firm. In i860 Joel B. Harris became interested
in the establishment and a few years later bought out the firm. In the year
1874 the firm of Harris & Clark (Charles P. Harris and George E. Clark) was
formed for the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds. In 1S76 Mr. Clark went
out of the firm, and in 1880 the Charles P. Harris Manufacturing Company was
organized, a machine shop business added and the manufacture of cane-seat
chairs on a large scale. Meanwhile the Rutland Nail Works, which were
started about 1870 by L. W. Collins, of Fairhaven, sold a half interest to the
Harris Manufacturing Company in 1876, and in 1880 the remaining half was
purchased ; the works, which were situated near the Lincoln Iron Works, were
remo\'ed by the Harris Company to their present location. In 1880 the Fair-
haven Nail Works were also consolidated with the company and the manufac-
ture of cut nails from worn-out marble- saws continued. In 1882 the two com-
panies (Rutland Foundry and Machine Shop Company and the Charles P. Harris
Manufacturing Company) were consolidated under a special act of the Legis-
lature. The capital stock is $125,000. Joel B. Harris is president of the com-
pany ; A. B. Harris, of Springfield, Mass., vice-president; Charles P. Harris,
treasurer. A general machine-shop business, the manufacture of car wheels
and railroad work, is carried on ; with sash, doors and blinds, cane-seat chairs
and nails. Seventy-five men are employed in these works and 200 in the chair
industry outside of the shops.
Tlie Steam Stone-Cutter Company. — This company was organized and in-
corporated under New York laws as far back as 1865, ^'T^i '" 1867 the works
were established in Rutland, for the manufacture of the Wardwell stone chan-
neling and quarrying machines. Mr. Wardwell, the inventor, is a resident of
Rutland village, and the business is, therefore, a pure local enterprise. The
436 History of Rutland Countv.
machines made by this company are covered by patents in the United States,
Canada, France and England, and are in use in most parts of the civilized
world. Mr. Wardvvell, who has given his entire attention to the perfecting of
quarrying machinery for twenty-five years, was the pioneer in that work and
built the first practical and successful machines. Three styles of machine are
now made by the company, to which more detailed reference is made in the
chapter devoted to the marble industry, in preceding pages. The use of chan-
neling machinery almost revolutionized the quarrying of marble, limestone and
sandstone, through their wonderful economy in labor, and they are now in use
in nearly all the marble quarries of Vermont and most of the large quarries of
the country. Like all successful and valuable inventions, this one has been re-
peatedly infringed and the company has been forced to expend something like
sixty thousand dollars in defending their rights. The company now employ
an average of twenty hands. The officers are J. W. Cramton, president ; Geo.
E. Royce, treasurer ; George B. Royce, secretary, and George J. Wardwell,
superintendent. (See biography in later pages).
Mansfield &" Stimson (G. R. Mansfield and C. L. Stinison), Foundry and
Machine Shop. — In the year 1853 J. H. Bowman came to Rutland and was
connected with the Brandon Iron and Car Wheel Works, which we have men-
tioned as having been removed here from Brandon, and in the following year
G. R. Mansfield came here, and joined Mr. Bowman a few years later in the
purchase of a portion of the company's plant, which they removed to their
present location, on Freight street. Temporary buildings were first erected,
and subsequently the present structures. In December, 1865, Mr. Bowman
retired from the firm and C. L. Stimson took his place ; there has been no
change since that date. They manufacture all kinds of quarrying, marble and
slate manufacturing machinery, steam engines, and deal in pipe and pipe-fit-
tings, etc. About forty men are employed.
Gay, Kimball & Co. — This firm was established in May, 1S75, at Gays-
ville, Windsor county, where the)' remained until 18S0. Tlie business was the
manufacture of vegetable ivor}' buttons and later of composition buttons. At
the date last mentioned the firm removed their works to Rutland and occupied
the buildings formerly used by the Rutland Chair Works. In 1883 they pur-
chased the shirt manufacturing business of J. M. Haven, situated on Willow
street, and removed it to their button factory. The shirt factory was estab-
lished by Thayer & Co. in 1880. The manufactory of buttons is now tempo-
rarilv discontinued. About fifty hands are employed in the making of shirts
and from 100 to 200 when the button factory is in operation. Tlie firm is
composed of Nelson Gay, E. B. Kimball and Frederick Gay.
J. E. Post is manufacturing Richardson's patent carbonized pipes for sew-
ers and drains, a valuable article for those purposes. He also sells the Akron
pipe.
Town of Rutland. 437
The marble manufacturing business of Brown & Bagley was begun by M. R.
Brown at the House of Correction soon after it was built in 1877-78. In the
year 1 88 1 L. G. Bagley acquired an interest in the business. A contract was en-
tered into by the firm by which they secured the service of the convicts in the in-
stitution for five years at thirty cents a day; this contract was renewed in 1884
for five years. About si.xty convicts are constantly employed, with from fif-
teen to twenty free men who are skilled in the trade. Their work embraces
almost everything in the line of cemetery work and interior decorative marble,
and their trade now extends to nearly every State in the Union. They man-
ufacture in large quantities, confine themselves to work of excellent quality and
command the confidence of their patrons and business men generally.
Clark Brothers {G. F. and J. S. Clark). — This firm began working marble
and granite in Rutland in the fall of 1883 ; their granite coming from Barre,
Vt., and Ouincey, Mass. Their product reaches a value of $7,000 annually.
C. L. Long is one of the early wagon-makers of the village, beginning in
1852 on Woodstock avenue. He removed to the village and his present loca-
tion in 1866 and built his shops. He makes all varieties of work and employs
si.x men. L. Miner & Son (L. Miner, James and Levi F.) began wagon-mak-
ing here in 1875. Previous to that time they carried on blacksmithing. They
removed to their present location. West street, from near Main street in 1882.
Ziba Terrill was one of the early wagon builders of the place, beginning as
early as 1847, o" what is now Terrill street. He carried on the business there
until 1854, when his son Samuel joined him. The partnership continued to
1859, after which Samuel conducted the business until 1884, when his son, W.
S., became a partner. The business was moved to West street in 1858.
The Rutland Cracker Company was formed in 1881, but was not incor-
porated until the fall of 1883. J. S. Tuttle is president; C. A. Thompson,
vice-president; H. E. Tuttle, treasurer, and C. H. Boardman, secretary. The
company is e.xtensively engaged in baking.
The Lyon Steam Bakery is the successor of Daniel Verder's bakery. T. J.
Lyon purchased the establishment and put in steam power in 1869; it is the
only steam bakery in the village and does a large and increasing business.
The working of marble, outside of the quarries and the large companies, is
quite an extensive industry in this town. Among the firms engaged in this
industry are J. Everson & Co., the senior of whom began the business in 1879
at No. 2 Church street and removed to the present location in 1884. They
employ twelve men on monuments, cemetery work, etc. W. R. Kinsman be-
gan the marble working business in 1883, purchasing ttie works of E. Bowman,
who had carried on the work eight years. Monumental work forms the prin-
cipal part of his business.
Mercantile. — The e.xtended space already devoted to this town precludes
the possibility of mentioning more than the leading business houses of the vil-
438 History of Rutland County.
lage, particularly those which are gradually developing a wholesale trade. The
men who are interested in the prominent mercantile houses of the place are
conspicuous for their high character, their judicious and conservative business
methods and the general metropolitan appearance of their places of business ;
the latter will compare favorably in many cases with the prominent stores of
cities vastly larger than Rutland.
There is but one distinctly wholesale grocery house in the place — that of
E. D. Keyes & Co. The business of E. D. Keyes & Co. was established in
1 87 1, the first of the kind in the place. The firm comprises E. D. Keyes, C.
O. Perkins and Erwin E. Keyes.
In hardware, French & Kingsley began dealing in this line in connection
with furniture and carpets, on the site now occupied by E. D. Keyes & Co., in
1857, continuing until 1865; in that year Levi G. Kingsley took the entire
business, which had been removed to the present location on Merchants Row
in 1 863 ; there was then but one other hardware store in the village — that of
James Barrett & Son, where W. C. Landon is now located. Mr. Kingsle}- has
an extensive trade, a fair share of which is in wholesaling. (See biography of
L. G. Kingsley in later pages of this work.)
The hardware business of A. C. Bates & Son was begun in 1862 by Lan-
don & Bates (Albert Landon), in the Bates House block. The firm next be-
came Bates & Gibbs (E. W. Gibbs), and again in 1866, Landon & Bates. In
1 87 1 Harry M. Bates became a member and the firm took its present style.
They are jobbers of saddlery hardware, harness and wagon woods, belting, etc.
The firm of Dunn & Cramton are successors of the firm of Cramton &
Dunn, which began business in 1858. In 1867 J. C. Dunn purchased the in-
terest of Mr. Cramton and a year later formed a partnership with H. A. Saw-
yer, C. C. Dunn and J. W. Cramton, under the style of Dunn, Sawj'er & Co.
Two years later C. C. Dunn sold to his partners and the next year Mr. Saw-
yer also sold to the remaining partners. The firm has remained as at present
since 1871. Their stock is stoves and general hardware.
In the jobbing of paper stock and kindred goods a considerable business is
done. The business in this line now carried on by H. A. Sawyer & Co. was
begun by H. A. Sawyer, J. VV. Cramton and J. C. Dunn, on the corner of
West street and Merchants Row in 1S67. The next }-ear Saw}'er & Dunn
purchased Mr. Cramton's interest ; then Mr. Sawyer purchased Dunn's interest
and sold it immediately to C. C. Dunn. One year later the business was con-
solidated with Dunn & Cramton's hardware trade and the wholesale part of the
business was removed to the Dunn & Cramton store. This continued for three
years, when the firm of Dunn, Sawyer & Co! was dissolved and H. A. Sawyer
took the paper trade into his control in the south store now occupied by Dunn
& Cramton. Two years later he sold out to the Globe Paper Company, and
the business was removed to its present location. Mr. Sawyer was a member
I
]^p^.-
Town of Rutland. 439
of the company and its treasurer for three years. In 1873 he, with P. S. Saw-
yer, purchased the business and lia\-e continued it since. Their stock is wrap-
ping paper, paper bags, wooden ware, matches, twines, etc., and the\^ lia\'e an
extensive trade.
The Tuttle Company, conducting a similar hnc of business to the above, is
an incorporated organization and the direct successor of George A. Tuttle,
former publisher of the Herald, and proprietor of the store. Printing and blank
book manufacturing is also carried on by the company, and it is the largest
wholesale book, stationery, paper and printing house in the State. H. C. Tut-
tle is president ; E. C. Tuttle, treasurer, and F. G. Tuttle, secretary.
There is a large business done in wholesaling lumber, both rough and man-
ufactured. F. Chaftee & Son have large mills at several different points and a
yard and office in the village ; they are also agents for the Akron sewer pipe
and deal in flour and grain.
Melzar Edson began the lumber trade about 1S50, his being the first yard
in the village. lu 1857 he took as a partner G. P. Hannum, who continued in
the firm until 1864, when H. O. Edson, a nephew of the senior member, bought
Hannum's interest.
D. M. White Lumber Company are large manufacturers and dealers in lum-
ber and sell doors, sash and blinds, feed, etc. ; they have steam mills in the
town of Chittenden.
Davis & Gould began wholesaling flour, feed, etc., in 1878, succeeding
Davis & Curtis in the retail trade. The firm continued until 1883, when Mr.
J. A. Gould retired and W. F. Burditt came in. In July, 1884, Mr. Gould
again became a partner. In September, 1885, Mr. Davis retired, and the firm
took its present style of Gould & Burditt.
W. C. Landon carries on a large trade in hardware, flour, feed, seeds, etc.
The firm was formerly Landon & Huntoon.
There is but one wholesale drug store in the place, that of Higgins, Greene
& Hyde. A. W. Higgins began this business in February, 1869, and on the
first of January, 1884, formed the present firm. The store was formerly un-
der the Bates House, and was removed to its present location April i, 1885.
They have a large wholesale and retail trade and carry a heavy stock. The
firm are A. W, Higgins, W. E. Greene and C. H. Hyde.
The firm of Van Doom & Tilson (M. T. Van Doom, E. H. Van Doom
and J. E. Tilson), have a large stock of crockery, glassware, lamps, wall paper,
etc., in a fine store, and carry on a wholesale and retail business.
There is little wholesaling of any kind of dry goods in the place ; but sev-
eral of the retail establishments, notably those of Charles E. Ross, Ross
Brothers, B. H. Burt and Charles B. Hilliard, will favorably compare with
those of man}' large cities.
Hotels. — In a paper upon the old-time taverns of Rutland county read by
440 History of Rutland County.
George H. Beaman before the Historical Society, he makes the following pleas-
ant allusions ; after speaking of the necessary absence of means of literary cul-
ture at an early day, he said : " Of course, in the absence of these means of
intellectual and moral culture, and the restricted measure of their social enjoy-
ments, the village tavern became the point of attraction in the leisure hours of
the inhabitants, and especially upon all holidays and public occasions. The
bar-room thus became ultimately the forum, the field of debate on all matters
of general interest, the general ' committee room ' for the discussion of grave
questions, and the occasional gathering place for the more genial and convivial
members of the community. As the villages of those days had each its ' wise
men ' — some with ' convictions ' — its eccentrics, its ' ne'er-do-wells,' its
wag, its general butt, and a mild infusion of the gay and festive element, it
may well be imagined that these chance assemblies were more or less animated
and exciting — often interesting, and sometimes profitable; and though the
flip-iron (in its season) was always in readiness, and though the music of the
toddy stock invariably enlivened these occasions, it is no more than just to our an-
cestors to say that these scenes in an old-time Vermont county bar-room were
usually decorous, and that marked excesses were rarely witnessed. The early
settlers of Rutland county brought with them from Massachusetts, Connecti-
cut and Rhode Island enough puritanism to give a natural sobriety to their
character, and they were too earnest in the necessary labor incident to their
condition to waste time or money in trivial amusements or expensive habits.
And it may in truth be said of the old-time keepers of the taverns of Rutland
county that they, as a class, shared fully in the sentiments, feelings and con-
victions of the better class of the society around them. Peers of their neigh-
bors and townsmen, and knowing that the success and reputation of their
houses depended mainly upon the traveling public, the}- had neither the motive
nor the desire to foster a local patronage disreputable in itself and destructive
alike to the best interests of all concerned.
" From among the names of this class of old-time landlords, those which
most readily occur are the following : Henry Gould, Issachar Reed, Major
Cheney, Nathan Cushman, Abner Mead, Jacob Gates, Samuel Moulton, Ben-
jamin Carver, Reuben Moulton, John Mason, 2d, Joel Beaman, Daniel Par-
sons, Pitt Hyde, Daniel Meeker, Apollos Smith, Royal Dennis, Nathan T.
Sprague, James Brewster, Levi Finney, Ephraim Fitch and Rufus Bucklin.
" Highly respectable in their characters, these men held prominent posi-
tions in their respective localities. Most of them were intelligent, active and
energetic business men, as agriculturists, mechanics, merchants, stage- men, etc.;
many of them were magistrates and efficient town officers, and some of them
were prominent members of the churches, and yet these men are in modern
times held up by over- zealous reformers, and b}- blatant declaimers on certain
occasions, as moral ogres of a past generation and worth)' onl\' of execration.
Town of Rutland. 441
To the more conservative mind, and to one more conversant with the facts in
the case, these denunciations will appear not only ridiculously unjust, but im-
politic, because of their unreasonableness. Such a one will remember that in the
times referred to the use of spirituous liquors was, as may be said, universal ;
that while the inn-keeper dispensed it from his bar, the merchant passed it
over his counter ; that it was always to be found on the sideboard, and in the
cupboard of the rich and poor alike, and that it was not deemed immoral or
derogatory to the character even of the parish clergymen to be seen, on occa-
sion, sitting on the tavern porch or the store platform (perhaps watching a
game of quoits or an interesting ball play) while sipping his glass of wine, or,
perchance, a more potent beverage. In this state of society it is highly cred-
itable to the keepers of the respectable public houses of the time that it can in
truth be said that they gave no encouragement to excess in that direction.
"As before stated, the first and chief aim and purpose of the keepers of
these houses was that they should be kept for the accommodation of the trav-
eling public, and that their main support should be derived from this source.
No allurements were held out by them to entice the idle or the vicious of the
neighborhood or the surrounding country ; cards and the dice were almost uni-
versally tabooed ; a billiard table would have been deemed a disreputable ac-
quisition, and a bowling alley as an adjunct to a reputable old-time tavern was
very rarely or never thought of Singularly enough, however, all these tav-
erns had each its ball-room, while the occasion of a ball or a dance in one of
them was an occurance about as rare as the visitation of Encke's comet. Of the
three of these ball-rooms best known to me, and with a knowledge of them for
half a century, I can say that I never knew of but one dancing party in each
of these halls within this period ; though in my early days there was a tradi-
tion to the effect that at an anterior date there had been in one of them a fa-
mous affair of the kind, and that the music furnished for the occasion was that
of the once famous ' black band ' of Rutland.
" In consideration of the views here given, I think it may well be claimed
that the old-time tavern of our county was a positive necessity of the day,
and while it gave needed accommodation to the traveling and home public,
and aided materially in the advancement of the best interests of the county,
its influence — though conservative rather than aggressive in its opposition to
the social evil of the day — was not quite so baneful to society as it has by
some been represented."
Perhaps we have already given the old hotels of Rutland sufficient notice.
The old Franklin Hotel, which was the popular "stage house " for many years,
was burned in 1868; it was last kept by Gershom Cheney. The Reed House,
on Main street, kept in early years by Issacher Reed, and later by his son
Willard ; this was also burned. The Page House, kept by Abel Page, and af-
terward by Alanson Dyer, was on West street, where Nicholas Davis lives ; it
was also burned.
442 History of Rutland County.
The Brock House is the oldest hotel now standing in the place. It was
kept in early years by Eleazer Wheelock, who was also interested in the stage
lines ; it was then a two-story dwelling. Josiah Huntoon subsequently became
the owner and added the third story. Later S. A. Brock purchased the prop-
erty and added the piazzas. It is to be kept hereafter partly for the accom-
modation of summer boarders.
The Bardwell House was built by Otis Bardwell and E. Foster Cook and
opened in 1852. John W. Cramton purchased it in 1864, and it has remained
in his possession since. H. O. Carpenter is now associated with Mr. Cramton
in the management of the house and it has been made very popular with the
public.
The first Bates House was built by A. C. Bates and opened by Daniel Kel-
logg, jr., in 1866. There were numerous changes in the proprietorship, A. C.
Bates having kept it two years ; M. Quinn a short time ; Paige & Marston
about a year ; Paige & Tolhurst a short time, and finally W. F. Paige alone,
until it was burned in 1876. The house was rebuilt and opened in 1877, A.
C. Bates & Son managing it for four years ; they were followed by J. M.
Haven ; it finally passed into possession of Dr. John A. Mead, and was man-
aged by W. H. Valliquette until October, 1885, when Morse & Quinn became
the landlords. It is a large and finely equipped hotel.
The Berwick House was built in 1868, by C. F. Richardson; it is a large,
airy and convenient house and was managed by Mr. Richardson until 1885,
when his son F. H. Richardson and D. N. Ha3'nes assumed the management.
Under their care it is a deservedly popular hotel.
The Central Hotel is kept by J. M. Ballou to the satisfaction of his guests,
and the Continental, recently opened by S. P'rench is a well-conducted house ;
the Farmers' Hotel is kept by Airs. J. E. Johnson and^V. F. Kelley. These
latter are largely used as boarding-houses for residents of the village.
As a part of the history of the county and on account of its intimate rela-
tions with this village, it is proper to here mention the Killington House, near
the top of the Killington Mountain, kept by Vincent C. Meyerhofifer. The
road to the top of this mountain was opened in i860, upon the general belief
that the magnificent view from the peak would attract many tourists and per-
haps lead to the establishment of a hotel there. When Mr. Meyerhoffer opened
the house in 1879 it was a rustic cottage twelve by eighteen feet and intended
to shelter himself and wife while camping on the mountain. He conceived the
idea, however, of enlarging the house for the accommodation of guests and did
so in the following summer. In May, 1880 he erected the present building,
which will accommodate forty guests. It is situated about 300 feet below the
peak of the mountain and about 4,100 feet above sea level. A path leads from
it to the peak from which is obtained one of the grandest views imaginable ; it
cannot be better described than in the following language from the pen of Mrs.
Julia C. R. Dorr, the Rutland poetess: —
Town of Rutland. 443
" I purposely avoided looking back or around until I had made about half
the distance. Then I dropped upon a flat stone, to take breath, and well-nigh
lost it utterly, such was the sense of isolation, of dizzy height, of infinite space
that overwhelmed me. The house was directly beneath my feet, and I perched
in mid-air above it, while near and afar, even to the wide horizon, rolled billow
after billow, like tlie waves of the ocean. Not billows of cloud as you may
suppose ; but the everlasting hills themselves, all tremulous with the purple
and golden mists of sunset. On either side mountains on mountains as far as
the eye could reach. The valley of the Otter Creek seemed like a narrow rib-
bon, through which ran a thread of silver." And of the sunrise from the sum-
mit she says : "The east was aflame with the glory of the dawn. On the west
the huge wedge-shaped shadow of Killington stretched on and on till it touched
the far horizon. The upper air was crystal clear, while low wreaths of vapor
curled upwards from the valleys. From north to south swept the broad Con-
necticut, a sheet of silver ; and in the distance Lake Champlain stretched from
Whitehall 130 miles to the northward. Lake George lay like a mist wreath on
the horizon. Lake Bomoseen, Pine Hill Pond, and others of lesser note flashed
and sparkled at our feet. Rutland, Castleton, Pittsford, Woodstock and a host
of others were kindling their morning fires as we gazed. Far to the north
Mount Mansfield and Jay Peaks rose up majestically, with banner-like clouds
floating from their summits, exchanging signals with Mount Marcy and all the
mighty monarchs of the Adirondacks. Near at hand, toward the east, the
rounded dome of Ascutney looked like a hillock, while Mount Kearsage loomed
dimly beyond it, and, clasping hands, as it were, to complete the glorious circle,
came proud Monadnock and old Greylock, Mount Anthony, Mount Equinox,
and Mount Dorset. But while we held our breath on this Mount of Transfig-
uration the sun rose up, as out of the sea, lighting the whole east with a more
than earthly glory; and lo ! a great rose-tinted pearl hung high in the shining
heavens — Mount Washington startled us like a vision from the other world !
What wonder if with Peter of old, our hearts, if not our lips, cried out: Lord
it is good for us to be here ! "
Mr. Meyerhoffer has recently obtained possession of Pico Pond, about four
miles distant from his mountain house; this little lake has a more than local
reputation as a fishing resort. A trip to the top of Mount Killington is now
one of the most important of the many attractive features of a visit to Rutland,
and more than repays the tourist.
Secret Societies of Rutland. — There are three lodges, a council, a chapter,
and a commandery in the town of Rutland, in the Order of Free and Accepted
Masons. The oldest of these is the Center Lodge, which was organized as No.
6, on the 15th of October, 1794. Its charter was given up during the anti-
Masonic struggle, and it was reorganized as No. 34 in 1853. The present ofifi-
cers are as follows : Edward Dana, W. M. ; Charles Turner, S. W. ; David H.
444 History of Rutland County.
Barber, J. W. ; Benjamin W. Marshall, treasurer ; Justus R. Hoadley, secre-
tary ; Frank P. Robinson, S. D. ; Horace G. Bateman, J. D. ; Charles E. Ross,
chaplain ; Thomas C. Robbins, marshal ; William Metzgar, F. S. Weather-
head, stewards ; George Willis, tyler.
The second lodge is Rutland No. 79, which was chartered in 1868. Its offi-
cers are as follows : J. H. Mclntyre, W. M. ; Moses Ford, S. W. ; George D.
Babbitt, J. W. ; D. M. White, treasurer ; C. S. Robinson, secretary ; C. M. Glea-
son, S. D. ; H. R. Adams, J. D. ; E. W. Shaw, S. S. ; H. R Wilkins, J. S. ; J. C.
Temple, marshal ; E. W. Davis, chaplain ; C. E. Campbell, tyler.
Hiram Lodge No. 101 was organized at West Rutland in May, 1879, the
first officers being : Hiram A. Smith, W. M. ; Marcellus Newton, S. W. ; Will
Tenney, J. W. The present officers are: L. J. Hoadley, W. M. ; E. C. F"ish^
jr., S. W. ; J. G. Crippen, J. W.
Davenport Council was chartered in June, 1867, under the following offi-
cers: S. D. Jenness, T. I. M. ; J. B. Chandler. R. I. M. ; W. H. Schryver, I. M.
The present officers are as follows : T. C. Robbins, T. C. M. ; H. H. Smith, R.
I. M. ; Samuel Terrill, I. M. ; L. G. Kingsley, treasurer ; A. S. Marshall, re-
corder ; J. H. Mclntyre, C. of G. ; C. E. Kendall, P. C. ; A. J. Hesseltine, stew-
ard ; R. Baker, sentinel.
Davenport Chapter No. 17 was organized June 17, 1867. Following are
the names of the present officers : S. Terrill, H. P. ; A. J. Hesseltine, K. ; W. S.
Terrill, S. ; L. G. Kingsley, treasurer ; L. L. Pearsons, secretary ; Rolla Barker,
C. H. ; James Everson, P. S. ; A. T. Tyrrell, R. A. C. ; George D. Babbit, mas-
ter 3d vail: E. V. Ross, master 2d vail ; C. M. Gleason, master ist vail; C. E.
Campbell, tyler.
Killington Commandery was organized in July, 1867. Following are the
present officers: Will F. Lewis, E. C. ; J. H. Mclntyre, Gen. ; J. C. Temple,
captain- general ; S. Terrill, prel. ; A. T. Tyrrell, S. W. ; W. S. Terrill, J. W. ;
L. G. Kingsley, treasurer; L. L. Pearsons, Rec. ; F. H. Chapman, St. Br. ; E.
A. Fuller, Sw. Br. ; Charles Clark, warder ; G. D. Babbitt, F. J. Wade, C. A.
Gale, captains of guard ; C. E. Campbell, tyler.
[For a more complete and detailed account of Masonry in the county, as
well as of the other secret societies of this town, the reader is referred to the
chapter devoted to the subject in earlier pages of this work.]
Grand Army of the Republic. — There are twp posts of this organization
in the town. Roberts Post No. 14, was chartered November 11, 1868, with
the following as the first officers : William Y. W. Ripley, P. C. ; W. G. Veazey,
S. V. C. ; John A. Sheldon, J. V. C. ; C. H. Forbes, adjutant ; E. A. Morse, Q.
M. The first meeting was held in the carpet room of Major L. G. Kingsley's
store. The present officers of the post are : L. G. Kingsley, P. C. ; E. H. Web-
ster ; S. V. C. ; O. P. Murdick, J. V. C. ; W. B. Thrall, adjutant ; Oscar Rob-
inson, O. RL ; C. L. Allen, surgeon ; John Fayles, chaplain ; C. N. Chamber-
Town of Rutland. 445
lain, O. D. ; I. H. Black, O. G. ; William Cronan, S. M. ; James E. Post, Q. M.
S. There are now about 180 members in this post.
Sennot Post No. 12, of West Rutland, has the following officers : George
Brown, com. ; S. B. Arnold, adjutant ; C. H. Sherman, O. M. ; and is in a
prosperous condition.
Young Men's Christian Association, Rutland. — This association was first
organized in tjie winter of 1857-58, but lived only about three years, occupy-
ing rooms in what is now J. B. Re\-nolds's residence, opposite the post-office.
In 1867 a new association was formed, which continued its work for about
seven years, occupying at different periods rooms in the Nickwackett Hall,
Morse's block, the National Bank building and the Billings block.
The present association is the result of the labor of the International Com-
mittee, and was formed in December, 1882, with a membership of thirty-six;
this was increased by January, 1883, to one hundred and sixty, and the pres-
ent membership is about two hundred and sevent\^-five. The first officers
were: President, J. M. Haven; vice-presidents, (C. V. Railroad), L. L. Pear-
sons ; (B. & R. Railroad), F. C. White ; (D. & H. Railroad), ;
recording secretary, John F. Merrill ; treasurer, D. L. Morgan ; assistant treas-
urer, S. H. Kellogg ; railroad secretary, W. A. Guernsey ; representatives of
the churches, Charles P. Harris, E. W. Horner, W. C. Walker, George W.
Kenney, W. O. Bibbins.
Tne present officers are as follows : President, George K. Montgomery ;
vice-presidents, (C. V. Railroad), W. P. Horton ; (D. & H. C. Co.'s Railroad),
D. C. Pierce ; (B, & R. Railroad), H. W. Spafford ; recording secretary, L. G.
Brown ; treasurer, W. R. Kinsman ; assistant treasurer, George B. Spencer ;
representatives of the churches, T. L. Drury, H. A Hall, E. W. Horner, W, B.
Clauson, Charles W. Pennington ; railroad secretary, W. A. Guernsey.
The association furnishes a reading-room and a library with more than two
hundred and fifty volumes ; a boys' branch room, gj'mnasium, a young men's
l)'ceum, etc. An immense amount of work is performed annually, and the
good done in the communit\- by the association is inestimable. It was incor-
porated in February, 1885.
West Rut/and. — This little village is what constitutes the business center
of the " west parish " of the town and is situated about four miles west of Rut-
land, on the line of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company's railroad. The
richest marble deposits in the county lie in the slopes of the hills near the vil-
lage; hence it has become a very important shipping point. The names of
the pioneers in this vicinity and their early deeds ha\'e already been described.
The village itself boasted little mercantile or manufacturing prominence until
W^illiam Barnes and his associates developed the marble industry. A few of
the early settlers in this vicinity, who have not been mentioned, were Samuel
Denison, who came from Lyme, Conn., in 1744; he died in 1S25, and was the
446 History of Rutland County.
father of William Denison, a shoemaker of West Rutland; the shop of the latter
was located where Artemas Ward now lives. Ashbel Lee settled early in
Whipple Hollow and died in 1830 ; he has no descendants in the town. Seth
Moses located about three miles north of West Rutland, where he was one of
the first settlers; he died in 1801 ; one of his sons was Elnathan Moses, who
died in 1825. Daniel Giddings settled on what was known as " Giddings
Hill," and had sons, Silas, Chapman and Elijah ; they were all farmers.
Avery Ames settled two miles west of the village and died at the age of eighty
years ; he had sons, Matthias, Hiram, Charles and Avery ; the first named
went to Castleton to live and the others removed west. The Blanchards were
pioneers in this section; Benjamin has already been noticed as having built the
first mill for James Mead at Center Rutland; Stillman kept a store at West
Rutland as late as 1820.
The venerable Artemas Ward remembers the place as far back as 1820; he
is a son of Jabez Ward (mentioned among early settlers in a previous page),
and was born in 1800. The oldest business structure in the place is the store
now kept by William H. Woodward, where mercantile business has been car-
ried on for seventy years. John W. Harris had a store there as one of the
first ; John T. Duncan, his brother-in-law, then kept it. For a number of
years there was no other trade here. Francis Slason had a store for many
years. (See biography of Charles Slason in later pages of this work). Mr.
Slason succeeded a Mr. Bristol, for whom he had formerly acted as clerk. A
tavern was kept where Hiram Smith's house stands by Ephraim Blanchard,
and afterward by Jacob Gates, Elijah Corbett and Jonathan C. Thrall ; it
burned while in Mr. Thrall's possession. William Denison, already mentioned
as a shoemaker, was a sort of natural mechanic and worked a good deal at
marble-cutting long before there was any regular quarrying done here. Slabs
were dug out, split and then hewn down to an even thickness for the grave-
stones that are still to be seen in the old cemetery. Gardner Tripp and Will-
iam F. Barnes's father dug out marble in this primitive manner, according to
Mr. Ward's memory, sixty-five years ago. Roswell Merrill was an early black-
smith, as was also Seth Gorham ; the latter was a prominent citizen and much
respected. Benjamin Fay, a brother of William, the publisher, was a shoe-
maker in 1820, and William Barne}' made harness. There has been a post-
office here since early in the century ; the first postmaster remembered by Mr.
Ward was Francis Slason ; he was succeeded by Asa Perry. Mr. Slason's
store was in the vicinity of the old church east of the present village, and when
Mr. Perry took the office it was moved over to the west part ; later it was again
changed to its former location. Reuben Smith was postmaster for a time, and
succeeded by P. L. Goss, James L. Gilmore and J. E. Leonard, the present in-
cumbent. (See later pages).
The village, as stated, grew but little until William F. Barnes brought his
Town of Rutland. 447
energy and enterprise to bear upon it; the building operations and the growth
of the marble industry have combined to make it an active little place. The
present mercantile business of the place is as follows : —
William H. Woodward began business as a general merchant in 1866 in
the old building described ; he succeeded Norton & Robinson, and the\' fol-
lowed R. Watkins & Co. F. A. Morse has dealt in drugs and fancy goods
since 1 867. The general mercantile business of Parker & Thrall (William
Thrall and C. A. Parker) was begun in 1877 by Parker & Mead ; R. R. Mead
and R. R. Mead & Son followed, and were succeeded by the present firm.
Wheeler Brothers (F. L., W. W. and T. B. Wheeler), began a general business
in 1 88 1, succeeding J. S. Tuttle; J. T. Freeman and Charles Liscomb kept the
store still earlier. L. Connifif, dealer in drugs and fancy goods, succeeded E.
W. Liddell a j'ear ago. W. T. Sepp has sold dr\' and fancy goods since 1878.
The Barnes House, built b\- William F. Barnes, has been kept by Michael 01-
vetti since April, 1885 ; there were numerous changes in the proprietorship of
the house since its erection.
It is probable that West Rutland will be connected with Rutland village by
a street car line ere long, which may add to its future prosperit)-.
Siithcflaiid Fdlls (or Proctor).^ — The first mention of Sutherland Falls was
made by James Cross, who conducted a scouting party of twelve Canada Mo-
hawks from \vhat was then called Fort Dummer to Lake Champlain in the
year 1730. The reference by him was to the effect that on May 6 they passed
two great falls, which are believed to have been Gookin's and Sutherland Falls.
Eighteen years later Captain Eleazer Melvin, of Concord, Mass., made the same
journey and in the record of his travels speaks of passing " the great falls." Of
the early settlers at this point, it is quite probable that John Sutherland was
the first to take up a permanent abode. He built a grist-mill which stood on
the site now occupied by the air-compressing machinery of the Vermont Mar-
ble Company, and a saw-mill that stood a few rods north of the old lower mill ;
both of these buildings were destroyed by the great flood of July, 181 I ; the
saw-mill was, however, rebuilt and operated by Messrs. Powers & Gookin, then
of Center Rutland, until it was destroyed by fire in 1828. Little is known of
Mr. Sutherland's early life, and the date of his settlement cannot be definitely
determined; but it was without doubt as early as 1766 or 1767. Thf>re was
surveyed and laid out to Sutherland, April i, 1779, 109 acres of land on the
east side of the creek, and a few years later, in 1786, another lot was surveyed
to him by "Joseph Crary, county surveyor," containing " 1 16 acres of land in
D township — seventy-five acres on the original Right of John Beals and forty-
one acres on the Right of Deborah Stone."
1 The facts here stated relative to the early settlement and industries of Sutherland Falls are de-
rived from a manuscript written by the late R. S. Humphrey and kindly furnished us by his widow.
Mr. Humphrey gives credit in the manuscript for assistance from D. C. Powers, M. I'. Humphrey,
Samuel Butler and D. B. Humphrey, the greater part of whose early lives were spent in that vicinity.
We have condensed the language of the manuscript, adhering only to the facts stated.
448 History of Rutland County.
It is probable that the nearest settlers to Mr. Sutherland at the time of his
arrival were Gideon Cooley, who located in 1767 on the farm now owned by
S. G. Loveland and James Mead, just west of the site of Center Rutland. Mr.
Sutherland was an outspoken Tory and in sympathy with the New York gov-
ernment in the famous controversy, and thus incurred more or less animosity
from his few neighbors. Mr. Humphrey writes : " He was on ordinary terms
with his neighbors and carried on liis grist-mill ; but it cannot be denied that
tradition has given him the name of being selfish and grasping ; one story
being that at the time of the battle of Hubbardton, when so many of the set-
tlers left their homes and sought protection at Bennington, they were forced
to leave their swine roaming at large. They branded the animals and turned
them into the woods. On their return they found some of the hogs in Mr.
Sutherland's pen."
Mr. Sutherland at one time owned all of the land on the west side of Otter
Creek from the Pittsford line to the land now owned by R. C. Mead. He died
about the year 1808, leaving one son, Peter Sutherland, who is reported as
being a somewhat visionary person and lacking his father's shrewdness and
business capacity. After the flood of 181 1 the business at the falls was par-
tiall}' crippled and the grist-mill site was sold to R. M. Powers, who rebuilt the
mill. Peter Sutherland still carried on the wool-carding business established
by his father and also built a forge for the manufacture of bar iron. The card-
ing-mill stood a little southeast of the grist-mill, and near where the water first
comes through the tunnel. The forge stood across the gulf south of the struct-
ure that contains the upright shaft for transmitting power. The wool-carding
business was abandoned when Peter Sutherland left the place, and the forge
passed into possession of Francis Slason, then to Eliphalet Leonard and sub-
sequently to the Humphrey brothers. Mr. Humphrey's account of the great
flood is to the efiect that it was by far the most disastrous ever experienced in
this part of the State. It carried away the grist-mill and saw-mill and de-
stroyed all other property that came within its reach. The water came up over
what was then the roadway, just above the sluice or tunnel, swept down through
where the coping shop and the air compressing building now stand and car-
ried everything before it. The water was deep enough so that a man svvam
from near the west end of the bridge westerly to where the road turns to the
north. Water rising to the same height now would overflow the railroad track
and run through the rock cut west of Myron C. Warner's house at a depth of
six feet or more. The bridge was swept away and was subsequedtl)' built far-
ther down the stream.
John Sutherland built the first framed house at the falls ; it stood a little
south of the covered bridge, and was occupied bj' the Sutherland famih' until
Peter removed from the place, about the year 1820. Richard M. Powers set-
led in earl\- life just north of the fails, where he owned a large tract of land-
Town of Rutland. 449
the greater part of which, with his residence, was a httle way inside of the
Pittsford Hne ; but he at one time had some interest in the mills at the falls and
was a man of prominence in the community. He was for many years a mem-
ber of the Pittsford Congregational Church, was much respected and died in
1847. His children were Richard, drowned in the Winooski River soon after
the battle of Plattsburg, in 1813 ; John, who died in early manhood; Lucy,
who married Daniel Smith and settled in West Rutland; Daniel C, who lived
for many years on the south part of [the Powers farm ; he learned the black-
smith trade and for many years carried on a shop, which has been converted
into a dwelling. He sold this property to his brother in 1850, and removed
to West Rutland, where he was foreman for William F. Barnes, for some years,
in a marble quarry. Later he lived a number of years in Illinois and finally
returned to Pittsford and died suddenly in the winter of 1882. Amanda Pow-
ers died in 1 870 ; Mary, wife of Eben Goodrich, lives in Ohio ; Sarah married
N. S. Warner, and died in 1881 ; Melinda died in 1882 in Ohio; Polly mar-
ried Burr Chapman, of West Rutland, and died many years ago; Charles lived
some time just north of the Beaver Pond on the " Back road," but sold out to
his younger brothers and removed to Chittenden, wliere he passed the greater
part of his life. He died suddenly in 1S81, while living with a daughter near
Forestdale. He was an eccentric man, a strong abolitionist, and entertained
exaggerated ideas upon religion ; Nicholas M. learned the carpenter's trade
with Abraham Owens, of Pittsford, and in later life became a successful bridge-
builder, having erected the bridge at Havre de Gras, Md., and many other
noted structures. He is now living in Clarendon. J. C, familiarly known as
" Cooley," lived in the house purchased of Daniel C. during most of his life.
He died suddenly in the summer of 1881, making the fourth death in the fam-
of children in that year, three of whom dropped dead instantly The youngest
of the family is Artemas C, who lives on the homestead, and in late years built
a fine dwelling on the site where his father built his first house nearly a cen-
tury ago.
The Chatterton family were prominent among the early settlers of this sec-
tion of the town. Isaac, father of Levcrett and grandfather of G. H. and J. T.
Chatterton of a later generation, settled a little south of the falls on the east
side of the creek as earl\- as 17S3 or 1784. Leverett was his only son and
lived and died on the homestead. His daughters were Polly, who married
Robert Gilmore, and died in West Rutland at the great age of ninety-three
years ; Chloe, who married Silas Smith, of West Rutland, and died about
1848; Charlotte, who married Morris Reynolds and died about 1849. Isaac
Chatterton was a member of the Congregational Church from 1788 to the time
of his death ; both himself and his wife, as well as his son, lived to more than
ninety years of age. Leverett Chatterton built the stone house on the home-
stead ; he was born in I 784 and died in 1878. Joseph Humphrey was one of a
450 History of Rutland County.
family of fifteen children and was born in Winchester, N. H., his father being
Colonel William Humphrey, a Revolutionary officer. Joseph, one of the pio-
neers at Sutherland Falls, left home when fifteen years old, and started from
Winchester in 1784, alone, barefoot and in his shirt sleeves, with an axe on
his shoulder, to make a home for himself He arrived in this neighborhood
and began work at whatever he could find to do, making his home with and
working for Isaac Chatterton for some time ; he also worked a year for the
man who had the contract for building the old stone jail in Rutland village.
This was soon after his arrival, at least within a few years of that event. He
worked too for John Sutherland, and finally bought of him sixty acres of land,
embracing the territory where R. S. Humphrey lived and extending south to
the Mead farm and easterly to Otter Creek. When this purchase was made
in 1793, there was a log house on the place, which had been abandoned long
enough for a sumach tree to grow in the fireplace to four inches in diameter.
Two years later he brought his young wife into the wilderness to share his
burdens ; her name was Hannah Parmelee, whose parents resided in Pittsford.
The moving was made on an ox sled at one load, the bride riding behind on
horseback. Her two younger brothers accompanied to return the steers, and
Mr. Humphrey relates the circumstance of hearing them in their old age nar-
rate the incidents of the trip and particularly of the supper in the little log
house. Some bread was brought with the load from Pittsford, and a ham,
while some corn meal had been laid in by the husband to start upon ; these
were brought out or rather down, for the ham had been hung on the side of
the great chimney ; a johnny cake was baked in a skillet before the fire, some
of the ham fried and the table spread. The furniture consisted of three chairs
and three knives and forks. These were shared by the bride and her two
brothers. The husband brought in a wooden block to sit upon, and used his
jack-knife to both whittle out a fork and cut his food. In this way they made
a beginning. This little incident supplies a simple picture of the beginning
made by hundreds of the pioneers of the town. Indeed, it is a brighter one
than would be afforded by the e.xperiences of a majority of the early settlers.
The children of Joseph Humphrey were William, born in the log house,
died in 1863; Diana, Mercy, Willard, Adaline, died when five years old;
Moses, died in infancy ; Moses, the only one now living ; Joseph, died in
1849; and Ashbel, died in 1862. William inherited the homestead, and
made several purchases in addition thereto. He was a respected citizen.
The manuscript of Mr. Humphrey mentions the name of Fayette Vaughan
as a resident at the falls for many years ; he was in charge of the store for a
period and left it to become a salesman in the marble yard, removing to Rut-
land in 1870 or 1871. He was instrumental in advancing the school interests
at the falls, having purchased of D. B. and R. S. Humphrey the old stone
school-house, which he converted into a dwelling. In 1866 the people of the
Town of Rutland. 451
school district felt that a larger school-house was needed and erected what is
known as the two-story school-house. The history of this district is briefly as
follows: Previous to 1836 there was no school district at the falls; the so-
called Humphrey farm belonged to District Number 10, while all north of his
farm and south of Pittsford was considered a part of the south, or Kingsley
District of Pittsford. When Moses and Willard Humphrey began business,
in 1836, a new district was formed and numbered fourteen, including all of the
territory south of the Pittsford line to Joel M. Mead's farm. They began an
attempt to secure the erection of a school-house for the new district by sub-
scription, and but for the financial crisis of that immediate period, the project
would undoubtedly have been consummated. But the work'was perforce stop-
ped when the building was about half finished. Children were growing up
who needed educational privileges and yet lived nearly two miles from a school-
house, and a place was also much needed for religious meetings, which purpose
it was anticipated the school-house would serve when completed. At this
critical time William Humphrey borrowed $240 on his own account (a large
sum in those days for a man of limited means) and finished the school- house.
The first use it was put to was for a religious meeting in October, 1838. In
consideration of Mr. Humphre)''s outlay the district conveyed to him all its
title in the house, and he kept it insured for many years and in good repair at
his own expense, besides paying his regular assessments. When the subject
of building a new school-house was agitated in 1865, the old building had
passed into the possession of D. B. and R. S. Humphrey ; they offered it to
the district for the amount of their father's first investment, but the offer was
declined, and they sold it to Fayette Vaughan, as stated. The new building
was located about twenty rods south of the old one, the site being donated by
the Humphrey brothers, with certain conditions in the deed. The cost of the
present building was about $4,600, it having been erected when prices of labor
and materials were high.
In later years, and since the enormous development of the marble interest
of the Vermont Marble Company, the hamlet at Sutherland Falls has grown
considerably, the employes of the company serving to furnish a large popula-
tion. Signs of improvements are seen on every hand, and the beautiful spot
may be destined to become the site of a prosperous village in the not distant
future.
Center Rutland . — The falls and the excellent water-power on Otter Creek
about two miles west of Rutland village led to the gathering there in the early
years of quite a manufacturing business and considerable population. These
falls were originally embraced in the lands owned by the pioneer, James Mead,
and were for a time known as " Mead's Falls." Early in the present century
the falls and considerable surrounding territory passed into possession of Will-
iam and Richard Gookin, and for many years were quite commonly known as
452 History of Rutland County.
" Gookin's Falls." Within the past forty years the present name of Center
Rutland has been given to the place.
Here James Mead's first grist-mill was built, as already detailed. William
and Richard Gookin came here from New Hampshire. They were energetic
and enterprising men and soon improved their possessions at the falls and ap-
plied their valuable water-power in the operation of several successful manu-
facturing establishments. On the south side of the stream they erected a full-
ing-mill and also a grist-mill. A paper-mill was built by them on the site of
the present blacksmith shop of the Vermont Marble Company, which, with
the grist-mill, stood on the north side. The paper-mill did quite a business for
a number of years ; writing paper and other varieties were manufactured and
several teams were kept on the road gathering rags and selling the product.
Mr. Gookin also erected the store building now occupied b}^ Shedd & Son and
kept a store there.
Richard Gookin died in comparatively early life. His wife was Mary Fay,
daughter of William Fay, the Rutland publisher. He had one son, William
Fay Gookin, who removed to Fort Henry, N. Y. William Gookin died in
1865. His children were four daughters, two of whom, Eleanor and Mary,
married George H. Beaman ; one, Agnes, married Carlton A. Munger, and
Annette married Wallace W. Slason. His son, Hiram N., was for a time as-
sociated with his father in his business operations, and with others, and subse-
quently went to New York and thence to Florida, where he died of consump-
tion. He had two other sons — Frederick Y., now living in Chicago, and
Samuel, the eldest, who died at Center Rutland at forty }'ears of age, of con-
sumption.
A comnmnication received from the venerable George H. Beaman, most
of whose life has been passed at Center Rutland, pays the following tribute to
the character and energy of William Gookin.
" By the purchase in early years of the century of the falls still bearing his
name and a large portion of the land on which is built the village on the north
and east side of the creek, and by the erection of a saw-mill, grist-mill, paper-
mill, large carding-machine and cloth-dressing establishment, the store now
occupied by F. W. Shedd, and by the intoduction of such mechanic shops as
were then deemed necessary to a country village, Mr. Gookin gave an impulse
to the business of the place that it has never entirely lost."
The paper-mill property passed from Mr. Gookin to his son, Hiram N.,
and Ambrose L. Brown, and was operated by them until it burned ; it caught
fire from slacking lime. The other property at the falls was purchased by Dr.
James B. Porter and Wallace W. Slason, and William F. Barnes acquired an
interest in it soon afterward, which led to the introduction of the Porter famil}^
into the marble industry. The)' built a marble-mill adjoining the grist-mill ;
but after a few }'ears' operations the}- failed and assigned to Samuel Griggs.
Town of Rutland. 453
He emplo\'ed Captain William Gilniore to manage the business temporarily,
until the entire property passed into possession of Dr. James Porter. It was
carried on by him and as a part of his estate after his death, until sold to the
late John B. Page. With the latter Charles Clement became associated and
later took the entire business and controlled it until it, with most of the other
property at the falls, came into possession of the Vermont Marble Company.
Ralph Page was one of the pioneers in business at this place, and his sons,
Thomas and D. R. Page, were associated with him for some time and after-
wards carried on the business. Ralph kept a store and the " old Page Tavern,"
which is still standing, and died there ; he also carried on a distillery in early
years.
Jacob N. and Ezekiel L. Bailey were also conspicuous in the community
early in the century ; they were carpenters and built the houses where they
lived. Whitman B. Haskins and Zera Mead lived there and operated the full-
ing-mill of William Gookin for a period, probably under a lease.
Captain William Gilmore, now living in Rutland, was another early mer-
chant and manufacturer at the falls. He and Charles Clement purchased the
property on the south side of the creek and erected the second marble-mill at
this point. Mr. Clement was then doing a mercantile business in the old Page
store, where he had been located for several years ; and had previously been
in trade two years at West Rutland. Mr. Clement sold the store to William
H. Liscomb and John Osgood, who finally closed but the business. In 1862
Mr. Clement purchased Captain Gilmore's interest in the marble-mill, and con-
tinued it in company with his son until it was transferred to the Rutland Mar-
l)le Company ; later it passed to the Vermont Marble Company.
In the store building now occupied by F. W. Shedd & Son, which was
erected and used for mercantile business by the Gookin brothers, William Y.
Ripley began trade in 1837, having e.xchanged a farm with Thomas Page for
the house in which he lived and died, and purchased the stock of goods in the
store. Evelyn Pierpoint joined him for one year in this business, after which
Mr. Ripley carried on the store several years, when he closed out his stock and
John Cramton occupied the building and began the manufacture and sale of
tinware. The store was subsequently occupied by J. Brigham Proctor, and
others, and now by Mr. Shedd and his son. Of the Ripley marble industry at
this place we have elsewhere spoken.
With the centralization of trade and manufactories at East Rutland and the
development of the marble industry at West Rutland, much of the former act-
ivity of Center Rutland has disappeared. The grist-mill, now operated b_\' the
Vermont Marble Company, the marble-mill of the same company and the mill
of Ripley Sons, constitute the present manufacturing interests of the place.
Besides the store of Messrs. Shedd, H. C. Harris carried on mercantile business
in a large store in what was formerly the Methodist Church building , he be-
gan trade here in 1882. P. H. Dolan is the present postmaster.
454 Hisi'ORY OF Rutland County.
CHAPTER XX.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BF:NS0X.
THE grant of the townships of Benson and Fairhaven (the latter then in-
cluding the present town of Westhaven and adjoining Benson on the
south), was made by " the Governor, Council and General Assembly of the
Representatives of the Freemen of Vermont," October 27, 1779. While the
Fairhaven charter bears the above date, for some reason that of Benson was
delayed and its date is May 5, 1780. The grant was made to seventy-five in-
dividual proprietors, with five equal shares for school and gospel purposes, as
was customary. The original proprietors who were active in procuring the
charter were residents of Williamstown, Mass., and its immediate vicinity.
The town of Benson lies in the northwest part of the county, and is bound-
ed on the north by Orwell ; east by Sudbury, Hubbardton and Castleton ;
south b}- Fairhaven and Westhaven, and west by Lake Champlain. The town
contains nearly 28,340 acres, or nearly forty-two and three-fourths square
miles. The name of the town was given in honor of Hon. Egbert Benson, an
eminent man and prominent attorney of New York State during the Revolu-
tionary period. 1 The surface of the town is considerably broken and uneven
in the northern, southeastern and southwestern parts, giving to about one-third
of the area a hilly or mountainous and rugged character. Through nearly the
center of the town from north to south extends the slate deposit, which is cov-
ered with a fertile soil, extending from a mile to a mile and a half in width.
Most of the remainder of the soil of the town is clay. The town is well watered
by numerous lakes, streams and ponds, of which Sunset Lake, a handsome lit-
tle sheet of water in the northern part, is the largest. Glen Lake is in the
1 In a sketch of the history of this town, prepared by the late Hon. Loyal C. Kellogg, we find
the following relative to this matter: " Judge Benson was interested, as owner or as agent for the own-
ers, in New York patents or grants, which covered the territory now embraced within the limits of the
town of Benson; and, as Vermont at the time when the charter of the town was applied for was an in-
fant state, struggling for existence against the claims of New York, and not recognized by the Confed"
eration, those who were interested in " looking out the town " as a place for settlement were apprehen-
sive that the State organization and authority of Vermont might be overthrown, and that their titles
under a grant from Verraont would thereby become worthless and lost. To avert any such result, a
committee of the proprietors went to Albany, and called on Judge Benson, and stated to him their de-
sire to make a settlement in the proposed new township, and their embarrassment arising from the con-
flicting and contested titles, and their an.\iety to be relieved from any interfering claim or title arising
under the New York grants, in case they should procure a charter from Vermont and make a settle-
ment in the township. He assured the committee that if those they represented should procure a
charter from Vermont and make a settlement in the township, they should never be interfered with or
disturbed by any claim under the New York title which he represented ; and he encouraged them to
proceed in making a settlement in the township, and intimated to them that it would be a personal grat-
ification to him if they would call the new township by his name." This was the origin of the name
of the town.
Town of Benson. 455
southwestern part and extends into Fairhaven and Castleton. There are sev-
eral smaller ponds in various parts of the town, giving to the general landscape
a high order of natural beauty. Hubbardton River, with its tributaries, is the
principal stream ; it rises in the town of Hubbardton and flows southwesterly
through Benson and into Westhaven.
The first meeting of the proprietors of Benson was held on the 1 6th of
March, 1779, in the proceedings of which we find that it was "voted to raise
;£'io8 i8s. on the proprietors by equal assessment," and that " ;£'40 2s. of said
money be paid to Jonathan Meacham and Absalom Baker for looking out said
town," and that " £6S 1 6s. be paid to the surveyor and chainmen for running
out said town;" and that "Jonathan Meacham, Matthew Dunning and Eze-
kiel Blair be a committee to carry a petition to the General Court of Vermont
for a grant of said town ; likewise to take care of the money to be raised," etc.
At the second meeting, held on the loth of June, 1779. it was " voted that a
committee be appointed to lay out the first division lots, beginning on the first
of October then next." The third meeting was held at Pownal, December 15,
1779, and subsequent meetings were held at Bennington, Pownal and Poultney.
The fifth meeting of the proprietors, and the first one held in Benson, took
place on the first Wednesday in April, 1785, at the house of Allen Leet.
At the time the charter of this town was granted there was no road leading
into the town, except the unfinished military road leading from Castleton,
through Hubbardton, Benson and Orwell, to Ticonderoga, which was con-
structed about 1776.
Settlements. — The first settler in this town was Walter Durfee, who came
originally from Freetown, Mass., but removed to Benson from Poultney. In
1780 he purchased the entire right of Isaac Clark, one of the original proprie-
tors of Benson ; and also the entire right (except the first division lot of one
hundred acres) of John Grover, another original proprietor. He came to Ben-
son in the spring of 1782, made a clearing and erected a log-house on what
became known as the " Home Farm," now owned by George Sears. There
he continued to reside until the spring of 1835, when he removed to West
Chazy, N. Y., where he died in the summer of 1843, aged over ninety years.
When Mr. Durfee came into the town there was no road north of Carver's
Falls in Westhaven, and he found his way through the woods by a bridle path
made by the surveyors and by their marks on the trees. During the summer
and autumn of 1782 he was the only person who had a settled habitation in
the town.
But when Durfee came in the spring of the year last named, he was accom-
panied by Daniel Barber, of Pittsfield, Mass., who was in quest of a mill-site,
and located on the Hubbardton River. He then returned to Massachusetts,
and in June, 1783, came again to Benson, with his young wife and a daughter
ten months old ; she came on horseback. This daughter became the wife of
456 History of Rutland County.
Isaac Griswold, and mother of A. H. and George Griswold, of Whitehall, N.
Y., and of Daniel B. and R. W. Griswold, of Michigan, all of whom are now
living ; and of I. C. Griswold, late of Whitehall, deceased. Daniel Barber, the
pioneer, was born in Pittsfield, Mass., October 27. 1761, and died in Benson,
April 17, 1805. His wife died in Benson September 20, 1840.
Roswell Barber, the first born son of these pioneers, and the first male child
of Benson birth, as far as known, was born August 19, 1785, was educated at
Middlebury, and became a successful business man ; he died at the old home,
where his son Erwin L. now lives, on the 19th of June, 1S49. He married
Aurelia Munson, of Bethlehem, Conn., June 6, 1809, and they had a family
of ten children, three sons and seven daughters. Of the sons, Edwin Munson
was born July 6, 18 10, graduated at Middlebury in 1830, and died in Ohio in
1833. Daniel Roswell was born February 14, 1817; married Ellen Bottum,
of Orwell ; became a successful business man in Benson and removed to Min-
neapolis in 1856, where he is proprietor of the Cataract Flouring Mills and a
reputed millionaire. Erwin Loyal Barber still lives on the old homestead in
Benson ; he was born June 4, 1821 ; married Miss J. E. Adams, of Whitehall,
N. Y., in 1843. The}' have two children, Marcus Victor, a successful business
man of Toledo, Ohio ; and Munson J., who lives at the old homestead. Of
the other children of Daniel Barber, the pioneer, John died in Illinois in 1876.
Edward H. removed to Michigan, and died in 1865. The youngest son of the
pioneer was also named Daniel, and still lives in Michigan at the age of eighty-
six years. A daughter of the elder Daniel, named Salome, died recently as
the widow of Orin Dickenson, at the great age of ninety-six years.'
Mr. Barber erected the first saw and grist-mills in the town, the saw-mill
being built some time before the grist-mill, and located near the present mills
of Nelson O'Donnell.
In the same year that Mr. Barber returned to Benson witli his wife (1783),
Jonathan Meacham and Captain James Noble and his son, James; jr., came in
and made preparations for settlement ; it is supposed that they brought their
families in the autumn of the same year.
In 1784 Abijah Holabird settled in the town on the farm afterwards occu-
pied by his son-in-law, Henry S. Fasten, aud tradition reports that for several
weeks, while making his clearing, he obtained rest and shelter in a hollow log.
He died in Benson, November 29, 1825, at the age of seventy-nine years.
Others who located in the town in 1784 were Thomas Hale, Captain Will-
iam Barber, Lieutenant Solomon Martin, Asa Farnam, Allen Leet, Allen
Goodrich, James Howard, Amos Root, John Dunning, John Shaw and Benja-
min Shaw. Some of these can be more definitely alluded to.
Captain William Barber was a Revolutionary soldier, from Pittsfield, Mass.;
1 For the memoranda from which this record of the Barber family is written we are indebted
to Frwin L. Barber.
Town of Benson. 457
he was the first adult who died in the town. He settled a little northeast of
the Landing, on the lake shore. The land he secured is now occupied by the
fourth generation of the family. Asa Farnam settled on the farm now occu-
pied by Benjamin Bascom. Allen Goodrich located where his grandson,
Charles Goodrich, now resides. Solomon Martin settled in the west part of the
town, about a mile east of the Landing.
In the next year (1785) the settlement was increased by the advent of
Simeon and Josiah Goodrich, the former of whom located where his grandson,
Charles B., now lives ; Timothy Watson, Deacon Jonathan Woodward, Stephen
Olmstead, Samuel Howard, Abijah Hinman, Simeon Barber, Asahel Smith,
Lewis Wilkinson, Ozias Johnson, Calvin Manley, Solomon Chittenden and
Charles Belding. Samuel, James and Daniel Howard settled on what became
known as " Howard Hill." Solomon Chittenden located on the place now
owned by Mr. Ransom and occupied by Nelson Ladd.
In the early subsequent years the following settlements can be traced : In
17S6 John Barnes, John, Jonah and Jabez Carter, Deacon Stephen Crofoot,
Jacob and Beaoni Gleason, both of whom were soldiers in the Revolutionary
War. Benoni entered the army in Captain William Ford's company, from
Pittsfield, and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis. Returning to Pitts-
field after his discharge, he married Lucy Hubbard, daughter of Captain James
Hubbard, and on the first of May, 1786, came to Benson, locating on the mil-
itary road. Othniel Goodrich, James Parkhill and Lemuel Standish, also came
in 1786. In 1787 Benjamin Holton and Reuben Nash, came into the town;
the latter settled where Byron Carter now lives ; and Lemuel Standish where
Elijah Fish resides; Mrs. Henry E. Strong, daughter of John Barber, and Mrs.
Pulaski Meacham, now living in this town, are granddaughters of Lemuel
Standish. In 1788 came Captain William Ford, Deacon Joseph Clark, Thomas
Goodrich, Reuben Parsons, Elijah Wilcox and Samuel Higgins. Reuben Par-
sons located where Royal D. King is now living.
Only eight of the seventy-five original proprietors named in the charter
settled in the town ; they were Abraham Isaac, Jonathan and William Mea-
cham, Reuben Nash, Stephen Olmstead, James Parkhill and Deacon Jonathan
Woodward.
The first child born in the town was Thomas, son of Thomas and Elizabeth
Hale, August 22, 1784. The first female child, who was also the second child
born in the town, was a daughter, Polly, to the same parents, August 1 1, 1785.
The first marriage was that of Levi Barber and Rebecca Hinman, but the date
is not known. He was born in Worcester, Mass., April 6, 1783, and died in
Westhaven January 13, 1856. She was born in Woodbury, Conn., February
15, 1768, and died in Westhaven March 4, 1857. I" the sketch of this town
prepared for the Vermont Historical Magazine, by the late Lo}'al C. Kellogg,
we find the following relative to the former homes of many of the early settlers,
4S8 History of Rutland County.
which merits record here : " The town of Benson may be said to have been the
child of Berkshire county, Pittsfield contributing the larger number of its early
settlers, and Williamstown the next in number. From Pittsfield came Captains
James Noble, William Barber and William Ford, Lieutenant and Deacon Ste-
phen Crofoot, Deacon Joseph Clark, Daniel and Matthew Barber, Lieutenant
Solomon Martin, Josiah, Othniel, Caleb and Thomas Goodrich, Amos and Ol-
iver Root, Jacob and Benoni Gleason, and the famihes bearing the names of
Strong and Belding. Asahel Stiles, who removed to Benson from Granville,
N. Y., about 1790, was originally from Pittsfield. Daniel Root who removed
to Benson about 1806, was also from Pittsfield. From Williamstown came
the families bearing the names of Meacham and Olmstead ; Abijah Holabird
(who was original!)-, as is believed, from Canaan, Conn.), Deacon Jonathan
Woodward (originally from Plainfield, Conn.), Timothy Watson, Lemuel and
Asa Standish, James Parkhill, Benjamin Holton, John and Benjamin Shaw
(originally from Brookfield, Mass.), John Barnes and his son Aziel (originally
from Wethersfield, Conn.), Lewis Wilkinson, Jonathan Danforth and Stephen
Sherwood. From Sandisfield came Thomas Hale and Calvin and William Man-
ley (Calvin locating where Arunah Walker now lives) . From Cheshire came
Amos King, father of Dexter King. From Killingworth, Conn., came Allen
Leet, Samuel Higgins, William Jones, David Le Baron, and the families bear-
ing the names of Carter and Merritt. From Suffield, Conn., came Asahel
Smith and his son Chauncey, Reuben Parsons and Pelatiah and Eli King.
From Litchfield, Conn., came Friend Gibbs and Darius Gibbs. Asa Farnam,
who removed to Fairhaven, was originally from Litchfield. Allen Goodrich
came from Glastenbury, Conn., and Simeon Goodrich from Wethersfield. Sam-
uel, James and Daniel Howard came from Hartford, Conn. Elijah Wilcox,
father of Martin and Philo Wilcox, came from Goshen, Conn. The families
bearing the name of Stacey came from Salem, Mass. Robert Barber came
from Brookfield, Mass. Francis Arnold was from Norwich, Mass. Edward
and John Aiken were from Londonderry, N. H. David Briggs and his sons
Simeon and Arnold, were from Berkley, Mass.
Of these we have noted the place of settlement of a large number ; of others
we are able to give the following additional particulars : —
General Pere G. Ladd came to Pittsford at an earl}- date and subsequently
removed to Benson, locating where Eugene Potter now lives. He was one of
the early blacksmiths of the town and followed that occupation for many years ;
he died in this town March 23, 1838.
Captain Joel Dickinson moved to this town from Westhaven, and located
on the farm now occupied by William Dickinson. John Ouincy Dickinson,
whose fate is connected in a tragic way with the Southern Rebellion, was a son
of Isaac and grandson of Captain Joel. He was a graduate of Middlebury Col-
lege and went into the service as second lieutenant of Company C, Seventh
Town of Benson. 459
Regiment, serving honorably through the war. He afterward removed to Flor-
ida, where he was made assistant secretary of the Senate, and was assassinated
on account of political feeling, on the 3d of April, 1 8/ I. His remains were
returned to Benson, where they were buried in the presence of the largest fune-
ral procession ever gathered in the town.
One of the earliest settlers in east part of the town was Benoni Glcason, al-
readj' mentioned. His father was Jacob Gleason, one of the earliest settlers in
Pittsfield, Mass., and a Revolutionary soldier. Benoni was also in the army,
as before stated. James Gleason was born in the house long occupied by him
in this town, on the 27th of April, 1799, and became a prominent citizen, hold-
ing most of the town offices.
James Noble came to Benson from Pittsfield, Mass., in 1786 ; he was a son
of Captain James, and died in Benson in 1843. James Noble, jr., born in Pitts-
field in 1784, settled on the farm subsequently owned by his son, Loren S.
Noble.
Philo Wilcox, born in Goshen, Conn., in 1783, came to Benson among the
early settlers and settled on the farm owned by his son, Philo ; he died there,
much respected, August, 1865.
Asahel Smith was a native of Suffield, Conn., and removed to Benson in
1785. He was moderator of the town meeting at which the town of Benson
was organized, in March, 1786 ; the first of the board of selectmen elected at
that meeting, and the first representative of the town in the General Assembly
{1788), an office which he held continuously until his death ; he was the first
justice of the peace of the town and reappointed until his death, and was dele-
gate to the State Constitutional Conventions of 1786, 1793 and to the Conven-
tion of 1 79 1, at which the constitution of the United States was adopted. He
died in Benson June 26, 1794, at the age of fifty-five. His widow married
Captain James Noble, already alluded to as one of the first settlers.
Asa Farnam (spelled Farnham in later years), who has been mentioned as
one of the pioneers of 1784, was a surveyor and merchant, and also a farmer.
He represented the town in 1795 ; was appointed justice of the peace in the
same year, and died June 13, 181 1, aged forty-eight years.
Chauncey Smith, son of Asahel, was the first physician in the town and
prominent in other respects ; was elected representative in 1794 and re-elected
fifteen times, exclusive of that of 1812, which was successfully contested; was
appointed justice in 1794 and was delegate to the State Constitutional Con-
vention of 1828 ; he held the office of justice thirty-five years, and in 1814 was
appointed one of the assistant judges of the Rutland County Court. He Icept
a tavern in Benson for many years on the site now occupied by A. G. Sher-
man, and was an active and influential citizen during most of his life. He re-
moved to Granville, N. Y., in 1833 and died in Leroy, N. Y., at the residence
of his son, in 1836.
460 History of Rutland County.
The name of Reuben Nash has been mentioned. He was but twelve years
old when his name was inserted in the charter of Benson and he removed to
the town in 1787, and followed inn-keeping, mercantile business and farming.
He married a daughter of Deacon Jonathan Woodward, and for his second wife,
Lois (Moore), widow of Aaron Rising, of Dorset. He was representative of the
town five terms and justice of the peace about fifteen years. In the summer of
1836 he removed to Silver Creek, N. Y., and died there July 14, 1845, aged
seventy-eight years.
Deacon Jonathan Woodward, whose settlement in 1785 lias been men-
tioned, died in 1802, in his seventy-sixth year.
Deacon Joseph Clark was an early settler and located in 1788 on the farm
where Mrs. Meacham (widow of Smith Meacham) now lives. He came from
Pittsfield, Mass., was a deacon, with Jonathan Woodward, of the Congrega-
tional Church of Benson on its organization in 1790, and died April 28, 181 3.
Deacon Stephen Crofoot came to Benson in 1786, from Pittsfield, and set-
tled where Edwin Walker lives. He died in Benson March 17, 18 12, in his
eighty- fifth year.
Reuben Parsons, whose arrival in the town in 1788 has been mentioned,
was town clerk of the town for about fifteen \'ears, and justice of the peace from
1808 to 1812. He died in March, 1813, from the epidemic disease that then
spread over this region.
Calvin Manley settled where Arunah Walker now resides and was the sec-
ond and last clerk of the proprietors of the town, and was also town clerk from
179910 1803. He added surveying to his occupation as a farmer, and died in
1 83 I.
Lieutenant Solomon Martin, who came to the town in 1784, from Pittsfield,
Mass., attained prominence in the Revolutionary War. He marched to Cam-
bridge in April, 1775, when the alarm came from Lexington, with Captain Da-
vid Noble's company of " minute men," and was second corporal of that com-
pany. During the year 1776 he was lieutenant under the same captain. He
died at Benson July 10, 1845, aged over ninety-three years.
Dr. Perez Chapin was a conspicuous figure in the town in early years and
came originally from Granby, Mass., removing to Benson in 1797, it is believed
from Whately, Mass., locating where William N. Skeels now lives. He prac-
ticed his profession about ten years in Benson. He died at Benson April 26,
1839, aged eighty-six years, having, as written by another, led a blameless
life. Two of his sons became Congregational clergymen. Alpheus, another
son, was a portrait painter and father of Rev. E. H. Chapin, well known as the
pastor of the Universalist " Church of the Divine Paternity," Fifth avenue.
New York, and one of the most eloquent orators'of the country.
Colonel Oliver Root came to Benson in 1 78 1, from Pittsfield, Mass. He
was a justice of the peace about twenty years, and town clerk from 181 3 to
Town of Benson. 461
1815. He removed to Castleton in 1837, where he died April 5, 1847, at the
age of eighty. His settlement was made where tlie widow of Edward Howard
now hves.
Captain Joel Dickinson, who removed from Westhaven to Benson in 1809,
was originally from Pittsfield, Mass., where he had been a prominent citizen.
He located where William Dickinson lives. He was conspicuous in the Rev-
olutionary War ; marched with the " minute men " to Cambridge and arose to
the office of lieutenant and captain ; was almost continuously in the service
until the defeat of Burgoyne ; was present at the assault on Quebec, in De-
cember, 1775, and at Bemis's Heights, Saratoga, in October, 1777. He was
made a justice in 18 I 2 and died in January, 1813, aged sixty-three.
Samuel Howard settled in the town in 1785, from Hartford, Conn. He
was selectman from 1791 to 1795 inclusive, in 1 800 and from 1806 to 1816
inclusive and represented the town in i8i5and 1823. He died April 18, 1831,
at the age of seventy. His'brothers, James and Daniel, have been mentioned
as settlers on " Howard Hill ;" James was a deacon in the Congregational
Church from 1797 to his death in 1 83 1. Major Edward S. Howard, son of
Samuel, was an active and successful business man of the town, and was sent
to the Assembly in 1842. He died June 7, 1863, aged nearly seventy-two
years.
The settlement and descendants of Lemuel Standish have been mentioned.
He was a prominent citizen for many years; was elected constable each year
from 1798 to 1815 inclusive, excepting 1799, and one of the selectmen from
1809 to 1815 inclusive; was justice of the peace from 1814 to 1821 inclusive,
and in 1823 and 1826. He removed to Illinois in 1838.
Allen Goodrich, of Wethersfield and Glastenbury, Conn., came to this town
in 1784; was elected town clerk at the organization of the town and held the
office until 1793 ; was selectman in 1791 and constable in 1793-94 ; from 1804
to 1814 inclusive he was annually elected the first selectman; was justice of
the peace about ten }-ears at different periods, and represented the town in
1 8 14. He was one of the thirteen organizers of the Congregational Church,
and died March 15, 1842, aged eighty-one. Simeon Goodrich, also from Weth-
ersfield, Conn., was one of the selectmen selected on the organization of the
town, and representative in 1798—99. He died February 7, 1852, the last sur-
vivor of the thirteen organizers of the Congregational Church, aged ninety-two
years. From 1806 to the time of his death he was a deacon in that church.
He served in Colonel Baldwin's regiment of artificers, in the Revolutionary
War, until January, 1 78 1, when he was severely wounded in the knee by a
blow from a broad axe, while working on a block-house. We have mentioned
the locality of settlement of these pioneers.
Samuel Higgins came to Benson in 1788, and settled in the southwest part
of the town. He died June 30, 181 1. Their son William occupied the home-
stead for many years.
462 History of Rutland County.
Amos Root came from Pittsfield, Mass., in 1787, making the long journey
with an ox team and his wife riding on horseback, carrying her little son, Shel-
don. He located in the eastern part of the town and died in 1813, as did also
his son Stephen, in the epidemic of that period.
Amos King settled in Benson in 1797, coming from Cheshire, Mass., with
his wife and two children. He located on the farm now occupied by his grand-
son, M. F. King, one of the prominent citizens of the town.
Joseph Bascom came to Benson in 181 5, originally from Newport, N. H. ;
represented the town in 1832-33, and was deacon of the Congregational Church
many years. He died in 1852 ; the farm where he located is now occupied by
Benjamin Bascom.
Isaac Griswold came to Benson, from Norwich, Conn., about 1797, and
located where his son Joseph recently lived and died. He became a leading
farmer in this town and an influential citizen. He was made justice of the peace
in each year from 1826 to the time of his death, excepting the years 1834 and
1835. He died in Michigan in 1844, while on a visit to his son.
James Parkhill has been mentioned as one of the original proprietors. Jesse
Parkhill was his son and removed to Benson from Williamstown, Mass., with
his father's family in 1786. He was constable from 181710 1827 inclusive,
and for twenty-five years justice of the peace (181 1 to 1845). He died Au-
gust 22, 1847, at the age of sixty-nine years.
Isaac Norton was one of the early successful merchants of this town. He
settled on the place now occupied by Mrs. Jonas Gibbs in 1815, having studied
medicine at Castleton, and practiced a brief period at Lisbon, N. Y., but aban-
doned the profession when he came to Benson. Here he engaged in mercan-
tile business which he continued for about twenty-five years. He represented
the town in the General Assembly in 1826 and 1839, and was a senator for
the county in 1840-41. He died in June, 1852, at the age of sixty-two.
Simeon Aiken (son of John) was born May i, 1808, and died March 6,
1865. He lived on the place now occupied by his son, James Aiken. He was
an influential and respected citizen; was first selectman from i860 to 1864.
The names thus far given embrace most of the more prominent pioneers
of the town, and their descendants have formed a considerable portion of the
inhabitants. It is impossible, of course, to trace the records of later comers,
except as they may appear in connection with the various industrial interests
of the town. The inhabitants of Benson have given their attention in a large
measure to agricultural pursuits and the making of homes ; to this end the pio-
neers labored with a degree of energy, perseverance and industry which can
scarcely be appreciated at the present day. In the language of another, in
speaking of this town, "our honorable past in its social, educational and relig-
ious character was made by earnest, and self-denying men and women — the
fathers and mothers who here planted in hope, and bore faithfully the struggles
and trials of life, and now rest from their labors."
Town of Benson. 463
The history of this town, like that of most other Vermont communities in
the early years of the century, was one of slow but steady growth, and the
people were little disturbed by the excitements of life in the great commercial
centers. The pioneers built their log houses and gradually replaced them with
those of a more pretentious character; they built a few mills, though these
were not nearly so numerous as in some localities where water power was more
abundant. The forests fell before the sturdy axes of the pioneers and the fields
soon began to assume the character and aspect of cultivated farms. The War
of 181 2 disturbed the peacefulness of the inhabitants in this vicinity for a time ;
but the ominous clouds were soon dispelled. Stephen Strong, who was born
in Benson, October 25, iSoi, remembers the condition of the town as far back
as that war. He is a son of Warham Strong, who then lived on the farm now
occupied by the widow of Lawrence Proctor. There was then (1812) only a
very small settlement at Benson. Josiah Goodrich was keeping a tavern in
the place on the site of the Union Hotel, and a grist-mill and saw- mill were
running on the site of O'Donnell's mills. Back of Mr. Goodrich's tavern was
a tannery, and a store was kept by Solon Dyer just east of where Mr. Howard
Kellogg's family now resides. The "cold season," as it is termed, of 1 8 1 6 caused
a good deal of suffering here, as it did in most communities. There was but
little grain raised and many families were able to get only a little rye. Priest
Kent traveled over the town on foot, with saddle-bags, collecting rye for the
needy. At that time Allen Goodrich, as Mr. Strong remembers, was the only
person in the town who had a buggy. There was then no hamlet at the
Landing. In later years George Watson had a tannery in the north part of
the town near where Patrick Lavery now lives.
The town of Benson was organized at a town meeting held March 23, 1786,
Captain Asahel Smith, moderator, and Allen Goodrich, clerk. At an ad-
journed meeting held March 30, 1786, Captain Asahel Smith, Simeon Good-
rich and Captain James Noble were appointed selectmen. No listers were ap-
pointed in that year, probably because there was so little property upon which
to fix a valuation. The records of the first two town meetings do not give the
place where the meetings were held any more definitely than " in Benson ; "
and no notification or warning of any town meeting appears in the records
until November, 1798. At a meeting held September 28, 1786, it was "voted
to raise six pounds" and "to raise it by the Pole" (poll), and "that there be
six days' work per man done on the roads, with what has been done this year ; "
and also " voted a petition to the General Assembly for a tax on all lands of
(one penny) per acre."
At the session of the Assembly in October, 1786, an act was passed em-
powering the selectmen to levy a tax of one penny on each acre of land in the
town, for the purpose of making and repairing public roads and bridges in the
town; and at the same session the Assembly passed resolutions providing for
464 History of Rutland County.
taking the sense of the freemen of the State on a proposed project for " emit-
ting a small bank of paper money on loan or otherwise," and in respect to the
tender acts, so called. In reference to these resolutions it was voted at a town
meeting held in Benson November 23, 1786, "to say nothing about paper
money." The town was first represented in the Assembly in 1788 by Asahel
Smith.
This town suffered as early as the winter of 1795-96 from a sort of ulcerous
sore throat or canker, which caused quite a number of deaths; and a still more
fatal epidemic occurred in the winter of 181 2-13, which prevailed throughout
the State. About sixty deaths occurred in this town in less than three months,
the principal ravages of the disease being in the months of March and April.
The later history of the town includes in its records only events and pro-
gress of a peaceful and quiet nature, befitting a growing agricultural commu-
nity, until the outbreak of the great Civil War, which involved every hamlet
and neighborhood in the country and left mourners at innumerable firesides.
This town was active in supporting the government in that struggle and sent
many of her sons into the field. The following record gives the names of all
volunteers from this town, and the organizations in which they served, as nearly
correct as it has been possible to obtain them : —
Volunteers for three years, credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863 : George E. Austin, co. K, cav. ; Julius R. Austin,
CO. B, cav.; Joseph Basley, co. C, i ith regt.; Sheldon Belden, Phineas Belden,
CO. B, 5th regt; Robert Black, John Bigelow, co. C, nth regt.; Edward
Brownlee, co. H, 5th regt.; Anthony Burton, co. C, nth regt.; Henry M.
Coates, CO. C, nth regt.; Lewis F. Crady, co. B, 5th regt.; John Q. Dickin-
son, CO. C, 7th regt.; Henry G. Gibbs, co. K, cav.; Leonard Gibbs, co. B, 2d
regt.; Lester Gibbs, co. K, cav.; Perry G. Gibbs, co. i, 7th regt.; Allen W.
Goodrich, co. C, nth regt.; Charles B. Goodrich, Rodney W. Goodrich, co. K,
cav.; Orlin H. Higgins, co. B, 9th regt.; Judson P. Howard, co. I, 7th regt.!
Collins Ikely, jr., co. K, cav.; Edward Knox, co. B, 2d regt.; Jonathan Lara-
bee, James Magson, co. H, 5th regt.; James Murphy, co. B, 5th regt.; William
Norton, co. I, 7th regt.; Auburn T. Patch, co. B, 2d regt.; James Patterson,
CO. B, 5th regt.; Samuel Pilkey, Amos Pierce, co. C, nth regt.; Charles L.
Peterson, co. C, 9th regt.; Joseph Rabiteaux, co. C, nth regt.; Alonzo A.
Reed, co. I, 7th regt; Franklin D. Smith, co. C, nth regt; George H. Sweet,
William Talman, co. B, 5th regt; Melvin D. Walker, Charles Watts, co. C,
nth regt; Thomas Watkins, co. I, nth regt.; James Young, co. 15, 2d regt.
Credits under call of October 17th, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers, and sub-
sequent calls. Volunteers for three )-ears : Riley C. Austin, co. G, 8th regt. ;
Thomas Clark, co. B, 8th regt; George W. Derby, Nelson Fadden, co. B, 8th
regt ; William J. Fadden, co. B, 8th regt ; Samuel C. Gibbs, 2d bat ; James
McAniny, co. C, nth regt.; Henry Merritt, co. H, 5th regt; Venice Rabitaw,
Town of Benson. 465
CO. B, 8th regt.; John L. Scott, co. H, 5th regt.; Leander Voudray, Clarence
W. Wheeler, co. H, 5th regt.
Volunteers for one year : John L. Ashline, Samuel Bishop, Stephen Bishop,
iith regt.; Sylvester Hawkins, 54th Mass.; James A. Malony, iith regt.; Ira
E. Morse, 5th regt; John Sheridan, jr., 7th regt.; Levi Smith, iith regt.;
John A. Thompson, 8th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted : Wallace E. Baldwin, Edward Brownlee, co. H, 5th
regt.; John Clair, David J. Covey, co. B, 8th regt.; Lewis Crady, co. B, 5th
regt. ; James C. Magson, co. H, 5th regt. ; James Murpl-.y, co. B, 5th regt. ;
Lewis Stone, co. F, 5th regt. ; George A. Sweet, William Talman, co. B, 5th
regiment.
Naval credits : Theodore Denno, Edward O. Garrity.
Miscellaneous, not credited by name : Three men.
Volunteers for nine months : James R. Adams, James H. Aiken, Marcellus
I. Barber, Joseph L Bascom, Williams C. Cummings, Moses Deno, Albert J.
Dickenson, James H. Goodrich, Henry S. Howard, Richard B. Hunt, Royal
C. King, Royan D. King, Eli B. Norton, Noah N. Norton, Milo C. Peck, Oliver
A. Proctor, Frederick L. Reed, Garret S. Roseboom, Gilbert R. Sherwood,
Stephen P. Sherwood, John W. Woodruff.
Furnished under draft. Paid commutations: Martin Dunham, Olney Hig-
gins, Horace A. Manley, Henry A. Norton, Daniel F. Southworth. Procured
substitute: Franklin W. Cowee, Elijah Fish. Entered service: Barney Hos-
kins.
The following figures show the condition of population at the various years
named ; they show that, like many other towns of this county that are cut off
from railroad communication, the population to-day numbers some hundreds
less than it did at an earlier period: 1791, 658; 1 800, 1159; 1810, 1561 ;
1820, 1481 ; 1830, 1493; 1840, 1403; 1850, 1305; i860, 1256; 1870, 1244;
1880, 1 104.
Officers of the town : Henry Howard, town clerk ; W. H. Kellogg, assist-
ant clerk ; W. E. Strong, C. B. Goodrich, James H. Aiken, selectmen ; O. H.
Bump, Perry Carter, Wilber J. Goodrich, listers ; A. J. Dickinson, constable
and overseer of poor ; town superintendent of schools, Daniel C. Noble ; A. J.
Gibbs, Royal D. King, H. E. Strong, auditors ; F. W. Walker, tov\'n agent and
town treasurer ; Perry Carter, H. E. Strong, B. A. Carter, fence viewers ;
Perry Carter, O. H. Bump, A. J. Gibbs, tovvn grand jurors.
In 1880 Benson had a population of 1,104, was divided into eleven school
districts, and had eleven common schools, employing si.x male and sixteen
female teachers, at an aggregate salary of $1,715.1 I.
Politics. — Agricultural districts, like that embraced in the territorj' of Ben-
son, do not feel the waves of political agitation, the bitterness and animosity
arising from political differences and opposition, as do the inhabitants of cities
466 History of Rutland County.
and large villages, where the struggle for office and for political supremacy is
often hotly contested. The first distinctive political divisions in this town,
according to Mr. Kellogg, began as early as 1798, at which time the town was
strongly Democratic. Simeon Goodrich was the candidate of that party for
representative and was elected. The trial of Matthew Lyon for an alleged
offense under the famous " sedition law," in the United States Circuit Court at
Rutland, in October, 1798, and his subsequent imprisonment at Vergennes,
excited a degree of feeling in political circles which has not since, perhaps,
been exceeded. He was then- the representative of the Western District of
Vermont in Congress, and at the election held in this district on the first Tues-
day in December, 1798, no choice having been made in the previous Septem-
ber, he was elected by a decisive majority, although then in jail under his
sentence. At this election the vote of Benson for Lyon was 109 against 46
for his federal opponent. Judge Samuel Williams, of Rutland. (See history
of the county press, in a preceding chapter). Benson was represented largely
in the procession of over four hundred citizens on horseback, who went to Ver-
o-ennes on the expiration of Colonel Lyon's term of four months' imprisonment,
in February, 1799, and escorted him from the jail to his residence in Fair-
haven.
The Democrats maintained their ascendency in the town until 1802, when
the Federalists gained their first majority ; the vote for governor that year be-
ing for Israel Smith, Democrat, seventy-four, and for Isaac Tichenor, eighty-
six. From that time forward the Federalists had a majority each year on the
State ticket, usually a small one, at the annual elections, except in the year
1807. The nearly equal division of the parties sometimes made the strife quite
animated. Tradition reports that in 18 10 Asa and Lemuel Standish were re-
spectively the candidates of the two parties for town representative, the former
Democratic and the latter Federal, and the latter by virtue of his office of con-
stable, was the presiding officer at the election. Of the 241 votes cast, Asa
received 121 and his brother 120.
After the reorganization of political parties under the administration of
President Jackson, the majority of the votes of this town were almost always
in harmony with the prevailing majority in the State. There has been an oc-
casional active strife for the office of town representative ; there were thirteen
ballotings for that office in 1852 ; nine in 1853, and five in 1854, before a
choice was effected. At the same time the prevailing political preferences of
the town were in those years clear and w-ell-defined.
Examples of Longevity. — A large number of the inhabitants of this town
lived to a great age, the following list of whom was compiled by Mr. Kellogg
in his sketch of the town : —
Abraham Adams, died March 26, 1S65, aged 97 years. Benjamin Hickok,
died May 5, 1862, aged 96. Asahel Stiles, died April 13, 1854, aged 94.
Town of Benson. 467
Solomon Martin, died July ID, 1845, aged 93. Sarah, wife of Elial Smith,
died March 23, 1862, aged 93. Anna, widow of Arnold Briggs, died August
17, 1869, aged 93. Simeon Goodrich, died February 7, 1852, aged 92. Re-
becca, widow of Robert Barber, died March 18, 1856, aged 92. Elial Smith,
died May 10, 1867, aged 92. Othniel Goodrich, died August 12, 1853, aged
91. Fear, widow of Captain Stephen Olmsted, died January 7, 1825, aged
90. William Jones, died March 23, 1852, aged 89. Timothy Watson, died
August 6, 1852, aged 89. Mary, wife of Robert Parkhill, died October 26,
1800, aged 89. Stephen Sherwood, died January 11, 1832, aged 89. Will-
iam Manning, died January 8, 1S47, aged 88. Susanna, widow of Rufus
Walker, died July 20, 1863, aged 88.
Burial Ground. — The first death in this town is not now known; but the
first recorded in the town record of deaths is that of an infant son of Benoni
and Lucy Gleason, named James, who was born April 5, 1789, and died on
the following day. The spot set apart for a village burial ground was sur-
veyed and laid out October 5, 1790; but there had been burials previous to
that time in the southeast part of the town, and also in the northwest corner
of the school lot ; but no stones were set at these graves and all traces of them
have disappeared. With the exception of the child above mentioned, no in-
scription on any gravestone records a death earlier than that of Captain Will-
iam Barber, which occurred August 11, 1789, at the age of forty-six years.
It is belived that he was the first adult who died in the town.
Ecclesiastical. — At the time when this town was organized it was, in com-
mon with other towns, authorized by the State laws to settle a minister and
provide for his support ; and also to erect a meeting-house and to assess a tax
for these purposes. A large majority of the first settlers of the town were
Trinitarian Congregationalists, and providing for preaching and the building
of a meeting-house were among the first subjects considered in the early town
meetings.
At the annual town meeting held March 19, 1787, at the house of Stephen
Olmsted, it was " voted to fi.x the house lately occupied by Solomon Chit-
tenden and now the property of Asa Farnham, so it shall be convenient to
meet in on the Sabbath," and also " voted to hire Mr. Ralph [minister] the
space of one month, to pay in wheat after harvest, at a market price; " and
it was also " voted that the committee appointed to hire Mr, Ralph are to
hire him one-half of the time for two months, if he will be hired for or under
four dollars per Sabbath, to be paid in grain after harvest."
At a town meeting held December 29, 1788, it was " voted to hire a Minis-
ter one-half the time next summer, with Fairhaven." Mr. Levi Hackley was
employed as a preacher in 1789—90. At a town meeting held on the 22d of
March, 1790, it was "voted to have Mr. Levi Hackley settle with us for our
Minister," and " that the town will raise thirty-five pounds in necessary arti-
468 History of Rutland County.
tides for building, to be paid to Mr. Levy Hackley for a settlement, exclusive
of the right of land which naturally belongs to him as soon as he becomes our
Minister," and " to give to Mr. Hackley seventy pounds salary for a year, to
begin with forty pounds the first year, and to rise with the list of the town,
until it amounts to seventy pounds, and there stand ; " but the vote to settle
Mr. Hackley was reconsidered at an adjourned town meeting, March 30, 1790.
The Rev. Daniel Kent became the first settled minister in Benson, he having
a " call to settle with us in the work of the ministry " on the 4th of June,
1792. The pastorial relation continued until the lith of Jul\% 1828, when he
was dismissed.
Congregational Church. — This church was organized in March, 1790, by
Matthias Cazier, of Castleton, and his delegate, " Mr. Sturtevant ;" on its or-
ganization. Deacon Joseph Clark was appointed " moderator of the church,"
and Allen Goodrich, clerk.
Deacon Jonathan Woodward, grandfather of ex- Vice- President Wheeler,
was the first deacon, and Rev. Dan Kent, son of Deacon Cephas Kent, of Dor-
set, the first pastor and also the first settled minister in Benson. He was born
in Suffield, Conn., April lo, 1758, commenced his pastorate in Benson in 1792,
and continued as pastor of this church thirty-six years. He died in Benson,
July 22, 1835.
During Mr. Kent's ministry the church grew rapidly. He was a man of
fervent piety and great zeal. At several periods during his pastorate there was
unusual interest and the church received large additions to its numbers. The
building of a meeting-house was a subject of frequent consideration in nearly
every one of the early town meetings. On the 7th of December, 1789, a com-
mittee of five was appointed " to draw a subscription paper for building a
school-house-meeting-house, and to see their subscriptions laid out for that
purpose." In the following year a framed building of one story was erected,
twenty by twenty- four feet (and subsequently enlarged to twenty-four by forty
feet) ; it stood on the school lot in the village, on the site of the Willard Strong
residence. A few years later the building was removed to the lot occupied in
recent years by the Methodist parsonage. Major Ozias Johnson was the
builder of the first church ; it was designed mainly as a school-house, but was
used for worship until the second church was sufficiently advanced to admit of
its occupation. The settlement of Rev. Mr. Kent for his long pastorate hav-
ing been satisfactorily arranged, the building of a better meeting-house soon
engaged the attention of the inhabitants. October 3, 1792, it was voted "to
set the meeting-house on the rise of ground on Mr. Farnham's land." Sep-
tember 2, 1794, a committee of six was appointed " to agree upon a place to
set the meeting-house;" and it was voted to " set the meeting-house on the
place where the above committee had set a stake for the purpose," and " to
raise one hundred and fifty pounds to be paid in materials for building a meet-
Town of Benson. 469
ing-house;" and a committee of seven was appointed "to divide the town into
classes, and to take care of the materials raised." October 9, 1794, it was
voted " to build the meeting-house sixty-five feet long and forty-five wide."
March 14, 1796, it was voted " to postpone the framing and raising the meet-
ing-house till a year from the 15th of April next." July 17, 1797, it was voted
" to adopt some measure to cover the meeting-house the present summer, and
to raise one thousand dollars, 600 of which to be paid by the first of January
next, and 400 to be paid by the first of October following — to be paid in
neat cattle or grain, if paid by the times set ; if not, to be paid in money,"
and that " Reuben Nash be committee for building the meeting-house, in lieu
of Major Johnson, dismissed." Samuel Howard and Allen Goodrich were added
to the committee in May, 1801. On the loth of January, 1797, one and one-
fifth acres of land, on which the meeting-house was subsequently erected, were
conveyed by a lease by Asa Farnam, esq., to " inhabitants of the town of Ben-
son," . . "to be used and improved for a meeting-house and green, as
long as the said inhabitants shall want it for that purpose," with a condition
that the lease was not to be binding, " unless the frame for a meeting-house Is
erected within one year from the date hereof" The frame of this building was
erected in the spring of 1797, and covered in the same year; but it was not
finally finished until the summer of 1803. In the summer of 1824 a large bell
was procured by private subscription at an expense of about $450 ; this was
the first church bell in the town. The church society was organized Decem-
ber 10, 1799, and called "the First Congregational Society in Benson;" but
this was superseded in November, 18 14, by the organization which has been
in existence since that date. Succeeding the pastorate of Mr. Kent, the church
was supplied by several different preachers down to 1829, when, in July, Rev.
Daniel D. Francis was ordained; he was dismissed October 23, 1S44, and his
successors were Rev. Azariah Hyde, January, 1846, to July, 1856 ; Rev. Eben-
ezer Smith, September, 1857,10 September, i860; Rev. William S. Smart,
October, i86o, to May, 1867 ; Rev. George P. Byington, March, 1868, to May,
1869. He was succeeded by Rev. Henry M. Holmes, he by Rev. George G.
Lyon, and he by the present pastor. Rev. E. J. Beach. In 1842 the old church
was demolished and the present handsome edifice erected at a cost of over
$6,000 ; the membership is nearly one hundred and fifty.
Methodist Episcopal Church. — This society was organized in 1838, by Rev.
Peter P. Harrower. There had, of course, been Methodist preaching in the
town many years previous to that time; the first minister remembered being
Elder Tobias Spicer, who was here as early as 181 1. In 1837 Albert Cham-
plain, a young minister of this denomination, preached here occasionally during
the year.
The present church edifice, a comfortable building capable of seating about
250 persons, was built in 1 841, and remodeled again in 1876. The original cost
History of Rutland County.
of the building was about $2,000, while the present value of the property is
about $7,500. We need not follow the various pastors in detail, who have
served this church, with the frequent changes necessitated b}' the custom of
this denomination. Rev. J. H. Bond is the present minister, and the congre-
gation is about equal in numbers to that of the Congregationalists.
Baptist Chiinli. — The First Baptist Church of Benson was organized by
Elder Abel Wood, Samuel Tower and John Carter, in March, 1797. At its
organization it had fourteen members, with Rev. William Patterson as pastor.
In 1826 the first building was erected, built of stone; this was followed by a
second in 1843, which was sold and taken down in 1866, the organization hav-
ing become extinct ; a part of the congregation united with Sudbury and a
part with Westhaven.
MUNICIPAL.
The municipal history of this town is brief and not of paramount im-
portance, as must always be the case in a distinctively agricultural region.
Closely following the early settlements in the Vermont towns, hamlets gen-
erally sprang up, their location being often determined by the site chosen
for the grist-mill. As most of the inhabitants were compelled to " go to
mill " with regularity, shops and stores and the post-ofiice were established
in the same vicinity, both for the accommodation of the inhabitants and to
make sure of securing their trade. Thus grew up the village in this town.
Stores were established as early as 1795, when Jonas Abbott was in business
and advertised that he " has again refurnished his cheap store with a fresh
stock of European and India goods." Timothy Watson was then engaged in
shoemaking and selling, and Stephen Olmsted and Tilly Gilbert were in gen-
eral trade; the partnership was dissolved in 1795, and the business continued
by Mr. Olmsted. We have already mentioned the fact that Daniel Barber
built the first mills in the town ; these were followed by saw-mills in various
other parts of the town, the greater part of which have been abandoned many
years. Previous to the building of Mr. Barber's mills, the inhabitants were
forced to carry their grain through the wilderness to Poultney, to get it ground.
A grist-mill was built at the settlement on the river known as " Bangall "
as early as 1810, by William Cutler and Ethan Allen.
The date of the establishment of the post-office at Benson is not definitely
known. E. R. Reed was appointed postmaster in July, 1877, and held the
office until the appointment of the present incumbent, B. A. Carter. Previous
to Mr. Reed's administration H.F. Smith was postmaster about twelve years,
Mr. Carter performing the office duties for him. H. A. Norton filled the office
five or six years previous to Mr. Smith's administration. Among those who
held the office in still earlier years were Chauncey Higgins, D. R. Barber, Wood-
ward Ladd and H. B. Wilcox.
Town of Benson. 471
B. A. Carter keeps a general store at Benson which he has conducted since
the fall of 1865. This store was built by E. H. & D. Aiken about 1839. D.
R. Barber was the merchant in it for a time, after which a " union store" was
carried on there ten or twelve j'ears. Norton & Pitts (H. A. Norton and
Charles D. Pitts) then conducted it about three years, and were followed by
Mr. Norton alone for two }'ears. The post-office was kept in this store thirty-
five years or more.
The store now occupied by H. S. Howard, in the hardware trade and tin-
manufacturing, was built during the last war and about 1862. A store build-
ing stood on the same site previous to that time, which was built before 1855
and occupied by J. W. Dorsey, who was burned out. He was succeeded by
the firm of Dorsey, Scott & Company, embracing Frank Scott and Cephas
Knapp. This firm was succeeded by Dorsey & Howard, Mr. Howard joining
him in the spring of 1868. The firm continued until 1874, when Frederick
Reed assumed Mr. Dorsey 's interest. The firm of Howard & Reed continued
until April, 1883, since which date Mr. Howard has conducted the business
alone. Mr. Reed worked here fifteen, or more, years, previous to his joining
Mr. Howard.
Mrs. Jennie Ladd has a general store, which business was begun in June,
1884, succeeding her husband, K. G. Ladd, who started in the spring of 1883.
There was a hotel kept on the site of the present Union Hotel since a very
early day. It is recorded in a hotel register that the building was erected by
Josiah Goodrich about 1790 and was kept for many years by his widow, Mary
Goodrich. The house finally ran down and was not open to the public for many
years. The house now on this site was built by J. Reed, the present proprie-
tor, who formerly kept the house now in control of Mrs. E. Bailey, about the
year 1870.
The Briggs House was built about 1839 by John Kellogg. Others who
occupied it were Luther Joy, William Johnson, Horace Knapp, John and L. F.
Miller, and J. Reed. Amasa Briggs occupied the place as a private house until
the winter of 1882-83, when it was opened to the public by A. J. & John
A. Briggs ; it was kept by them until the spring of 1884, when Miss A. J. Briggs
bought out her brother ; in the succeeding fall she married E. F. Bailey and
still conducts the house.
The carriage shop at Benson was put in operation by Strong & Brother
(H. E. & W. E. Strong) in 1851 ; an old building was then taken and additions
made to it. It was formerly a horse- shoeing shop and was built by Luther
Joy, who was a merchant for a number of years in what is now Reed's shoe
shop. The carriage factory was built in between the Reed shop and the old
school-house, all of which are now occupied by the Messrs. Strong for their
business.
Francis W. Johnson's shingle factory and cider-mill, located on Hubbard-
472 History of Rutland County.
ton River, at Tumble Falls, near road lo, was erected in 1880, and has a fine
water power of twenty feet fall. Mr. Johnson manufactures 500 to 600 barrels
of cider per year.
N. O'Donnell's grist and saw-mill, located on Hubbardton River, about
two miles from Benson village, is the only grist-mill in the town, manufactures
in connection with flour, etc., 500,000 feet of lumber, 400,000 shingles.
Ira E. Morse formerly operated a saw-mill, on the north branch of Hub-
bardton River, which was built in 1875. The same must be said of the Walker
Cheese Manufacturing Company, organized in 1873, and the company operat-
ing the Benson Butter and Cheese factory, organized in 1874.
Benson Landing. — This is a small hamlet on the shore of Lake Champlain,
north of the Center. It grew out of the lake commerce which assumed great
importance immediately after the opening of the Champlain Canal in 1823, and
was a center of considerable business for many years. A. L. Hale & Compa-
ny (E. M. Ladd) have kept a store here for six years, and for the four years
just previous to that were located in business on the dock with J. R. Harlow,
as Harlow & Hale. Previous to that time P. G. Ladd & Son kept the store on
the dock, the senior members of the firm having been in business there twenty
years or more. There is no other business at this point.
Attorneys. — The first lawyer who settled in this town was Albert Stevens,
who remained here between 1800 and 1802. Samuel Jackson came here about
1807 but absconded after a few months. Ira Harmon settled in Benson in
March, 18 10, and practiced here about twenty years. John Kellogg came here
in' May, 1810, and remained in practice until 1840. He was born at Amherst,
Mass., May 31, 1786; came to Vermont in 1805, and on the 22d of April, be-
gan studying law in the office of Loyal Case, of Middlebury ; finished his stud-
ies with Hon. Horatio Seymour, in Middlebury, and was admitted to the bar
in 1 8 10. In Benson he gained a foremost position and enjoyed a large prac-
tice. He was postmaster from 18 13 to 1822, and for twelve years town clerk;
delegate to the State Constitutional Convention of 1822, and represented the
town eight terms ; in 1838 he was Democratic candidate for United States sen-
ator, and one of the delegates at large to the National Convention of the same
party. His professional life was marked by great energy and industry, and his
character was one of decision and sound principles. He was the father of Hon.
Loyal Case Kellogg. (See chapter on the bar of the county). Marshall R.
Meacham began practice in Benson in 1825 and continued to his death Au-
gust 24, 1833, at thirty-four years of age. David L. Farnham was in practice
here from 1826 to 1828, when he removed to other parts. Richard W. Smith
practiced here one year (1830-31). Milo W. Smith, son of Chauncey, was
in practice from 1831 to 1852, when he removed to Indiana and died there.
Loyal C. Kellogg practiced here from 1839 to 1859, when he was elected one
of the judges of the Supreme Court of the State; in i860 he removed to Rut-
land.
Town of Brandon. 473
Physicians. — The physicians who practiced in this town in early years and
subsequently are mentioned in the chapter devoted to the medical profession,
as far as anything is now known of them. There are at the present time two
physicians in practice in the town — Dr. Henry R. Jones, born December 11,
1823 ; received his medical education at Castleton and graduated in the fall of
1849. He practiced the first two years thereafter in New Haven, Vt., and
came to Benson in 1853; he was married in the same year, and has enjoyed an
extensive practice and the esteem of the community.
Dr. J. P. Newton, born in Swanton, Vt., March 12, 1845, received his med-
ical education at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and graduated in
March, 1872. He came at once to Benson (June, 1872), excepting a few weeks
in Long Island Hospital College.
CHAPTER XXI.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BRANDON. i
THIS town was originally granted by virtue of a patent from George the
Third to the following named proprietors, on the 20th day of October,
1761:-
"Josiah Powers, William Keyes, Boaz Brown, David Powers, Benjamin Sha-
dor, jr., Silas Wetherbee, Jonathan Reed, John Fox, William Farr, Levi Farr,
Samuel Pool, Nathan Farr, Stephen Brown, David Munroe, Walter Powers,
Joseph Fuller, Phineas Wilder, Edward Brown, David Vernas, Nehemiah Ful-
ler, Ezekiel Wright, John Lamson, Aaron Brown, John Canning, Daniel Pond,
Jonathan Hartwell, Benjamin Reed, Thomas Munroe, Joseph Reed, Amos
Lamson, Nathan Fellows, Josiah Powers, jr., Eliphalet Fails, Nathan Chase,
Asa Holyest, Peter Wright, Joshua Wright, Tilly Wilder, Ephraim Brown,
Nathan Russel, esq., William Russell, Josiah El wood, Thomas Sawyer, William
Fry, Aaron Brown, jr., Elijah Powers, Benjamin Robbins, David Spafford,
Ezekiel Powers, Benjamin Powers, David Fails, Silas Brown, Ezekiel Powers,
Theodore Atkinson, esq., Joseph Newmarch, esq., Titus Salter, Ephraim Shat-
man, Ephraim Shatman, jr., Thomas Gibbs, William Shadock, Timothy Haild,
Thomas Barrett, Timothy Fox, Aaron Davis, Captain Aaron Brown, Silas
Lamson. His excellency Benning Wentworth, esq., a tract to contain five
hundred acres as marked B. W. on the plan which is to be accounted two of
the within shares, one share for the incorporated society for the propagation
1 Invaluable aid has been rendered in the preparation of this chapter by John .\. Conant, Captain
A. .S. Cook, George Briggs and others.
474 History of Rutland County.
of the gospel in foreign parts, one share for a globe for the Church of England
as by law established — one share for the first settled minister of the gospel,
and one share for the benefit of a school in said town."
Previous to this time application to Benning Wentworth had not been made
very frequently or strenuously urged, because of the hazard of settling upon a
wilderness territory adjacent to a province which formed a battle-ground be-
tween two so powerful enemies as the French and English. When, therefore,
Montreal and the whole Province of Canada were surrendered, September 8,
1760, to the British, the fertile but irregular tracts of land lying to the east of
Lake Champlain were eagerly sought after by speculators and those who from
natural bent and training had become the pioneers from their infant civilization
on the Western Hemisphere. There was usually an interval of several years,
however, between the granting of a charter and the beginning of a setdement
in the respective towns ; for example, in ten towns of Rudand county the
charters of which were granted between the 26th of August and the 20th of
October, 1761, settlements were begun as follows :
Pawlet, 1761 ; Danby, 1765; Clarendon and Rutland, 1768; Castleton
and Pittsford, 1769; Poultney and Wells, 1771 ; Brandon, 1772.
Brandon was, it will be seen, settled more recently than any of the towns
south of it. For the first twenty- three years after it was chartered it was
known by its charter name of Neshobe. According to J. Hammond Trumbull 1
Neshobe means " double-pond," or " half-way- pond." It was originally ap-
plied to that part of Littleton, Mass., where the ponds are situated, and the
name has reference to their location. A tribe of Indians living there was called
Neshoba Indians, and Mr. Elliott established a praying town on Neshoba Hill.
In 1714 the Neshoba lands were incorporated into a town, and the name was
changed to Litdeton in December, 17 15.
Neshoba or Neshobe seems to have been selected by Captain Josiah Pow-
ers- for the newly chartered town in the New Hampshire Grants. He was
born in the " Garrison House " on Neshoba Hill where he spent most of his
boyhood days, until he moved to Greenwich. After a few years he became
possessed with a desire to speculate in lands in the new county and presented
his petition for a township. It was a matter of but little choice to Governor
Wentworth what the name of the new town was, provided he got the benefit
of the reservation of five hundred acres. Any land speculator presenting a
sufficient number of names of petitioners could obtain a grant of a township.
If the applicant presented no name for his township, the governor usually
named it after some of his English favorite friends or places ; but it seems that
the birth-place of Powers had some pleasant associations for him, which led
him to select Neshobe^ for his new home.*
1 Mamis, rifts of the Rutland County Historical Soacty, Vol. II.
2 The Powers family, by Amos H. Powers.
3 Proceedings of the Rutland County Historical Society, Vol. II.
* Furnished by Dr. John M. Currier, of Castleton.
Town of Brandon. 475
The original boundaries of the town were the same as the present. It
contains 22,756 acres of land. It is bounded north by the town of Leicester,
Addison county, east by Goshen and Chittenden, south by Pittsford, and west
by Sudbury. On the 20th of October, 1784, the act of the Legislature con-
firming the organization of the town gave it the name of Brandon. Mr. John
A. Conant is authority for the statement that the name, like that of Clarendon,
Rutland, Leicester, Salisbury and other towns, was taken from an English
nobleman, the Earl of Brandon, instead of being a corruption of Burnet town,
as previous accounts have recorded. According to the statement contained
on page 429 of Hemenway's Vermont Historical Gazetteer, " the first tree
felled in this town with a view to settlement, was in the month of October,
1772, when Amos Cutler, then a single man, came from Hampton, Conn., made
an opening and built a cabin which he occupied alone during the following
winter. April 5, 1773, John Ambler and David June, his son-in-law, came into
the town from Stamford, Conn., and made their pitch jointly, south of and ad-
joining Mr. Cutler, and e.xtending, as it was afterwards surveyed, to near the
north line of Pittsford."
The next settlers came just previous to or during the Revolutionary War,
and are named so far as possible in the order of their arrival. Josiah Powers,
Elisha Strong, Thomas Tuttle, Joseph Barker, John Mott, George and Aaron
Robins, Benjamin Powers, Jonathan Ferris, Joshua Goss and Samuel Kelsey.
All but the last two are supposed to have come here before the beginning of
the war. The first settler, Amos Cutler, made his first clearing on the farm
now owned by Josiah Rosseter. He died there on the i8th of March, 1818.
His wife, whom he married November 23, 1773, was daughter of Jacob Si-
monds, of Hampton, Conn. Cutler was a blacksmith by trade, and worked at the
business here, with tools of his own manufacture. Owing to the restrictive
measures of Great Britian, compelling the colonies to purchase most of their
necessities of her, the scope of Cutler's productions was very limited.
A fulling-mill was built by James, son of John Ambler, and stood on the
small stream that crosses the road between the farm now occupied by Otis F.
Smith and the one formerly owned by S. B. June.
David June, a native of Stamford, Conn., came to Brandon in 1773 with
his father-in-law, John Ambler. They made a joint pitch in the south part of
the town, which was by Mr. June's later purchases made to comprise 225 acres
in the homestead at his death. He built a log house and returned to Stamford
in November of the same year of his arrival, bringing back his wife and two
sons. He came with two horses, upon one of which the family, except him-
self, rode, and the other carried the goods. They arrived safely after a most
fatiguing journey. Mr. June was on the proprietors' committee to lay out
roads *' from Pittsford to Leicester, and from Pittsford to Sudbury, and from
Pittsford to the mills, on the east side of the creek." He died in June, 1819.
476 History of Rutland County.
He had four sons and three daughters. The sons were Daniel, Asahel,
Stephen and David.
Captain Josiah Powers, originally of Littleton and afterwards of Green-
wich, Mass., was the leading man of the proprietors. He became the most
extensive land-owner in town. He owned at one time about three thousand
acres, but continued to sell until at his death he had disposed of nearly all his-
former possessions. He came here to reside in 1774, and settled on the place
now known as the Goodenow farm. His log house stood about fifty rods-
southwesterly of the present dwelling. He was drowned October, 1778, while
attempting to ford on horseback a stream swollen by a flood. He was return-
ing, it is thought, from attendance at the Legislature at Windsor.
Dr. Benjamin Powers, brother to Captain Josiah Powers, came to Neshobe
about the same time. He was the first physician in town ; was probably a
single man. He died towards the close of the war.
Captain Elisha Strong settled before 1774 on a lot called the Governor's
lot, on the west side of the creek, embracing the present Bardella marble
quarry land. He was moderator of the first proprietors' meeting held in town
in September of 1774. Captain Strong died near the close of the war. Noah
Strong, his eldest son, began on what was formerly the " Goss Place," now the-
town farm. He was among the earliest of the settlers and purchased of Sam-
uel Beach, then of Rutland, for twenty-four pounds, the original right of
Thomas Sawyer; also of his father-in-law, Josiah Powers, the right of William.
Frye, and other purchases. He had seven children, all but one of whom were-
born in this town. He built the first mills, long known as Strong's mills, on.
the site of S. L. Goodell's marble works. He sold his homestead, then con-
taining 180 acres, to Joshua Goss for ;^48o in 1796 and removed to Ohio.
Captain Thomas Tuttle came here about 1774 from Pittsford, although he-
had formerly lived in Tinmouth. He first settled on what has since been
known as the Farrington farm, owned by Franklin Farrington ; his log house
stood near the creek and the present road to Sudbury, a few rods from where
the railroad crossing now is. The original survey contained one hundred and
ten acres. His house was burnt by the Indians in 1779, as were also those of
his son, and his son-in-law, Barker. He was killed in an attempt to escape
from Fort Washington after the surrender of that stronghold to the British.
Joseph Barker came here before the war and settled on land then adjoining
that of Captain Tuttle on the south. His house stood on the north side of
the road to Sudbury, some distance from it, and near the present railroad cross-
ing. He married Martha, daughter of Captain Thomas Tuttle. He was taken
prisoner by the Indians in November, 1779, on their second hostile visit to
Brandon. Feigning sickness and keeping the Indians awake until the latter
part of the first night, when his guards were overcome by sleep, he effected
his escape. Meanwhile Mrs. Barker had started to go to Noah Strong's, a.
Town of Brandon. 477
distance of more than three miles. Night coming on and having gone as far
as the deserted log house of the Robinses, she there remained for the night ;
there, without other attendant than the other child, a babe was born to her, and
there Mr. Barker found her the next day ; she was properly cared for and re-
covered. The child was named Rhoda, and married and removed to western
New York. Thompson's Gazetted' gives the year of this incident as 1777;
but it was two years later. Mr. Barker was a shoemaker ; was twice chosen
selectman, several times constable and held other town offices. He removed
to the West.
Deacon John Mott came from Richmond, Mass. He first purchased of
Josiah Powers, on the 8th of November, 1774, one hundred acres for ;^I5 on
the right of David Vernas. He also made purchases of James Stone and
Thomas Tuttle. He came here in 1775, and remained until 1812, when he
removed to Mount Vernon, Ohio. He was a ver\' prominent man in town.
He built the house now standing on the premises of his half-brother, Henry
Harrison.
Gideon Mott purchased of him in June, 1784, two lots of fifty-five acres
each, for £\\, one adjoining Amos Cutler and the other on the Gilbert, now
the Locke Brook. He pitched on the latter, and built a house on the north
side of the road leading from Albert Wood's to the Cook farm ; when he began
here there was north of him but one house, that of Noah Strong. Samuel
Mott, brother of John Mott, bought land of Gideon in 1786. He began on
the present farm of J. Walton Cheney, made his " opening " and erected his
unpretentious blacksmith shop a few rods south of the dwelling-house
of Mr. Cheney, and on the west side of the present road. George and Aaron
Robins, brothers and single, came a little before the breaking out of the war,
from Petersham, Mass., and built a log house on the place now owned and oc-
cupied by Owen Morgan. Their widowed mother kept house for them.
They were bold, fearless enemies of the Indians, and were killed by a band of
them in November, 1777.
Jonathan Ferris, from Stamford, Conn., purchased of John Ambler,
March 30, 1776, for_^28 "York money," a tract of one hundred and ten acres
lying on the north line of Pittsford, the farm now owned by T. B. Smith. He
lived single and died at an advanced age, having been for several years under
the care of the town.
Joshua Goss, from Montague, Mass., settled here before the close of the
war, on the west side of the highway, and some fifty rods from it, about as
far north as David June's house. In 1796 he bought the well-known Go.ss
place, now the town farm, of Noah Strong, where he for years kept a public
house. He died in December, 1826.
Samuel Kelsey came from Wallingford before the close of the war and
settled on the farm now owned by Arnold Manchester. He removed to the
West.
478 History of Rutland County.
Among the other early settlers were Charles Johnson, a tailor, who lived in
Brandon from the latter part of the last century until his death in 1859, and
John Conant, esq., a native of Ashburnham, Mass., father of Mr. John A.
Conant. He was born February 2, 1773. He came to Brandon in 1796 and
purchased of Simeon King and Joseph Hawley, "one-half of the mills and
water-power in the village " for £i6o. The deed was dated December 23,
1796. He was by education a carpenter and joiner. By subseqent purchases
he became proprietor of the entire water-power of the village. In 18 16 he
erected the stone grist-mill which is still standing at the head of the lower
falls, and in 1839 he built the brick mill below it. In 1820 he erected a blast-
furnace in the village, to which establishment the village owes the greater part
of its present prosperity and business activity. He died June 30, 1856. Cap-
tain Nathan Daniels made a "pitch" in 1774, on the place since known as the
Douglas, and later still the Blackmer farm, now owned by E. D. Thayer,
where he remained for twenty-two years, when he removed to Paris, N. Y.
He married Lydia, daughter of Captain Thomas Tuttle. The first proprietors'
meeting held in the town was at his house. Deacon Jedediah Winslow came
in 1773 from Barre, Mass. He pitched on the northeast side of the creek,
near the road leading from the village to the Blackmer bridge ; he died
April 9, 1794, aged sixty-nine years. John Whelan also came in 1773 from
Pittsford. He pitched on the place now owned by Elam French. He died
May 5, 1829, aged sixty- six years. Nathaniel Fisk was from Danby. Al-
though he purchased here in 1774, it is thought that he did not make Brandon
his place of residence until after 1784. Dr. Nathaniel Sheldon, a large land-
owner, came before the war. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Captain
Josiah Powers. He first lived in the house near the creek, built by Captain
Powers, and more recently on the farm now owned by H. A. Sumner, on
which he was the first to begin. Although a physician, he did not attempt to
engage extensively in practice.
Other early settlers in Brandon were Nathaniel Bacon, who purchased what
is now known as the Bacon farm owned now by Harley Buel (near the vil-
lage), in 1778 ; Jacob and Philip Bacon, who came a few years later ; Gideon
Horton, jr., who came here from Colebrook, Conn., in about 1783, and pur-
chased a farm, including Hog Back, and extending westerly to the creek ; Judge
Hiram Horton, son of the foregoing, who came in 1784, and commenced on
what has since been known as the Deacon Powers farm, in the south part of
the town, now occupied by Nelson Briggs ; John Sutherland, of Sutherland
Falls (Proctor), which were named after his father. He erected the first grist-
mill in town, at the lower falls in the village. Roger Stevens had previously
built a saw-mill on the same site, which the Indians destroyed in 1779. James
Sutherland, father of John, purchased of Abel Stevens, on December 18, 1779,
for eighty bushels of corn, 1 10 acres, being the first division on the original
Town of Brandon. 479
right of Tilly Wilder, and " embracing the falls and mill privileges in the vil-
lage." He sold to John Sutherland in March, 1781, for ten pounds. He re-
turned to Sutherland Falls, now Proctor, in a few years, and remained there
until his death. Deacon Joseph Hawley came from Rutland before 1790.
Deacon Edward Cheney came from Dublin, N. H., in 1783, and lived on the
place since called the Joseph Dutton farm. George Olds came from Manches-
ter in 1783, and began on what has since been known as the Abel Goodenow
farm, although liis first pitch was on the place which forms a part of the farm
of the Seager brothers. David Jacobs, a Revolutionary soldier, came, in 1783,
upon the farm now occupied by Carlos Smith. Simeon Bigelow was from
Conway, Mass., whence he came to Brandon (or Neshobe), in 1783. He settled
on the farm of David M. June. David Buckland, sr., came from Hartford,
Conn., in 1783, and commenced on the farm since called the Luther Conant
farm, now occupied b)' Aaron V^ail. Captain Timoth)' Buckland came about
1784. The farm is still known among a few as the " Captain Tim Buckland
farm," and is now occupied by his grandson, Hiram Buckland. Deacon Mo-
ses Barnes, from Lanesboro, Mass., came immediately after the close of the war,
and purchased lands which embrace the present farm of Charles Fay. In 1806
he exchanged with Seth Carey for the farm on which he passed the remainder
of his days, and which is now occupied by the Knowlton brothers. Samuel
Seele\- Schofield came about 1784 and built his house near the notch in the
mountain on the westerly part of the present farm of William McConnell. His
brother, Frederick, began on the farm adjoining what is known as the Cook
farm, on the south. William Dodge, sen., began in 1784 on the place more
recently known as the Elijah Goodenow farm, now owned by Otis F. Smith.
Jonathan, his son, first bought of Nathaniel Sheldon in 1784, and in 1793 of
Willard Seaton, the latter purchase including lands which joined the north side
of John Mott's home, farm. He afterwards purchased the " Dodge farm," now
occupied by Clarence Marsh. Ebenezer Squires came here from Windsor early
in 1784, and resided on the road leading from the town farm to the site of
the Blake furnace in Forestdale. Joseph Larkin is said to have built the first
house east of the river in the village, near the site of the present dwelling-
house of Joseph Rosseter, esq. Lorin Larkin is supposed to have come
from Dorset in 1784. He purchased of John Sutherland "a lot lymg around
and enclosing the mills, which afterwards came to be known as " Larkins's
mills." Stephen Durkee came from Windham, Conn., in about 1784, and set-
tled in the south part of the village. Deacon Benjamin Stewart came from
Danby as early as 1784, and is supposed to have been the first settler in that
part of Sugar Hollow which is in the town of Brandon. David Finney, jr.,
began on the place now comprising the easterly part of the William McCon-
nell farm. Timothy Goodenow settled, about 1784, on a lot situated between
the farms of Harmon L. Buckland and the Knowltons. Daniel, the eldest son.
48o History of Rutland County.
came, in 1803, upon the place since known as the Daniel Goodenow farm, now
in possession of Otis F. Smith. Elijah, the second son, left his father's house in
1792, and removed to the Dodge farm, on the creek. Asa Goodenow began,
in 1787, on the farm where Charles Carr now resides. He was a carpenter and
joiner, and built the present dwelling house of Mr. George Briggs. Abel
Goodnow purchased, with Luther Dodge, of George Olds, in September, 1792 ;
in 1794 he bought out Dodge. The farm is now in possession of Josiah Ros-
seter. In 1805 Willis Goodenow bought the farm now in possession of T. B.
Smith, where Ichabod Paine formerly lived, joining the north line of Pittsford.
Years later he purchased the Daniel Goodenow farm. Roger Starkweather
came from Shaftsbury in 1784, and resided until his death in May, 18 12, in
the house which stood in the hollow on the road leading westerly from David
June's. He was a Revolutionary soldier and a very eccentric man. Elisha
Starkweather, his brother, came from Shaftsbury in 1785, and was the first to
begin on the Deacon Barnes farm, now in possession of Mr. Knowlton. Sim-
eon King came to town about the year 1785. Stephen Hall, sen., made his
purchase of forty acres, of Nathaniel Daniels, October 12, 1785, for;^30. He
enlarged his possessions by subsequent purchases, embracing a large part of
the farms since owned by his sons, Stephen and Harvey, now occupied by
Samuel Hall and Charles Smith. Captain Abraham Gilbert came from Noble-
town, N. Y., in 1785, and purchased of Captain Nathan Daniels, collector, the
whole right, except the first division, of Thomas Barrett. He began the place
known in later days as the Cook farm, now owned by Captain Cook. The
stage road was originally laid by this house. Captain Gilbert was the first post-
master and remained in that office until his death ; he also kept an inn there.
Nathan Flint, sen., settled on the Potwine farm, now owned by Daniel Good-
enow, in 1785, and remained there until his death in July, 18 16. Ephraim
Flint, son of Nathan, settled in 1785 on lands forming a part of the farm now
occupied by D. W. Prime. In 1786 his brother, Nathan, jr., began on the farm
now owned by George W. Parmenter. Another brother, Roswell Flint, began
on the place afterwards for years occupied by William Dodge, jr. William
Flint, long known as "Billy Flint," another son of Nathan, sen., became an
extensive importing merchant in Upper Canada. Benjamin Hurlbert began, in
1785, on the farm recently occupied by Joseph Davidson, in Sugar Hollow.
Amasa Polly came here from Suffield, Conn., about 1785. He was a carpen-
ter and joiner and was one of the committee appointed to build a bridge over
Otter Creek near Captain Daniels, and near the site of the present Blackmer
bridge. Joshua Field came from Winchester, N. H., in 1786, and purchased
of David Jacobs the first division of Peter Wright, iio acres, and the second
division of Ezekicl Powers, the same extent. He lived there during his long life,
and was prominent in the church. He died in March, 1837. Simeon Avery came
here from Norwich, Conn,, in 17S6, and afterwards, in compan)- with John Cur-
Town of Brandon. 481
tiss and James Sawyer, purchased of O. Blake for ^lOO, one-half of the forge and
privilege in the village, Curtiss & Sawyer owning a quarter interest each. The
deed was dated July 3, 1792. Avery had the management of this forge until his
death in January, 1803. Elijah Avery, his brother, had been clerk in a store
in Hartford, Conn., and he bought the first goods offered for sale in tliis town.
His goods were kept for a time at the house of his brother Daniel, but he
opened a store soon after in the village, on the site of the building afterwards
known as Ketcham's store, whicli stood just west of the old Chase House. He
sold a " coat's cloth " to Jacob Farrington for seven dollars per yai'd and took
corn at twenty-five cents per bushel in part payment, being twenty-eight bush-
els of corn for a yard of cloth. Daniel Aver}% another and younger brother
of Elijah, succeeded in the possession of the farm on which the latter resided
during his life. Stephen Avery, the other brother who was a resident of Bran-
don, purchased of Lorin Larkin on the 12th of March, 1793, for two hundred
and sixty-seven pounds, one-half of the grist-mill and privileges in the village.
He resided in town at different periods for a number of years. John Stiles
came here in 1786, and lived on the west side of the creek until his death.
Alexander Beebe came in 1786, and erected his house nearly opposite the
Dodge brick-yard, now owned by John A. Conant. He owned half interest in
the "Strong's mills," which he sold to Isaac Strong in April, 1790. Jacob
Simonds came here from Hampton, Conn., about 1786. He had by two mar-
riages six sons and twelve daughters, all of whom but two sons, who died in
infanc)-, lived to adult age and became married. He died September 3, 1797,
at the age of seventy-eight years. Philip Jones came from Stamford, Conn.,
about the year 1786. He resided for a long time and until his death on the
farm subsequently possessed by his son, Alvin B. Jones, and now in the hands
of Sylvester Moulton. He was a blacksmith by trade and had a trip-hammer
shop below the upper falls, in the village. Jacob Farrington came from Kings,
Columbia county, N. Y., and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of Asa
Eddy, of Clarendon, joining on Gideon Horton, Joseph Barker and Timothy
Buckland. Only a few months before Eddy had purchased this parcel of land
of Captain Thomas Tuttle, who began upon it. It is still in the hands of the
Farrington family. Captain Daniel Farrington obtained the property from his
brother, Edward, in February, 1796. Samuel Burnell, esq., came here from
Woodstock, Conn., in 1787, and resided in town for more than fifty years. He
died July 5, 1838. Stephen Tucker began here in March, 1787, on land which
now forms a part of the Asa Burnell farm, a little northwest of the town farm.
Samuel Tucker purchased of Nathaniel Sheldon, for forty pounds, fifty-five
acres of land, " near the town plat, being the south part of the lot George Rob-
ins formerly lived on," a part of the present farm of N. T. Sprague. Deacon
Ebenezer Wooster was the first to settle on the farm recently occupied by Will-
iam Kimball, but he afterwards exchanged with James Whelan for the Riley
482 History of Rutland County.
Hull farm, now owned by Dr. E. A. Smith. Deacon Merriam came from Wal-
pole, N. H., in 1787, and began the cultivation of the farm, which included the
place now in the hands of Robert Johnson. He was the first hatter in town.
His brother. Deacon Jonathan Merriam, in 1795 bought the farm which was
afterwards the property of Hon. E. N. Briggs. Judge Hiram Horton was the
first to begin work on this tract. Benjamin Merriam, brother to the foregoing,
and a merchant, came here about 1791, and first kept his goods at the house
of his brother, David. Vinton Arnes purchased of Hiram Horton in April,
1788, eighty-two and one-half acres lying on the old Stage Road, and being
on the north contiguous with the south line of Leicester, recently the farm of
Joseph P. Durant. Case Cook came here in 1788 and began on a piece of
land lying south of Arnold Hollow. He removed to the West. In the same
year Thaddeus Collins purchased of his brother-in-law, Deacon David Mer-
riam, fifty acres, being then wild land, now the property of Robert Johnson.
In the fall of 1798 he sold this place to Nathaniel Harris and went West. Jabez
Lyon came from Woodstock, Conn., in the spring of 1787, and began the cul-
tivation of the well-known Lyon farm. Here he resided until his death in
1843. Solomon Tracy, from Walpole, N. H., purchased in 1788 seventy- five
acres adjoining the place of John Stiles. John McColIom was a Scotchman,
and served in Wolfe's army. He came from Stamford, Conn., and settled on
the farm since known as the Samuel Gray farm. His son David, in 1794, built
the saw-mill afterwards known as Wood's, and later as Jones's mill. Solomon
Soper purchased of Jedediah Winslow, in 1789, the first division on the right
of Nathaniel Russell, also " -g- of the forge, or iron works and privileges in the
village." It is thought that he came here as early as 1786. He traded several
years in the village, near the old Ketcham store. Prince Soper, brother of
Solomon, came from Dorset somewhat later, and resided a number of }'ears in
the village, near the site of the present residence of Josiah Rosseter. He kept
here the only tavern then in the village. Colonel James Sawyer came to Bran-
don about 1790. He was a merchant of much enterprise. Rev. Enos Bliss,
the first settled pastor of the Congregational Society here, purchased in the fall
of 1792 a little more than sixteen acres of land south of the street leading from
the old house of Lorenzo Kimball to Samuel B. Spaulding's old brick store.
Jesse Prout came here from New Milford, Conn., in the same year. He was a
blacksmith by trade. John Prout, esq., attorney and counselor at law at Rut-
land, is his grandson. Josiah Parmenter came here from Northfield, Mass., in
1794, and bought land and buildings near Curtiss's mills, in the village. Al-
though a tanner by trade, he relinquished the business soon after he came here.
He was for many years an acting justice of the peace. Captain Nathan Par-
menter, his brother, came from Northfield, Mass. He was also a tanner and
shoemaker, and carried on the business somewhat extensively for several }-ears.
His shop was near the bridge in the village. It is said that his first works were
Town of Brandon. 483
about fifty rods below the furnace. He built the house in which N. T. Sprague,
esq., now resides. He died in Januar\-, I 85 I, at the age of eighty-one years.
Daniel Pomeroy came here in 1794. He was a clothier, and purchased of Cur-
tiss in December, 1794, an acre of land (with a house, shop and horse-shed
thereon), which was situated in the village near the falls. He at the same time
purchased water-power for a fulling-mill, with the provision that he was not to
injure the grist-mill or saw-mill. Solomon Hiiies came from Greenwich, Mass.,
in 1795. He built the mills now called Brezee's mills, in process of which he
met with a fall which may have hastened his death. He died April 28, 1798.
Benajah Douglas came here from Ballston, N. Y., in 1795, although he was
probably a native of Hancock, Mass. He purchased of Captain Nathan Dan-
iels, for six hundred and twenty-five pounds, several parcels of land amounting
in all to three hundred and ninety acres, embracing the Douglas or Blackmer
farm, now owned by E. D. Thayer. He was a prominent man in town, hav-
ing been elected five times (during the first fifteen years of his residence here)
to represent the town in General Assembly, and as often a selectman. He was
also for many years a justice of the peace here. He has been described as be-
ing "a man of much self-confidence and buoyancy of spirits, was always ready
in meetings, 'open to remarks,' with a 'word of exhortation ' ; at least, indeed,
he was given to much speaking. He had a vein of humor which he did not
always retain within due bounds." He had nine children, of whom the eldest,
Stephen Arnold, a physician, was the father of the famous Illinois senator, Ste-
phen A. Douglas. Joshua Bascom purchased of Solomon Hines, on Septem-
ber 20, 1795, for one hundred and forty pounds, one hundred acres of land,
being part of the " Governor's lot." Mr. Bascom was the first to cultivate this
lot. He was killed by the fall of a tree, which he was chopping, in June, 1797.
Zephaniah Hack, of Greenwich, Mass., purchased in December, 179S, one hun-
dred and twent\--five acres, which formed also a part of the "Governor's lot,"
excepting Brezee's mill privilege. Mr. Hack remained here until his death,
July 22, 1847. Arza Tracy came from Hampton, Conn., about 1795. He
was a carpenter and joiner. Salmon Farr, sr., came here from Leicester in
179s and purchased one hundred acres of land of Nathaniel Sheldon, which are
now occupied by Pascal Gibbs. Silas Keeler came from Chittenden on the
28th of September, 1796. He obtained of Hiram Horton, James Sawyer and
Moses Barnes, selectmen, a lease of the first division on the propagation right,
one hundred acres, for " as long as wood grows or water runs." He resided
here until August 16, 1845, when he died at the age of seventy-five years.
Seth Keeler came also from Chittenden in 1796, and served an apprenticeship
with Deacon David Merriam, the hatter. He died September 13, 1850, at the
age of seventy-four years. Deacon John Arnold came from Clarendon in 1798
and purchased sixty acres of land in Arnold Hollow. In 1800 his brother
Caleb purchased of Abner Buckland one hundred and ten acres adjoining
484 History of Rutland County.
John's tract. Nathaniel Harris bought the present farm of Captain David Mer-
riam, sixty acres, in 1798. Rev. Ebenezer Hebard began to preach as a can-
didate for settlement by the Congregational Church in May, 1799, and was
ordained on the following January first, and remained in the pastorate of this
church until September 7, 1821. Elam Gilbert came toward the close of the
last century. His residence was for a time on the south side of the creek, and
afterwards in the village. Walter Sessions came here shortly before 1800, and
oricrinall)' settled on the farm now occupied by William McConnell, whose
dwelling-house formerly stood about forty rods northeast of its present site, on
the old Stage Road, as first laid and traveled past Mr. Schofield's and Captain
Gilbert's. When the road was changed to its present route, Mr. Sessions
moved and fitted up the present house for a tavern, which he kept for several
years. He followed Captain Gilbert as postmaster, until the office was brought
into the village. Jonathan Stearns, sr., came from Hardwick, Mass., early in
the present century and resided on the farm adjoining Sugar Hollow on the
south. He and his wife both died in April, 1812, of the epidemic that prevailed
with dreadful fatality at that time. A. S. Cook was born in Addison county,
January 18, 18 16. He resided there until his eighteenth year; then a year in
Shoreham ; then in Salisbury, where, on the iSth of October, 1S37, he married
Marilla Smith. He came to Brandon in 1852. He was a charter member of
the old Allen Grays, named after Ethan Allen. This company was organized
in 1854, and consisted of thirty-six members, all in gray uniforms. Captain
Cook has been marshal in New England fairs (town, county and State) for six-
teen years in succession. Has been acting justice of the peace fourteen years.
He owns what was formerly the Locke farm, one and one-half miles southeast
from the village. His wife died August 28, 1883.
Having thus given as good an account of the early settlers here as can be
obtained, the writer now proposes to return to the organization of the town,
and the early action taken to improve and utilize the natural advantages
afforded by the wilderness lands and streams of that time, and perhaps to give
some idea of the quaintness of method and vigor of spirit of these giants of
former days.
The organization of the town was effected on the seventh day of October,
1784. The act of organization being, however, illegal by virtue of the law
requiring meetings for such purposes to be held in the month of March, was
rendered effectual and valid by a special act of the General Assembly, enacting
that " such proceedings in the choice of town officers as were had and acted by
the inhabitants of the town of Neshobe on the seventh day of this instant Octo-
ber, 1784, which would have been valid and according to law had the same
been had and done in the month of March, as the law directs, be and they are
hereby established and confirmed as legal and authentic as though the same
had been had and done in the said month of March, and that the said town of
Town of Brandon. 4^5
Neshobe shall be ever hereafter called and known by the name of Brandon."
Unfortunately, the record of the first meeting, though still in part preserved,
is so mutilated that a list of the first officers cannot be obtained from it. The
earliest obtainable are those elected in March, 1786. They are as follows : —
Thomas Tuttle, moderator of the meeting ; Hiram Horton, town clerk ;
Simeon Avery, Abraham Gilbert and Moses Grannis, selectmen ; David Buck-
land, treasurer ; James Ambler and Joseph Barker, constables ; Edward Che-
ney, Ephraim Flint and Simeon Bigelow, listers ; James Ambler, collector of
town rates ; Ephraim Flint, leather sealer ; Moses Gilbert, grand juryman with
Gideon Horton ; Captain Thomas Tuttle and William Dodge, tythingmen ;
Samuel Kelsey, Peter Whelan, Nathan Flint and Gideon Mott, haywards ;
Amos Cutler, horse-brander ; William Dodge, sealer of weights and measures ;
David Buckland, Peter Whelan, Samuel Schofield, Edward Cheney, Nathan
Daniels, John Stiles and Stephen Durkee, surveyors of highways ; Nathaniel
Sheldon, A. Gilbert, James Ambler, Amos Cutler, Solomon Soper, Moses
Barker, Simeon Avery, Ephraim Flint, Ephraim Strong, Alexander Beebe,
Captain Thomas Tuttle and Amasa Polly, petit jurors; Abraham Gilbert,
David Buckland, Solomon Tuttle, William Dodge and Stephen Durkee, fence
viewers ; Lorin Larkin, pound-keeper.
It was voted at this meeting that every man's yard be a pound for the en-
suing year. In 1787 it was first voted to divide the town into districts (si.x in
number) and support schools. Joseph Barker, Abraham Gilbert, Gideon Hor-
ton, David June, Ephraim Strong, Noah Strong, and David Buckland were
appointed a committee to undertake the division. At the same meeting, Jan-
uary 27, 1787, Jedediah Winslow, Captain Thomas Tuttle, and Simeon Avery
were appointed to procure " Mr. Thomas Tolman as a minister of the gospel
for the town, under directions to offer him thirty pounds for the first year, and
five pounds additional annually until the amount should be sixty pounds, which
he should then receive as long as he should remain." It was deemed necessary
in those days to encourage and foster private industry by public action. Wit-
ness that on the 9th day of February, 1787, it was voted that mills be built on
the upper falls; Gideon Horton, Simeon Avery, John Mott, Joseph Barker
and Nathaniel Daniels being appointed a committee to superintend the con-
struction of the same. At the same meeting it was voted " that the five acre
pitch which is the school falls be let to build iron works on if there be found
iron ore sufficient to supply the same," and chose Nathaniel Sheldon, Nathan
Daniels, Hiram Horton, a committee to search for the said ore, and said com-
mittee are to lay out a 3d division to the school right of 50 acres, or such quan-
tities as they shall think best. Among the other resolutions of this meeting
were two prescribing the laying out of a road from Pittsford line by Noah
Strong's, which was the east road to Leicester line, four rods wide, and of
the road from David Buckland's to the town plot. In the fall of 1787, it was
486 History of Rutland County.
"voted that hoggs shall run at large the present fall provided that they have a
good ring in their noses." Following this, and in ludicrous proximity to it is
a resolution that David June, Abraham Gilbert, Gideon Horton, David Buck-
land and Jacob Simonds act as committee to " pitch " the most suitable
place for the erection of a meeting-house; but " moral suasion" alone was
not then sufficient to curb the law-breaking proclivities of a few of the inhabi-
tants, and on the following March a vote was passed that the sign-post and
stocks be set west of the bridge, near by it, on the north side of the road just
above the mills. It is probable that this vote was not exactly complied with,
for Mr. John A. Conant remembers distinctly the whipping-post, on the corner
of Park and Main streets in front of the site of the Brandon National Bank.
Back of it was the five acre, or school lot, wliich extended east as far as the
site of the Brandon House and twice as far north. It was for a long time leased
to John Conant. Among the various internal improvements determined upon
were the procuring of a burial ground, for which purpose on the 25th of March,
1788, Solomon Soper, Gideon Horton and Moses Barnes were chosen com-
mittee; and the building of. a bridge over Otter Creek (which it was nec-
essary to repeat in November, 1789) ; and in November of the following year,
the building of another bridge over the little river by Alexander Beebe's mills.
Meetings were frequently held in the meeting-house.
The bridge over Otter Creek must have been constructed within a )^ear or
two of this time, for on the first Tuesday in March, 1792, it was "voted to
raise a tax sufficient to pay Mr. James Sawyer and Elijah Avery for the rum
which was expended in raising the bridge over Otter Creek, the sum of which
is five pounds and eight shillings lawful money, to be paid one-half in money
and the other half in wheat at 3s. 46. pr bushel, or salts at 14s. per hundred,
to be collected by the 20th of instant March. Voted that Johnson Field, Abra-
ham Stewart and Benjamin Hulbert be exempted from paying their proportion
of said ta.x." This vote indicates not only the general sentiment at the time in
regard to the drinking of intoxicating beverages in a State afterwards to be-
come prohibitory against it ; but further, the great scarcity of ready money.
A tax of about twenty-five dollars could be met by many only on the condi-
tion that wheat and salts be held a legal tender. Another quaint vote was
passed at this meeting to the effect that Nathaniel Fisk be a district by him-
self to support a school peculiar to his own liking.
On the 3d of May, 1792, it was voted " that the people of the Congrega-
tional order in said Brandon have liberty to set up a meeting-house in the
highway at the turn or corner near Prince Soper's." This may have been the
earliest public recognition of the Congregational Church as the ward of the
town, but from this time, if not from an earlier date, the tax payers were obliged
to contribute each his contingent to the support of this order. The separation
of church and state was in part effected on March 25, 1795, by the passing of
Town of Brandon. 487
a vote " that any inhabitants of the town of Brandon that shall bring a certifi-
cate from the deacons of the Baptist Church in said Brandon to the town clerk
in the month of August annually, they certifying that the person or persons
holding said certificate do actually to their acceptance assist in supporting the
gospel in their order, shall be exempted from paying taxes to support the Con-
gregational Church in said town." At the same meeting Nathaniel Fisk and
John Seton were exempted from the payment of any tax whatever for the
support of the gospel " except they choose it."
The antipathy prevailing at this time against inoculating for the prevention
of the small-pox is manifested at this same meeting as follows: " Voted that
no person in Brandon shall after this time enoculate for the small pox during
the present spring." And on the 9th of September following, at a special
town meeting, it was " voted that all who would choose to have the small pox
in Brandon by enoculation the present fall are permitted the same, provided
they will submit to such restrictions as are [prescribed] by the selectmen."
Again on the first Tuesday of March, 1804, it was " voted that the selectmen
be added to assist a certain committee which was appointed the last fall to
regulate the small pox in town by ' inoculation,' but one physician to be al-
lowed to perform the inoculation, and no one to beinoculated after April first."
The physician's fees were regulated by this committee.
No less curious are the evidences in some of the records of an assumption
by the town of fatherly authority, or something akin to it, a species of sump-
tuary legislation. For example, on the 20th of June, 1798, it was " voted that
the selectmen shall oppose in getting a bill of divorce from his wife."
On the fourth of March, 1800, a vote was passed providing that a pauper,
therein named as a town charge, be set up at public vendue to the lowest bid-
der for his support for one year. John Lull " bought her," for the first quar-
ter, at eight dollars ; and for the fourth quarter at seven dollars and sixty-six
cents ; Hiram Horton for the second quarter at eight dollars. Such was the
method of providing for all the town charges in those days.
We have now reached a period within the memory of living man. Mr.
John A. Conant, one of the oldest men now living who have passed the most
of their lives in Brandon, was born here on the 1st of December, 1800, being
the third son of John Conant. His memory is distinct as far back as 1810, a
time when the village of Brandon had become pretty well settled. Indeed the
place could well be dignified by the title of village as early as 1805. As we
have seen, the town was rapidly settled after the cessation of hostilities in 1783,
and that before 1800 nearly every farm was occupied. Mr. Conant is author-
ity for the statement that there is a smaller population in town to-day outside
of the villages of Brandon and Forestdale than there was in 1810. He ac-
counts for this by the fact that though all the farms are occupied now, they are
larger than they formerly were, the small farms being merged into the large.
History of Rutland County.
From tlie beginning to a recent date the population has steadily increased. In
1 79 1 this town had a population numbering 637 souls. In 1800 it had grown
to 1,076; and in 1810, to 1,375. At this latter date nearly the entire village
was on the west side of the creek. Between the site of the Brandon House and
that of Mrs. Howe's residence there was not a building, nor was there a build-
ing between the site of the Methodist Church and the north and south street
at the end of Park street. Franklin street was opened about the year 181 1 or
18 1 2. The line of travel was about one and one-half miles east of the present
village, passing the tavern of Abraham Gilbert. The post-office was kept there
until about 18 13. Among the early industries of the town lumbering can
scarcely be deemed prominent. No lumber was sawn beyond what was nec-
essary to supply demand. Pine was the prevailing timber. John Conant had
two saw-mills in town, one on the five-acre plot on the upper falls, back of
the Brandon House, and the other where the grist-mill now stands on the
lower falls. On the site of the marble mill now owned and operated by S.
L. Goodell, was a grist and saw-mill owned by Ebenezer Childs. Before 1820
there were four grist-mills in town, one still called Brezee's mills, from a former
owner, which was built between 1795 and 1800 by Solomon Hines, and which
stood on the south side of Otter Creek, another on the lower falls in Brandon
village, owned and operated by John Conant. This was the first grist-mill
erected in town. Mr. Conant obtained possession when he came here in 1797.
The third mill stood on the upper falls in the village and was owned by Pe-
nuel Child and his sons, Adolphus, John, Penuel and Augustus. The fourth
mill, that of Ebenezer Childs, has been mentioned.
In this period there were four taverns in town outside of the village. Willis
Goodenow kept one on the south line of Brandon on the old stage road ; John
Mott kept another about a mile further north ; Richard Gilbert about a mile
north of Mott; and Joshua Goss ran one where the town farm now is. In the
village of Brandon were : the hotel which stood on the site of the Brandon
House, built before the beginning of the present century by Captain Jacob
Simonds, and kept after him by Matthew W. Birchard, who began about 18 10
or 181 1 ; the tavern built and kept by Penuel Child, being the present dewll-
ing-house of Mr. George Briggs, and after about 1 818, the tavern known in
later times as the Chase House, from the last proprietor Captain John VV. Chase.
This house is still standing nearly opposite the residence of Mr. Conant. Isaac
Hill first kept it; in 1853 and 1854 Captain A. Cook kept it, it being then
called the Eureka House. C. O. Cheney followed him.
Among the merchants here were Gideon Horton, Harvey Fuller and Roger
Fuller, his father, Silas R. Deming, Matthew W. Birchard, John Conant and
Captain Simonds. Nearly all of them made potash in considerable quantities.
John Conant's ashery was about on the site of the flouring- mill tenement
house. Matthew W. Birchard's was on the stream to the rear of his tavern.
Town of Brandon. 489
Probably the earliest one was that run by Gideon Horton, opposite the acade-
my site, and almost adjoining the present premises of John A. Conant.
Whisky was also made here in large quantities, and of a quality which can-
not be excelled. John Conant ran it for a time ; was followed by Allen Pen-
field, of Pittsford, and he by the Fullers. The building, a brick one, still stands
on the south part of Conant's square. It was continued until about 1S36.
But probably no industry in the history of Brandon has attained such
prominence as the iron business. Just when the first works were built here is
not, we believe, positively known, but we have seen, perhaps, the first move-
ment toward their establishment in the vote before mentioned, passed Febru-
ary 9, 1787, to the effect that a five-acre plot be leased for the purpose of
furnishing a suitable site for such works, if ore should be found in sufficient
quantities. On the 25th of March, 1788, the " trustees for said Brandon " were
authorized and requested by the town to lease this site and the water power
for the purpose aforesaid. Simeon Avery, John Curtis and James Sawyer
bought a forge here as early as 1790 of O. Blake. Penuel Child was one of
the first lessees, and continued until about 18 10. J. A. Graham, in his descrip-
tive sketches of Vermont (p. 83), published in 1797, states that "Brandon has
iron foundaries and forges, at which they make good bar iron." Succeeding
Child were Roger Fuller and Harvey, his son, who began the manufacture of
shovels, and soon made it one of the greatest industries of the town. Mr. Co-
nant says that shovels were made here as early as anywhere in the country.
They had a market in Boston and other New England towns and cities. The
Messrs. Fuller had two factories, one on the site of Forestdale, and one in
Brandon village. The ore used in making them was taken from a bed on the
ground now occupied by the paint works at Forestdale.
The most important industry ever carried on in town, however, and the
one which contributed most extensively and permanently to the growth of the
town, was the iron industry established by John Conant. In 1820 he built the
first blast-furnace in town, beginning operations in October of that year. At
this furnace was cast the first cooking-stove made in the State, although a few
stoves with ovens but without boilers had been previously made to some ex-
tent. The first " Conant cook-stove" was made in the autumn of 1 8 19, castings
for the same having been obtained from the Pittsford Iron Works. The work of
erecting the blast-furnace in Brandon was in prosecution at the same time.
Unlike most of the furnaces, the castings for stoves, potash kettles, and almost
every variety of iron castings, were made directly from the brown hematite ore
of the regions, taken from the bed near the site of Forestdale This bed was
discovered in 181 1. In 1823 Mr. Conant took his two sons, Chauncey W. and
John A. Conant, into partnership with him, and continued the business under
the firm name of "John Conant & Sons" until 1844, when he retired, and his
sons conducted the business under the name of " C. W. & J. A. Conant." In
490 History of Rutland County.
1852 they sold out to Howe, Blake & Darricut, who did not remain here long.
The buildings were situated on the site of the First National Bank, and to this
cause may be attributed the transfer of the principal business of the village
from the west to the east side of the creek. During the period intervening be-
tween 1820 and 1S40, when this industry was most active, the town gained in
population more rapidly than any other town in the county. The population
in 1820 numbered 1,495; i" 1830, 1,946; and in 1840, 2,194.
It is not easy for those who cannot remember the early methods of trans-
portaion to appreciate the difficulties with which the pioneer manufacturers and
produce dealers had to contend. Previous to the opening of the Champlain
Canal in 1823, wheat, the great staple, had to be shipped to Troy on wheels
or runners, a distance of about ninety miles. And even until the completion
of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad, in the fall of 1849, the expenditure of
time and labor in shipping was considerable. " Many a time," says John A.
Conant, " have we carried a load of a ton or a ton and a half of produce to
Boston, consuming in going and returning thirteen days." One of their cus-
tomers lived in Maine, and in shipping stoves to him they were forced to send
by the way of Lake Champlain, the canal, Hudson River, in a packet to one
of the rivers in Maine and thence to their destination. The transportation of
money was equally slow and difficult. Another customer of John Conant &
Sons, at Fitchburgh, Mass., was once instructed by John A. Conant to give the
sum of $1,500, due the house, to the cashier of the bank there, who in turn
was to send it to Brandon by stage. The currency was securely wrapped in
package form and forwarded. When it reached Brandon it had been handled
so much that the ends were worn open so that the bills were exposed ; yet not
a dollar was lost, and the postage was only twenty- five cents.
Another important industry for which Brandon has been famous is the
Howe Scale Works, for description of which see preceding histor}' of the town
of Rutland.
In the Rebellion. — The unwavering loyalty of Vermont to the Union in
the troublous Civil War has never been called in question. From every town,
village and hamlet in the State, citizens of every walk and occupation left
comfortable homes and imperiled tlieir lives in the service of the nation.
Brandon at once took her place amongst the foremost. There is nothing of
vital interest, however, in the town records prior to August i, 1863, when at a
legal town meeting resolutions were adopted authorizing and directing select-
men to pay to each single man, resident in Brandon, who had been drafted
into the service of the United States, and had actually entered such service, the
sum of one hundred dollars ; to the family of each man so drafted and entered,
who had a family, the sum of two hundred dollars, and to the family of every
such man who had a wife and more than one child, the sum of three hundred
dollars ; in the last two cases the money to be paid in monthly installments.
Town of Brandon.
On the 6th of the ensuing August resolutions directing the appropriation of
$10,000 from the treasury to be used for bounties for such as should volunteer
to the credit of Brandon to fill the quota under the president's call for 500,000
men ; and authorizing the selectmen to procure a sufficient number of volun-
teers to fill the quota, to pay the bounties, and, if necessary, to borrow not to
exceed $10,000 to pay the expenses of recruiting, were adopted with but two
dissenting votes. On the 17th of September, 1864, another resolution was
adopted authorizing the selectmen to pay by January I, 1S65, the sum of $250
to each veteran recruit, credited to Brandon, not deserting, who should enlist
under the president's call for 500,000 men. On the 4th of February, 1865,
the report was recorded that a bounty of $600 had been paid to each man who
had enlisted, excepting the cavalrymen, who had received $150 each; where-
upon a vote of thanks to the selectmen was passed for their perseverance in
filling the quota of thirty-six men.
Following is a list of enrollments accredited to Brandon : —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to call for 300,000 volunteers
of October 17, 1863 : Charles C. Backus, co. G, 6th regt.; Hiram Bailey, co.
B, 2d regt.; Samuel W. Bailey, co. I, 2d regt.; George A. Baker, and Loren H.
Baker, 2d bat.; Wallace E. Baldwin, Charles J. Bartlett, William P. Bartlett,
CO. H, 5th regt.; George Barras, co. B, 9th regt.; Logro Bashaw, 2d bat; Will-
iam Ball, Ebenezer G. Bigelow, 2d bat.; Roger Blakely, co. F, 6th regt.; Oliver
P. Bogue, 2d bat.; William C. Bowen, jr., Dana Briggs, Frederick W. Brill, co.
H, 5th regt; Oliver Bourden, co. B, 7th regt.; Andrew Brothers, co. B, 7th
regt; Niran Buckland, Reed S. Bump, co. H, 5th regt.; Wesley N. Canipbell,
Carlos W. Carr, co. E, 4th regt; Joseph Cazaran, co. H, 5th regt; John Caton,
CO. B, 7th regt.; John W. Chase, 2d bat; William H. Cheney, George Clark,
CO. H, 5th regt.; James G. B. Clark, 2d s. s.; John Clark, 2d bat.; Charles H.
Clemens, co. M, iith regt.; Philip Connell, co. F, 6th regt; George H. Cramer,
Thomas Cronan, jr., William Cronan, co. B, 7th regt.; Thomas M. Cutts, Lewis
T. Dalton, George D. Davenport, Willard G. Davenport, co. H, 5th regt.;
Charles Delpha, co. B, 7th regt.; Joseph Deschamps, co. H, 5th regt; Andrew
J. Dimick, co. E, 4th regt.; Charles R. Dyan, Jacob Dyan, co. C, lOth regt;
Henry P. Ellis, 2d bat.; Thomas Everett, co. B, 7th regt; Jasper A. Fales, co.
K, 3d regt.; William C. Fairman, co. K, cav.; George V. Farr, co. F, 6th regt.;
Joseph Faulkner, Hiram N. Fifield, co. H, 5th regt.; Frank Finney, co. B, 7th
regt.; Levi B. F'oote, co. B, 7th regt.; Cornelius H. Forbes, Charles A. Ford,
CO. H, 5th regt.; Hadley P. Ford, co. G, 2d regt.; John S. Ford, co. C, loth
regt.; Francis Fortier, 2d bat.; Patrick Fox, co. H, 5th regt.; Horatio Garey,
Charles Gear, 2d bat.; Charles Gingras, co. B, 9th regt.; John Goodroad, co.
K. 7th regt.; Frank L. Goodnough, co. H, 5th regt.; Martin V. B. Goodrich, co_
B, 7th regt; David Gouley, co. C, loth regt.; Eugene A. Griswold, co. H, 5th
iregt.; Charles S. Hale, 5th, chap.; William A. Hale, co. H, 5th regt.; Zeb Har-
492 History of Rutland County.
per, CO. C, 9th regt.; Edward Harvey, loth regt.; Ira M. Hatch, co. H, 5th
regt.; Edwin M. Hendry, co. B, 7th regt.; Moses B. Hill, 4th, band; Patrick
Hohon, CO. C, 9th regt.; Vernon E. Holley, co. H, 5th regt; Harrison Holden,
CO. E, 2d regt. s. s.; Nelson K. Holt, William T. Howard, co. H, Stli regt;
William Hunt, John Hurlburt, 2d bat.; Nathan Hussey, co. C, 6th regt ; Mont
F. Johnson, co. H, 5th regt ; Robert Johnson, co. B, 7th regt.; Edwin Jones,
CO. E, 4th regt; Joseph B. Kelly, 4th, band ; Edward P. Kimberly, co. C, loth
regt; William P. Kimberly, co. H, Sth regt; Charles C. Kinsman, co. E, 4th
regt.; Andrew Laffie, co. H, 5th regt; John Laffie, 2d bat.; Thomas Laffie, co.
H, 5th regt; Martin C. Laffey, co. F, ist s. s.; Erastus Laird, co. H, 5th regt.;
George S. Laird, Stephen Laird, John Larock, 2d bat; Henry Lasser, co. H,
5th regt.; Joseph J. Lasher, co. ¥, 6th regt.; Nelson J. Lee, co. K, loth regt;
Dennis Lepine, co. B, 9th regt.; John L'Heureux, co. H, 5th regt.; Alonzo E.
Lord, 1st bat.; Philip Lucia, co. B, 7th regt.; John Maguire, co. H, 5th regt.;
Frank Mattoo, co. B, 7th regt; Joseph Mayhew, 2d bat; James L. McDonald,
James McGary, co. B, 7th regt; Robert McGregor, Henry Mills, co. H, 5th
regt; William H. Metcalf, co. B, 9th regt; James R. Morrison, Thomas Mor-
ris, James Murray, William H. Murray, co. B, 7th regt; Martin Mulcahy, co.
H, 5th regt.; John Nailer, co. G, 5th regt.; James Noonan, co. B, 7th regt;
Thomas Noonan, co. G, 5th regt.; Edward E. Noyes, co. H, 5th regt; Frank-
lyn Noyes, James F. Noyes, co. F, 6th regt; John H. Noyes, co. G, 5th regt;
Charles J. Ormsbee, co. H, 5th regt; Jackson V. Parker, co. B, 7th regt.; Philo
F. Parker, co. C, 9th regt; Horatio N. Partle, 2d bat.; Charles L. Peters, co,
B, 7th regt.; Albert W. Phelps, co. E, 4th regt; John W. Pittridge, Robert
Pratt, CO. H, 5th regt; John Place, John Quarter, John A. Quilty, 2d bat.;
George A. Quilty, Samuel Rennie, Michael Reynolds, Nelson Riley, Cyrus S.
Rockwell, CO. B, 2d regt; William B. Robinson, co. H, 5th regt; George Ross^
CO. B, 7th regt; William H. Sanderson, co. K, 9th regt.; Charles W. Seager,
CO. H, 5th regt; Harry G. Sessions, co. C, lOth regt; Elijah B. Sherman, co.
C, 9th regt; James T. Shepstone, co. F, 6th regt.; James Sheridan, co. M,
iith regt.; Frank Shoro, co. H, 5th regt.; Joseph Shoro, 2d bat.; Dorwin A.
Smalley, co. B, 7th regt; Claudius B. Smith, 2d, chap.; Rice Soper, 2d bat;
Eli H. Stearns, Francis Tatro, co. B, 7th regt; Moses^Tatro, jr., Peter A. Tatro,
CO. F, 6th regt; John Thomas, co. B, 7th regt; Napoleon Throw, co. H, Sth
regt.; Stephen P. Trumbull, co. B, 7th regt; Andrew Vassar, Francis Vedell^
CO. C, loth regt; James Welch, Ezra P. West, Patrick Whalon, co. H, 5th
regt; John Welch, co. B, 7th regt; Patrick White, 2d bat.; Eugene Willams,
cav.; Francis E. Williams, co. B, 9th regt.; John Wander, Joseph Wander, co.
H, Sth regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years : Niran Buckland, 3d bat.; Elias Del-
pha, CO. H, 5th regt; Franklin Ducharm, 7th regt.; Albert E. Fales, co. H,.
Town of Brandon. 493
5th regt.; John H. Fitzgerald, co. F, iith regt.; Levi Gilder, co. A, 5th regt;
William A. Gregory, co. F, 5th regt.; H. A. Havvley, U. S. A.; Lewis Larock,
Joseph Mayhew, 2d bat.; Joseph Montay, co. B, 7th regt.; Jennis Plude, Lewis
Plude, 2d bat; William Simes, 3d bat.; Patrick Walsh, co. B, nth regt.
Volunteers for one year : Henry Lessor, Edward Na\4or, James Reed,
Daniel Scanlan, 2d battery.
Volunteers re-enlisted: Oliver Bourden, co. B, 7th regt.; Frederick W. Brill,
CO. H, 5th regt.; Andrew Brothers, co. B, 7th regt; James G. B. Clark, co. H,
2d s. s. ; George H. Cramer, Thomas Everett, 7th, n. c. s. ; Gasper A. Fales,
CO. K, 3d regt; Charles A. Ford, co. H, 5th regt; Hadley P. Ford, co. G, 2d
regt.; Frank L. Goodnough, co. H, 5th regt.; John Goodroad, co. K, 7th regt.;
Charles F. Greenleaf, co. K, 2d regt.; Eugene A. Griswold, co. H, 5th regt.;
Edwin B. Hendry, co. B, 7th regt; William P. Howard, co. H, 5th regt; Mat-
thew Hussey, co. C, 6th regt.; Mont M. Johnson, William P. Kimberly, Henry
Lessor, co. H, 5th regt.; John Naylor, Thomas Noonan, co. G, 5th regt.; Will-
iam H. Pitts, CO. B, 7th regt; Robert Pratt, co. H, 5th regt; Samuel Rennie>
CO. B, 7th regt.; Francis Tatro, John Thomas, co. B, 7th regt.; John Wander,
Joseph Wander, co. H, 5th regt.
Micellaneous, not credited by name : Six men.
Volunteers for nine months: James M. Bartlett, Hiram S. Battles, William
L. Belknap, Edgar J. Bliss, Robert Cahee, jr., Jason K. Campbell, Edwin G.
Carr, Lathrop J. Cloyes, Herbert D. Crooks, Henry C. Cross, Henry H Cull,
George Dana, William Dunlap, Nathan B. Dutton, Henry M. Dyer, Albert
Fales, Delano F. Goodrich, Samuel H. Green, Elbridge H. Griswold, Samuel
T. Grover, Oliver B. Howland, Josephus Jackson, Willard S. Johnson, Ira
Langdon, jr., Newell S. Lord, David J. Lyon, Azro Meacham, Wyman H.
Merritt, Gilbert C. Metcalf, Ebenezer J. Ormsbee, Daniel R. Putnam, Wilbur
F. Page, Frank J. Quinn, David T. Rowell, Carver W. Smalley, Lorison Smith,
Thomas J. Truss, William Walker, Johnson Wescott, Frank Winslow, Hiram
E. Worden.
Furnished under draft. Paid commutation : Henry H. Bartlett, Edgar L.
Carlisle, Nathan W. Churchill, Freeman Cull, James H. Fish, Joseph Howland,
Henry E. Hunt, William Kelly, James Knapp, Marcellus Landon, William
Lillie, Alanson D. Paine, George H. Plumbley, John F. Potwin, David W.
Prime, Alvinso D. Thomas. Procured substitute : Henry D. Briggs, Hayden
P. Carlisle, L. V. R. Goodell, Charles D. Pitts.
Population statistics: 1791,637; 1800, 1076 ; 1810, 137S; 1820, 149S ;
1830,1946; 1840,2194; 1850,2835; 1860,3077; 1870,3571; 1880,3280.
The present officers of the town of Brandon, elected March 3, 1885, are as
follows : Moderator of meeting was Walter P. Wheeler ; town clerk, George
Briggs; treasurer, Walter F. Scott; selectmen (Charles W. Briggs, chosen and
excused), John L. Barker, Fred H. Farrington, Josiah W. Symonds ; overseer
494 History of Rutland County.
of the poor, T. A. Richardson ; constable and collector of taxes, T. A. Rich-
ardson ; 1st lister, E. J. Ormsbee, 2d lister, Ozro Meacham, 3d lister, S. E.
Seager ; 1st auditor, D. C. Brown, 2d auditor, C. H. Holbrook, 3d auditor, C.
W. Briggs ; town agent, W. P. Wheeler ; trustee of public money, N. H. Ed-
dy ; 1st fence viewer, J. S. Stafford, 2d fence viewer, W. P. Wheeler, 3d fence
viewer, J. M. Casaran ; superintendent of schools, C. M. Winslow ; sextons,
George Todd, R. Thomas.
MUNICIPAL HISTORY.
The village of Brandon, it seems, began to be regarded as a village not far
from 1790, although the houses were of the primitive kind, and were nearly all
surrounded by stumps, for several years into the present century. The pro-
prietors, who planned the erection of a considerable village in the town, located
it on the hill north of the present village, at the upper end of what is now Pros-
pect street, and embracing the lands now comprising Mr. Conant's farm and
garden ; each proprietor, in the division of lots, reserved an acre for himself
But, as can be plainly seen, their hopes of building a village on that site were
never realized ; on the contrary, settlements began to thicken west of the
creek, and until the starting of the Conant furnace on the east side, nearly all
the business of the place was transacted over the river. After 1820 the busi-
ness activity began to be transferred. The early industries of the village have
necessarily been more or less included in the general part of this chapter, while
the prominent professional men of the past receive mention in the medical and
legal chapters of this work, and the sketches of present physicians and lawyers
appear in subsequent pages of this chapter.
Post-Office. — The first post-office, as has been stated, was in the old tavern
of Abraham Gilbert, on the Stage Road, nearly two miles east of the present
village. Abraham Gilbert was the first postmaster, and must have received
his appointment about 1790. He held the office until his death in November,
1807, when it was given to Walter Sessions. The mail in those days did not
amount to as much for the whole town as it does now for every large business
house in the pltice. The office was removed to the village about the year
1813 and given to John Conant, whereupon Sessions and his followers raised a
hue and cry because it was taken so far away from the business part of the
town. The mail used to come from Rutland and Middlebury by coach. Mr.
Conant kept the office in his store west of the site of Mr. James Hastings's
house. Seth Keeler followed Mr. Conant about 1830. He was followed by
Aaron Ketcham, and he in turn by Walcott H. Keeler. Keeler's successor
was Edward Jackson, who remained in the position longest of all the postmas-
ters excepting Mr. Conant. About the year 1858 he was superseded by J. E.
Higgins. George W. Parmenter next received the appointment, and held it
five or six years, being followed by John L. Knight, the last incumbent under
Town of Brandon. 495
a Republican administration. The present postmaster, Dudley C. Brown, re-
ceived his appointment on the 28th of July, 1885, and was commissioned on
the 4th of August following.
Mercantile Interests. — The names of some of the early merchants having
been already given, it is deemed best now to trace back the present mercantile
interests of the village to their origin. The oldest mercantile establishment
now in Brandon is the general store of Frank R. Button, in the west part of
the village. The building now occupied by him was erected by his father, Ira
Button, in 1827. Ira Button and his younger brother, Nathan, conducted the
store together six or eight years, when Nathan withdrew and Ira continued
alone until his death in 1863, with the e.xception of about a year following
1850, during which his eldest son, William D. Button, was associated with him.
The present proprietor has kept the store ever since 1863.
Previous to 1827 Ira Button was well known here as a merchant of prom-
inence. He began first about 1820, and between that year and 1827 was part
of the time in partnership with Mr. Hodges. He also had a distillery in the
brick building under the hill on the west bank of the creek in the village, but
on becoming convinced that he was engaged in an evil business, relinquished
it. D. & A. Collins ran a store also from 1S23 to 1850, on the site now cov-
ered by the Baptist church, and Collins's was the store of Edward Jackson and
Aaron Ketcham, who conducted business under the firm name of " Jackson &
Ketcham."
The business next entitled, chronologically, to mention is the drug store of
F. N. Manchester, which was brought into e.xistence in 1842, by Dr. Volney
Ross. In 1850 Dr. Ross was succeeded by Dr. C. L. Case, who conducted
the business without a partner until about 1870. At that time he associated
J. R. Cheney with himself About five years afterwards C. A. Mott succeeded
to Dr. Case's interest, Cheney having withdrawn before that. After the lapse
of about two years, Mr. Mott sold out to C. S. Boynton, who continued the
store alone two or three years, and until Mr. Manchester came in witb him.
They remained together about five years, since when Mr. Manchester has been
the sole proprietor.
Of the three mercantile interests still alive in town, the hardware business
of Briggs Brothers comes next in the order of establishment ; Wesley Morrill
having laid the foundation as early as 1844, and continued until January i,
1868, when the present proprietors, C. W. & F. E. Briggs bought him out.
The dry goods and grocery store of C. H. Ross & Co. had its origin in the
enterprise of Dr. Volney Ross, ^ who started it in 1850, in company with his
brother, under the firm style of V. & E. Ross. In 1S60 Dr. Ross bought out
his brother and associated with himself his son-in-law, Charles D. Pitts. This
1 Dr. Ross was born in Shrewsbury, Vt., June 12, 1814. He came to Brandon in 1837, after being
graduated from the Castleton Medical College, and practiced here about five years.
496 History of Rutland County.
relation subsisted until about 1868, when Dr. Ross was followed by his son
Charles H. Ross, the firm name remaining as before — "Ross & Pitts." On
the 1st of April, 1837, N. T. Sprague, at that time at the head of the scale
works here, acquired an interest in the business, and the firm name was changed
to Ross, Pitts & Co. In just three years Mr. Sprague withdrew, leaving a
vacancy which was filled by I. W. Copeland, another son-in-law of Dr. Ross.
The next and last change occurred in September, 1879, when Dr. Ross became
successor to Mr. Copeland, and the firm title acquired its present form of C.
H. Ross & Co. The business has been conducted in the present building ever
since its institution in 1850. Z. Clark began dealing in tobacco and cigars in
the hotel building now called the Douglas House in 1852, and remained there
until i860. For the ne.xt five years he had his stock in Burlington, and then
removed to the Simonds block in Brandon. He came into his present location
April I, 1882. N. H. Eddy began the sale of boots and shoes here in 1858,
and carried on the business alone until April, 1880, when his present partner,
N. H. Hazeltine, was first associated with him. Ozro Meacham & Son, Charles
O. Meacham (clothing and gents' furnishing goods), went into partnership in
April, 1882, The business was established in 1 86 1 b}' the senior member of
the present firm. Ozro Meacham has been dealer in general merchandise in
Brandon from 1855. He came into his present quarters about 1867. In 1861,
too, Robert Forbes started a drug store in Brandon which he carried on alone
until 1876; then George A. Crossman became his partner, and the firm name
adopted was Forbes & Crossman. Mr. Crossman, who is now the sole pro-
prietor of the business, purchased Mr. Forbes's interest in 1879. Charles C.
Slason, dealer in books, stationery, wall-paper, music, etc., began here first in
1862 and continued until 1869. He then removed to Michigan but soon re-
turned to Brandon, and in March, 1874, opened the present store. His only
partner was the Rev. William Ford, who was with him from about 1862 to
1864. The general store of A. F. Smith, on the west side, was opened in March,
1863, by the present proprietor and Amasa Collins. In 1865 Mr. Smith bought
out his 'partner and soon after associated with himself Charles D. Collins. They
traded about a )-ear under the firm name of Smith & Collins. After carrying
on the business alone for another year, C. D. Collins returned and remained in
the firm about two )'ears. This relation was then dissolved by the withdrawal
of Mr. Collins, and Mr. Smith has been since then the sole proprietor. There
was a store burned on this spot in 1846, which at that time was owned, but
not kept, by David M. June. The origin of the hardware and tinware store
and shop of Stafford & Phelps, dates back to April i, 1863, and was the result
of Mr. J. S. Stafford's enterprise, who began by dealing in stoves, tinware and
ordinary hardware, and soon afterward added to his stock iron and steel, agri-
cultural implements, etc. Mr. Stafford was without a partner the first year,
and then became associated with his brother, W. H Stafford. This relation
Town of Brandon. 497
was dissolved in about eighteen months, Mr. Stafford carrying on the business
alone until December 10, 1867. The present firm was then formed by the
association of Mr. Stafford with C. R. Phelps. The business of making and
selling harnesses was begun here in 1868 by G. V. Farr. D. R. Putnam
bought him out in 1872; in June, 1875, sold out to A. R. Draper, and on
January I, 1885, re-purchased his interest. J. B. Kelley started the sale of
books, stationery, musical instruments, etc., in Brandon about 1 870 or 1871,
in company with C. O. Dyer. He parted with Mr. Dyer in 1876. A. E
Kingsley has had a grocery store here since about 1871, when he and Frank
Savery bought out P. P. Gibbs. His present partner is Fred E. Kingsley.
B. B. Howes and C. B. Walker, under the firm name of Howes & Walker,
opened a boot and shoe store in the village in 1871. In 1875 Mr. Walker sold
out to his partner, purchased his present stone building and stock and has re-
mained alone since then. The grocery business of F. W. Savery & Son was
established about the year 1872, by the senior member of the present firm. In
April, 1883, his son, C. E. Savery, came into partnership with him. H. M.
Gipson started his lumber business here in 1873, and added his butter and
eggs department in 1880. E. D. Thayer began to deal in dry goods and car-
pets in October, 1874. In March, 1883, having purchased the stock and good
will of W. C. Simonds, who had been conducting a separate store, he consoli-
dated the stocks and removed from the old stand in the post-office block, where
Mr. Kingsley's store now is, to his present quarters. George W. Olmstead
and Charles Farr bought out the jewelry store of C. M. Whitaker in 1875. In
1880 Mr. Olmstead succeeded to his partner's interest, and has since then been
sole proprietor of the business. T. J. Parish and I. R. Serviss, on the ist day
of September, 1881, formed a copartnership and bought out the furniture and
undertaking business theretofore conducted by H. H. Hill. The firm style is
Parish & Serviss. On the 19th of December, 1881, W. C. Fletcher purchased
the grocery stock of A. S. Newton and opened a store near the bridge on the
east side of the creek. He came to his present location on January i, 1882.
A. J. Ives, clothier, bought out John Ingalls in April, 1882, and started in the
same building that he now occupies ; Mr. Ingalls had a store here for about
six months previously. In September, 1885, Charles W. Spencer purchased
the stock and good will of E. H. Griswold, dealer in furniture, wagons, har-
nesses, robes, sleighs, etc. Mr. Griswold began dealing in wagons about 1882,
and in furniture in March, 1885. The grocery store of J. E. Graves & Co. was
first opened on January I, 1883, by the present proprietors. F. L. Rogers
bought the grocery store of Charles French in February, 1883. Mr. French
had been here less than a year previously. The boot and shoe store of George
June is successor to the one formerly kept by W. H. Blackmer, Mr. June buy-
ing it from the W. H. Blackmer estate on January i, 1885. H. E. Bardy's
grocery store was started by Mr. Bardy in April, 1885. H. L. Brank began
business here as baker and grocer on the loth of June, 1885. •'-
498 History of Rutland County.
Manufacturing Interests. — Probably the oldest industry which at present
thrives in Brandon is the quarrying and sawing of marble. According to Mr.
Conant, the first marble sawn in the county was with a gang of saws at Bran-
don. E. W. Judd, of Middlebury, commenced sawing Pittsford marble here
about the year iSi I. He brought the marble from Pittsford on the river. In
1828 Justus Hyatt built a marble mill on the lower falls, on the site now cov-
ered by the east end of the post-office block. After a few years Cowan &
Hyatt succeeded Mr. Hyatt, and later still, E. D. Selden built a mill about a
mile up the river from Brandon village, where Mr. Goodell's mill now is. In
1845 S. L. Goodell ran the mill formerly operated by Cowan & Hyatt, and in
about 1848 sold the property to John A. Conant. About 1840 Hill & Davis,
of Boston, came here and bought what is known as the Houghton farm in the
west part of the town, and in 1841 or 1842 Augustus Barrows and Philip Ed-
gerton built a mill on the upper falls and sawed marble from Pittsford. Shortly
after this Mr. Goodell purchased the entire business and conducted it alone
until 1847, when Knowles Taylor, of New York, came in with him. In 1848
Taylor sold out to David Selden, who, after acquiring the entire interest, ran
the mills in company with Mr. Goodell until 1865. At that time Mr. Goodell
bought the quarries and all the mills, and formed a company called the Bran-
don Statuary Marble Company, which erected a large mill on the upper falls
at a cost of $48,000. The company was composed of the following members :
S. L. Goodell, H. S. Wells and A. E. Tilton, of New York ; Bradley Ballou, of
St. Albans; John W. Rich and James Murray. No further change took
place until September, 1884, when S. L. Goodell succeeded the company.
Mr. Goodell is also superintendent of the Florence & Wakefield Marble Com-
pany recently formed at Mallett's Bay near Burlington, which works all the
quarries in which its members are interested. The works there cost about
$400,000. The capital of the company is $500,000. They have one quarry
at Pittsford and one just north of Mr. Goodell's residence at Brandon, which
latter quarry furnishes about one-half of the marble for their mills. 1
The property now operated by the Mutual Marble Company lies upon the
belt extending through Rutland and Sutherland Falls, which is celebrated for
the superior quality of its product. The property was purchased about the
year 1867 by Edwin A. Billings, of Troy, N. Y., and sold by him to the Tro-
jan Marble Company, by whom the first quarry was opened, under Mr. Bill-
ings's direction ; a six-gang mill was also erected and the business continued
for six or seven years. After Mr. Billings's death his son conducted the ope-
rations, and after that Mr. Waldo was in charge two years. The works then lay
dormant until October, 1883, when the property was leased by Upham & Jack-
son, who organized the present company, under whose control, with J. P. Up-
ham as president, the business is being vigorously pushed. A new quarry has
1 Mr. Goodell is aulhority for most of the above.
Town of Brandon. 499
been opened, additional lands bought, a railroad from the main line constructed
and several new buildings erected. Tiie product of the new quarry gives sat-
isfaction to the trade.
The 15randon Mining Company's works were establislied for the manufacture
of mineral paint and kaolin, in 1855. The mineral was discovered by Fuller
& Green, who commenced the manufacture of wrought iron here many years
ago, and by washing the ore, the ocher, or paint pigment, was discovered. It
is taken from the mine in its crude state, mixed with refuse matter, and after
being broken up and thoroughly washed, it is with water carried down a sluice,
the worthless material, in the form of pebbles, iron ore, sand, etc., settles to the
bottom, and the substance valuable for paint is held in solution, and carried by
spouts and deposited in large vats. Here it is suffered to remain and the paint
settles to the botttom. The water is then drawn off and the process is repeat-
ed until a sufficient deposit has accumulated in the vats to undertake the dry-
ing process. This is accomplished by first allowing the sediment in the vats
to become, by the action of the sun's rays, of the consistency of thick mud or
clay, when it is cut or shoveled into pieces about the size of bricks, and laid
upon shelves to dry in buildings prepared for the purpose. When perfectly
dry it is run through a crushing-mill, and packed in barrels for the market.
This paint is very similar to the celebrated French ocher, and has met with a
very large demand from various sections of the country. By placing the lumps
of yellow ocher in ovens and calcining them, red ocher is made, of a quality
closely resembling Venetian red.
Kaolin, or paper clay, as it is sometimes called, in process of manufacture
is similar to that of ocher, except that it does not undergo the grinding process,
but is fit for market as soon as it is dry. The kaolin manufactured here is prin-
cipally used in the manufacture of paper for " stuffing," giving a smooth sur-
face and additional weight to paper ; it is mixed with the pulp, and but a small
per cent, is lost by the subsequent process of manufacture. This company
employs about thirty men, and manufactures about 1,000 tons of paint and
500 tons of kaolin per annum.
The Brandon Kaolin and Paint Company's Works, about two miles east of
Brandon village and one mile south of Forestdale, were established in 1865.
They manufactured about i,ooo tons per annum. The paint varied in color
from very light yellow to dark yellow and dark red, and light and dark brown.
David W. Prime is president of the company, but the works are not now ope-
rated.
The stone building near the present grist-mill of J. L. Cahee was built in
1816 by John Conant for a grist-mill and used as such until 1839. In that
year Mr. Conant erected the present mill building, and ran it until 1850, when
he sold out to a Mr. Rich. Spooner & Cahee followed Rich, and the proprie-
tors since then have been Freeman & Cahee, Cahee Brothers, J. L. Cahee &
500 History of Rutland County.
Co., and the present proprietor, J. L. Cahee. The site was first owned by
Daniel Avery.
The harness and carriage factory of H. D. Briggs, was started by his father,
Sumner Briggs, in November, 1854. The work was done for the first five years
in the scale works building, and then brought to the present location. From
1866 to 1872 H. D. Briggs worked in company with his father and then with-
drew. Sumner Briggs died in 1877, and H. D. Briggs has had sole charge
since that date.
The Eagle Foundry was established by Pa}'ne, Christy & Hendrj' in the
year 1867. In 1S75 the present proprietor, John Christie, bought out his
partners.
F. W. Flint began cabinet making here in the fall of 1879. H. O. Lowell
came here in February, 1880, and bought the cabinet shop which William H.
Flint had had for several years before.
Banking Interests. — The present banking business of Brandon is done by
the Brandon National Bank and the First National Bank of Brandon. The
former company was organized on the 26th of March, 1864. The first direc-
tors and officers were John A. Conant, president; E. N. Briggs, James K.
Hyde, of Sudbury, Ebenezer J. Bliss, Frank Farrington and John Howe, jr.
The cashier was Lorenzo Bixby. The original capital was $100,000, which
was increased on the 25th of June, 1864, to $150,000, and again on the loth
of January, 1865, to $200,000, the present capital. Cyrus Jennings succeeded
Mr. Conant in the presidency on the 9th of Jul}', 1878, and was himself fol-
lowed January 18, 1881, by the present incumbent, Erastus D. Thayer. The
cashiers have been as follows: Lorenzo Bixby was followed January 9, 1866,
by Julius H.White; November 7, 1867, Dudley C. Brown; December 13,
1869, Frank E. Briggs; March i, 1870, George R. Bottum ; August 27, 1870,
DorusC. Bascom ; January 26, 1878, Frank E. Briggs; January 9, 1883, Walter
F. Scott, the present cashier. There are now eighty-nine stock-holders in the
company, most of v.hom are residents of the town and county, and a few from
other States. The present directors are : Erastus D. Thayer, president ; Cyrus
Jennings, vice-president; John J. Simonds, Robert Forbes, Ozro Meacham,
Frank Farrington. Deposits on hand about $30,000
The First National Bank of Brandon, although organized in December,
1863, did not begin business until May 1,1864. The original capital was
$50,000, but before business was begun it had been doubled, and on the i ith
day of January, 1865, it was increased to its present amount of $150,000.
The first officers and directors were Nathan T. Sprague, president ; Nathan T.
Sprague, jr., vice-president ; Ephraim Ross, George W. Parmenterand Chaun-
cey L. Case. In 1867 Nathan T. Sprague resigned the presidency and de-
volved the duties upon his son, who, in January, 1868, was unanimously chosen
to be his father's successor, and has remained ever since at the head of the
company.
Town of Brandon. 501
On March i, 1870, H. C. Copeland succeeded George R. Bottum, the first
cashier, and on February 3, 1883, was in turn succeeded b)' the present cash-
ier, F. E. Briggs. The company is now composed of sixty stock-holders, and
has a surplus of $1 15,000.
Although these are the only banks in Brandon, several of her citizens are
interested in banks doing business in the West. Dr. W. H. Wright is presi-
dent of the Traders' Bank of Kirwin, Kansas, and T. B. Smith is its vice-pres-
dent, while James Knapp, R. F. Kidder, Mrs. C. J. Wing and Rev. Walter
Rice are stock- holders. Mr. Smith and Dr. Wright are also respectively pres-
ident and vice-president of the Cloud County Bank, of Concordia, Kansas.
These two associate banks have negotiated loans on a security of real estate
mortgages to the amount of more than $200,000, without the loss of a dollar
or the takmg up of a farm.
Hotels. — The site of the Brandon House has been covered by a hotel or
tavern "time whereof the memory of man runneth not the contrary." Jacob
Simonds was the first one who kept a tavern here, and his arrival here is dated
the year 1786. Whether he immediately began to keep tavern is a question,
but certainly he was landlord here before the close of the eighteenth century.
He left town in 1812, and was immediately succeeded by Matthew W. Birch-
ard, who enlarged the old house and kept a store in connection with it ; he re-
mained proprietor of this old inn longer than any other man in its history.
Drancis June followed him. Mr. Conant remembers an interesting incident
connected with June, which is worth relating. One of the governors of New
Hampshire had succeeded in raising an extraordinary crop of oats, and pub-
lished a statement that he had raised 125 bushels to the acre and defied the
world to beat him. June had a splendid field in the north part of the town,
where Mr. Sumner now lives, which in being threshed showed a yield of 134
bushels to the acre. June kept the hotel a few years and was followed by
William M. Field, now of Rutland, who enlarged the building to its present
proportions. He was also proprietor of the stage line from Rutland to Mid-
dlebury. His successor was Janes Hastings who kept the house about ten
years, through the war period, then J. F. Stinson became proprietor. He sold
the propert}' on the ist of March, 1 87 1, to a stock company composed of N.
T. Sprague, G. W. Parmenter, C. D. Pitts, Dr. V. Ross. They, with the ex-
ception of C. D. Pitts, whose widow has succeeded to his share, are still the
owners of the property. Immediately after they purchased the house, Riley
Deming began to keep it. His successors have been W. H. Merritt and
Delmore Vail, James, John, and Charles Gardner, Frederick Deming and L.
Collins, whose term began in the spring of 1883. The present manager, John
Higgins, came here April 13, 1885, from Arlington. He had had about fif-
teen years experience in the business and keeps an excellent hotel. The house
will accommodate about 100 guests.
S02 History of Rutland County.
The Douglas House was erected in 1850 by E. J. Bliss, for a storehouse
It was converted into a hotel in 1870, and opened in the fall of that year by
Mr. Bliss who kept it six or eight months. Albert Matthews next kept it for
a time, and was followed by L. R. Barker, in the spring of 1872. Barker soon
sold it to Frank Briggs who leased it to John Rutledge. Ellroy Rogers was
with Rutledge during a part of the term. The present proprietor, H. C. Will-
ard, came here in December, 1883. This house has also a good reputation for
order and neatness, Mr. Willard's experience enabling him at once to antici-
pate and supply the wants of the traveling public.
The Press. — The Brandon Union, the only secular paper now published in
Brandon, was first issued on the 30th of November, 1872, by A. N. Merchant.
The office was then in Simonds block ; in 1873 H. M. Mott and T. M. Tobin
took the place of Mr. Merchant. Norman A. Mott soon after purchased the
interest of Mr. Tobin, and later still of his brother, Hiram M. Mott. The latter
in his turn became successor to Norman A. Mott. The present publisher and
editor, Stillman B. Ryder, bought out Hiram M. Mott on the 15th of Novem-
ber, 1880. The paper was originally independent in politics, and warmly
supported Horace Greeley in that memorable canvass, but it is now thoroughly
Republican. It is a well-arranged, well-edited, four-page, thirty-two column
weekly, which succeeds in its aim to record local news, furnish general intelli-
gence and choice miscellany, and keeps its columns so untainted that it can be
taken without hesitation into the home circle.
The Vermont Baptist. — The State paper for that denomination is printed
here by Mr. Ryder and has been since May, 1885. The editor and proprietor
is J. R. Richardson, formerly of Rutland, now of East Ballston. This paper is
of the same size as the Union. (For past history of the press in this town see
Chapter XV.)
Attorneys. — The attorney now of longest practice in town is Hon. Ebenezer
J. Ormsbee. Mr. Ormsbee was born in Shoreham, Vt., on the 8th of June,
1834. He received his general education at the Brandon public schools, the
Brandon Scientific and Literary Institute, and at the Green Mountain Liberal
Institute at South Woodstock. He began his law studies in the office of Briggs
& Nicholson, Brandon, and was admitted to practice in the Rutland County
Court in March, 1861. He has resided in Brandon since 1848. Among other
public offices of importance, he represented Brandon in the representative
branch of the Legislature in 1872, and was one of the senators from Rutland
county in 1878. In the fall of 1884 he was chosen lieutenant-governor of
the State.
His associate, George Briggs, is the son of Hon. E. N. Briggs, so well
known to Brandon in the past. George Briggs was born in Brandon on the
26th of April, 1844, was educated at the Vermont Episcopal Institute at Bur-
lington and at Hobart College, Geneva, N. Y., receiving the degree of A. B.
Town of Brandon. 503
from the latter institution in 1866, and of A. M. in 1869. He began his law
studies with Senator Edmunds, of Burlington, and continued with Briggs &
Ormsbee, of this place. He attended a course of lectures, also, at the Albany
Law School, and was admitted to practice in the Rutland County Court in
September, 1868. He immediately formed a partnership with Mr. Ormsbee,
which has continued without interruption to the present. He has been town
clerk, clerk of the village school district, and clerk of the fire district since 1868.
He represented the town in 18S0.
Walter P. Wheeler was born in Woodbury, Vt., on the 25th of September,
1854. He received his legal education in the law department of the Univer-
sity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and in the offices of Hon. C. H. Heath and Hon.
H. W. Heaton at Montpelier. He was admitted to practice in Washington
county, Vt., in 1867, when he went to Arlington with J. K. Batchelder. He
opened an office in Brandon in August, 1877. He has been chosen moderator
of several town meetings, and has earned a good reputation for industry and
legal ability.
Edward S. Marsh was born in Brandon October 13, 1857. ^^ studied law
with Ormsbee & Briggs, took a year in the Columbia Law School, New York
city, and afterwards studied a year in the Boston University Law School, from
which he was graduated in 1882. He was admitted to practice in the County
Court of Rutland county in the spring of 1882, went to New York city for
eighteen months, and was admitted to the bar of that State. In the fall of
1884 he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Vermont, and at
once opened an office in Brandon.
PIiysicia)is. — Dr. Olin G. Dyer was born in Clarendon, Vt., on the 5th of
December, 1822. He received an academical education, and was on the 19th
of June, 1844, graduated from the Castleton Medical College. He also attended
a course of lectures at the Berkshire Medical College at Pittsfield, Mass. He
practiced the first eighteen months after graduation in Lexington, O., and after
that in Salisbury, Vt., where he remained five years. In September, 185 i, he
came to Brandon, and practiced for two years in company with Dr. A. G. Dana.
Since that time he has practiced alone. Since the war he has acted as exam-
ining surgeon for the pension department, and has done a great amount of that
kind of work.
Dr. C. W. Peck was born in Clarendon, Vt., on the 23d of February, 1 841.
He was educated at Fairfax, and at the Barre Academy, and received his
medical education at the Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, N. Y. He
was graduated in June, 1861, and has practiced in Brandon since that time.
Dr. A. T. Woodward was born in Castleton, Vt., on the 7th day of July,
1827. He was educated at the Castleton Seminary, and Castleton Medical
College, from which later institution he was graduated in 1847. The first four
years of his practice were passed at Whitehall, N. Y. Theri, after a year in
504 History of Rutland County.
the city hospital of Albany, he returned to Castleton, and practiced there nine
years. In 1 86 1 he came to Brandon, where he has won an enviable reputation.
Dr. J. J. Tobias was born in Ferrisburgh, Vt., on the 8th day of June, 1847.
He took an elective course in the University of Vermont at Burlington, and
was graduated from the medical department thereof on June 16, 1868. For a
year after graduation he practiced in Belchertown, Mass., although prevented
by sickness most of the time from engaging in a very extensive practice. In
the spring of 1870 he went to Vergennes, Vt., where he practiced five years.
While there he received an appointment to the position of physician aud sur-
geon of the Crown Point Iron Company at Hammondsville, N. Y. He re-
mained there until May 31, 1879, when he came to Brandon. He has suc-
ceeded, by dint of strict attention to business and the exercise of his unusual
caution and skill, in establishing an excellent reputation in Brandon and
vicinity.
Dr. J. H. Woodward, son of Dr. A. T. Woodward, was born in Castleton,
Vt., May 31, 1858. He was educated in Brandon and is a graduate from Cor-
nell University, N. Y. He was graduated from the College of Physicians and
Surgeons, in New York city, in June, 1882, and in July of the same year re-
ceived a diploma from the medical department of the University of Vermont,
at Burlington. He practiced about two years in Bellevue Hospital, New York,
and then removed to Brandon.
Dentists. — Dr. W. H. Wright was born in Addison county on the 25th of
August, 1843. He received his dental education in Middlebury and Brandon,
having been an associate with Dr. D. W. Prime from February i, 1866, until
1868, when he became the successor of his senior partner.
Dr. F. W. Hudson was born in East Burke, Vt., on the 29th of July, 1857.
He was educated at Westfield and is a graduate from the Philadelphia Dental
College. He began to practice in Lindenville, Vt, in 1879; removed thence
to Rutland in 1881, and from Rutland to Brandon in February, 1884.
Brandon Water Works. — On the evening of the 28th of July, 1878, Fire
District No. I of Brandon, adopted resolutions empowering and directing the
the prudential committee of that district to construct a suitable aqueduct in
the village of Brandon at an expense not exceeding forty thousand dollars.
The prudential committee (consisting of N. T. Sprague, Dr. V. Ross, and H.
Roberts), Henry Kinsman and F. B. Button, first and second engineers, were
appointed a committee to locate the aqueduct and determine upon its size and
character. The prudential committee was further authorized to issue, sell and
negotiate the bonds of said district for the purpose of raising the funds re-
quired in such an enterprise.
Surveys were made from Hitchcock's Pond to several points in the village
with the following result: The fall at Dana's corner is 139-1-0^0- feet ; at the
Brandon House, 153-inro feet; at the Congregational Church, 157/0% feet;
Town of Brandon. 505
at the west comer of the stone bridge, near the bank, 16/11,-0 feet; and at
the Baptist Church 165 feet lower than the surface water of Hitchcock's Pond.
The pressure of water is 65x0-0- pounds to the square inch. Other surveys
were made of Hinkliam Pond and " Lobkil," resulting, on comparison, in the
choice of Hitchcock's Pond as the source-of supply. Proposals for bids were
sent out and the contract was subsequently awarded to R. D. Wood & Co., of
Philadelphia, who agreed to reduce the amount of their bid from $39,668.94
to an even $39,000. The agreement was dated January 6, 1879. Bonds were
issued to the First National Bank of Brandon for $40,000, work was at once
begun and in a short time the aqueduct was complete.
Fire Department. — The first fire company in Brandon was organized in
about 1856, by the name of the Neshobe Fire Company, and a single brake
engine was then bought. There were about forty members in the company,
of which John Howe was foreman and Charles W. Briggs was clerk. Since
that time the organization has been in existence without interruption. The
engine was disused when the water works were completed. The present or-
ganization, Volunteer Hose No. I, was effected on Januarj' 15, 18S0. The
charter members and first officers were as follows : Foreman, C. S. Boynton ;
1st assistant, D. C. Luce; 2d assistant, A. C. Halsey ; clerk, F. H.Welch;
treasurer, C. O. Meacham ; other members, F. C. Spooner, F. E. Kingsly,
Charles A. Farr, F. W. Bacon, W. P. Wheeler, E. G. Whitcomb, George H.
Rolfe, John Condor, W. F. Scott, Jo.seph Pippin, C. R. Fish, G. W. Olmstead,
E. R. Campbell, L. J. Cahee, G. W. Scott, C. N. Pratt, F. C. Bliss. The fore-
men since Boynton's term have been Walter P. Wheeler, and Charles W.
Briggs, the present foreman. The present officers are, foreman, C. W. Briggs ;
1st assistant, A. J. Ives; 2d assistant, W. C. Fletcher; clerk, W. F. Scott ;
treasurer, C. O. Meacham. The membership now numbers twenty-five. The
company possesses about 900 feet of hose and two carts, besides two old en-
gines used only in case of fire.
Toivn Hall. — The town hall was built in 1861 under the supervision of
John A. Conant, and was one of the finest buildings in the county in its time.
The basement is of stone, the walls of brick and are from si.xteen to twenty
inches in thickness. The walls in the interior are thirty feet in height. The
cost of the structure was exactly $10,000.
For an account of the Masonic lodge in this town see Chapter XVHI.
The history of the village of Brandon would be incomplete without men-
tion of Senator Stephen A. Douglas. The early town records contain among
the list of births that had occurred in the town within a recent date at the time
of the writing, a statement of the birth of Stephen Arnold Douglas, on the
23d of April, 1813. The house in which he was born is still standing under
the eaves of the Baptist Church. The father of the future senator was a phy-
sician and died with the subject of this sketch in his arms, in June 1813. His
So6 History of Rutland County.
mother retired to the farm now owned by Henry L. Leonard, which she had
inherited in common with her brother, the late Edward Fisk. Young Douglas
remained on the farm until he was fifteen years of age, acquiring a good com-
mon school education at the Arnold school-house and at the old academy.
Being thwarted by friends in his desire to acquire a collegiate education, he en-
gaged himself as an apprentice to the trade of cabinet-making. He worked
at this trade about eighteen months, both with Mr. Parker, of Middlebury, and
with Deacon Knowlton, of Brandon. He then further prosecuted his studies
in the old brick academy a year, and later still in Canandaigua, Ontario
county, N. Y., whither his mother and sister had gone as wives of a father and
son named Granger. There he began to study law, and in the spring of 1833,
started for the West, but was detained at Cleveland the whole summer by
sickness. After passing through various experiences and suffering various
privations, he opened a law office in Winchester, 111., in March, 1834. His
subsequent career, his wonderful successes and final defeat, even his abilities
and characteristics are too familiar to the reader of this volume to need setting
forth. He died in Chicago on Monday, June 3, 1861.
Ecclesiastical. — Congregational Church. It has already been stated that
the first church organized in Brandon was of the Congregational denomina-
tion, and that for a number of years it was supported by a town tax. The
organization of this church was effected on September 23d, 1785, by the Rev.
Mr. Sell, of Dorset, and it contained five of each sex, as follows : Jedediah
Winslow, William Dodge, Nathan Flint, David Buckland and Moses Barnes ;
Mrs. Sarah Larkin, Elizabeth Winslow, Elizabeth Dodge, Mercy Flint and
Mary King.
Jedediah Winslow was the moderator of the organization and was chosen
clerk, which he continued for several years to be. There was no settled pastor
until 1792, when Rev. Enos Bliss was installed. It is supposed he was dis-
missed within a year. In January, 1800, the Rev. Ebenezer Hibbard was or-
dained in Brandon and installed as pastor at a moderate salary. He remained
here until September 5, 1 82 I, when he was dismissed, after laboring in Bran-
don for almost twenty-one >-ears, and leading a number of revivals of religion.
During the years 1 8 16 and 1817 about 120 members united with this church.
For a period of eighteen months after Mr. Hibbard's dismissal the church and
society hired miscellaneous preaching. Rev. Mr. Perrin, Dr. Bates, president
of Middlebury College, and Professor John Hough, were the principal supplies.
In the summer of 1822 Rev. Beriah Green, fresh from the Andover Seminarj',
accepted an invitation to preach as a candidate, and on the i6th of April fol-
lowing was ordained. He was more of a preacher than a pastor, and remained
here a trifle more than six years, being dismissed on the iith of May, 1829.
Dr. Bates and Professor Hough again supplied the pulpit until the summer of
1830, when Rev. Ira Ingraham accepted an invitation to become pastor of this
Town of Brandon. 507
church. His salary was $450 a year and the use of the parsonage, which had
been purchased during the pastorate of Mr. Green. He remained in Brandon
a little more than six years, when he was dismissed to engage as secretary and
agent of the Vermont Domestic Missionary Society. The whole number of
additions to the church during his ministry was 136. His successor. Rev.
Harvey Curtiss, afterwards president of Knox College in Galesburg, Ills., was
ordained on February 17, 1836, the day of Mr. Ingraham's dismission. At
this time Rev. Jedediah Burchard, an evangelist, began a series of protracted
meetings, in which all denominations united, and as a result, on the 20th of
the following March, forty-one new members were admitted to the church.
Dr. Curtiss was dismissed on the i ith day of December, 1840, after filling the
pastorate with such success that on his retirement it was found that 152 addi-
tions had been made to the church under his labors. Rev. Milo J. Hitchcock
preached for about three months after Dr. Curtiss left, and was given a call,
but did not accept. Again the professor of Middlebury College supplied the
church with preaching until the spring of 1842, when Rev. William H. Marsh,
after a short time, accepted a call to settle, and was ordained on June 29, 1842.
Though of fluent speech, he did not succeed, and, at his own request, was for-
mally dismissed on the 2 1st of March, 1843. On the following Sabbath, in his
farewell sermon, he avowed himself an Episcopalian, but made no converts.
On the 4th of January, 1844, Rev. William G. T. Shedd, having given satis-
faction on trial, was ordained pastor. He remained until August 19, 1845,
when he began the discharge of his duties as professor in the University of
Vermont. The professors of Middlebury College again supplied the pulpit un-
til the spring of 1846, when Rev. Moses Chase, formerly of Plattsburg, N. Y.,
began to preach here, and was consequently installed on the 3d day of Decem-
ber, 1846. He left on the 8th of September, 1847. Rev. Mr. Ingraham then
came here again and engaged to preach for one year, but did not accept the
call which was extended to him. Early in the spring of 1850 Rev. Francis B.
Wheeler accepted an invitation from the church, and was duly installed its pas-
tor on the 29th of May in that year. He abode witii this church until Sep-
tember 7, 1854. From this time on recourse was again had to tlit? college
faculty until the summer of 1856. Rev. John D. Kingsbury was then invited
to visit Brandon. He was installed on the 24th of September, 1856, and was
dismissed on the 15th of August, i860. The church was now without a pas-
tor for five years, though the pulpit was supplied in the mean time by Rev.
William Ford, a Methodist minister residing in town, and Rev. William J. Har-
ris. Rev. Franklin Tuxbury succeeded to the pastorate on the 25th day of
May, 1865. He remained here until November 18, 1875. During his stay
here nearly 125 new members were added to the church, and the church man-
ual was re- written, and the creed abbreviated, as a result of his ideas. He was
followed, October 26, 1876, by Rev. S. P. Wilder, who was pastor until April
So8 History of Rutland County.
1 8, 1880. During his pastorate Rev. Mr. Earl conducted a revival often days'
length and fifty-one persons were added to the church. The present pastor.
Rev. Walter Rice, preached his first sermon here on the 22d of May, 1880.
The first meeting-house was built of logs near the center of the town, a lit-
tle west of the house now occupied by Deacon J. H. Vail. Beyond this Loren
Larkins's house seems to have been a frequent place of meeting previous to
1797. At about that date the second house was built on the site of the pres-
ent church ; it was burned before it was entirely finished. A new structure
was soon erected on the old foundations, which was used until 1831, when it
was demolished and the present handsome brick structure erected at a cost of
about $5,000. The present officers of the church are : Deacons, John H. Vail,
Dennison Blackmer, Milton P. June, John F. Potwine; clerk, C. M, Winslow ;
treasurer, John H. Vail; financial committee (society), D. W. Prime, Dr. W.
H. Wright, F. H. Farrington, C. M. Winslow and T. B. Smith ; treasurer of
society, Charles H. Ross. The membership of the church is about 203. The
choir, as an organization, has been in existence nearly one hundred years, and
the greater part of the time the choristers have been three men. Judge June,
William M. Field and Dr. Volney Ross, the present incumbent. The present
value of the church property is estimated at not less than $15,000.
The Sunday-school was organized about 1826 by Jonathan S. Green,
brother to the then pastor, in the Ladies' Seminary building, near the present
residence of Mrs. L. G. Case. The present superintendent. Dr. W. H. Wright,
has been either superintendent or assistant continuously since 1861, alternating
with Charles M. Winslow, the present assistant. The average attendance at
the Sunday-school now is about eighty-three.
Baptist Clutrch. — The Baptist Church in Brandon was constituted in 1785,
consisting of twelve members. In September, 1789, Isaac Webb, who had
been with them a while as their preacher, was called to ordination and settle-
ment as the first pastor of the church. The council called to assist in the or-
dination of Mr. Webb included the Rev. Caleb Blood, of Shaftsbury, Rev.
Henry Green, of Wallingford, Rev. Isaac Beal, of Clarendon, Rev. Elnathan
Phelps, of Orwell, and Rev. Elisha Rich, of Pittsford. The pastorate of Mr.
Webb was short and followed by the successive pastorates of Calvin Chamber-
lain, Peck, Moses Ware, Joshua Young, Abial Fisher, Elisha Stark-
weather, Isaac Sawyer, Joseph Sawyer, William Hutchinson, George B. Ide,
C. A. Thomas, D. R. Watson and D. E. Post. Rev. Dr. C. A. Thomas was
ordained and settled in October, 1835, and remained until early in 1876, a pas-
torate of more than forty years in duration. Rev. D. R. Watson remained
until April i, 188 1, and his successor, Rev. D. E. Post, resigned in the fall
of 1885.
The church in its infancy held meetings for several years in dwelling-
houses, with only occasional preaching. In 1790 a log house was erected for
Town of Brandon. 509
their use, and in 1800 a more commodious framed house was built, and occu-
pied as a place of worship until 1832 ; the present substantial brick edifice was
then erected and first occupied. It has since been remodeled and repaired
several times. The entire value of the property at the present time is said to
be about $14,000. The present officers are : Deacon Jacob Powers ; clerk, S.
B. Ryder ; treasurer, Robert Forbes ; Sunday-school superintendent, Levi
Hazeltine. The church membership numbers about 150, and the average at-
tendance at Sunday-school is from sixty-five to seventy.
Methodist Church. — The Methodist Episcopal Church of Brandon was or-
ganized in 1801 by Daniel Pomeroy, with Elder Hulbert, pastor. The mem-
bership was very small ; a class had been formed on the 14th of August, 1798,
with Major Gideon Horton as leader and circuit steward. The earliest meet-
ings were held in Potato street, now the McConnell neighborhood. Dwelling-
houses, barns and school-houses were used for purposes of worship. Among
the early members were Major Gideon Horton and his wife Thirza. Dr. John
Horton, Gideon Mott, Henry and Eli McCollom, Daniel Hendee, Daniel Pom-
eroy, Benajah Douglas and Nathaniel B. Alden. The church prospered for
several years, and before 1808 arrangements were made and materials collect-
ed to build a church near the site of the present edifice. A bitter feud, how-
ever, between Benajah Douglas and Gideon Horton, who were political rivals,
created dissensions which caused the abandonment of this enterprise.
In 1 8 14 William Clark, a devoted Methodist, came to town, and with Eli
McCollom established meetings and made Brandon again a preaching appoint-
ment, which it has continued to be to the present time. In 1817 a great re-
vival was held in town. In 1831 and 1832 a camp-meeting was held near the
village in Brandon, Elder Tobias Spicer presiding at both. Bishop Elijah
Hedding attended the first one.
Rev. Peter P. Harrower was appointed to this charge in 1834 and for the
succeeding year. When he came he found about thirty members. About the
first of September a revival began and continued for some eight months, abotiL
sixty converts joining the church on probation and nearly all uniting with the
society.
The First Methodist Sunday-school was established by Mr. Harrower the
same year, and it had much to do with the revival. The minister was super-
intendent for a time, and was followed by Harry S. McColIum. Later super-
intendents have been Charles Sullings, jr., Rev. William Ford, Henry L. Leon-
ard, J. S. Stafford.
A legal societ)' was organized for building a Methodist Church October 4,
1836, and on the i8th Levi Bacon, Edward Fisk, and Lorenzo Washburn were
chosen trustees and Daniel Pomeroy, building committee. The brick church
was built in 1836-37. Rev. John W. Belknap was appointed as the first pas-
tor in the new church and through his efforts, in connection with the pastors
5IO History of Rutland County.
of the Baptist and Congregational Cliurches, special services were held at For-
estdale, the Arnold neighborhood and in other districts ; a great revival fol-
lowed. A large number of converts were also made at the Arnold school-
house under the labors of Rev. Daniel F. Page, in 1841. Rev. C. R. Ford was
pastor in 1855-57, '^"'^ ^^''^ reports show that many joined the church during
his term. The largest number of members ever reported to conference since
Brandon became a separate charge, was 131 members and eleven probationers,
reported by Rev. B. D. Ames, in 1862.
The present church edifice was dedicated on the 5 th day of November,
1876, having been completed at an expense of about $17,500. The building^
committee was composed of J. S. Stafford, J. L. Cahee, H. L. Leonard, J. J.
Simonds, A.J. Ingalls. The parsonage was erected in 1877, at an additional
cost of $2,350. The present pastor. Rev. J. W. Quinlan, came in the spring-
of 1884, as successor to Rev. S. D. Elkins. The present membership of the
church is 160. The present value of the church property is about $18,000.
The present officers are as follows : Stewards, J. S. Stafford, J. L. Cahee, C.
C. Slason, E. Fuller, Luther Brown, Benoni Griffin, W. H. Williams, A. E.
Kingsley, C. R. Phelps, Frank Ketcham, J. L. Barker, H. L. Leonard ; class-
leaders, A. Cool. F. VV. Bacon ; Sunday-school superintendent, J. S. Staftbrd.
The average attendance at Sunday-school in 1884 was 100.
St. Thomas s Church. — This parish was organized on the 15th of June,
1839, at the house of Royal Blake, in Forestdale, by Royal Blake, Benjamin
F. Greene, Charles Backus, Edward Sherman, Francis Webb, James Briggs and
Charles Blake. The following officers were then elected : Charles Backus, sen-
ior warden ; Edward Sherman, junior warden ; Royal Blake, Francis Webb,
Benjamin F. Greene, Charles Blake, vestrymen ; Edward Sherman, secretary.
Services were held for many years at the house of Royal Blake. The first rec-
tor was Rev. J. Perry, succeeded by Rev. Samuel Bostwick.
The stone church is the first and only Episcopal Church edifice in the village
and was erected in 1863. From September 1846 to 1850 Rev. A. H. Bailey
was rector. He was followed by Rev. H. H. Loring, in 1857 ; Rev. J. Newton
Fairbanks, 1868; the Rev. William Schooler, jr., 1S72; the Rev. Daniel C.
Roberts; the Rev. J, M. F"ulton ; the Rev. Henry Bedinger. The present rec-
tor. Rev. William J. TiUey, was called at Easter, 1883, and has officiated since
April I, 1883.
The present church officers are: Hon. E.J. Ormsbee, senior warden;
Charles W. Briggs, junior warden ; John L. Knight, secretary of vestry ; George
Briggs, licensed lay reader. As reported to the annual convention June,
1885, the present number of families is fifty-nine, comprising individuals, 229;
individuals not included in families, twenty-six, total, 225. Teachers in Sun-
day-school, six. Pupils in Sunday-school, forty-nine.
The Church of our Lady of Good Help. — The first Catholic priest who is
Town of Brandon. 51
known to have visited Brandon is Father O'Callaghan, who resided in Burhng-
ton ; he had come to Burlington about the year 1830, and remained there
twenty-two years. The next was Rev. John Daly. His field of labor was
very extensive, reaching from Middlebury to the State line, and from Brattle-
boro to Lake Champlain. He continued visiting the Catholics of Brandon until
1853. An Italian priest from Whitehall, named Father Olivetti, also made
occasional visits to Brandon. In 185 1 the French-speaking portion of the
Catholic community addressed a letter to Father Mignault, of Chambly, Canada,
who was then vicar-general of this portion of the Diocese of Boston, asking
him to send them a priest from time to time. Complying with their request, he
asked Father Quevillon, a priest residing in Burlington, to visit the Catholics
in Brandon. He came here in the year 185 i, and repeated his visits. He was
wont to say masses in the old town hall, and sometimes in private houses. It
is related that on one occasion he found so many children to be baptized that
the room was not sufficiently large ; the children had to be brought into the
room six at a time to receive baptism.
This reverend clergyman recommended the people to make a movement
toward the erection of a church. Accordingly in the month of February, 1852,
a subscription list for the building of a church was opened. The congregation
at that time was small, numbering about eighty families, which were living in
Brandon village, Forestdale, at the Old Quarry and Goshen. In the spring
of 1852 the land on which the church and graveyard now are was purchased.
The names of the committee which purchased the land are Francis Bachaud,
Joseph Harper and Francis Fortier.
In October, 1852, the church was dedicated, services being performed by
Fathers Mignault and Quevillon. Father Quevillon continued to attend the
Catholics of Brandon until 1855, residing however in Burlington. In October,
1853, the Rt. Rev. L. Degoesbriand was consecrated bishop of Burlington.
The whole State of Vermont was detached from the diocese of Boston, and
formed henceforth the diocese of Burlington; in November, 1853, the bishop
made his first visit to Brandon, and in the following j-ear himself began to at-
tend the parish. The records sliow that one of the first works accomplished
was to render the church more comfortable by lathing and plastering and the
putting in of pews. Father Druon, now of St. Albans, then stationed at Rut-
land, came also from time to time to Brandon during the years 1855 and 1856.
Father Riordan, since deceased, came also from Burlington occasionally to
minister to the Catholics here. The bishop, however, continued his visitations
until November, 1856. From this time until 1857 the parish of Brandon re-
cieved the ministrations of two priests of the order of Oblates — P'athers Koop-
man and Maloney, who resided in Burlington. In December, 1856, Father
Boylan was ordained in Burlington. The day before Christmas he came to
Brandon, and on Christmas day said mass to this church and administered his
512 History of Rutland County.
first baptism. He was appointed to Rutland, and did not return to Brandon
for some years. In February, 1 857, Father Duglue succeeded him, and was
in turn succeeded by him. Father Boylan's pastoral charge here was of nearly
nine years' duration. His successor. Father Halpin, w^ho came here in 1867.
was the first priest resident at Brandon. He conceived and carried into exe-
cution the idea of enlarging the church edifice. In October, 1868, Father
Caissy was appointed pastor. During his pastorate the priest's house was
erected. The present pastor, Rev. J. C. McLaughlin, came here in January,
1872. Since his arrival here a debt of $8,000 contracted for the building of
the church and parsonage has been paid, and a new cemetery lot containing
four acres purchased (1876) and improved at an expense in all of $i,000. The
brick chapel near the parsonage was built in 1870 at a cost of $800. Since
1876 the pastor has been associated with a curate. The list is as follows:
Revs. D. J. O'Sullivan, Charles Prevost, Dennis Lynch, P. J. Barrett, and the
present incumbent, Rev. P. J. Houlihn. The value of the church property is
estimated at about $10,000. One hundred and ninety families attend the
church and about one hundred children attend the Sabbath-school. Father
McLaughlin, in addition to the other improvements in his parish, has erected
a Catholic school of two departments, the corner-stone of which was laid May
I, 1885. The building extends fifty by twenty-five feet.
The money to pay off the debts and improve the edifices of this church has
been raised largely by fairs, to which the people of Brandon without regard to
sect have generously contributed. The last of these fairs was held in Septem-
ber, 18S3, by which the fund was increased $1,740
Sckoflls. — The following brief account of the higher schools of this town
was prepared with care by C. A. Thomas, who has been a resident of the place
fifty years : —
The inhabitants of Brandon, aside from the laudable interest which they
have taken in the organization and maintenance of their district schools, have
not been lacking in providing means so that the young people who desired it
could take up studies not introduced into the common schools.
Early in the present century the Brandon Academy was incorporated and
organized ; and the oversight of its affairs committed to a board of trustees an-
nually elected. The academy building was located on the north side of Co-
nant square ; two stories in height ; the ground floor for the district school ;
the upper story for the academy, and so arranged that the different classes might
have separate rooms for study. A Mr. Manley is said to have been the first
principal of the academ)-, and to have held the position many years, and to
have been very successful in building it up. He fitted many }'oung men, both
resident and non-resident, for college ; and did much to raise the standard of
intelligence and virtue in the community. After Professor Manley's retirement,
Solomon Stevens, Ezra June, W. J. Parker and others followed as principals,
Town of Brandon. 513
until the time came for the academy to be discontinued, and tlie edifice re-
moved to another locaUty and for another purpose.
Not long after the discontinuance of the Brandon Academy a new institu-
tion, under the auspices of the Baptist denomination in the State, v\'as located
at Brandon. This institution was organized and incorporated as the " Vermont
Literary and Scientific Institution." and combined in its first board of trustees
some of the best men of the denomination in the State, both ministers and
laymen. This board had several meetings to deliberate upon where in the State
this institution should be located. Finally, as the citizens of Brandon made the
best offer of aid in the erection of the building, it was decided that Brandon
should be the place. The citizens of Brandon village subscribed generously
towards the erection of the edifice ; John Conant, esq., and his two sons, then in
active business in Brandon, contributed very liberallj'.
Many of the Baptists in Vermont at that time were desirous not only to
have a school where tlieir children could take up some of the higher branches
of study, but they were especially desirous of an institution with a theological
department annexed, where the young men inclined to the gospel ministry
might be helped on in their preparation for it.
The funds that were obtained by agents canvassing portions of the State
were expended for more ground and for the purchase of a library and philo-
sophical and chemical apparatus for the benefit of the school. And although the
expectations of some of the early benefactors of the school were much disap-
pointed in not having some provision made for the study of theology in con-
nection with the school, still the founders and patrons of it have occasion for
thankfulness in view of what has been accomplished. The substantial brick
edifice, pleasantly located on elevated ground, in Brandon ; with a succession
of teachers and pupils occupying it whose main daily employment for thirty
years was the communicating and the receiving of useful knowledge and sound
instruction, must be considered an incalculable power for good in a community.
Thus it was in Brandon.
The board of trustees of the Vermont Literary and Scientific Institution
held its annual meeting in Brandon October, 1833, with Hon. J. D. Farns-
worth, the president, in the chair. At this meeting the Rev. Hadley Proctor,
of Rutland, was unanimously elected principal of the institution. Soon after
this the institution was opened for instruction, and during the first years of its
history it was well patronized by the denomination that founded it, counting
among its students representatives from all parts of the State, and well sus-
tained by the community in which it was located. But in course of time, the
institution not coming up to the high position which was anticipated, and good
academic schools multiplying throughout the State, the appellation, or title,
given to the institution fell into disuse and it was called and known by the
SI4 History of Rutland County.
name of the " Brandon Seminary," and patronized and sustained mainly dur-
ing the last half of its continuance by the inhabitants of Brandon and adjacent
towns. And as former members of the board of trustees resigned or died, the
vacancies were filled from the community patronizing the seminary, so that it
had during the last half of its history a board about all composed of citizens
of Brandon, and mostly members of the different religious societies. Mr. Proc-
tor's stay as principal of the institution was short ; but there were those who
followed, E. Parker, S. Keith, A. H. Bingham, C. B. Smith, and others, who
remained long and did good service.
At last, about the year 1865, the subject of uniting the two village school
districts into one, and turning over the seminary building for its use, and hav-
ing a graded school, began to be agitated. On investigation it was found by
the terms of the charter that the seminary property could not be sold. So,
after much consultation of authorities, and several meetings of the trustees, it
was resolved by them to lease the building and grounds, on certain conditions,
to the united village district for a term of 999 years.
The contract being consummated between the trustees of the seminary and
the consolidated school district of the village, the seminary building was en-
larged, reconstructed and arranged so as to have six large and well-furnished
school-rooms, and also recitation and reception-rooms and laboratory, all heat-
ed by steam and with all modern improvements, at a cost of about $22,000.
The affairs of the Graded School, as to finances and teachers, and whatever
may pertain to the welfare of the school, are committed to a prudential com-
mittee consisting of three persons annually elected by the district for that
purpose.
The school was opened in September, 1868, with an efficient band of
teachers. Professor J. S. Cilley, a veteran schoolmaster, at the head and prin-
cipal of the school, and this veteran retaining the position for twelve years,
which brings the school along almost to the present time.
Forestdale. — The village of Forestdale, which lies in the eastern part of
Brandon, is in origin of comparatively recent date. The ver\- first evidence
that can be discovered of a settlement there was made by John Smith in about
1823, when he started an iron establishment there. About 1830 Royal Blake
bought out the concern, and came there from Woodstock, Vt. He built a
blast-furnace and took ore from beds in the vicinity, and south of the beds
worked by John Conant, and the Leicester beds. He built, and until his death
on December 2, 1857, resided in the house now occupied by Alexander New-
ton. The iron business in Forestdale proved ruinous to its owners. John A.
Conant is authority for the statement that Mr. Blake, according to his own ac-
knowledgment, lost the sum of $75,000 in a single year. The entire prop-
erty was finally sold to B. T. Reed, of Boston, for $17,000. The ore has not
been worked for years. Royal Blake and his excellent family really founded
Town of Brandon. 515
the village of Forestdale. Mrs. O. A. Smalley, who lias an accurate and in-
telligent memory concerning Forestdale in early daj's.^ gives the following de-
scription of the place in 1839.
Mr. Blake had then built quite a street under the hill near his house for
his emplo)'ees. Religious meetings were held in his house for some time and
afterwards in the hall until he built the church. His wife and daughters, aided
by his own efforts and encouragement, fitted up a room in their dwelling to be
used as a school for young ladies. It was taught for a long time by a Miss
Mason from Woodstock. There was also a general school at the furnace. In
1 841 Mr. Smalley had a district set off and built a school-house on the present
site of the Methodist Church. It was finished and first opened in the begin-
ning of 1843. The direct road from Brandon to Forestdale was opened about
1 83 I or 1832. In about 185 I Samuel Blodgett, father-in-law to Royal Blake,
built the grist-mill now owned by Dr. Sheldon, of West Rutland, and run by
James Kimball. Mr. Blake had been running a store here since 1833. There
were no distilleries or asheries here, unless the wintergreen distilleries of Na-
than H. Churchill and Daniel Lincoln be worth mentioning. The only indus-
tries, in fact, which were carried on were the furnace, and the saw-mills which
stood on the site of the factory of the Newton & Thompson Manufacturing
Company. These saw-mills were erected by Anthony Baker.
The post-office was established at Forestdale about the year 1850, and Dr.
Charles Backus appointed to the office. In 1867 he was succeeded by Stephen
S. Sails, the present postmaster.
The only industry of importance now carried on at Forestdale is the wood-
turning establishment of the Newton & Thompson Manufacturing Company.
The business of which this company is the exponent, was originated in Maine
in 1849 by Edward C. Thompson, who made match- bo.xes. In 1856 Alex-
ander S. Newton began the same business at Forestdale. The present com-
pany was incorporated in August, 1885, and has the following officers : Alex-
ander S. Newton, president; Charles H. Bump, vice-president ; Edward C.
Thompson, secretary; Lewis J. Fortier, treasurer. It is successor to the firm
of Newton & Thompson, which bought out the original firm of Howard, New-
ton & Co. a number of years ago. They now employ from seventy-five to one
hundred hands.
On the 1st of April, 1876, the buildings were destroyed by fire, rebuilt
and burned while in process of construction, in July, 1876, about a mile south
of the original and present site. The works were then rebuilt on the present
site, and on the 19th of April, 1 881, destroyed by fire the third time, and again
rebuilt.
The other business is represented by Jerome Tennie, blacksmith and car-
iMr. 0. A. Smalley, still living, was born in Hartford, near Whitehall, N. V., in 1812. M^
Smalley was born in Goshen, Vt., in 1S20. They came to Forestdale in 1839.
5i6 History of Rutland County.
riage-maker, who came in 1866 ; Adrian Hendry, blacksmith and Hvery and
feed stable, came about 1867 ; Almond Baker, general store since about 1865 ;
Joseph Moss, general store five or six years ; and Mrs. E. J. Walton, general
store since 1881, when slie bought out Mrs. Emily Packard.
T'
CHAPTER XXn.
HIST(JRY OF THE TOWN OF CASTLETON.
'HE town of Castleton is situated near the center of Rutland county, and is
J^ bordered on the north by Hubbardton, east by Ira, south by Poultney, and
west by Fairhaven. It has been ascertained that the name was derived from
an English locality called Castleton. The hills of the township are rocky,
composed chiefly of argillaceous rocks, traversed and occasionally alternat-
ing with quartz. In the east and north the rocks appear in elevated ridges,
covered for the most part with fertile, arable soil. The southwest part is a fine
plain, intersected with slate and ridges of gravel. On the west side of Lake
Bomoseen is an extensive range of slate rock, which stretches south a consid-
erable distance, and is quarried for roofing and marbleized slate. The large
streams are bordered with rich alluvial intervales. The soil of the plains is
sandy, and of the hills a slaty gravel, loam and vegetable mould, with an oc-
casional subsoil of hardpan. It is quite evident that the plain which forms the
site of the village is an alluvial deposit of remote ages, for it is composed of
gravel to the average depth of twenty to twenty-five feet, the lower strata re-
sembling the bed of the river. Lake Bomoseen, or Bombazine, lies principally
in this town, its northern e.xtremity extending a short distance into Hubbard-
ton. It is eight miles in length and two and a half broad in its widest part.
A more extended description of this body of water appears in Chapter II.
On the 22d of September, 1761, the charter was granted to Samuel Brown
and sixty-nine others, most of whom being simply speculators in land, never
effected a settlement here. The first records of proprietors' meetings have
been destroyed, and the earliest account of such a meeting is dated some time
in 1766, and was probably held at the house of Colonel Bird, in Salisbury, Conn.
Another meeting in October of the same year was undoubtedly provisonal for
the first visit here by Colonels Bird and Lee, made in 1767, as appears in the
following vote, passed at that time : —
" Voted, that there shall be a rate or tax laid on the proprietors of the town-
ship of Castleton of one hundred and ninety- two pounds, lawful money, to de-
Town of Castleton. 517
fray the expense that has ah-eady arisen, or tliat shall arise, in laying out the
the township of Castleton, and in cutting a road through the woods, from
Wood Creek to Castleton, and other incidental charges that may arise."
In the following spring Colonels Amos Bird and Noah Lee, accompanied
by a colored man, set out on the first journey to this town, which they had
never seen. From Salisbury they came through Bennington to Manchester.
Thence all was wilderness, to be traversed by marked trees, till they came to
Clarendon. At Danby there was a log hut inhabited by one solitary man,
where they tarried for the night. From Clarendon they went to Rutland,
where they struck the old military road leading from Charlestown, N. H.
(known as No. 4), to Crown Point, N. Y. Following this road, they passed
along the northern border of Castleton, wholly ignorant of the fact, to Crown
Point, and thence to Ticonderoga. Here they replenished their stock of provis-
ions, and proceeded by way of Skeenesboro (now Whitehall) to Castleton, ar-
riving in June, 1767. They thus nearly compassed the township, touching its
borders at one time ; and from Manchester, forty miles south of Castleton,
they must have traveled at least one hundred and thirty miles to reach the
place.
The summer of 1767 was passed in surveying the township, though no
record of what was effected remains. It is said that on one occasion Colonel
Bird lost his way and was obliged to pass the night on the summit of a precip-
itous mountain, a circumstance which endowed it with its present name of Bird
Mountain. A log cabin was built during the season on the bluff in the south-
westerly part of the town, near the original East and West Road, as first sur-
veyed, on what was afterwards known as the Clark farm. In the next year
the same party of three made Castleton a second visit, with the evident pur-
pose of making a permanent settlement. Further surveys were made, and a
small opening cleared, but no seeds were planted. Before winter Colonel Bird
returned to Connecticut, but Colonel Lee and the colored man remained in
the cabin. It was an extremely cold and stormy winter, and these two men
suffered fearfully.
In 1769 Colonel Bird, according to probable inference, returned to Castle-
ton and built the house which he afterwards occupied, on the bank of Castleton
River, near its junction with the old turnpike. The last proprietors' meeting
held in Salisbury, on the 27th of February, 1770, was "adjourned to be held
at the house of Colonel Amos Bird, in Castleton, the 27th day of May next, at
two o'clock, p. m." Colonels Bird and Lee were both present at this meeting
and assisted in making arrangements for the settlement of their town in the
following spring. In pursuance of these arrangements, Ephraim Buel, Eben-
ezer Bartholomew and Zadock Remington arrived with their families in May,
1770. These were the first settlers and the only families here during that
year, as Bird and Lee did not bring their families until later. Other families
5i8 History of Rutland County.
followed, and the community increased by degrees until in 1775 there were in
town about thirty families and eight or ten unmarried men. The first child
was Israel, son of Ephraim Buel, born in 1771. Abigail, daughter of John
Eaton, born the same year, was the first female child.
This little community soon assumed an organized form, and began improv-
ing their environments, clearing forests, cultivating fields, building bridges,
opening roads, etc. A road from the west line of Ira to the town of Fairhaven
was surveyed in 1772, following the course of Castleton River, which passes
southerly from its source in Pittsford, receives a tributary in West Rutland,
and flowing westerly, divides Castleton into two nearly equal parts. The west-
ern part of this road was afterward changed so as to run from Castleton Cor-
ners to Hydeville. A north and south road from Hubbardton to East Poult-
ney, passing through the village, was surve}'ed about this time, as was also
a road to East Hubbardton. The old Troy and Burlington turnpike, con-
structed at a later day, leads from Hubbardton to Poultney, crossing the East
and West Road at Castleton Corners.
Colonel Bird took advantage of the opportunities afforded by the natural
water-power at the outlet of the lake, and in 1772 erected a saw-mill there,
which performed its first work in sawing boards for his coffin, he having con-
tracted a fever which, after relapse, proved fatal. His death occurred on Sep-
tember 16, 1772, when he was but thirty years of age. He was buried then
on the banks of Castleton River, near where the old turnpike crossed it, and
not far from his former residence. In 1842 his remains were removed to the
public cemetery, and their new resting-place marked by a monument "erected
by citizens of Castleton and friends, as a tribute of respect to a worthy man."
He was born in Litchfield, Conn., in 1742.
In 1773 a grist-mill was erected near the saw- mill of Colonel Bird.
Down to the Revolutionary War times a considerable settlement had been
established in Castleton. The family of Colonel Bird, which came in 1771,
returned to Salisbury, Conn., upon his death, and did not again visit this town.
His daughter afterwards married William Hallibird, of Canaan, Conn., and be-
came the mother of Lieutenant-Governor W. S. Hallibird, of that State. Col-
onel Bird's location was a little south of Castleton Corners, on the farm now
owned by Leander Jones. Colonel Noah Lee brought his family to town in
1772, made his pitch in the east part of the township, on what was afterwards
known as the Gridley farm, and built a log house, which they occupied until
the breaking out of the Revolutionary War. His wife, Dorcas Bird, niece of
Colonel Amos A. Bird, then returned to Salisbury, and remained there seven
years, while he enacted the prominent part which he took in the war. Colonel
Lee was born in Newark, Conn., October 15, 1745. He was a waiter in the
Colonial army when he was but fifteen years of age, stationed at Crown Point.
He was one of the active prop, ietors of Castleton, and was a vigilant opponent
Town of Castleton. 519
of the New York land claimants. He took a decided stand on the side of
American independence against British tyranny, and was prime mover of the
expedition against Skeenesboro (now Wliitehall), which left Castleton at the
same time with the expedition of Colonel Ethan Allen against Ticonderoga,
and which resulted in the capture of Major Skeene, the British commander of
Skeenesboro. From 1781 to the close of the war he served in Pennsylvania as
captain in the Continental army. He was in the battle of Yorktown, and was
present at the surrender of Cornwallis.
After the termination of the conflict he returned to Castleton with his fam-
ily, where he passed the remainder of his long life in agricultural pursuits.
Albert Smith, now residing at Castleton Corners, is a descendant of Colo-
nel Lee.
Ephraim Buel probably located a little to the west of the depot, and is said
to have sold his farm to Brewster Higley. He subsequently removed West.
He was one of the three settlers who brought their families to Castleton in
1770. In the same year Zadock Remington settled half a mile west of the site
of the village on the tract of land embracing the present farms of Dor E. At-
wood and Mrs. Mary Burke. He was an extensive land owner, and was highly
respected, though eccentric. He erected the first framed house in Castleton,
and probably kept the first tavern. The men recruited for the attack on Ticon-
deroga quartered there, and he had undoubtedly kept the house several years
at that time. He was suspected of being favorable to the British cause, though
there is no positive evidence of his disloyalty. He represented the town in the
Council of Safety in 1778. He lived to the advanced age of ninety- four years.
His estate, once large and thriving, had entirely left him in his old age, leaving
him quite dependent.
Eleazer Bartholomew was a very early settler in the west part of the town.
It is not known just where he lived, nor when nor whither he removed. Ma-
jor Abel Moulton settled in 1771, on the brow of the hill in the west part of
the village, opposite the site of the Advent Church. He died of small-pox in
1776, in the thirty-fifth year of his age. His monument still stands near the
site of his residence.
Nehemiah Hoit came in 1771, and subsequently married the widow of Abel
Moulton. He lived for a time where Mr. Moulton had formerly lived, and
afterwards removed to the south part of the town, where he died in 1832, aged
eighty )'ears. He followed second behind Ethan Allen in the capture of Ti-
conderoga, and was with Allen when he and his command were made pris-
oners at Montreal, though Hoit himself escaped. Though a man, it has been
said, of ardent temperament, he was too reasonable to keep his anger long, and
after the termination of the war he led a useful and Christian life in Castleton.
He was the first deacon of the Congregational Church here, and remained in
the office to the time of his death. In 1771, too, Jesse Belknap settled about
S20 History of Rutland County.
one and a half miles west of the village, on the farm now owned by Fred E.
Prouty and occupied by his father, Luther S. Prouty. He was the first justice
of the peace, and was a member from Castleton of the convention which adopted
the State constitution.
Reuben Moulton came to Castleton in 1771 and established a residence
two miles east of the village, on the Rutland road, on the estate of Carlos S.
Beach. The tavern which he kept is still standing on the old site, and was
occupied as a tavern after his death by his third son, Reuben. His brother,
Samuel Moulton, came the same year and settled on the site of the residence
of D. D. Cole. His son, Samuel, lived near the center of the village and kept
tavern and post-office here many years. The same year also witnessed the
settlement here of John and Gershom Moulton, whose descendants are scat-
tered through the township now. Among the other arrivals of that year was
Gershom Lake, of Woodbury, Conn., who settled about half a mile south of
the village, on the farm now owned by John J. Jones. He built both the sec-
ond log, and the second framed house in the town, the latter, which he erected
before the war, being still habitable and in good repair. When the British
troops passed through Castleton after the battle of Hubbardton, on their way
to Whitehall, they impressed Lake with his oxen to transport baggage, after
which they took his oxen for beef
Captain Zachariah Hawkins, father of a numerous race, visited Castleton in
1770, and contracted for 800 acres of land, including the site of the village,
but by reason of sickness in his family, failed to meet the first demand for pay-
ment and lost the purchase. Two of his sons, Gaylard and Silas, pitched in the
south part of the township in 1771. They did not remain long. In 1779
Moses and Joseph Hawkins, two other sons, settled here ; Moses was the father
of eleven children, all of whom settled in town. Joseph had but one child, a
daughter, who became th'fe wife of Robert Temple. Richard Bently erected,
in 1 77 1, the framed house where the council of war was held the night before
the capture of Ticonderoga. It stood on the green in front of the old Congre-
gational parsonage. Israel Hallibird and his brother, Curtis, lived at this
period a distance of a mile and a half east of the village. Joel Culver on the
farm now owned by the heirs of Sheldon Bliss, in the southwest part of the
township. He was early a member of the Congregational Church, and from
1805 to 1825 filled the office of deacon ; a more particular mention of the fam-
ily will be made in subsequent pages. James Kilbourn came in 1773, and es-
tablished himself a little south of Zadock Remington. He was a tanner and
currier by trade, and carried on the business while he lived in Castleton. His
only son, James, removed with him in later days to Canada. He had three
daughters, Molly, who married Pitt W. Hyde, of Sudbury ; Sally, who married
Araunah W. Hyde, of Castleton, and Ruth, who married Oliver Moulton.
Timothy Everts settled in 1773 on the East Hubbardton road, north of old
Town of Castleton. 521
Fort Warren. He afterwards went to Ohio. Eli Everts came liere in 1783,
and settled on the Southmayd lot, on the south side of the green, now owned
by Charles E. Ransom. He went to Fairhaven. Nathaniel Northrup, in 1774,
settled north of the village on the road to East Hubbardton. He lived to old
age, and left a numerous race of descendants. Captain Joseph Woodward
settled the same year west of the village, in the vicinity of Parsons Hill. He
was chairman of the Council of Safety at Dorset, in 1781. He had a large fam-
ily. Araunah Woodward settled in town about the same time. George Foot
married Wealthy Woodward, and settled, in 1775, on the corner of the old
fort site. Religious worsliip during the war was held at his liouse. Captain
John Hall came to this town in 1775, and built his house about a mile and a
half north of the village on the road to East Hubbardton. He represented
the town at Westminster in 1777, when the State was declared independent.
On the January following he was mortally wounded in the skirmish at Castle-
ton. He had two sons, Elias and Alpheus, both of whom, young men, were
captured and taken to Ticonderoga where they soon escaped. Elias resided
on his father's homestead until his death in his ninety-fourth year. He took
an active part in the war of American independence. At this time Alpheus
was teaching school in Castleton.
Brewster Higley came here from Simsbury, Conn., about 1778, and pur-
chased the farm of Ephraim Buel. He was descended from a family of Hig-
leys who came from England. He was a prominent man here and held various
town offices, such as moderator, town clerk and justice of the peace. He was
also deacon of the Congregational Church.
Perhaps the most influential family in town in early days was the Hyde
family, and the most influential member of the family, Araunah W. Hyde.
He was born February 14, 1799, at Hyde Park, Lamoille county, Vermont.
His father, Pitt W. Hyde, was one of the pioneer settlers of that portion of the
State, whither he removed with his family from Norwich, Conn. He became
a large landed proprietor, and by his exertions so promoted the public inter-
ests that the right of naming the county seat was accorded to him. He gave
it the name of Hyde Park, thereby perpetuating the family name in the Green
Mountain State, and rendering due honor to the home of his ancestors in Eng-
land. In 1802 A. W. Hyde was taken to Sudbury, where he passed his early
days on his father's farm, and received the rudiments of his education at the
district school near by. His characteristics at this period are remembered by
survivors as already remarkable. Thoughtful and earnest to an unusual de-
gree, methodical by nature, a keen observer of men and their operations, he
early formed the habits which he followed through life.
When he was about seventeen years old he came to Castleton to attend
school at the academy. Not long after he sought and obtained a position as
clerk in the store of James Adams. He served in this capacity five years.
522 History of Rutland County.
receiving the sum of five dollars a month. At the end of that time he was
received as partner in the business. This connection continued about five
years when he bought the interest of Mr. Adams and associating with himself
his brother, Oliver M. Hyde, commenced mercantile life on his own account.
He was the " middleman " of a large agricultural community, buying whatever
the farmers had to sell ; he also furthered every public interest, aided with coun-
sel and money the development of every resource, and in 1828 commenced the
erection of the building now known as the State Normal School. In the fol-
lowing year the building was completed and furnished sufficiently for practical
purposes. He erected a number of buildings now standing in the village,
among them the Mansion House, which has since given place to the Bomoseen
House, three brick houses on Seminary street, the marble block on the corner
of Main and Seminary streets, and a considerable number of frame houses in
other parts of the village, many of which are on streets laid out and opened by
him. He closed his mercantile operations in 1834. During the next two or
three years he was occupied in the settlement of past business transactions and
in arranging to enter new fields of operation.
In 1837-38 he purchased of Ebenezer B. Dewey of Hubbardion, the lines
of stages extending from Castleton to the most important stations in Vermont
and Eastern New York. During the five years from 1839 to 1844, when he
sold out, he, as a stage proprietor and mail contractor, was as well known
throughout the country, and at the post-office department at Washington, as
many of the railroad kings are at the present time.
In 1872 he purchased a water-power and mill-site at what was then known
as Castleton Mills, now Hydeville, and built the second marble mill of any pre-
tensions in Rutland county. Having become the owner b\- purchase of a mar-
ble quarry at West Rutland, he energetically entered into the business of quar-
rying and sawdng marble.
He was earnestly engaged in the railroad controversy of 1848 in relation
to the proposed routes; after the ultimatum was reached, and the opening of
the Rutland and Whitehall Road for traffic, he was made president of the com-
pany, which office he held for nearly twenty years. He was among the first
interested in quarrying and manufacturing roofing slate and marbelized goods,
and was actively engaged in this business up to the time of his death.
The authorities at Washington named the place where he had passed so
many years Hydeville, in his honor. He had no taste for a political career and
he never held an office in his life. He was killed in October, 1874, by a loco-
motive at the Hubbardton crossing, near the site of old Fort Warren.
John Meacham was born in Williamstown, Mass., in 1776, and died in 1848.
His father settled in Fairhaven. He served an apprenticeship at the nailing
business, but soon after he became of age engaged in mercantile pursuits, first
with Ebenezer Langdon ; afterward with John Adams. He was trustee of the
Town of Castleton. 523
grammar school, town treasurer, town representative, and judge of probate.
His first wife was Mary Langdon, by whom he had one daughter, Mrs. Hiram
Ainsworth, whose liusband now occupies the old homestead.
James Adams, born in Simsbury, Conn., in 1775, settled as a grocer at
Hydeville, in 1801. From Hj'deville he removed to Castleton village and en-
tered into partnership with Judge Meacham in mercantile business. After this
partnership was dissolved, Mr. Adams traded by himself till 1829; then in
company with C. N. Dana. In 1831 the stock was sold to Albert Langdon.
Mr. Langdon sold to Israel Davey and B. F. Adams in 1836. Mr. Adams,
with most of his family, joined the Congregational Church in 1831. He died
about the year 1857.
Deacon Enos Merrill, a native of West Hartford, was one of the early set-
tlers, arriving here about 1785. His early training was strictly Puritan. He
was a pillar in the church in Castleton for nearly sixty years.
Among the early settlers in Castleton was Captain John Mason, who came
here about the year 1785. He was a magistrate, a member of the State Leg-
islature, and of the Governor's Council, a presidential elector, and a trustee of
the granmiar school. He died at his residence in Castleton, two miles north
of the village, aged eighty- two years.
Rufus Branch came to this town from Bennington, Vt., immediately after
the close of the Revolution. His eldest son, Darius, came from Orwell after-
wards and remained here until his death in his eighty-fourth year.
James Palmer settled early in the northeastern part of the township in a
place called Belgo. He was the father of Dr. David Palmer and Allen
Palmer.
John Whitlock came here in 1775, and settled a little north of the village.
The farm he cleared is still owned by his descendants and occupied by Anson
Clark. He was a Tory in sentiment, but was of a peaceable disposition. Peter
Cogswell settled east of the village in 1776. He was a blacksmith and farmer.
He was the father of General Eli Cogswell, who afterwards attained prominence
here. In the same year, 1776, Benjamin Carver came to the Corners near where
Leander Jones now lives. He married a daughter of Colonel Noah Lee. Colonel
Isaac Clark established a settlement about this time on the place owned by Al-
bert I. Johnson. He has descendants in town now. He was an officer in the
Revolutionary War, and a Colonel in the United States army in the War of
1812. Colonel Clark was chief judge of the county court from 1807 to 181 1.
He died in 1822 at the age of seventy-four years. Other early settlers were:
Hyde Westover, who kept the noted Westover House at Castleton Corners,
and has descendants there now ; Ira Hartwell, who also has descendants in
town ; William Sanford (father of Dr. James Sanford), who resided here from
October, 1799, until his death, March 24, 1866; Jacob Wheeler; Dwyer Bab-
bitt, who settled in 1803 between Castleton Corners and Hydeville, and
others.
524 HisroRY OF Rutland County.
The importance of Castleton as a military rendezvous during the Revolu-
tionary War, for the American forces, may best be remembered from the fact
that here, in a small farm house built by Richard Bently, and standing just in
front of the old Congregational parsonage, occurred the angry midnight dis-
cussion between Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen as to which should com-
mand the expedition against Ticonderoga. This was on the 8th of May, 1775.
The subsequent retreat of the American forces laid open the entire region
around Castleton, indeed all Western Vermont, to British and Indian depreda-
tion. On a Sabbath, July 6, 1777, a skirmish occurred about half a mile east
of the village, around the residence of George Foote, where Fort Warren was
afterwards constructed. Captain John Hall was mortally wounded in this en-
gagement, while Elias and Alpheus Hall, George Foote, and others were taken
to Ticonderoga as prisoners, but soon after effected their escape.
The body of Captain Williams, wrapped in a blanket, without a coffin, was
rudely buried at the foot of a tree near by. Forty-four years after his remains
were disinterred, and the bones laid together in order by Luther Deming (a
man perfectly blind), and re-buried in the village graveyard, with appropriate
ceremonies. A short time after this skirmish a fort was erected near the scene>
concerning which Dr. John M. Currier, of Castleton, has kindly furnished the
following : —
Fort Warren at Castleton, and the Fort at Hydeville} — Fort Warren was
located one-half mile east of Castleton village, on a natural plateau, with an
area of less than three acres. This plateau is about fifteen feet higher than the
surrounding meadow in a bend on the north side of Bird's Creek, or Castleton
River, and immediately north of the highway leading through Castleton to
Rutland, about twenty rods west of the mouth of Mead's Brook, now commonly
called Hubbardton Brook. This plateau was connected with a plain to the
north, of many acres in extent, by a narrow neck of land on the same level.
When the Rutland and Washington Railroad was being built in 1850 this neck
of land was dug away to make the dump across the meadow west. A strip of
this plateau, thirty or forty feet wide on the north side, and about one-half of
the west end of it, were also dug away, for the same purpose, to the depth
of eight or ten feet. On the north side of the railroad, and parallel with it, a
new channel was cut by the company, at the same time, and Hubbardton
Brook was turned into it, which saved building a railroad bridge across the old
channel, but necessitated building a bridge for the public travel across the new
channel in line of the Hubbardton Road, which crossed the old fort ground.
The general features of this old landmark have thus been materially changed ;
only about one-half of the original plateau, at the east end, is now left as it was
in the Revolutionary period.
The fort was built on land owned by George Foot on the east and Peter
Cogswell on the west. The stockade enclosed the dwellings of both these men.
1 Prepared by Dr. John M. Currier.
Town of Castleton. 525
The entire ground is now owned by John J. Langdon, and his dwelling-liouse
stands near the eastern boundary of the stockade.
The road to East Hubbardton then passed east of Mr. Foot's house. It was
not a well-worked road at tliat time. It had been laid out and surveyed by a
committee through to Hubbardton line on May 3, 1776. It was by that com-
mittee located on the line between George Foot and Peter Cogswell, six rods
wide, taking three rods from each one's land. But, in all probability, it was
not worked until after the war, for the survey was not received by the town
clerk and recorded until January 24, 17S4. The road now follows that survey,
and the railrciad clips the northeast corner of the site of the old plateau.
All around the brow of this natural plateau, and across the neck in a
straight line, were set deeply in the ground large logs, rising above the ground
sufficiently high and thick together to afford protection from musketry. The
upright logs were sharpened at the upper extremity, which rendered it difficult
scaling them.
Surrounding this stockade was an abatis of entangled trees with sharpened
limbs, which reached to the foot of the embankment. A deep ditch surround-
ed the abatis.
In the northwestern part of this enclosure a block-house was built of heavy
hewn timbers, two stories high, the upper story on all sides projecting a little
beyond the lower story. This building was inpenetrable to musket balls.
There were several portholes on all sides, convenient for firing through from
the inside.
The water to supply the garrison and others staying inside was obtained
from a well dug outside of the stockade, at the northwest corner at the foot of
the slope. It was reached by a covered walk from the inside.
The form of this enclosure was oblong ; the west end was nearly circular,
while the east end had square corners. There was a square bastion ^t the
southeast corner which commanded in three different directions. It has been
stated that there was a bastion on the west end, commanding in two directions,
but the writer does not deem this statement sufficiently well authenticated to
be positive in asserting it.
There were two gates into this enclosure, one on the north side and the
other on the south side, nearly opposite.
Fort Warren,! named in honor of Colonel Gideon Warren, of Tinmouth,
then colonel of the Fifth Regiment of the Vermont militia, was built between
April 2 and May 14, 1779, under the recommendation of the governor and
Council, by the inhabitants of Castleton and the detachments of the militia of
Vermont stationed there to guard the northern frontier. The object of this fort
was to serve in the defense and protection of the frontier settlers from the in-
vasions of the enemy from the north. The north line of Castleton, the west
1 Govenwi- and Coiindl of Vermont, vol. I, 295-6, 301.
526 History of Rutland County.
and north lines of Pittsford to the Green Mountains, was the Une of defense be-
tween the inhabitants of the State and the enemy.
The forts at Pittsford, Rutland and Castleton were garrisoned by detach-
ments of the miUtia in varying numbers, all through the war after their estab-
lishment. This line of defense was under the surveillance of the State authori-
ties, and committees were appointed b\' the Board of War to make reports
upon the condition of the frontier affairs, that they might be ready for any
emergency.
The Board of War at Arlington, April 25, 17S1, "resolved, that this Board
do recommend that Commissary of Purchase, with the assistance of the Troops
on the Ground, build in the cheapest manner a store-house and some Barracks,
that they answer for the time being in fourt Warren."
The visiting committee for the northern frontiers for the Board of War at
Bennington, June 23, 1781, reported : " We Begg leave to report first that the
garrisons at Pitsford ought to be removed back from the place where it now
stands nigh Sutherland's mills or such particular spot Col. Fletcher shall direct.
2d, That the garrison at Castleton ought to be removed West from where it
now stands nigh to Blanchard's mills, that the fort to be built at Skeensbor-
ough [Whitehall, N. Y.] ought to be built on a small hill where one Willson
lives or Norwest about 5 or 6 hundred yards as Col. Walbridge shall direct.
Taking into Consideration the conve'cy of Water. That Each of the above
said forts ought to be built to Consist of a small picket and a strong block
house. That the fortification at Castleton as it is most likely will be Consid-
ered Hed Quarters ought to be much the Largest"
On the same day the General Assembly " ordered that a Committee of
three be appointed to hold a conference with the within named persons re-
specting removing the Garison at Pittsford, &c., and make report." The mem-
bers ghosen were Mr. E. Smith, Mr. B. Whipple and Mr. Post.
On June 26, 1781, "the above named Committee made a verbal report,
whereupon resolved that it be reconmiended to the board of War to order
about one hundred men to be stationed at the said garrison at Pittsford for the
support of it."
On June 29, 1781, the General Assembly "resolved that Warrants be is-
sued and directed [to] the respective Sheriffs in this State to Collect the Brit-
ish prisoners which may be found within the limits of this State and Cause
them to be Safely conveyed to Head Quarters at Castleton by the 10 day of
July next."
Thus it appears that at Castleton was established the headquarters for the
military forces engaged in the defense of the northern frontier on the west side
of the Green Mountains. Henceforth no evidence appears in the journal of
the Governor and Council, or in the records of the Board of War, relative to
the removal of the fort to Hydeville, or as then termed, Blanchard's Mills. But
Town of Castleton.
527
according to the evidence collected by the Rutland County Historical Society^
there remains no doubt that the headquarters of the military of the northern
frontier west of the Green Mountains was removed to Hydevillc in June, 1781,
and that a picketed enclosure, block-house and other necessary buildings were
there erected on an enlarged scale, sufficient to accommodate the increased
numbei of fnrctb at th it tmie The site of the enclosure was on the bluff and
adjacent plam south of Maui ■,trtet and east of the road leading from Hyde-
Plan of Fort Warf
Explanation.— I, i, i, i, i, i. Double line of pickets.
Spring, approached by a covered walk. 5, Peter Cogswell's h
' ■ ' John J. Laiigdon. 7, Block-house. 8, 8, East :
■ where it was surveyed i
el, running west. 12,12,
Ca-^tleton, Vt.
villa to Poultne}', a few rods southeast of the upper falls, on the creek leading
out of Lake Bombazine. No description can be given of the building, nor any
idea of the shape of the enclosure.
On October 24, 1885, Fort Warren was surveyed and a plan of it drafted
by Hon. John Howe, of Castleton, assisted by his law-partner, Moses J. Har-
rington, and the writer. His survey is herewith appended : —
1 Proceedings, vol. II.
528 History of Rutland County.
Commencing at the southwest corner of said fort, it being at the north end
of a rock on the north side of the highway running east and west through the
viUage and town of Castleton, and distant n. 294-° w. one chain and eighty-
three Unks from the "Mcintosh corner," so called; thence s. 721'^° e. five chains
and nine links to the southeast or bastioned corner of said fort; thence n. 1^2°
e. four chains and eleven links to the center of the Rutland and Washington
Railroad track, or northeast corner of said fort, thence n. 87° w. four chains
and twenty-fi\'e links to tlie northwest corner of said fort, at a stake and stones
standing sixty-six links west from the center of the traveled road on the Hub-
bardton highway, so called ; thence around on the west front of said fort, it
being in an irregular circular form, to the place of beginning.
The names of the following men who were soldiers in the Revolutionary
War from Castleton, have been preserved : Captain John Hall, killed in tlie
battle of Castleton, June 6, 1777; Nehemiah Hoit, was with Colonel Ethan
Allen at the battle of Ticonderoga, and taken prisoner with him at Montreal ;
Lieutenant Elias Hall, taken prisoner at Castleton ; after his escape enlisted in
the Continental army, was in the battle of Stillwater and present at the sur-
render of Burgoyne ; Colonel Isaac Clark was an officer in the Revolutionary
War, and colonel in command in the war of i8i2 ; Rufus Burnet, in the battle
of Bennington ; Jonathan Deming ; Cyrus Gates. Doubtless there were others
whose names are not here.
Following is a list, undoubtedly incomplete, of the soldiers from this town
in the war of 1812: Major Milo Mason, of the regular army ; Colonel Isaac
Clark, commander of the iith Regiment; Captain David Sanford, and Lieu-
tenat Perez Sanford of the i ith Regiment ; Hyde Westover, Jacob Wheeler,
Elam More, Samuel Shepherd, sergeant, Theodore King, Jonathan Eaton, Oli-
ver Eaton, Augustus Finney, Mr. Higby, Eliel Bond, Darius Burnet, John
Meacham, Elijah Burnet, Curtis Hulburt, Oliver Moulton.
Castleton was formed into a town in March, 1777. Eli Cogswell was the
first town clerk, Jesse Belknap was the first justice of the peace, Zadock Rem-
ington was the first representative after the organization.
No list of town officers approaching completeness exists prior to 1782,
when the following were among the most important officers elected : Perez
Sturdevant was moderator of the meeting; Brewster Higley, Reuben Moulton,
Isaac Clark, selectmen ; Brewster Higley, town treasurer ; Eli Cogshel (Cogs-
well), constable ; Stephen Hall, Zadock Remington, Eli Cogswell, listers ;
Araunah Woodard, collector ; Nehemiah Hall, leather sealer ; Zadock Reming-
ton, Gershom Lake, grand jurors ; Perez Sturdevant and Peter Cogswell,
tithing- men.
The early years of the colony were prosperous. In less than six years
from the arrival of the first families about thirty log houses had been built, and
six or eight framed houses, schools established, a place of meeting fixed upon,
Town of Castleton. 529
and measures were in progress to secure stated ministrations of the gospel.
Measures were taken to secure preaching as early as 1775, and thereafter re-
ligious services on the Sabbath were maintained pretty constantly. As has
been stated, the place of meeting in war times was the house of George Foot.
At the time of the skirmish before mentioned, a school-house on the corner
opposite George Foot's house attested the educational aspirations of the col-
onists. During the winter of 1778-79, two schools were kept in town, one
near the house of Zadock Remington, taught by General Eli Cogswell, and
one in the east part, near the residence of Reuben Moulton, kept by Alpheus
Hall. In 1785 appeal's the first vote to divide the town into districts.
The earliest merchants in town were : Solomon Guernsey, who built and
occupied the brick house where the Bomoseen House now stands, and was suc-
ceeded by A. W. Hyde ; General Eli Cogswell, with a partner by the name of
Graham. Samuel Couch, Mr. Baker, who sold to Meacham & E. Langdon, and
Meacham & Adams in 1801 ; Dr. Selah Gridley, Albert Langdon, A. W. &
O. Hyde, O. N. Dana, M. G. Langdon, Adams & Davey, Ferron Parker,
James Adams, who retired about 1830, kept store in the building now occu-
pied by his son. John Meacham, Merrill & Ainsworth, Lyman, Dana & Co.,
and B. J. Dyer, all kept store at different times in what is now the bank build-
ing. D)'er, the last there, closed about 185 1. Still other merchants have
been William Moulton & Co., W. & C. Moulton, Goodwin & Jackman, John
Goodwin, Rice, Root & Co., Root & Tomlinson, Harris Bartholomew, F. Par-
ker & Co., Spencer & Wyatt, Spencer & Lyon, G. D. Spencer, Spencer &
Armstrong, Armstrong Bros., Armstrong & Sherman, C. S. Sherman, A. L.
Ransom, Post, Guernsey & Co.
W. & C. Moulton ran a store on the site of the Sanford House. M. G.
Langdon & Co., William Moulton & Co., Goodwin & Jackson, William Moul-
ton, M. J. Langdon & Son, all occupied the entire building now used by F. L.
Reed, the last named firm closing out about i860. Rice, Root & Co., and
afterwards Root & Tomlinson, who closed about 1855, kept on the corner of
Main and Elm streets, where Mr. Guernsey now is. Harris Bartholomew
from 1838 to 1840, F. Parker & Co. from about 1843-51, Post, Granger & Co.
for six months, William C. Guernesey until 1854, Spencer & Wyatt from 1859
-60, Spencer & Lyon one year, G. D. Spencer, three years, Spencer & Arm-
strong, 1864, Armstrong Bros. 1864-68, all kept in the old marble store on
the corner of Main and Seminary streets. The following, taken from Rev.
Joseph Steele's History of Castleton, gives the names of the earl}' business
men in other departments of trade and industry : —
" Tanners and shoe-makers: James Kilbourn carried on business near Z.
Remington's ; Deacon Enos Merrill, at the west end of village ; Milton Mcin-
tosh, east of the village ; Sylvester Pond, north, on the E. Hubbarton road.
Ebenezer Parker and Captain Joseph Barney were the prominent blacksmiths.
530 History of Rutland County.
The hatting business was carried on early by Read Mead, in a building which
stood where the Liberal ^ Church now stands. Carpenters and joiners : Jona-
than Deming, Mr. Thompson, John Houghton, N. Granger, T. R. Dake, Free-
dom Brown, Clark Stevens & Son."
Previous to 1836 William Southmayd carried on the manufacture of brit-
annia tea-pots, near the Congregational Church. He closed his business about
1835. John Meacham had until after 1830 an ashery which stood about
where the railroad turn-table now is. Among the more important distilleries
carried on in the town was one at the foot of Frisbie Hill, which was also
closed about 1830, and the building purchased by A. W. Hyde, taken to
Hydeville, and converted into a barn for the Hydeville Hotel. About 1841
Hall erected on his farm, two miles north of Castleton, a distillery for the man-
ufacture of whisky for his own use and kept it as long as he ran the farm.
The farm is now in the hands of John Ryan.
The tannery of Enos Merrill was sold in 1836 to Amsdell & Bansier. It
was closed about 1841. From about 1823 to about 1 860, or later, Almeran
Branch carried on the wagon-making business. Another wagon-shop was
started about 1839 by J. C. Stevens, on Elmer street. At his death, about
1844, F. S. Heath took it. Franklin Griswold then ran it until it burned about
1869.
Former Drug Stores. — In 1836 Theodore Woodward, M. D., opened in the
west wing of his house a small drug store, the first in the town. He kept but
few drugs. After the decease of Mr. Woodward his son, E. C, removed the
stock across the road, and in 1841 associated with him his brother-in-law, Eg-
bert Jamison, who soon erected a drug store on the corner east of the Metho-
dist Church. There, in 1844, Jamison, after becoming the sole owner, did a large
business, furnishing medicines to physicians in the vicinity, also to graduates of
the medical college. He also sold them surgical instruments. Jamison sold to C.
C. Nichols, he to J. N. Northrup, M. D., who soon took in his son, W. H., who
from 1857 '^o 1875 did a large drug trade. Then the stock was sold to A. H.
Kellogg, who took as partner W. C. Rice, who, in 1876, purchased the stock
and took John Eastman as partner ; after some two years Mr. Eastman retired
and Rice continued the business until 1882.
Spinning- Wheel Factory.'^ — Sylvanus Guernsey manufactured both the
large and small spinning-wheels in this town from about 1790 till near 1840 and
perhaps a little later. There was very little demand for them as late as 1830.
His shop stood where now stands the dwelling-house of the late Gustavus Buel,
a few feet east of the Bomoseen House. Mrs. Caswell, his daughter, says the
last one he made was in the year 1846, for her the year she was married. Mr.
Guernsey invented and manufactured a double-geared wheel-head, which in-
1 Now the Catholic Chuicli.
2 Furnished Dr. James N. Currier by Mrs. Menira Caswell.
Town of Castleton. 531
creased the speed of the spindle. He also made clock- reels, and invented a con-
trivance so that the springs would not be broken should the children in play-
ing with them turn them the wrong way. He made several kinds of swifts for
winding off yarn, which could be easily adjusted to different lengths of the
skeins. He also invented a double-headed flax-wheel, by means of which two
threads could be spun at the same time ; few, however, could learn to spin on
them, and not many were made.
Sylvanus Guernsey was born in Bethlehem, Conn., October 7, 1767. He
was the eldest son of Solomon Guernsey of that town. He married, Novem-
ber 30, 1797, Miss Esther Higley, daughter of Deacon Brewster Higley, of
Castleton. He came to Castleton when seventeen years of age. He learned
the wheelwright and carpenter trades of his uncle, a Mr. Kasson, of Connect-
icut, during the winter months, and in the summer used to work at his trade
and cultivate some land in Castleton. He used to go on foot to Connecticut
in the autumn and return the same way in the spring. In the year 1 800 he
built the house where Chauncy L. Baxter now lives, just a few rods north of
Fort Warren in Castleton, on the west side of the Hubbardton road. He then
moved his shop into his house where it ever remained as long as he needed a
shop. After there was no demand for spinning-wheels, he made and repaired
guns and rifles.
On the south side of Castleton River a few rods east of the present grist-
mill. Deacon Erastus Higley had a carding and fulling-mill, and a cider-mill
where he distilled cider brandy. In the basement of this mill Mr. Guernsey
had a turning lathe, with which he used to turn cider-mill screws, bedsteads
and many other articles; all these were carried by the water in Castleton River.
Mr. Guernsey died April 3, 1855.
The Stage Lines — Prior to 1832 Joel Beaman, of Poultney, ran the stages
in this part of the country, mostly in Rutland county. In 1832 E. B. Dewey
obtained the contract for carrying the mails hereabouts, and became stage pro-
prietor. He made Castleton his central point. In 1835 he failed, and A. W.
Hyde succeeded him and purchased a line from Salem to Burlington, Rutland
to Whitehall, Rutland to Manchester, between Lake Champlain and Lake
George, and in winter had teams from Highgate to St. Johns. In 1841 he
took the contract for carrying the " Lightning Express Mail," as it was termed,
from Albany to Burlington, at $14,440 per annum. He was given a certain
number of houses in which to deliver mail. During the muddy seasons of
spring and fall he ran the mails in separate two-horse wagons, and timed him-
self with a watch imbedded in a block of wood. He also placed the way-bill
in the driver's hands and obliged the postmasters along the route to register
the time of his arrival and departure.
Castleton was thus the headquarters of nearly all the stage business west
of the Green Mountains in Southern Vermont. It was the junction of the
532 History of Rutland County.
lines from New York to Montreal, and from Boston to Saratoga and Buffalo.
The fare from New York to Montreal in winter was $14.00. Between Salem,
N. Y., and Castleton, thirty-four miles, Mr. Hyde had six teams to do the
work, and frequently had forty passengers here at one time.
In 1844 Joel Beaman secured the contract from Castleton to Troy, and after
about six months sold out to Mr. Hyde. By the opening of the railroad in
1850 the nature of the place was materially changed. Instead of being the
central point of numberless stage routes, it became merely a way station be-
tween Whitehall and Rutland. Hotel business consequently fell into a decline,
and all other branches of business felt the effect. In later years, however, the
town has been achieving a considerable reputation as a resort for summer vis-
itors. It has ahvaj-s been noted for the number and excellence of its hotels.
In addition to the early taverns already mentioned was the Westover House,
which was erected about 1808, and kept from the earliest date to 1862 by
Hyde Westover. R. H. Morris, W. C. Hyatt, Frank Sanford and William L.
Batcheller, then kept it until about 1870, when it was destroyed by fire. The
Moulton House was erected about 18 12 by Samuel Moulton, who kept it until
about 1839. His son, CuUen, then kept it about three years and closed it.
Frank Sanford reopened it about 1S78 as the Sanford House, and remained
until 1883.
Frank Hoy kept a sort of tavern at Castleton Corners in the early part of
the century. In 1838 he was stabbed in an affray there. From 1S40 Mr.
Whitney, William B. Colburn and W'ilson Proctor successively kept it. In
1878, after it had been closed for years, R. B. Weston acquired title and has
remained there since. Stephen Perkins opened a tavern at the Corners about
1830, and closed it nhen the prohibitory law went into operation. The Hyde-
ville House, erected by A. W. Hyde in 1841, out of Gilro\-'s old carving fac-
tory, was first kept by Alphonso Kilbourn. It was burned in 1852, rebuilt at
once and destroyed the second time by fire about 1872.
Among the other early industries may be named the linseed oil-mill of
Ebenezer Langdon, which stood on the site of the present grist-mill. It was
closed about 1842, after having been many years in operation. Connected
with it Mr. Langdon had a plaster-mill. In 1835 S. H. Langdon started a
furnace back of the site of the present depot in Castleton village. He failed in
1854.
It has been the fortune of Castleton to take part in all the wars which have
interrupted the growth of this country. It has already been seen that she did
her part well by contributing to the success of her country in the early wars,
and the following list of those enrolled on the side of the Union during the civil
war attest her readiness to do her share still.
The town furnished two hundred and fifty men to aid the government in
putting down the late rebellion, as shown by the following list: —
Town of Castleton. 533
William H. Alford, co. C, i ith regt. ; Oscar L. Babbit, co I, Sth regt. ; Sam-
uel I. Barber, and William H. Barber, co. C, nth regt. ; Jasper A. Benedict,
CO. B, 2d regt. ; RoUin N. Blackmer, — bat., 2d regt. ; Charles F. Bliss, Na-
than G. P. Bliss and Jeremiah Bolton, co. C, i ith regt. ; Jeremiah Bolton, co.
B, 2d regt. ; Frank Bordeau, 1st bat. ; Samuel Brainard, co. B, 2d regt. ; Chas.
F. Burt and Dunham G. Burt, ist bat. ; Patrick Byrne, co. C, nth regt. ; A.
B. Canfield, 2d bat. ; Harry S. Castle, co. M. nth regt; William H. Castle,
CO. C, I Ith regt. ; Eugene Chelson, co. K, cav. ; Henry W. Cook, co. H, cav. ;
John Dalabee, co. C, nth regt.; James W. Donnelly co. B, 7th regt.; John
Donnelly and Peter Donnelly, co. C, i ith regt.; James H. Dunham, co. M, i ith
regt. ; Thomas Dunham and William Dunham, co. B, 2d regt.; George J. Ever-
ton and James J. Everton co. H, cav. ; John A. Freelove, co. B, 2d regt. ; Will-
iam Flinn, co. H, cav. ; George C. French, co. C, nth regt. ; Henry Gardner,
CO. F, cav. ; Elias S. Gibbs and Moses G. Gibbs, 2d bat. ; Joseph Godfrey, 1st
bat.; William Goodrich and Gile Gould, co. C, nth regt. ; George K. Grisvvold,
CO. B, 2d regt. ; Benjamin P. Hall, co. I, 7th regt. ; William C. Harrington, co.
C, I Ith regt. ; Charles A. Hawkins, co. I, 5th regt. ; Gideon Hawkins, co. B, 2d
regt. ; Michael Hayes, co. I, 7th regt. ; Edwin H. Higley, co. K, cav.; Michael
Hines, James Hope, Abial S. Howard, John Howe, co. B, 2d regt. ; George B.
Hosford, CO. A, 7th regt. ; Thomas Howley, co. H, cav. ; Daniel S. Huntoon,
CO. I, 7th regt.; James T. Hyde, co. C, nth regt. ; \Frederick A. Ingleston,
CO. B, 2d regt. ; ^Harrison Ingleston, co. G, 5th regt. ; Endearing D. Johnson,
CO. B, 2d regt. ; Enoch E. Johnson, co. B, 2d regt. ; James M. Johnson, Lewis
P. Jones and Henry Jubar, co. I, 7th regt. ; Charles H. Kellogg, co. C, 2d regt. ;
L\man S. Kellogg, co. P", 1st s. s. ; John Killsen, co. C, i ith regt. ; Theodore
King, CO. B, 2d regt. ; Orlando P. Liscomb, co. M, nth regt. ; John McKean,
John H. McKean and Peter T. McQuain, co. B, 2d regt ; Henry W. Moody,
Horace W. Moody and Patrick Murphy, co. M, i ith regt. ; Charles Morril, co.
B, 2d regt. ; Cornelius O'Brien, co. C, i ith regt. ; William O'Brien, co. H, cav. ;
Albert I. Parkhurst, Leonard R. Parkhurst and William Parkhurst, co. B, 2d
regt. ; Noah A. Peck, co. C, 2d regt. ; Selah G. Perkins, co. H, cav. ; Patrick
Poland, CO. B, 2d regt. ; Edwin Poiney, co. H, cav. ; Asa A. Potter, Ethan A.
Potter, George W. Potter and James H. Remington, co. B, 2d regt. ; Justin E.
Robinson, co. H, cav. ; Edgar Ross, co. C, 2d regt. ; George W. Ross, Horace
G. Ross, James Russell, co. B, 2d regt. ; Leonard Russell and Marcus K. Rus-
sell, CO. C, nth regt.; Thomas Russell, Patrick Ryan and John M. Shaw, co.
B, 2d regt. ; John A. Sheldon, co. G, loth regt. ; John Sheridan and Timothy
Sheridan, co. A, 7th regt. ; Daniel Sherman, co. G, 5th regt. ; Zebulon Shep-
herd, CO. C, nth regt. ; Sylvester Simons, co. H, cav.; Albert H. Smith, co.
M, I Ith regt.; Edward C. Smith and Henry C. Smith, co. B, 2d regt.; James C.
Smith, 2d bat. ; John C. Smith, co. H, cav. ; Leonard F. Solendine, co. A, 7th
regt. ; Durham Sprague, co. B, 2d regt. ; Samuel E. Stocker, co. C, i ith regt, ;
534 History of Rutland County.
Lemuel Streeter, co. B, 9th regt. ; John Streeter, Lawrence Trainer, Thomas
G. Underwood and RoUin C. Ward, co. B, 2d regt. ; WilUam A. Ward, co. G,
5th regt. ; WiUiam Ward, co. I, 7th regt. ; Jacob Wheeler, John D. Wheeler
and Nicholas Wheeler, co. B, 2d regt. ; Miles W. Whitlock, co. C, 4th regt. ;
Samuel F. Whitlock, co. K, cav. ; John S. Williams, co. H, cav. ; Thomas Will-
iams, CO. C, iith regt. ; William Williams, co. K cav. ; William Williams, jr.,
CO. B, 9th regt. ; William Woodbury, co. C, 2d regt. ; Thomas Young, co. I,
7th regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers, and subse-
quent calls : —
Volunteers for three years, — Henry L. Bailey, 1st bat. ; Reuben Burton,
54th Mass. ; Joseph Clark, co. I, 17th regt. ; Frank Cull and Patrick Donnelly,
CO. C, nth regt. ; Lyman C. Fish, co. H, cav. ; Salmon K. Gates and Andrew
Godfrey, co. I, 7th regt. ; John Hayes, co. C, iith regt. ; Israel Hunter, 54th
Mass.; Frank G. Ingleston, co. C, nth regt.; Daniel Jackson and William
Jackson, 54th Mass. ; James P. Kellogg, co. H, 2d s. s. ; William H. King,
CO. I, 17th regt. ; Francis O. Knapp, co. E, nth regt. ; Henry A. Lawrence,
CO. C, nth regt, ; David Lee, jr., co. C, nth regt. ; Leonard C. Park, co. E,
nth regt. ; Edwin M. Parsons, co. A, i ith regt. ; Henry Peck and Frank Pens,
CO. C, nth regt. ; Patrick Poland and Lewis D. Potter, co. I, 17th regt, ; John
Roberts, Hiram A. Ross and William Scott, co. C, nth regt.; Sylvester Si-
mons, CO. C, I Ith regt. ; Henry Stewart, 54th Mass. ; Henry H. Ward, co. D,
9th regt. ; Cullen Wheeler, co. H, cav.
Volunteers for one year. — John W. Allard, co. G, 6th regt. ; Joseph An-
dros, CO. B, 2d regt. ; Alfred Atwater and Alonzo Atwater, 2d bat. ; George
E. Austin, CO. G, 8th regt. ; Hugh O'Neil, nth regt. ; Wallace D. Parsons,
CO. B, 2d regt. ; Alexander Phillips, co. C, 7th regt. ; Charles E. Porter, co.
A, 7th regt. ; John Ryan, co. C, 7th regt. ; Henry C. Willard, 2d regt.
Volunteers re-enli.sted. — Rollin N. Blackmer and Albert R. Canfield, 2d
bat. ; George C. Lowry, co. I, 7th regt. ; Peter T. McQuain, co. B, 2d regt. ;
Noah A. Peck, co. C, 2d regt. ; Robert Peino, George W. Ross and Horace G.
Ross, CO. B, 2d regt. ; Timothy Sheriden, co. A, 7th regt. ; Nicholas Wheeler,
CO. B, 2d regt. ; William Woodbury, co. C, 2d regt.
Enrolled men who furnished substitutes. — George W. Gibson, Marcus
Langdon, C. H. Simpson.
Naval credits. — Francis Griswold, Edwin T. Woodward.
Miscellaneous. — Not credited by name, four men.
Volunteers for nine months in 14th regt. co. F. — Harvey Bishop, Oliver E.
Brewster, Martin F. Brooks, Steven P. Carr, Joseph Clark, Patrick Delehanty,
Fred H. Dennison, Daniel W. Fox, George H. Fox, Salmon K. Gates, Lyman
J. Gault, Truman J. Gault, Franklin Gould, Henry H. Hosford, Joseph Jen-
nings, John F. Johnson, Aaron Jones, Jonathan T. Kidder, William H. King,
Town of Castleton. 535
Moses Knapp, Henry A. Pond, Fayette Potter, Steven P. Shaw, F. H. Shep-
herd, Harry Shepherd, Emmet W. Sherman, Frank W. Smith, Ehon E. Ward,
Willard D. Ward, Cutten Wheeler, George C. Wheeler, Charles H. Whitlock
Daniel S. Wilder, James H, Wood.
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Henderson Bishop, Na-
thaniel L. Cobb, James F. Donnelly, Hiram S. Hawkins, Timothy Unnegan,
John Fox, Edward Gleason, Henry W. Keyes, Henry Langdon, William H.
Northrop, Jehial P. Parker, Hale Tomlinson.
Procured substitute. — Lucius C. Nelson.
Entered service. — Chancey Briggs, 54th Mass.
Volunteers for one year. — James W. Donnelly, co. C, istart. ; James Fox,
CO. C, 7th regt. ; Theodore King, co. C, 1st art. ; Hugh Mahar, co. C, 7th
regt. ; John H. McKean, co. C, ist art ; William L. Monroe, co. C, 1st art. ;
Robert D. Pepper, co. C. 1st art. ; Willie A. Pattee and Wallace Russell, co.
B, 2d regt. ; Archie Stewart, 5th regt. ; John D. Wheeler and Miles W. Whit-
lock, CO. C, 1st art.
The growth in population of the town of Castleton is shown by the follow-
lowing figures: — 1791,800; 1800,1,039; 1810,1,420; 1820, 1,541; 1830,
1,783; 1840,1,769; 1850,3,916; 1860,2,851; 1870,3,243; 1880,2,605.
MUNICIP.\L HISTORY.
Castleton Village. — This village is the oldest as well as the largest one in
the town whose name it bears. The little water-power which it possesses was
utilized very early in the present century, first by Erastus Higley, in 1803, for
a carding-machine and fulling-mill, and by Mr. Langdon for an oil-mill. After-
wards there was a marble-mill, and a feed-mill on the site. About 1835, Hart
Langdon erected a furnace there, and carried on an extensive business for sev-
eral years.
The early schools have already been mentioned, but this village has in past
days enjoyed an enviable distinction in educational matters. Not later than
1786, the citizens of this town initiated plans for the establishment of a gram-
mar school. Samuel Moulton donated land a little on the east of the site of the
Methodist Church. A building was erected thereon, and a school opened.
On the 15th of October, 1787, the General Assembly passed the following act:
"Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, that the
place for keeping a county grammar school in and for Rutland county, shall
be at the house commonly known by the name of tl^e new school-house, near
Dr. William Walcott's, in said Castleton; provided that the county of Rutland
shall not be at any cost or charge in completeing or repairing the same."
The school, which is said to have been the third, in order of time of this
grade, in the State, was continued until 1800, when the building was destroyed
by fire. It was soon replaced by a more commodious building, and on the
536 History of Rutland County.
29th of October, 1805, in " an act confirming a grammar school in the county
of Rutland," the General Assembly constituted Rev. Elihu Smith, Hon. James
Witherell and Chauncey Langdon, Araunah W. Hyde, Theophilus Flagg,
Samuel Shaw, James Gilmore, Amos Thompson, John Mason, Enos Merrill
and Isaac Clark, a board of trustees under the title of " the Corporation of
Rutland County Grammar School." The board was completed on the i ith of
March, 1807, by the election of Hon. Rollin C. Mallary, twelfth trustee. Care
was taken from the first that the town of Castleton should be responsible for
all the expenses of the academy. Save a limited amount of subscriptions se-
cured for the purchase of the present building, and the rent of lands set apart
for a county grammar school, the entire expenses of the school have been met
by the inhabitants of Castleton.
The name, " Rutland County Grammar School " was changed to the " Ver-
mont Classical High School," by legislative act, October 28, 1828.
Rev. Oliver Hulbert was preceptor of the school until 1 807, when he re-
signed and settled as a minister in Ohio. He was followed successively b}' R.
C. Moulton, William Dickinson, Eleazer Barrows, Rev. John L. Cazier and
Henry Belknap.
In I 81 5 the building was removed farther from the street and considerably
repaired. Rev. John Clane}' taught in the year 1 819-20, and was followed
for six years by Henry Howe, who afterwards achieved a wide reputation as
principal in an academy in Canandaigua, N. Y. He was succeeded by Rev.
Edwin Hall, D. D., afterwards president of Auburn Theological Seminary, N.Y.
Hon. Solomon Foote was chosen preceptor in May, 1828, and entered up-
on his duties with high purpose, thinking to devote his life to teaching. The
school increased rapidly, and the accommodations becoming too limited to
suit his aspirations, he conceived the plan of a high school for boys. By his
own efforts, aided by Fordice Warner, a spacious edifice was begun, one hun-
dred and sixty feet long and forty feet deep, with a stone basement, surmount-
ed by three stories of brick. Araunah W. Hyde, on learning that the means
of the board were running low, completed the building at a cost of more than
thirty thousand dollars. On the ist of November, 1830, an act was passed
restoring to the institution its original name.
Rev. Truman M. Post, D. D., and Hon. John Meacham were respectively
principals, among others, while the brick building, from the expense of its
maintenance, fell into disuse. Rev. Charles Walker, D. D., and Rev. Lucius
F. Clark followed as associate principals, and started a boarding-school in ad-
dition. Their efforts were attended with an increase of students to two hun-
dred. Rev. Meack succeeded Dr. Walker as associate principal, and in 1837
became sole principal of the school. In March, 1838, the old brick building
was purchased of Araunah W. Hyde for sixteen thousand dollars, and it re-
mained in the hands of the corporation until it was bought in May, 1 88 1, by
iU 4 m -4 i 4 H
tl-^/^/vi^^^.^
Town of Castleton. 537
Captain Abel E. Leavenworth. Rev. Edward J Hallock was principal from
September 3, 1838, until the spring of 1856. Under his management the
school was very prosperous, and the debt of purchase was canceled. For
every thousand dollars raised by Mr. Hallock, Mr. Hyde allowed three thou-
sand. Mr. Hallock afterwards died of cholera in St. Louis, and the alumni
have erected a statel}- monument to his memory in the Castleton Cemetery.
In 1859 Rev. Stephen M. Knowlton succeeded Rev. Azariah Hyde, and was
followed in 1862 by Miss Harriet N. Haskell, who conducted the school for
five years under the title of Castleton Seminary. During her last year the
Medical College building was donated by Carlos S. Sherman for the use of the
school and moved upon its present site at the east end of the seminary building.
In February, 1S67, the trustees of the Vermont Board of Education ex-
pended several thousand dollars in establishing a State Normal School here for
the First Congressional District, and from the start appropriated for such pur-
pose the old Medical College building. Rev. R. G. Williams had charge of
both Seminary and Normal School until 1874, and was followed, each one
year, by Edward J. Hyde, A. M., and Rev. George A. Barrett. The seminay
course was suspended in August, 1876, and Walter E. Howard, A. M., began
his two years' course as principal of the Normal School. His successor for
three }'ears was Judah Dana, A. M. In June, 1881, he was followed by Abel
E. Leavenworth, A. M., a graduate from the University of Vermont, who has
had an experience of more than a quarter of a century as principal of classical
and normal schools. The general supervision of the school remains with the
"corporation of Rutland County Grammar School," and with the State super-
intendent of education. The attendance during the fall term of 1885-86 was
about 140. Eight counties and tliirt}'-four towns of Vermont are represented.
Mercantile Interests. — Dunham G. Burt began the saddlery business here
in the fall of 1884, as successor to his father, B. W. Burt. The business was
established about 1832 by George W. Ellis, who sold out to Volney Sherman.
T. M. Sherman was B. W. Burt's predecessor.
The general store now owned b\' James Adams was that of Langdon,
Davey & Co., in 1837. I" the fall of that )'ear Adams & Davey bought the
concern. The firm was changed in 1846 to Adams & Adams, being F. B. and
James Adams, brothers. In 1857 James Adams bought out his brother, and
in 1865 sold to Linscomb & Sherman. Seth Pepper bought them out in 1866,
and the next year became the associate of James Adams. Pepper went out in
1868. The father of the present proprietor has been mentioned as an early
merchant.
The dry goods business of W. C. Guernsey was established by Ferrand
Parker in 1842 or 1843 and transferred to the present proprietor in I 85 I.
George L. Preston began dealing in jewelry here in 1883, as successor to
his father, L. W. Preston. C. D. Griswold, who founded the business about
1843, sold to L. W. Preston.
538 History of Rutland County.
The firm of E. H. Armstrong & Co., dealers in drugs and medicines, was
formed in August, 1884. W. C. Rice, Rice & Kellogg, Northrup & Son and
Charles Nichols were successively proprietors in the inverse order of their
naming. Dr. Theodore Woodward established the business about forty years
ago. The general store of A. L. Ransom was started in 1859 by G. D. Spen-
cer, who sold out to E. H. Armstrong in the spring of 1865. His successors
were Armstrong & Sherman, C. S. Sherman and the present proprietor.
C. S. Proctor began to trade in groceries in 1861. He has had Calvin
Wood and Marcus Langdon as partners at different times.
T. P. Smith established his grocery business in 1866 or 1867.
F. L. Reed started his hardware store here in the spring of 1882.
The dry goods and general store of H. E. Armstrong was started by him
on April i, 1883. He had before that traded in Poultney for several years.
W. H. Northrup, wholesale manufacturer of ink powders, extracts, per-
fumes and pomades, started about 1872.
Hotels. — One of the finest hotels in the State is the Bomoseen House, which
was erected in 1868 by William L. Batcheller. In 1871 he was succeeded in
the proprietorship by Stutely Beach, who remained about a year. Lucius Col-
lins kept it then until the spring of 1880. H. P. Ellis commenced keeping it,
and remained, with the exception of eleven months following the spring of
1884, when T. N. Carpenter, of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, was here until Octo-
ber, 1885. The present genial proprietor, J. H. Whitehall, took possession on
the 9th of last October, and bids fair to surpass even his predecessor in the ex-
cellence of his "bed and board."
The old Mansion House, built by Araunah W. Hyde in 1830, stood on the
site of the Bomoseen House, and was kept for the first three \'ears by D. S.
Kettle. E. B. Uewey and A. W. Hyde each in turn followed him until the
spring of 1837, when Chester Spencer opened it as a temperance hotel. He
had previously opened a temperance house in Wallingford, said to be the first
in the United States. ^ From 1847 to 1849 others ran the house. Mr. Spen-
cer then returned and kept it until 1854.
Athough there are no other hotels in this village, there can be no fitter
place to enumerate the summer houses on Lake Bomoseen.
Coffey's Picnic House was built in 1852 by F. S. Heath; sold in 1878 to
Harvey Bishop, and at once transferred to Michael Coffey, who rebuilt it, and
keeps it now. The Taghkannuc House, on the island of the same name, was
built in 1874, and is now owned by A. W. Barker. Bixby's Hotel, built by
1 Chester Spencer was born in Pawlet in iSoo. He learned the clothier's trade. In 1821 he
went to Mount Holly and four years later married Miss E. E. Draper, of Claremont, N. H. It was
in 1835 that he opened the Temperance Hotel in Wallingford. He died in 1876. His son, G. D.
Spencer, who has rendered valuable assistance in the compilation of this town history, was born in
Wallingford, October 12, 1830; came to Castleton in 1837, from 1852 to 1859 was in New York city,
and from iS68 to iS8o in Fairhaven. The rest of his life has been passed in Castleton.
Town of Castleton. 539
Mark W. Bixby in 1876, is still kept by him. The Lake House was built by
the present proprietor, R. H. Walker, in 18S0. Johnson's Club House, Colo-
nel E. D. Johnson, manager, is the property of a club composed of members
from all about the country. It was converted into a hotel from a farm-house
in 1880.
Banks. — The first bank in Castleton, called the Bank of Castleton, was or-
ganized in 1852; capital stock $100,000. Hon. William C. Kittridge was the
first president ; L. D. Foote, first cashier. T. W. Rice succeeded Judge Kit-
tridge in 1854, as president, and C. M. Willard, now of Fairhaven, was ap-
pointed cashier. This bank was closed in 1859, and the Mutual Bank of Cas-
tleton was organized in its place, with T. W. Rice, president, C. M. Willard,
cashier. In 1865 the title of the bank was changed to the Castleton National
Bank, and Carlos S. Sherman became president with I. M. Guy, cashier. The
cashiers since then have been M. D. Cole, H. I. Cole, and the present incum-
bent, D. D. Cole. Mr. Sherman is still president. Deposits, about $30,000.
Capital, $50,000. Surplus, $10,000.
Attorneys. — Hon. Jerome B. Bromley was born in Pawlet, Vt., May 4,
1828, was educated in the Burr & Burton Seminary at Manchester, Vt., stud-
ied law in the office of George W. Harmon, of Pawlet, and was admitted to
the bar in September, 1849. He practiced in Pawlet until 1871, when he re-
moved to Castleton village and has since been judge of probate for Fairhaven
District. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1856-57,
State's attorney in 1867-68, and represented Pawlet in the Legislature in 1869
and 1870. His son, Charles C. Bromley, now a student in his office, was born
in Pawlet, November 17, 1863. Henry L. Clark was born in Mount Holly on
the 5th of February, 1847 ; studied law with Edgerton & Nichols, of Rutland,
and C. M. Willard, then of Castleton, and was admitted to practice in 1870.
Since 1871 he has practiced here in company with Judge Bromley. He rep-
resented Castleton in 1884.
John Howe was born in Castleton on the 8th day of October, 1833. He
studied in the office of his father, Hon. Zimri Howe, and at the Albany Law
School, and was admitted in the fall of 1854. He has practiced here ever since,
with the exception of eight years and a half, following May, 1868, when he
was without the State. He has been State's attorney four years from 1880,
and represented the town in 1867, and in 1878, His partner, Moses J. Har-
rington, was born in Castleton, August 8, 1859. He studied with Mr. Howe,
and in a law office in New York city, and was admitted in March, 1884. He
has practiced in Castleton ever since, and has been in partnership with Mr.
Howe since February, 1885.
Physicians. — Dr. James Sanford was born in Castleton, October 19, 18 16;
received his medical education at the Castleton Medical College, from which he
was graduated in 1840 and attended lectures in New York, and the Albany
S40 History of Rutland County.
College. In 1840 be commenced practicing in Westhaven. From 1844 to
about 1863 be practiced in Fairbaven, and tben took up his residence in Cas-
tleton.
Dr. C. C. Nicbols was born June 2, 1824, in Hubbardton, was graduated
from the Castleton Medical College in 1847. From 1855 he practiced in Wells
until 1872, when he came to Hydeville. In March, 1855, he removed to Cas-
tleton village.
Dr. G. Roberts was born in Leicester, Vt., September i, 1861, recei\'ed
his medical education at the University of Michigan, and the Hahnemann
Medical College of Chicago, from which latter institution he was graduated
February 22, 1882. On the 20th of April following he came to Castleton. He
practices homeopathy.
Postmasters. — Little is known respecting the postmasters in the early his-
tory of the town, or in what year the office was established. For some years
the first settlers went to Rutland for all mail matter. Dr. Selah Gridley may
have been the first postmaster, though it is probable there were others before
him. Samuel Moulton received the appointment in 18 10, and held it till his
death in 1838. His son, Cullen Moulton, was then appointed. From 1841 to
1843 the postmaster was Chester Spencer, then followed Cullen Moulton,
Hannibal Hodges, Chester Spencer, Gustavus Buel, William Moulton, and in
1885 the present incumbent, D. G. Burt.
Miscellaneous Business. — The saw-mill of Simon Bassett, two miles north
of Castleton village, was started about 1S76 by the present proprietor.
The grist and saw-mill which stands on the site of the old oil-mill came
into the possession of the present proprietor, Russell Streeter, several years ago.
His predecessors were Bromley & Dewey.
The Sherman Marble Mill was started about the year 1835, by Sherman &
Jackman, who were succeeded in 1842 b)' Sherman, Brother & Son. In 1844
Jackman & Sherman purchased it. In 185 1 Sherman & Hyatt; in about
1854 T. M. Sherman ; in 1880 T. S. Sherman, the present proprietor.
Tlic Press. — There are no newspapers published in town at present. The
first newspaper published here was called the Vermont Statesman. It was
commenced in 1824 by Ovid Miner. It was Whig in politics, under the man-
agement of different editors retaining essentially the same political character.
The StatesniaJi coWCwwinA until 1855.
Tlic Grcoi Mountain Eagle was established about 1834, under the excite-
ment of anti-Masonry. Judge Howe was probably the ];rime mover and prin-
cipal proprietor in the enterprise. Its existence terminated with the anti-
Masonic party.
Hydeville. — The writer's informants (Mr. and Mrs. John Culver) concern-
ing the history of Hydeville have been life-long residents here. John, son of
Joel Culver, was born July 4, 1807, on the place now owned b\- Robert Will-
Town of Castleton. 541
ianis. His wife, great granddaughter of Mr. Castle, from whom, according to
one tradition, the town was named, was born on the iith of August, 1816, in
the same room which witnessed the birth of her future husband, Samuel
Wliitlock, her father having in the mean time purchased the farm of Joel Cul-
ver. They were married January I, 1S51. Joel and I'^rancis Culver, brothers,
came to Castleton from Litchfield, Conn., with their step-father, Mr. Blanch-
ard. Francis Culver acquired title to all the mill privileges in the present
Hydeville, and operated for some time the saw-mill and grist-mill, which were
erected b\' Colonel Amos Bird. Joel Culver owned the farm on the Poultney
line, now owned by Walter Metcalf
About 181 5 there was an old forge here which had formerly done a large
business, but was gone before 1820. In the earliest times the place \vas called
Slab Cit\-, and afterwards Castleton Mills. For years prior to 1820 Mrs.
Prudence Murdock kept tavern in the same house now occupied by Dennis
McGraw. She was left a widow, with two daughters ; her husband, Throop
Murdock, had owned and operated cloth-dressing works near the site of the
Bolger Bros.' new mill. Mr. Swain, and afterwards David Bristol, also had a
carding-machine here. The store of James Adams stood nearly in front of
the old tavern and in the southwest corner of the door-yard. The Lovelands
(Alanson, Alvin, and others) operated a tannery on the bank, on the place
now owned by James Comstock. There was also an old earthenware pottery
near the site of the Bolger store, run by Job Styles. It was gone before 181 5.
James Adams also made potash in a pine grove just north of H)^deville. Af-
ter Francis Culver retired from the milling business here, he was followed by
Drake & Parsons. Chauncey Langdon owned a saw-mill before 1S20, on the
site of R. Hanger's slate- mills.
In these early days there was no school at Castleton Corners and children
used to come from there and beyond there to Hydeville, or Castleton Mills, to
school. There were only two houses between here and the Corners, viz., one
built and occupied by John Cross, now occupied by John Spenser, and the
other occupied by Noah Arms, on the south side of the road, on tiie site now
owned by Richard Phillips. The school-house stood in the hollow in front
of the present hotel. David Shepard taught there about 1820.
There were no physicians here until about 1847, when Dr. G. W. Styles
came. He went to California for a year or two in 1849, and later still to Sud-
bury, but died here in about 1872. He lived first in Pine street, and afterwards
in the house now occupied by Edward Cook. He had a drug store on the
site of the Bolger store.
, Dr. Charles Bacchus lived here forty or fifty years ago, in Mrs. Clark's east
room, but practiced so little that he is hardly worthy of mention.
Postmasters. — The first postmaster in Hydeville was Pitt W. Hyde, who
was appointed not far from 1840. Simeon Allen, Russell W. Hj'de, and Dallas
542 History of Rutland County.
W. Bumpus have served since, Mr. Hyde for nearly twent)' years. At the
present writing, just after the death of Mr. Bumpus, no postmaster has beer»
appointed.
Mercantile Interests. — The general store of the Bolger Brothers was
erected in 1883, on the site of the old drug store of Dr. Styles. The general
store of A. E. Cook was started by him in the spring of 1883, though he kept
store near the depot four years before that. Bolger Brothers once occupied this
store.
Miscellaneous Interests. — The grist-mill of Cliftbrd & Litchfield was built
by a Hydeville company about 1883.
The saw-mill of R. Hanger was first operated in 1S83.
The Russell House in Hydeville was formerly a dwelling, built about 1865
by J. T. Hyde. Russell W. Hyde converted it into a hotel about 1875. In
about two years he took in C. H. Hawkins as a partner, who now keeps it
alone, though the property is owned by F. A. Barrows.
Tho only business of importance at Castleton Four Corners is the manu-
facture of agricultural implements, carried on by Francis A. Barrows since
1852. He makes about 1,000 plows (including cultivators and shovel plows)
annually.
THE SLATE INTEREST.l
The oldest slate interest in town, although not strictly a slate-mill, as usu-
ally considered, is the slate-pencil factory of the Vermont Slate and Alum
Company. In about 1 840 John Cain, of Rutland, bought the land containing
the quarry and used to take the slate to Rutland, where it was sawn into slips
and they were converted into pencils. In 1854 James Adams entered upon
the manufacture of pencils here. It was continued by him until 1859, when a
partnership was formed with H. O. Brown, and continued until 1866. D, R.
Satterlee then became a partner, under the firm name of Adams. Brown & Co.
The year following it was incorporated as the " Adams Manufacturing Com-
pany," with a capital stock of $225,000; James Adams, president ; D. R. Sat-
terlee, vice-president, and O. A. Brown, secretary.
The factory is situated at the quarry, has a steam engine of eighty horse
power, and suitable machinery for turning out 100,000 pencils per day. The
company employ about 100 workmen. The pencils, called "soap-stone pen-
cils," are of superior qualit)', and are sent to all parts of the world.
This stone is also ground into a fine powder and used in the manufacture
of paper. In contains a very large per cent, of alum, and the company have
expected to manufacture alum in large quantities. For the above purposes
there is no quarry in the United States, if there is in the|world, to compare
with it.
1 See Ch.npter XIII by George J. Wardwell, of Rutland.
Town of Castleton. 543
The mill was burned about 1873 and rebuilt. The company soon after
failed and the property came into the hands of George P. and John A. Sheldon,
who now own it. James Adams is manager.
In 1849 Hiram Ainsworth, of Castleton village, purchased the carding-
mill of Mr. Wyatt and converted it into a mill for making school slates. It
proved unprofitable, and he afterwards sold out to Sherman & Jackman, who
converted it into a marble-mill.
The Lake Shore Slate Company, at West Castleton, is descendant from the
the first marbleizing mill in the country. It is now a stock company, incor-
porated in 1874, in which Samnel Hazard is the most extensively interested.
The quarry was first opened in 1852 by the West Castleton Railroad and Slate
Company, of which Newell Sturtevant was the moving spirit. The mills were
erected soon after the quarry was opened. The process of marbleizing slate
was imported to Boston from Europe, experimented upon in that city briefly,
and then first developed here. The quarry was originally intended to produce
merely roofing slate. One of the incorporators, John Borrowscale, was a slater
from Wales. The first meeting of the directors of the West Castleton Rail-
road and Slate Company was held at the Mansion House in Castleton, Decem-
ber 15, 1852, present: Newell Sturtevant, Francis Hodgman, Rliddleton Gold-
smith, John Borrowscale. There has always been a store here in connection
with the works. About fifty men are now employed at the quarry and mills.
About 22,000 feet per month of finished slate can be turned out. Up to the
time when the mills were burned, in 1870, this was the largest finishing estab-
lishment in the county, but the mills were then rebuilt on a smaller scale.
The Billings Slate works at Hydeville were established in 1834 by E. A.
Billings, who operated them until his death six or seven years ago. His sons,
E. A., George H., C. W. and L. H. Billings now own the property. The
mills were repeatedly burned and rebuilt ; in 1870, 1877 and April I, 1884.
About twenty men are employed; Alexander Danville is the general superin-
tendent.
Clifford & Litchfield (Joseph and N. A.) started their mill in Hydeville in
January, 1885. They own also the mill at Cookville, which was begun there
in 1857 by the Western Vermont Slate Company, at the head of which were
Samuel Raynor and B. F. Cook. The present proprietors took possession in
1878. They employ in all from thirty to forty men.
The quarries now operated by Bolger Brothers (William, Martin, Thomas
and James) was opened in 1876 by J. G. Hughes. Bolger Brothers took it
under lease in 1S79, and bought it in 1880. Their old mill is leased from R.
Hanger; their new mill, just built, has a capacity of about 250,000 feet per
annum. Downs & Delehanty (Patrick H. and James), finishers of marbleized
slate mantels, own stock in a company called the Lake Bomoseen Slate Com-
pany, about a mile east of West Castleton. They came to Hydeville from
544 History of Rutland County.
Foultney with tlieir finishing works in May, 1877. They employ about twelve
men in finishing. They began to work the quarry near Lake Bomoseen in Au-
gust, 1882, and erected a mill in 1885. The superintendent of the mill and treas-
urer of the company is John Delehanty. They employ about seventeen hands
at the mill.
In 1 88 1 R. Hanger came to Hyde\'ille from Fairhaven and built the mills
he now operates. He has two quarries and employs between forty and fifty
men. He has shipped over 200,000 feet of slate in one year.
John Jones & Co., of Castleton village, successors of the Castleton Slate
Company, leased the mill January i, 1885. The Castleton Slate Company,
composed of L. B. Smith, John Howe and A. P. Child, was organized, and the
mill erected in June, 1882. The company ran it about two years. The quarry,
which John Jones opened about three years ago, is two miles and a half north
from the mill.
There are now in the town of Castleton twelve regular school districts and
one union district. The town employs fourteen teachers.
The school district of West Castleton is No 9. A school-house stood for-
merly on the site of the mills, having been erected in 1809, when Eli Cogswell,
Enos Merrill, Araunah Woodward and Joseph Hawkins were selectmen. The
present school-house was built about 1852. There is now there an attendance
of about fifty pupils.
C. H. Simpson was the first postmaster, appointed about 1865, and held
the office about five \'ears. Samuel L. Hazard succeeded him until 1S80,
when he resigned to go to the Legislature and Samuel L. Hazard, jr., the present
postmaster was appointed.
The present town officers are as follows. — Town clerk, John Howe ; select-
men, Benjamin F. Graves, Joseph A. Clifford, Thomas Bolger ; treasurer, Will-
iam Moulton ; first constable and collector, Phillip D. Griswold ; listers, Wil-
son C. Walker, George W. Scribner, Patrick Murphy; auditors, John Howe,
Moses J. Harrington, Henry L. Clark ; town grand jurors, James H. Wiswell,
C. M. Coffey, C. E. Ransom ; superintendent of schools, Moses J. Harrington ;
town agent, John Howe.
Ecclesiastical. — The first religious society in town was the town itself
Probably the first minister here was Rev. Mr. Camp, who preached for a time
in 177=1. From 1784 to 1790 religious worship, regardless of denomination,
was held in the store-house for the garrison during the war. In the fall of
1784, however. Rev. Job Swift, of Bennington, organized the Congregational
Church, with an original membership of nine males and nine females, as fol-
lows : Nehemiah Hoit, George Foot, Gershom Lake, Abijah Warren, Joseph
Woodward, Benjamin Carver, Ephraim Buel, Perez Sturdevant, Jesse Belknap,
Sarah Hoit, Wealthy Foot, Rebecca Moulton, Mary Woodward, Rachel Moul-
ton, Elizabeth Carver, Amy Hickok, Mercy Sturdevant, Joanna Pond, The
\SVA^N/^
Town of Castleton. 545
first house erected for worship stood in front of the old burying-ground near
the east end of Castleton village. The frame was erected, and the building
enclosed in 1790, but it was unfinished within, and but partly glazed.
It was uninviting and insecure. The frame was strong, the timber for the
most part oak and well put together ; but there was some neglect in under-
propping the lower timbers in the center of the house. During the exercises of
the election sermon, when the house was densely filled, the center gave way,
so that the floor settled two or three feet. The alarm was great. Some of
the crowd leaped through the windows, others shrieked, some fainted, others
pressed for the doors. The true state of the case, however, being soon discov-
ered, order was restored. Fortunately no one was seriously injured.
The building remained in an imfinished state for six years. In 1796 it was
finished, and was the place of worship for the Congregati(3nal society for thirty-
seven years following. Its length was about fifty feet, and its breadth about
forty, standing the side to the street, with doors at either end. The pews were
square with high backs ; the pulpit at the east end, thirteen feet high, and gal-
leries extended on either side and across the end opposite the pulpit. A pew
in the gallery, elevated above the tops of all others, was the tithing-man's seat ;
where, in exalted dignit)', he watched the deportment of the boys and girls,
whose allotment it was to occupy seats above.
A steeple was attached to the west end of the house several years later,
and a bell hung in its tower, Hon. Chauncey Langdon proposing to meet half
the expense if the other half should be secured. About two years since Charles
Langdon, a grandson of Hon. Chauncy, was the means of procuring a new
one.
In 1832 a new site was chosen a little to the west of the old one, and the
foundations of the present edifice laid. The house was completed and dedi-
cated July, 1833, at a cost of about $6,000. The same year a house and lot
for a parsonage was purchased.
The first pastor, Rev. Matthias Cazier, was installed September 4, 1789,
and dismissed December 13, 1792. For thirteen years subsequent to his dis-
mission there was no settled pastor; yet public worship on the Sabbath was con-
stantly maintained, and most of the time there was preaching by missionaries or
other supplies.
Rev. William Miller labored here in 1802. Rev. Elihu Smith, the second
pastor, was installed January 17, 1804, and remained till December 30, 1826.
In 1 8 16 the church enjoyed the addition of 187 members. There was a less
extensive revival in 1820. After the dismission of Mr. Smith the church was
without a pastor for two years. In November, 1828, Rev. Joseph Steele, then
preaching at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., accepted their invitation to become pas-
tor and was installed December 25, 1828. The number received into the church
while he continued its pastor was 468. He was a native of Kingsboro, Fulton
546 History of Rutland County.
county, N. Y. ; was a member of the church of which Dr. EUsha Yale was pas-
tor; graduated at Union College in 1824, and at Auburn Theological Seminary
in 1827. He was twenty-six years at Castleton. The fourth pastor was Rev.
Willard Child, D. D., installed February 14, 1855, who remained here until
February, 1864. Since then have been installed Rev. Lewis Francis, Rev. Ed-
ward T. Hooker, and the present pastor, Rev. George H. Byington. The
church property is now valued at about $10,000.
The Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in 1824 by Jonathan Eaton.
The house of worship, though substantially erected in 1824, was not finished
for several years. It first stood about one-fourth of a mile west of the village,
and was removed to its present location near the center of the village in 1839
or 1840. It was neatly and thoroughly repaired and a convenient class-room
appended in 1861.
The first regular pastor. Rev. C. P. Clark, was stationed here from 1832 to
1835. The present pastor is Rev. William Wood. The church property is now
valued at about $5,000.
St. John the Baptist's Catholic Churcli was organized in 1834 by their first
pastor, Rev John Daley, with a membership of fifty. They converted the old
Liberal Church into a Catholic house of worship in 1879, and now estimate the
value of their property at about $15,000. Rev. P.J. O'Conoll and Rev. Father
Glenn, of Fairhaven, have charge of this church, as well as the churches at
Poultney, West Castleton and Middletown.
The second Advent Church at Castleton village was organized by Rev.
Milton Grant in i860, with a membership of about twenty five. Rev. Albion
Ross was the first pastor. The church edifice was erected in 1861 at a cost
of $3,000, and will seat about 450. The present pastor. Rev. E. H. Libb\',
came in the spring of 1884.
The Calvinistic Methodist Church in the southwest part of the town was
organized in 1862, by Rev. William Hughes, of Utica, N. Y. The first pastor
was Rev. Daniel Rowland. The house of worship was erected in 1868 at a
cost of about $4,000, but the entire church property is now worth not more
than $2,500.
The Baptist Church of Hydeville was organized by A. Allen, Samuel Whit-
lock and others, with Rev. Smith as pastor. Their edifice was erected in the
spring of 1851. In 1879 Deacon James Williams, dying, bequeathed this so-
ciety his property, and left it in a financially flourishing condition. The pres-
ent pastor is Rev. Mr. Walker. Before the present house of worship was erect-
ed, the society and all worshipers used to hold meetings in the school-house,
and still further back, meetings were held in the upper story of the old grist-
mill which A. W. Hyde fitted up for their use.
The Episcopal Church at Hydeville was organized in 1848 by I. Dave\', P.
W. Hyde, and E. Wallace, with Rev. Mr. Bailey as rector. The church edifice
Town of Chittenden. 547
was erected in June, 1852, and consecrated the following March. Occasional
preaching is now done by Rev. Mr. Lee, of West Rutland.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church of West Castleton was organized and the
edifice erected in 1879. The church property is now valued at about $2,500.
Rev. P. J. O'ConoU, of Fairhaven, preaches occasionally.
The Society of Liberal Christians was organized in 1867, by Joseph Adams,
of Fairhaven, A. N. Adams, Johnson S. Benedict, William N. Batcheller and
Gilbert Barber. In 1868 they erected what is now the Catholic Church west
of the Bomoseen House. They finally went down. Their society was com-
posed of Lhiitarians and LTniversalists.
CHAPTER XXIII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF CHITTENDEN.
THE town of Chittenden lies in the northeastern part of the county and is
bounded on the north by the towns of Goshen in Addison county, and
Rochester in Addison county, on the east by Pittsfield and a part of both
Rocliester and Sherburne, on the south by Mendon, and on the west by Pitts-
field and Brandon.
Much of the surface is so broken and mountainous as to be unsusceptible
to cultivation, though the western portion is more thickly inhabited, and con-
tains a few excellent farms. East Creek, rising in the center of the town, and
flowing southwesterly into Otter Creek near Rutland ; and Furnace River, ris-
ing in the northwestern part of the town and flowing into Otter Creek near
Pittsford, constitute the principal drainage. Tributaries of the Tweed River
flow from the eastern side of the Green Mountains.
The town, which derives its name from Governor Thomas Chittenden, was
granted on the 14th and chartered on the 1 6th of March, 1780, the charter
being in the customary form. Gershom Beach and si.xty-five others were the
grantees.
The next oldest man now living in Chittenden who was born in town is the
venerable and still active Hirani Baird. He was born on the 19th of November,
1804, 'fi a house which stood and still stands about forty rods south of his pres-
ent residence, being on the same farm. He was married on the i6th of April,
1826, to Miss Sally Morse, of Leicester, Vt. He has had four children, but one
of whom, Stephen, is now alive and a resident of Chittenden. His father, John
Baird, came to Chittenden in 1792 from Worcester, Mass., and in the same fall
his grandfather, John Baird, sen., arrived here. Together they purchased the
farm just south of and embracing the present farm of Hiram Baird.
548 History of Rutland County.
Among the other early settlers were Nathaniel Ladd, who came here before
the town was organized, in 1789, and settled on the farm a part of which is
owned by Stephen Baird, and kept tavern where Mr. Green now lives. An-
son Ladd, his son, was the first white child born in town. The most distin-
guished of the first residents of Chittenden was Aaron Beach, who served under
Wolfe on the " Heights of Abraham," took an active part in the Revolutionary
War, and but for the kindly resistance of friends would have been a participant
in the battle of Plattsburg. He died about the year 18 16 at the age of 1 02
years. Jonathan Dike and Solomon Taylor settled in the north part of the
town. According to Child's Gazetteer, "they cut and stacked hay the first two
or three summers on the beaver meadows, drawing it three miles over ' Thomas
Hill, in the winter,' on hand-sleds. They used to go, in common with others
of their townsmen, to Bennington with a portion of their grain for grinding.
Dike, on one occasion, brought from Bennington a bushel of salt, for which he
was offered a bushel of corn for every pint."
The Indian, " Captain John," mentioned in the history of Mendon, was for
a time a resident of Chittenden. It is related that he was with the French and
Indians at the time General Braddock marched the English Army to defeat on
their way to Fort Du Quesne. He fired three times at Washington, and was
convinced by his failure that the young American soldier was invincible ;
whereupon he went over to the English, and subsequently became one of
Washington's life-guard. A stone pestle which " Captain John " left here is
now in the Vermont State cabinet. Although he was buried in Mendon, his
skeleton formed a part of the appliances of a physician in Rutland, and after-
wards of a Pittsford physician. Dan Barnard was one of the original proprie-
tors, and joined the insurrectionists who endeavored to prevent the Rutland
County Court from holding its session on the 22d of November, 1788. Wal-
cott H. Keeler, an early representati\-e of Chittenden, introduced and procured
the passage of the huniame bill abolishing imprisonment for debt. Caleb
Churchill resided in early days on the farm now occupied by Patrick Mullin,
in that portion of the northern part of the town formerly included in Philadel-
phia. Samuel Harrison was born at Norton, in the county of Derby, England,
on the 26th of April, 1756. He went to Pittsfield, Mass., about 17S0, where
he married Rebecca Keeler, and in 17S9 came to Chittenden and settled on the
farm now owned by William Mullin. Jeft'rey A. Bogue settled first in " New
Boston," and then removed to the farm now owned by Lewis I. Winslow, in
the north part of the town. Daniel Carpenter was an early settler in the neigh-
borhood of the Baird farm. A few rods south of the farm now owned and
occupied by Hiram Baird is the homestead of the formerly notorious Eddy
family, vvho created so much interest in early days with their pretended spirit-
ual manifestations and materializations. The father, Zephaniah Eddy, married
Julia Ann Macombs, at Weston, Vt., and came to the present homestead in
Town of Chittenden. 549
about 1834, the house being now occupied by E. Green. He died in 1861.
One son, Horatio G. Eddy, now Hves in the house a little to the north of the
residence of Mr. Green, on land included in the original Eddy farm. Another
son, William, lives in Moravia, N. Y. Their spiritual trickery has long since
been exposed. Jonathan Woodward and Josiah Persons, Revolutionary patri-
ots, were early residents of Chittenden. The latter lived on the New Boston
Road, so called. Other early residents of this "New Boston" neighborhood
were Elias Hall, Nathan Hewitt and Allen Beebe. Nathan Nelson lived on
the farm now occupied by Emmett Crapo. He was town clerk two years.
John Cowe immigrated to New Boston about 1785 and served as town clerk
from 1790 to 18 1 3. He also held various other offices and was for a time a
United States revenue collector. Zeb. Green, father of the well-known Drs.
Joel and Horace Green, of New York, also resided in New Boston. In the
north part of the town the most prominent man was Jeffrey Bogue, who moved
there very early from New Boston. In the beginning of the present century
Ebenezer Brooks lived on the farm now occupied by Joel Baird. James Led-
gett, who married Brooks's sister, lived with him ; Ledgett came from England
in Burgoyne's army, and after Burgoyne was taken he deserted and came to
Chittenden. It was believed here that he left a wife and three children in En-
gland. The Rollins family resided where Henry Long now lives.
When John Baird, junior and senior, came here, in 1792, the town was of
course ver)- thinly settled, the only signs of approaching civilization being the
little clearings, in the center or extreme edge of each of which stood a diminu-
tive log-house and the orderly constructed out-houses and barn. The roads
looked like cow-paths. There was such a path from Rutland through Chitten-
den over Thomas Hill to Pittsfield. The road from Rutland to Stockbridge led
west of its present route until about 1787, and parts of the old dug- way are
still perceptible.
The population of the town in 1 791 numbered 159 persons, and increased
by the year 1800 to 327. From that time to the present the population has
increased without interruption. In 1880 there were 1.092 inhabitants in town.
The town was organized at the house of Solomon Taylor on the 30th of
March, 1789, and Nathaniel Ladd was elected first town clerk. The other
officers were : Ebenezer Drury, moderator ; Nathan Nelson, Nathaniel Ladd,
Solomon Taylor, selectmen ; Nathan Nelson, treasurer ; Jeffrey A. Bogue, con-
stable ; Oliver Bogue, John Bancroft, Moses Taylor, listers.
Improvement in the economy of the town did not progress very rapidly
until after the opening of the present century. The first mill was erected in
1808 by Pixley & Nevins, and stood a few rods above the present mill of John
Wormer. It was a saw and grist-mill combined. Since that time twelve saw-
mills have been built and nearly all of them have had a period of successful
operation. Another grist-mill in town in the early part of the century was
550 History of Rutland County.
situated in New Boston, on the farm now occupied by Jesse Billings, and was
owned by Nathan Burpee. One of his sons, Otis Burpee, was caught by the
coat in between the mill-stones and deprived of one of his legs.
There never was a distillery in town, though Otis Wheeler started to build
one and never completed it.
A number of the inhabitants were engaged, a part of the time, in making
salts for sale. Jonas Wheeler used to make potash in 1820, opposite the pres-
ent hotel. There were two taverns in town which had quite a reputation.
One was kept by Nathaniel Ladd, in " Ladd Hollow," on the site of the resi-
dence of E. Green, and the other was kept by Zeb. Green in the northeastern
part of the town.
The only building in the present village, which goes by the euphonius
name of " Slab city," in 1808 was the dwelling house of John Davis. The
settlement in those days was thickest at New Boston, but after about 18 13 the
population began to be more generally distributed and New Boston gradually
lost its individuality.
Among the others who went from Chittenden in the War of 181 2 were
Thaddeus Baird (uncle to Hiram F. Baird), Justus Powers and Israel Hewitt.
Thaddeus Baird went as ensign.
The first school-house in town was built in New Boston. After that, and
early in the present century, a new one was erected about a hundred rods south
of Hiram Baird's present home, and near the school-house as it now stands.
There was comparatively little suffering in town during the cold season of
18 16. Some families were without bread for a few days, and the only corn
successfully raised in town was on the farm now owned by Hiram Baird.
This town, like all the towns in Vermont, engaged actively in enlisting and
recruiting for the War of the Rebellion. The following are the names of soldiers
accredited to the town : —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to c.iU for 300,000 volunteers
of October 17, 1863. — Freeman E. Baird, co. G, 5th regt; Oran E. Baird,
CO. B, 9th regt.; Edwin C. Barnard, Ombro Bolio, Lewis Bonnett, Valorus S.
Bump, CO. B, 7th regt.; Oliver E. Churchill, co. C, lOth regt; Albert B. Dodge,
Montraville L. Dow, co. B, 7th regt; Francis L. Eddy, co. G, 5th regt,; Will-
iam H. Edmunds, co. I, 7th regt.: Thomas Green, Wesley H. Holland, co. H,
Sth regt.; George M. Hibbard, co. G, 5th regt; Henry F. Hudson, co. B, 7th
regt.; William R. Johnson, co. C, nth regt.; Wallace E. Noyes, Arthur H.
Parkhurst, Anthony Porter, co. B, 7th regt.; Isaac Price, co. H, cav.; Henry
E. Ravlin, co. F, cav.; Orlando F. Ravlin, co. B, 7th regt.; John Salger, co.
C, lOth regt.; Sylvester C. Tarble, co. H, loth regt.; Cyrus K. Whitcomb, co.
B, 7th regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three )-ears. — Wolcott Baird, jr., co. B, 9th regt;
Town of Chittenden. 551
Samuel Bernheim, co. B, 5th regt.; Octave Bushey, co. H, 9th regt.; Ira
Chaplin, co. D, 9th regt; John B. Chapman, cav.; Charles H. Churchill, co.
H, cav. ; Columbus Churchill, co. C, lOth regt.; Edwin R. Churchill, co. H.
cav.; George F. Durkee, co. B, 9th regt.; Hiram H. Fitch, co. B, 7th regt;
Cyrus F. Holbrook, cav.; George Lavalle, co. H, 9th regt.; George Melvor,
Henry Mills, Ezra P. Noyes, co. H, cav.; Newell Par, 5th regt.; Peter Revor,
CO. H, 9th regt: Orin K. Smith, 2d bat.; Alexander Spooner, co. H, 9th regt;
Charles E. Tatro, co. B, 7th regt; Sewell S. Whitcomb, co. H, cav.
Volunteers for one year. — William Leonard, co. B, 9th regt
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Freeman Baird, co. G. 5th regt.; Peter Deforge,
Albert B. Dodge, co. B, 7th regt; William H. Edmunds, co. I, 7th regt;
Amos Potter, co. B, 7th regt; Alonzo Wheeler, co. I, 7th regt
Miscellaneous. — Not credited by name, one man.
Volunteers for nine months. — Azem B. Churchill, co. G, 12th regt; Wilson
B. Churchill, Rolla W. Collins, Martin H. Durkee, James M. Fisk, Wilber F.
Freeman, Thomas Hendry, Alfred Manley, co. H, nth regt; Henry F.
Manley, Robert Morris, co. G, 12th regt; Francis Nash, John H. Sargent, co.
H, 14th regt; Beauman E. Seager, Wilson C. Tarble, Ertha Wetmore, co.
G, 1 2th regt; Jonathan C. Winter, Wilson R. Winter, Simeon D. Yaw, co.
H, 14th regt
Furnished under draft. — Paid commutation, H. F. Beard, Nathan Collins,
Kittredge Wing. Entered service, Edwin Horton, John H. Noyes.
Present Business Interests. — According to Thompson's Gazetteer " a fur-
nace was erected in this town as early as 1792, by a Mr. Keith, of Boston.
In 1839 a forge was erected " which made about 500 pounds of bar iron per
day. The late histor)- of the iron industr}- here is as follows : On the 4th of
March, 1880, a company was duly incorporated at Hartford, Conn., for the
purpose of manufacturing iron from the ore found in Chittenden, with a capital
stock of $2,500,000, divided into 25,000 shares at $100 each. Four directors
were chosen, as follows; J. J. Saltery, of Pittsfield, Vt., president; Harvey K.
Flagler, of Boston, secretary and treasurer ; Edward L. Chaffee and Charles
W. Boutwell, directors. Operations for the development of the ore deposits
were commenced March 29, 1880. Buildings for crushing and concentrating
the ores, with necessar}' machinery, were erected, roads made from tlie mines
through the valleys to the coal kilns and other sections connected with the
works. The property owned by the White River Iron Company, consisting ot
about 100 acres, was purchased, all bearing the ore in its different stratifica-
tions, and covered with a fine growth of timber. The ore is mostly quarried
and brought to the reduction works for crushing and separating. It is then
ready for use at the furnace, which has six fires; it will produce about ten tons of
blooms or billets per day, allowing an average of two tons of concentrated ore
to one ton of metallic iron, at a cost of about $35 per ton, including freight to
552 History of Rutland County.
Bethel. The products of the above mentioned are charcoal blooms and billets,
especially adapted to a fine grade of steel, by the open-hearth furnace, or by
the use of the crucible, for fine tool-steel, etc. The company suspended opera-
tions on the Sth of November, 1882, and H. C. Wilson, of Pittsfield, was ap-
pointed overseer of the mines. The present extent of this mining company's
possessions are about 3,000 acres of timber land, all in Chittenden. The name
of the new company was " The Pittsfield Iron and Steel Company," which was
changed to the present name of the Tweed River Company in 1884. The new
president is William G. Bell, of Boston. J. J. Saltery, the former president,
was obliged to withdraw. The mine is situated over the mountain, near the
Pittsfield line. In addition to the machinery here erected, a boarding-house
was built which will accommodate seventy of the employees, and another board-
ing-house and seven or eight small tenement houses were erected between the
mines and Hayes's mill. Preparations are now in progress for a re-opening of
business at an early day.
Saiv-Mills. — The mill now operated and owned by L. E. Atwood was
built about the year 1850, by D. P. Westcott. The present proprietor bought
it about three years ago of Brown Brothers. John Lefifert's saw- mill was built
about 1S50 by David Wood and Hiram Baird; after continuing in partnership
with Baird for several years. Wood assumed entire control of the property.
The ne.xt proprietors were Adams Brothers, of Massachusetts, followed by
Spawn & Hermits. Spawn succeeded Hermits, and Leffert obtained it of
Spawn. It is now operated by steam. The mill now owned by Aaron Cong-
don was built by Cyrus Hewitt about 1853. Mr. Hewitt bought it of J. & A.
Baird in the fall of 1881. The mill now owned by T. B. & M. L. Cheedle was
built about 1855 or i860. Naylor & Co.'s mill was built by David Whitmore
more than twenty years ago. The Chaplin saw-mill, so called, was built about
i860. For a time it was operated by John Price, and later by Horace Coats
and Ira Chaplin. The present owner and operator is Riley V. Allen.
There is no distinctive grist-mill in town. Naylor & Co. have one run of
stone in the basement of their saw-mill.
Mercantile. — There are but two stores in town, both situated in Slab City.
H. F. Noyes, dealer in general merchandise, began here in the spring of 1875.
The first two years of this time he occupied a part of the present hotel build-
ing. He erected his present store on leaving the hotel.
M. G. Brown, druggist and general merchant, began business alone in his
present building in 1877. From 1872 to 1874 he ran a general store in com-
pany with Paul Clark. In the fall of 1885 he enlarged and improved his old
store to its present commodious proportions.
Laudoii House. — This hotel, the only one in town, was erected about the
year 1858, and occupied for a number of years by Addison Spawn as a store
and tavern. Being taken ill, he rented it to Calvin Sitterley, of Albany, who
Town of Chittenden. 553
died in about two years. M. G. Brown then occupied it about two years for
mercantile purposes and was succeeded in tlie occupancy by H. F. Noyes.
About the year 1877 it came into the hands of Walter Landon, of Rutland,
who rented it for a time to Henry Stone, of the same place. In April, 1879,
the present proprietor, Wolcott B. Wing, bought of Landon.
Post-Office. — Joseph Parker, the first postmaster of Chittenden, received
the appointment in 1 841, and remained in the office until about 1850. Daniel
Noyes was his successor. John N. Horton followed No)-es and was followed
by Francis L. Wing. The post-office was in the store of Brown & Clark in
1872 and 1873. H. F. Noyes, the present incumbent, followed them.
Ecclesiastical. — About the year 18 10 a society was organized here by the
Episcopal Methodists of the town, but' owing to dissensions among the mem-
bers, the society soon disbanded, and the presiding elder. Draper, burned the
class-book and society records. From that time until 1831 the church attend-
ants in town united with the Congregationalists of Pittsford. During this year
the Episcopal Methodists organized another society and erected a church, and
in 1832 the Congregationalists erected an edifice, but both of their societies are
now e.xtinct. There are now two societies in town of recent origin, the Second
Adventists, who occupy the Mediodist edifice in Slab City, and the Congrega-
tionalists, who worship at P^orge Flats.
Following are the town officers of Chittenden, elected in March, 1885 :
N. D. Parker, town clerk and treasurer ; John McCormick, W. W. Osgood,
William MuUin, selectmen ; William Mullin, overseer of the poor ; Edwin Hor-
ton, first constable and collector of taxes ; Eugene Barnard, second constable ;
Dayton Powell, Ernest J. Perry, C. R Holden, listers ; Dayton Powell, trustee
of public money; R. V. Allen, L. I. Winslow, W. O. Baird, auditors; Dayton
Powell, James Mclver, Samuel Barber, fence viewers; Amos Baird, R. O. Dow,
town grand jurors ; Royal Wetmore, N. D. Parker, pound-keepers ; James
Mclver, inspector of wood and lumber ; N. D. Parker, agent to prosecute and
defend ; superintendent of schools, R. V. Allen ; sextons (in parts of the town
where they respectively live), E. Miller, L. I. Winslow, John Tarble, Dan Bar-
nard ; grand jurors for the box, William Mullin, R. K. Baird, Will D. Beebe,
Amos Baird, James White, Fayette Clark ; petit jurors, Danforth Brown, John
Congdon, C. R. Holden, Ernest Atwood, Royal Wetmore, W. B. Wing, James
Casey, Henry Elliott.
The following figures are suggestive as showing the growth in population
since 179 1 : 1791,159; 1800,327; 1810,446; 1820,528; 1830,610; 1840,
644; 1850,675; 1860,763; 1870,802; 1880, 1,092.
554 History of Rutland County.
CHAPTER XXIV.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF CL.\RENDON.i
THIS town is almost purely an agricultural district and without villages of
a size entitling them to the name. The surface is diversified with hills,
mountains and valleys, and several considerable streams drain the town. Otter
Creek flows through the central part from south to north, and Tinmouth River
crosses the west part in a similar direction. Cold River, in the north part, and
Mill River, in the south, flow into the town from the east and empty into Otter
Creek. Numerous other smaller streams give the town ample drainage and
water-power. There are mineral springs of extended repute in the town, and
in the southwest part is a cave that has gained considerable local renown.
Clarendon is bounded on the north by Rutland ; east by Shrewsbury ;
south by Wallingford and Tinmouth, and west by Ira. The following figures
show the population at the different dates mentioned: 1791, 1478; 1800,
1789; 1810,1797; 1820,1712; 1830,1585; 1840,1549; 1850,1477; i860,
1237; 1870, 1 173; 1880, 1106.
Clarendon on the 5th day of September, 1761, was an unbroken wilder-
ness. On that day Benning Wentworth, esq., governor of New Hampshire,
granted the charter of Clarendon to Caleb Williams and others, dividing the
town into seventy shares, containing 23,600 acres.
In 1768 Elkanah Cook, Randal Rice, Benjamin Johns, Elisha Williams,
Samuel Place, Gideon Walker, Daniel Walker and others came into town and
selected locations, bringing their families the next spring for a permanent
settlement. Rice and Johns and Stephen Arnold located near the central part
of the town on the east side of the creek ; Place, Cook and Williams in the
north part of the town; and the same year (1769) came Jacob and Amos
Marsh (brothers), and Daniel and William Marsh (brothers), nephews of the
former ; and Whitefield Foster and Oliver Arnold, from Rhode Island and
Connecticut, selecting each a lot of land on the east side of Otter Creek, being
the six north lots in Clarendon, which were afterwards included in the grant
of Socialborough ; Jacob Marsh occupying what is now known as the Strong
farm ; Amos Marsh the Nelson farm ; Daniel Marsh the Piatt farm ; Oliver
Arnold the Webb farm, and Whitefield Foster the Croft farm. They left
their families at their former homes and labored here the first season, clearing
land and building houses on their lots. They brought with them a cow and
such breadstuff as they could, depending upon fish and game for their principal
support. They worked together, detailing one of their number each week to
1 Prepared for this work chiefly by H. B. Spafford, of Clarendon.
Town of Clarendon. 555
do their cooking, milk the cow and procure the the game and fish. That year
they built five log houses and cleared a piece of land near each for crops the
coming season, and on the approach of winter all returned to their former
homes, except William Marsh, who went north and was not heard of after-
wards. The five returned with their families and household effects the ne.xt
spring.
Before 1771 James Round and John Hill had settled on the west side of
the creek ; therefore, there were ten families in the north part of Clarendon
previous to 1 77 1. Several families had also settled on the south flats. As
early probably as 1772 or 1773 Ichabod Walker, a Mr. Nichols and a Mr. Os-
born had settled on East street.
Many of the early settlers derived the title to the land they occupied from
Colonel John Henry Lydius, an Indian trader of Albany, who claimed to
have purchased of the Mohawk Indians, in 1732, a tract of land extending
sixty miles southerly from the mouth of Otter Creek, by twenty-four miles in
width ; which was confirmed to him by a grant of Governor Shirley, of Mass-
achusetts, in 1744. In 1760 Lydius divided the tract (on paper) into thirty-
five townships of thirty- six square miles each, or more, numbering and giving
names to each township. No. 7, which is supposed t3 be nearly identical with
the present town of Clarendon, he called "Durham." September 29, 1761,
he granted about twenty-seven square miles, covering a part of Rutland and
Clarendon, to James Haven, who leased farm lots to the settlers for the rent
of one pepper-corn a year for the first twenty years and 5s. a year thereafter,
for each one hundred acres of improvable land.
On the 3d of April, 1771, Governor Dunmore, of New York, issued the
patent of " Socialborough," which included Rutland, Pittsford and about four
square miles of Clarendon. In the summer of 1771 James Duane, one of the
New York grantees, sent Will Cockburn to survey the grant tif " Social-
borough," but he was driven off by the threats of the settlers under the New
Hampshire title.
The old military road from Charlestown, N. H., to Crown Point, which
passed through Clarendon, had been frequently traversed by the citizen soldier.
on his way to and from the scenes of strife near the lakes, and the beaut}' of lo-
cation and fertility of the soil being known, the settlement rapidly increased,
and soon the primeval forests became spotted with clearings and the settlers'
cabins were thickly scattered over hill and valley throughout the town. The
first settlers who had cleared and improved their land under the Lydius title
soon found themselves in a dispute with others who afterwards came in and
claimed the same land under the New Hampshire title ; and the Lydius title
proving worthless, they were induced by the representation of the New York
land speculators to seek protection from the New Hampshire claimants by ob-
taining a grant under the government of New York, although it was well
known that the king had in 1767 forbidden the issuing of any such grants.
5S6 History of Rutland County.
They accordingly made an arrangement with Mr. Duane to procure the
patent of Durham, which was issued by Governor Tyron on the 7th of Janu-
ary, 1772, and which purported to grant 32,000 acres in shares of 1,000 each
to thirty-two individuals, by name, and which included all the land in Claren-
don south of " Socialborough." By agreement, Mr. Duane and his New York
city friends were to have 14,225 acres (nearly one-half of the land). Duane's
share was 4,740 acres. " By this means the interests of the ' Durhamites,' as they
were afterwards called by the New Hampshire claimants, became fully identi-
fied with those of the New York city speculators ; " and both the New Hamp-
shire and the New York claimants attempting to occupy the same land, much
controversy and frequent collisions occurred between the " Yorkers " and the
" Green Mountain Boys."
Jacob Marsh, on the 9th of January, 1772, two days after the issuing of
the patent of " Durham," purchased of James Duane, William Cockburn and
si.xteen other New York grantees of " Socialborough," a tract of land contain-
ing si.x hundred acres, being the si.x south lots in " Socialborough," extending
east from Otter Creek to " the Cockburn road," the Cockburn road being
what is now Main street in Rutland, running on a straight line into Clarendon.
Marsh paid three hundred pounds for the tract of land, which was divided be-
tween him and his five associates who had settled on the same land in 1789
under the Lydius title ; Oliver Arnold paying thirty pounds for the Webb farm,
and the others accordingly.
Jacob Marsh, having bought his land of the New York grantees, was ap-
pointed a justice of the peace for the New York county of Charlotte which ex-
tended over this section. He is said to have been the ablest " Yorker " in
Clarendon, and became foremost in advocating the New York and discrediting
the New Hampshire title.
Benjamin Spencer, who lived in the south part of " Durham," and who
is represented by Ira Allen in his history as "an artful, intriguing and design-
ing man," was active as a York justice and assistant judge. He was one of the
principal actors in obtaining the patent of " Durham," his name heading the
petition. He was an active agent of the New York speculators in their at-
tempts to obtain the land and expel the Green Mountain Boys from their homes.
His efforts roused the hostility of the Green Mountain Boys and involved
himself in difficulty. In April, 1772, he wrote to Mr. Duane that "the New
Hampshire men strictly forbid any further survey being made only under the
New Hampshire title. . . . The people go armed and say they will not
be brought to justice by this province. . . One Ethan Allen hath brought
twelve or fifteen of the most blackguard fellows he can get double armed to
protect him." In May he wrote as follows : " The Hampshire men swear that no
man shall stay on these lands that favors the government in any shape whatever.
The people of Socialborough prevent any settlement at present, swearing that
Town of Clarendon. 557
they will shoot the first man that attempts to settle under the title derived from
New York." These threats, made for the purpose of intimidation, were never
executed ; but as Spencer, Marsh, Button and Jenny continued their efforts, as
New York officers, to exercise authority and support the New York title, and
new occupation of land was made, the struggle grew more earnest and bitter
and increased in importance until the valley of Clarendon became the decisive
field on which the adherents of New York and the Green Mountain Boys
struggled, not only for their homes and firesides, but for the dominion of Ver-
mont ; for, had the Yorkers succeeded here, they would have gained a position
" that might enable them to overthrow all the other New Hampshire charters,^
and Vermont would henceforth have been a province of New York and all its
glorious history as a separate State would never have been written." Aware
of the importance of the issue, the Green Mountain Bo\-s determined that none
of the New York officers should exercise authority over the disputed territory,
and that the Durhamites should separate their interest from New York and ac-
knowledge the validity of the New Hampshire title. Early in the autumn of
1 773 one hundred Green Mountain Boys, led by Ethan Allen, marched to " Dur-
ham." Spencer fled on their approach and was not found. Allen invited the Dur-
hamites to repent of their New York attachments and acknowledge the validity
of the New Hampshire title, and threatened violence if they did not comply
within a specified time. Hoping they would comply with his request, Allen
and his party retired without doing any violence to the Durhamites. But the
justices continued to issue writs against the New Hampshire men, and the
Durhamites, led on by Marsh and Spencer, more loudly than ever advocated
the New York title ; and Allen and his party soon after made them a second
visit. In order to be sure of capturing Spencer, a party of some twenty or
thirty men under the lead of Ethan Allen and Remember Baker went to his
house about 1 1 o'clock Saturday night, the 20th of November, and took him
into custod)'. He was carried about two rniles to the house of one Green, and
there kept under guard until Monday morning when he was taken to the house
of Joseph Smith, of " Durham," innkeeper, when he was allowed a trial in
front of his own house, the place being chosen by himself By this time the
Green Mountain Boys had increased to about 130, all armed with guns, cut-
lasses, etc. The people from "Durham" with many from " Socialborough,"
were also assembled to witness the proceedings. Before the trial Allen ad-
dressed the multitude saying that " the proprietors of the New Hampshire
grants had appointed himself, Seth Warner, Remember Baker and Robert
Cockran, to inspect and set things in order and see that there should be no in-
truders on the grants," declaring among other things, that " Durham had be-
come a hornets' nest which must be broken up." After his harangue the Green
Mountain Boys, or " rioters," as the New York authorities termed them, pro-
1 Governor H.VLL's Early History of I'crmont.
558 History of Rutland County.
ceeded to the trial of Spencer. There was a scene worthy the artist's pencil,
a scene which has no parallel in the annals of history. Beneath the clear sky
of that autumn morning, on the green banks of the Otter, in the valley of
Clarendon, surrounded by the guardian mountains in their robes of evergreen
pine, stood Ethan Allen, at the age of thirty-six, a very Hercules in form and
stature, his brow as yet unlit with the glory of Ticonderoga, but the "piercing
glance of his eagle eye revealing the chafings of the untamed spirit within,
which could brook tyranny in no form and under no guise." By his side, tow-
ering above Allen, rises the manly form of Seth Warner, at the age of thirty,
his brow unblanched by the snows of Canada, his sword undimned by the blood
of Hubbardton ; and, there, too, was Remember Baker, the resolute, undaunted
soldier who died for liberty, and Robert Cockran, as judges, surrounded by 130
Green Mountain Boys, the men of Ticonderoga and Bennington, with the red
woolen caps and other homespun garments made in the rude cabins of the wil-
derness, their faces bronzed with the tan of the woods, yet lit with the fires of
liberty, boldly bidding defiance to tyrannical power and maintaining at this out-
post on the frontier of freedom the right of man to self-government, years be-
fore the guns of Concord echoed over the hills. And there, too, was the great
crowd of " Yorkers," viewing with anxious faces the proceedings of Allen and
his band. After taking the "judgment seat " the judges ordered Spencer to
stand before them, to take off his hat and listen to the accusations against him.
He was charged among other things " with cuddling with the land-jobbers of
New York to prevent the claimants of the New Hampshire rights from holding
their lands, and with issuing a warrant and acting as justice of the peace under
New York," etc. His judges found him guilty, and declaring his house to be
a nuisance, passed sentence that it should be burned to the ground. But upon
Spencer's pleading that his store of dry goods and all of his property would be
destroyed and his wife and children be great sufferers if his house was burned,
the sentence was reconsidered, and upon the suggestion of Warner it was de-
cided that the house should not be wholly destroyed, but only the roof taken
off and might be put on again, provided that Spencer should say that it was
put on under the New Hampshire title, and should purchase a right under the
charter of that province. Spencer having agreed to these terms, the Green
Mountain Boys took off the roof " with great shouting and much noise and
tumult."
Jacob Marsh, while passing through Arlington on his way home from New
York, was arrested and tried for his offenses at the house of Abel Hawley, No-
vember 25, 1773. After being threatened with the "beech seal," he was dis-
charged with this sentence, " upon pain of having his house burned and re-
duced to ashes and his person punished at their pleasure," if he continued to
act as a justice of the peace under a New York commission. The judge gave
him a written certificate "so that our mob shall not medeal farther with him
Town of Clarendon. 559
so long as he behaves." On arriving at Clarendon he found some forty or fifty-
men, led by Peleg Sunderland and John Smith, had unroofed his house and
done other damage to his property. Charles Button, of Clarendon, was ar-
rested and tried for acting as constable under the New York authority, and
compelled to promise that he would never execute any precept under the prov-
ince of New York. (See history of the town of Rutland.)
While it was deemed necessary for the general security of the New Hamp-
shire claimants that the Durhamites should purchase their lands under that
title, Allen and his friends were determined that they should not be compelled
to pay unreasonable prices for them, and wrote as follows : —
To Mr. Benjamin Spencer, and Jacob Marsh and the People of Clarendon in
General: Gentlemen: — On my return from what you call the mob, I was
concerned for your welfare, fearing that the force of our arms would urge you
to purchase the New Hampshire title at an unreasonable rate, though at the
same time, I know not but that after the force is withdrawn you will want a
third army. However, on proviso, you incline to purchase the title aforesaid,
it is my opinion you ought to have it at a reasonable rate, as new lands were
valued at the time you purchased them. . . . And on condition Colonel
Willard or any other person demand an exorbitant price for your lands, we
scorn it, and will assist you in mobing such avaricious persons, for we mean to
use force against oppression, and that only, be it in New York, Willard or any
other person, it is injurious to the rights of the district."
A few days afterward he wrote, " an epistle to the inhabitants of Claren-
don," as follows: "From Mr. Francis Madison of your town, I understand
Oliver Colvin of your town has acted the infamous part by locating part of the
farm of said Madison. ... I abhor to put a staff into the hands of Col-
vin or any other rascal to defraud your settlers. ... I advise Colvin to be
flogged for the abuse aforesaid unless he immediately retracts and reforms.
None but blockheads would purchase your farms and must be treated
as such."
In consequence of the proceedings of the Green Mountain Boys in " Dur-
ham," the New York Assembly upon petition of Benjamin Hough offered a
reward of one hundred pounds for the apprehension of Allen and Baker, and
fifty pounds for either Warner, Smith, Sunderland, Brown or Cockran ; and on
March 9, 1774, passed the noted " most minatory and despotic act " against the
Green Mountain Boys; adjudging them if they did not " surrender within sev-
enty days, to be guilty of convicted and attempted of felony and punished with
death without trial or benefit ot clergy." Allen and his associates returned a
bold and defiant answer to this law which terminated every prospect of peace.
None of the Yorkers in Clarendon seem to have made any further resistance
to the Green Mountain Boys, except Benjamin Hough who, having, March 12,
1774, obtained a commission as justice of the peace under New York, became
56o History of Rutland County.
so troublesome that it was found necessary to silence and make an example of
him. On the night of the 26th of December, 1774, he was arrested by a party
of his neighbors and taken to the house of Colonel John Spafford in Tinmouth,
and from there to Sunderland, where, on January 30, 1775, he was tried for
his offenses, Ethan Allen, Seth Warner, Robert Cockran, Peleg Sunderland,
James Mead, Gideon Warren and Jesse Sawyer acting as judges, and sentenced
to receive two hundred lashes on the naked back and to depart the New Hamp-
shire grants and not return again. The sentence was executed with unsparing
severity, and at Hough's request Allen gave him a certificate to that effect and
a free passport toward the city of New York. The next day Hough repaired
to New York, where he gave under oath, before the chief justice, a full account
of his trial and punishment, and petitioned the council for protection against
the rioters. The council being unable to protect him and he being destitute
of the means of support, they gave him a license to beg in the streets of New
York, and the New York Assembly ofiered large rewards for the apprehension
of the judges in his trial.
This was the last effort of the colonial government of New York against
the New Hampshire grants. The Revolution soon afterward overshadowed
all other questions. The New Hampshire claimants were generally Whigs,
while the Yorkers, with few exceptions, were Tories. Thomas Brayton was
the delegate from Clarendon to the Dorset convention of July 24, 1776, and
the only one of that body of fifty members who refused to subscribe to an as-
sociation, pledging their lives and fortunes in support of the American cause.
He afterwards became an active Tory.
Clarendon was not represented in the Dorset convention of September 25,
as the majority of the inhabitants were Tories and the "friends of liberty were
directed to choose a committee of safety and conduct their affairs as in other
towns."
Benjamin Spencer represented Clarendon in the convention of June, 1777,
at Windsor, and united with the other members of that body in a solemn pledge
to stand by the declaration for a new State, and to resist by arms the fleets and
armies of Great Britain. He was appointed a member of the Council of Safety
by the Windsor convention of July, 1777, but on the approach of Burgoyne he
joined the enemy and is said to have died at Ticonderaga a few weeks after-
wards. Jacob Marsh left about the same time and is supposed to have died at
Saratoga.
After the battle of Hubbardton the town was mostly deserted by its inhabi-
tants. Oliver Arnold remained and was taken prisoner by the British and
compelled to drive his oxen with a load of corn to the British army, from
whence he afterwards escaped by means of a forged pass.
During the turmoil and unsettled state of things before and during the Rev-
olution, many "squatters," without any title, boldly took possession of the best
Town of Clarendon. 561
tracts of land they could find that was temporarily vacated, and after the Rev-
olution the returning settlers found themselves involved in many law-suits and
quarrels regarding the titles of their lands.
Daniel Marsh, who, it appears, took protection papers from the British and
sympathized with them, returned to Clarendon, and on December 16, 1782,
the town "voted to receive him as a good wholesome inhabitant." Heat-
tempted to get possession of his old farm, a part of which he found occupied
by Silas Whitney. A law suit followed in which Marsh was twice beaten. He
then appealed to the Legislature, of which he was a member, which passed an
act in June, 1785, giving him the possession of the farm "until he had an
opportunity of recovering his betterments; " for which act the Legislature was
severely censured b\' the first Council of Censors. Afterwards Marsh, who
was a member of the Legislature five years, originated and advocated " a bill
which became a law known as the quieting act," that settled most of the con-
flicting claims to real estate by giving the lands to those who occupied them,
and as all the land in Clarendon appears to have been occupied, no governor,
church or school lots remained.
Saw and grist-mills were early erected at the " South Flats " and at East
Clarendon on Mill River; in the north part of the town on Cold River, and at
the west side on Tinmouth River. Taverns, stores and shops sprung up in
various places, and the population increased so rapidly that Clarendon was
soon the leading town in Rutland county, the population in 1791 being 1,478 ;
Pawlet being second and Rutland third in numbers.
In 1810 Clarendon had 1,797 inhabitants; from that time its population
has gradually decreased, as before shown, numbering in 1880 but 1,106. The
change in its relative political influence in the county and State has been greater
than in its population. Its history might be divided into two periods : First,
the period of its rise, extending from its first settlement to 1820. Second, the
period of its decline, from 1820 to the present time. During the first period
one of its citizens was president of the Council of Censors ; three were speak-
ers of the House of Representatives ; two were judges of the Supreme Court
eleven years ; one was sheriff" of the county three years ; two were judges of
probate five years, and three were county judges eighteen years. During the
second period of sixty-five years two of its citizens have been senators four
years. During the last twenty-eight years none of its citizens have held any
State or county office whatever.
In the early period the people were industrious and economical, their gar-
ments homemade, their habits simple. They cut down the forests, cleared the
land, made the roads, fences and houses, some of which remain to this day.
They raised large families of children, and to give them a good common school
education they built seventeen school-houses in the seventeen districts in town.
They had but little money and paid their teachers in barter, generally in grain.
562 History of Rutland County.
The teachers worked cheap, sometimes for sixty-five cents a week ; but the\'
worked well and trained up the boys that made their mark on the times. The
children went to school, the rich and poor alike. The school- houses were
crowded. About 1797 there were eight families living near the springs who
had one hundred and thirteen children, ninety- nine of whom were living and
attended the same school. Following are the names of heads of these families,
the number of children born to them, and the number alive who attended the
school at one and the same time : —
James Harrington and Polly (Bates) Harrington, 12 children, 10 scholars.
Theophilus Herrington and Betsey (Buck) Herrington, 12 children, 11 schol-
ars. William Harrington and Amy (Briggs) Harrington, 17 children, 13
scholars. George Round and Martha (Hopkins) Round, 12 children, 12 schol-
ars. John Simonds and Sarah (Wescott) Simonds, 12 children, 12 scholars.
Charles Simonds and Mehitable (Esborn) Simonds, 16 children, 16 scholars.
Richard Weaver and Judith (Reynolds) Weaver, 13 children, 11 scholars. Jo-
nathan Eddy and Temperance (Pratt) Eddy, 19 children, 14 scholars. In these
eight families no one had ever had more than one wife, and there was but one
pair of twins in the lot.
The parents, children and teachers were all interested in the schools, which
made them comparatively good schools. Now, in 1885, there are eight school-
houses in town and plenty of good books, maps, etc. The teachers are paid
from three to six dollars per week ; but the schools are thinly attended. The
parents, children, and some of the teachers, manifest very little interest in them;
the schools are generally thought to be of little account, and many parents send
their children to higher schools in other towns. While books and periodicals
have increased a hundred-fold and the cost of education four-fold, it is doubt-
ful if the people are any better qualified for the duties of life than formerly.
Political. — Clarendon has always been noted for its closely contested elec-
tions. When the political parties were not very evenly balanced, the contest
has been between individuals of the dominant party. From 1779 to 1784
Clarendon had two representatives each year. From the first settlement to
1870 forty-eight persons had represented the town ; of that number si.xteen,
or one-third, were elected but one )-ear; eight others were defeated the second
year, and afterwards re-elected. Since the term was extended to two years no
one has been re-elected. From 1823 to 1885, a period of sixty-two j'ears, but
one person (Lensey Round, jr.) has held the office over two years.i
During the first division of parties, known as Federal and Republican, the
contests were often bitter and exciting. It is related that in 1805 Daniel Dyer
and James Harrington at repeated trials received an equal number of votes ;
1 From 1778 to 1885, a period of one hundred and seven years, eight family names have repre-
sented the town sixty-two years, over five-ninths of the time. The Smiths 12 years ; Harringtons 9;
Stewards 6; Rounds 8 ; Marshes 7; Hodges 8 ; Spencers 6, and Walkers 6.
Town of Clarendon. 563
at length Dyer says to Harrington : " 'Squire, it don't look well for )'ou and I
to be voting for ourselves ; suppose you vote for me and I vote for j'ou at the
next ballot." Harrington agreed to the proposition and voted for Dyer, but
when the votes were counted it was found that Dyer had two majority and was
elected. When Harrington's friends accused D}er of voting for himself again,
Dyer replied : " Damn a man who won't trj' to help himself when his friends
are all trying to help him." The next year Harrington was elected.
After the names of parties were changed to Whig and Democrat the elec-
tions were no less close and exciting. From 1832 for five years no one was
re-elected. In 1845 there was no choice. The election of 1847 may be given
as a specimen of some later meetings. It was held in the old dilapidated
meeting-house on the hill south of the Briggs farm. The doors, windows and
most of the pews were gone. On a table on the north side were placed the
ballot boxes. It was a pleasant autumn day. In front of the house several
peddlers were selling honey, apples, watermelons, gingerbread, cider, etc., while
the younger men were engaged as usual in wrestling to decide which side of the
creek had the champion wrestler of the town, which, on that occasion, was
decided in favor of the east side, Samuel Hayward being " bully." Walter
Ross was the Whig and Dr. Calvin Spencer the Democrat candidate ; their
strength was nearly equal — about one hundred and thirty votes each. The
Liberty party, then rising in town, voted for John L. Marsh, who had sixteen
votes and held the balance of power. Several ballots were taken with about
the same result. Great efforts were made by the old parties, by personal ap-
peal and promise, to detach members of the Liberty party ; but they fought
on with unbroken ranks. Late in the afternoon an appeal was made to Marsh
to resign and carry his friends over to the Democrats. He replied that each
one of the Liberty party did his own thinking and his own voting, and that
any man who had brains enough and backbone enough to be an Abolitionist
at that time was qualified to represent the town ; and if the Democrats were
so anxious to defeat the Whigs, they might select any one of the Liberty party
for a candidate and when they cast their full vote for him, the Liberty men
would also vote for him and elect him. After consultation the Democrats
selected Rev. Charles Woodhouse and at one ballot gave him about two-thirds
of their votes, then fell back to Spencer, and the struggle went on. Early in
the evening Spencer came near being elected, when a Whig motioned that
the meeting adjourn ; the house was divided and the moderator, who was a
Democrat, decided the motion lost ; later in the night Ross nearly gained the
election, when a Democrat motioned to adjourn ; the house was again divided
and the motion declared carried. Whereupon, the constable took the ballot
boxes and with most of the Democrats left the house. The town clerk, who
was a W'hig, ren>ained, and a Whig who was a justice of the peace took off his
hat and called upon the people to vote in it. Some of the Whigs were doino-
564 History of Rutland County.
so, wlien a young Democrat, who was not a voter, pushed through the Whigs
and thrust a large handful of Democratic votes into the hat. In the tussle that
followed the lights were extinguished and the house enveloped in darkness.
Soon a large, stout Whig, Dr. Silas Bowen, came into the house with an old-
fashioned tin lantern in one hand, and a cane in the other. Some of the crowd
commenced to. kick his lantern and hit him, when one of his tall Whig friends,
Rufus Parker, rushing with out-stretched arms in front of him to help him, was
mistaken for an enemy, and fell, groaning to the floor with a blow from the
cane. The lantern was kicked out and darkness again prevailed. Lights were
again procured and most of the crowd left except a few Whigs, who voted in
the hat and declared Ross elected ; he went to Montpelier and was given a
seat. The next year he was defeated and Spencer elected. In 1849 ^ Whig;
1850-51, a Democrat ; 1852, a Free-Soiler; i853,aWhig; 1854-55-56, Free
Soilers and Know-Nothings were elected ; then the Republicans carried the
town for about twenty years without organized opposition, but with bitter con-
tests between candidates in the party. In 1880 the Democrats had one and
the Republicans five candidates. The balloting continued throughout the day
and night ; many ditTerent men were voted for and abandoned ; it was a night
long to be remembered for the slaughter of candidates. When the morning
sun of Wednesday shone on the mountain tops, nearly all were weary of the
protracted struggle and voted to adjourn. A few, however, refused to adjourn
and two or three tendered their votes for Noel Potter, to the moderator, de-
manding that he receive them, which he refused to do, and taking the ballot
box left the hall, followed by most of the citizens. A few remained, and seven
votes for Noel Potter were cast in a hat held by one of the selectmen. Potter
was given a seat in the Legislature and held it through the term, although
many of his opponents went to Montpelier and made great efforts to unseat
him. In 1882 the contest was renewed with increased bitterness, although
narrowed down to one Democrat and two Republican candidates. After ballot-
ing all day, dreading a night contest and determined to insure the defeat of the
opposing Republican candidate, the largest wing of the Republican party
wheeled its solid ranks to the support of R. F. Powers, the Democrat candi-
date, and elected him. In 1885 again was heard the conflict's roar all through
the day and through the night until Wednesday morning, when Seneca E,
Smith, a Republican was elected by one majority.
The March town meetings have often been no less exciting than the free-
men's meetings in September. In 1885, after balloting all day, the meeting
adjourned one week and balloted all of another day to elect the necessary town
officers. The bitter quarrels and petty rings in the town, and the practice of
pulling down instead of helping their fellow townsmen, have destroyed their in-
fluence, so that, although there are many able men in town, no one, as men-
tioned before, has held any county or State office for twenty-eight years.
I
Town of Clarendon. 565
Military. — Clarendon Light Infantry was organized at an early day. Col-
onel Nathaniel Crary, of Clarendon, was among the first who had command of
the company; he was succeeded by Rufus Parker. About 181 1 or 1812.
Thomas Tower commanded. John Bowman, Ira Seward, Green Arnold, Ruel
Parker, Gershom Cheney and perhaps others, were captains of the company
before it was disbanded.
About 1 82 1 the " Union Military Band " was organized, most of the mem-
bers residing in Clarendon ; Pliny Parker, leader. This band carried one bugle,
four clarionets, two German flutes, two octaves, two violins, two bassoons, a
bass drum and triangle. After a few years this band was scattered and dis-
banded.
The " Clarendon Guards " were organized September 10, 1842; first cap-
tain, Stephen Fowler ; afterwards Captain Daniel Wing, succeeded by Cap-
tain Cyrel Carpenter. This company kept, up its organization nine years.
These companies were all well uniformed.
On Sunday, September 12, 18 14, the news came that a British army was
marching on Plattsburg. Many immediately enlisted and started for the
seat of war. Thus Clarendon has ever responded to the calls for patriotic duty.
Her sons fought on the red fields of Mexico. They saw the rebel flag shine
in the morning sunlight of victory at Bethel, and they saw it furled on the
night of eternal defeat at Appomattox. Her brave boys are sleeping on the
battle-fields of the Republic from Gettysburgh to the gulf; yet Clarendon, as
a town, spreads no flowers on the graves nor writes on marble column the
names of her gallant dead.
The following are the names of some of the soldiers of the Revolution, who
lived and are buried in Clarendon: John Smith, aged 80; William Grossman,
88 ; Abel Titus, 80 ; Gideon Hewitt, 89 (had twenty children) ; Zebulon Cram,
90 ; Nathan Lounsbury, 102.
In the late War of the Rebellion volunteers from this town played a con-
spicuous and honorable part, as the following list of enlistments and the chap-
ter devoted to the military history of the county will show.
The town of Clarendon furnished the following named soldiers who valiantly
aided in the suppression of the Rebellion. No drafted men went from this
town : —
First regiment, three months men, mustered into service May 2, 1861.
Mustered out of service August 15, 1861. — William Crothers, Harrison Combs,
James L. Congdon, George Lincoln, John W. Ross, William H. Smith, Gilbert
Stewart, co. G, William McC. Rounds, John Donnelly, Samuel H. Kelley,
Moses W. Leach, James W. Ross, Alonzo E. Smith, Henry Webb, co. K.
Procured substitutes. — Willis Benson, Barney Riley, Henry C. Round,
Lucien P. Smith, Edwin C. Taylor, William L. Wylie.
Volunteers for three years ; credited previous to call for 300,000 volunteers
566 History of Rutland County.
of October 17th, 1863. — Peter Avery, co. C, lOth regt.; George Ballard, co.
B, 2d regt.; Henry H. Cobb, co. C, 4th regt.; Harrison Combs, co. B, 7th
regt.; Henry C. Congdon, co. E, 2d s. s.; John Crothers, co. H, 7th regt.;
Charles H. Daniels and William J. Daniels, co. B, 7th regt.; Don C. Davis,
Flavius Davis, Solon D. Davis, co. H, cav.; Thomas Davis, co. I, 7th regt.;
Charles F. Dorsett, co. G, 5th regt.; Edwin H. Dorsett, co. B, 9th regt.; James
J. Doty, CO. M, nth regt.; William Dyer, co. G, 5th regt.; Edward M. Edger-
ton, CO. B, 9th regt.; Don A. Fassett, co. G, 5th regt.; Steven B. Flanders, co.
F, 1st s. s.; William Flanders, co. B, 2d regt.; Abisha G. Gee, co. B, 7th regt;
Edward B. Gee, co. H, cav.; Henry H. Giddings, co. F, 1st s. s.; Philip Greg-
ory, CO. C, loth regt.; Enoch C. Hagar, co. L, nth regt.; William W. Har-
rington, CO. B, 2d regt.; James B. Holden, co. H, ca\'.; Lorin Horton, co. D,
7th regt; Michael Hubbard, co. C.'ioth regt.; Edward L. Kelley, Samuel H.
Kelley, John Lazelle, co. B, 9th regt.; George A. Langley, co. I, 7th regt.;
Henry Lewis, co. G, 5th regt.; Lewis S. Maranville, co. C, lOth regt.; Lensey
R. Morgan, co. H, cav.; Ira C. Monroe, co. H. cav.; Charles A. Parker, Will-
iam H. Pitts, CO. B, 7th regt; Albert Perkins, co. A, 7th regt; Jesse Plumley,
CO. L 7th regt; Darius E. Potter, Noel Potter, co. F, 1st s. s.; Daniel M. Pow-
ers, CO. F, cav.; William D. Powers, co. 1, 7th regt.; David Quincy, co. D, 7th
regt.; John Q. A. Rhodes, co. G, 5th regt.; James M. Ross, co. H, cav.; John
H. Savory, co. B, 2d regt; Merritt H. Sherman, co. C. nth regt; Montillion
Smith, CO. E, 2d s. s.; Gilbert Stewart, co. G, cav.; Nelson A. Sumner, co. B,
5th regt.; Reuben A. Sumner, co. M, nth regt.; Abel E. Titus, Horace Tow-
er, CO. B, 2d regt; George W. Wardwell, William H. H. Wardwell, co. D, 7th
regt.; David Weller, co. B, 9th regt; Henry Wescott, co. G, 7th regt.; Charles
H. Wilder, co. I, 7th regt.; James R.Winn, co. C, nth regt.; William Wilkins,
CO. B, 7th regt.
Credited under calls of October 17th, 1863, and subsequent calls for three
years. — Joseph W. Darling, co. G, 5th regt; Edward B. Gee, co. B, 9th regt;
William O. Hosmer, co. C, nth regt; George H. Hoyt, co. D, 9th regt,;
Franklin Ives, co. B, 9th regt; Lucian B. Parker, jr., Adrian C. Proctor, Will-
iam Proctor, CO. F, loth regt; Edwin M. Sherman, Minor B. Sherman, co. C,
nth regt.; Azro A. Shippey, co. E, 2d s. s.; William H. Smith, co. I, 17th
regt.
Volunteers for one year. — George F. Aldrich, co. B, 9th regt; Peter L.
Brecette, co. C, ist art.; Martin D. Cavanaugh, co. F. loth regt.; Lovell A.
Dawson, co. K, 9th regt; Patrick Kelley, co. K, loth regt; Frank Laundry,
CO. C, 1st art.; Daniel P. Marsh, co. I, F, cav.; Lewis Marlow, 2d bat.; An-
drew J. Moore, co. I, 7th regt.; 'William Round, co. D, 7th regt.; Franklin A.
Shippey, co. C, 7th regt.; John J. Starks, co. B, 7th regt.; Myron H. Ward-
well, CO. B, 7th regt; F"ranklin A. Whitlock, co. C, 7th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — John Crothers, co. K, 7th regt; Robert Currin,
Town of Clarendon. 567
CO. G, 5th regt.; William J. Daniels, co. B, 7th regt.; William Dyer, co. G,
5th regt; Jesse Plumley, co. I, 7th regt.; Anthony Porter, co. R, 7th regt;
William D. Powers, co. I, 7th regt.
Volunteers for nine months. — Lewis PI Ackley, Andrew J. Bartholomew,
Josiah W. Crapo, Edward B. Gee, Marshall W. Grover, co. B, 14th regt.; Warren
C. Jackson, co. K, 12th regt. ; William W. Kinsman, co. B, 14th regt.; Moses
W. Leach, Thomas A. E. Moore, Edgar S. Nelson, co. K, 12th regt.; George
N. Pitts, jr., CO. B, 14th regt; Aldis D. Ross, co. K, 12th regt; Elias Smith,
William H. Smith, co. B, 14th regt; Myron H. Wardwell, co. K, 12th regt
Furnished under draft. — Paid commutation, Richard Butler, George W.
Grossman, Winslow S. Eddy, Charles Ewind, Merritt Fisk, Edgar M. Glynn,
Nathan B. Smith, Wallace Smith.
Following are the present officers of this town: Seneca E. Smith, repre-
sentative ; H. B. Spafiford, L. F. Croft, Thomas Brown, L. Steward, J. C. Col-
vin, Erastus Kelley, B. F. Crippen, justices of the peace ; Edwin Congdon,
town clerk ; L. F. Croft, treasurer ; G. R. Davis, constable ; E. L. Holden,
N. S. Walker, Barney Riley, selectmen ; N. M. Powers, overseer of the poor ;
William Croft, John Ridlon, L. Steward, listers. The present postmasters of
the town are T. K. Horton, at Clarendon; A. Moore, at Clarendon Springs;
J. C. Spencer, at t'ast Clarendon ; S. N. Mason, at North Clarendon.
Ecclesiastical. — Many of the early inhabitants of this town were Baptists,
from Rhode Island, and very soon after settlement began a Baptist Church was
formed in the east part and one in the west part of the town. Elder Isaac Beals
was the first settled minister in the town. About 1800 a meeting-house was
built near the south flat, and Elder William Herrington, a brother of Theoph-
ilus, was settled over the church. Both of these organizations long since
ceased to exist.
Congregational Church. — This church was organized February 18, 1822,
by Rev. Henry Hunter, who was its first pastor and was dismissed in October,
1827. There were nine original members. After the dismissal of Mr. Hunter,
Rev. N. Hurd supplied the church for a time, and Rev. Philetus Clark for sev-
eral years from 1830. The next pastor was Rev. Horatio Flagg, settled in
January, 1835, dismissed in November, 1836. For about six years after Janu-
ary, 1837, the pulpit was supplied by Rev. S. Williams, and was succeeded for
about two years by Rev. S. P. Giddings. The successors have been Revs.
Ezra Jones, J. B. Clark, Moses G. Grosvenor, William T. Herrick and George
H. Morss, who now serves the church. John C. Spencer and James Barrett
are deacons. The brick church was erected in 1824, and in i860 was rebuilt
inside ; a bell was placed in the belfry in 1869. The church has a flourishing
Sabbath- school and is earnestly supported.
There is now no settled minister in the west part of the town ; but occa-
sional preaching in the old meeting-house at Chippen Hook, attended by the
$68 History of Rutland County.
various sects alike. The old wooden church near the south flats disappeared
piece-meal about 1850. A flourishing Universalist Society existed here many
years ago, to which Rev. Charles VVoodhouse ministered, and a brick church
was built at North Clarendon. This was demolished about 1868.
Municipal. — There are no villages in this town that aspire to more than
the dignity of hamlets. Post-oflices and some small business interests are
located at Clarendon, East Clarendon, North Clarendon and Clarendon Springs,
as already noted. The somewhat celebrated springs in this town were known
to be curative in the character of their waters several years before the begin-
ning of the present century. According to the statement of George Round,
father of the late O. H. Round, who settled at the springs in 1781, the waters
were first called medicinal in 1793, or 1794. At that time there was a space
of ten rods or more in extent upon which no green thing grew, from the effects
of the water. The water was heavily charged with a deposit, so that a board
lying in the spring for a hundred days would be completely coated over with
" a cinder-like substance " a sixteenth of an inch in thickness, or more. As
early as iSoo people began to visit the springs as a cure for poisons and salt
rheum. In 1781 George Round built a log-house near the springs and took a
few boarders. In 1798 he erected a frame-house and kept it as a hotel. It is
said that the first wonderful cure was made on a man named Shaw, who applied
the white clay about the springs to a cancer and cured it. Such reputed cures
soon gave the springs a great celebrity, and undoubtedly one that was to a
certain extent fictitious ; although it is well settled that the use of the waters is
beneficial in many complaints. The number of visitors seeking renewed health
at these springs has led to the erection of hotels and boarding-houses for their
accommodation. The Clarendon House is the largest of these and accommo-
dates with its cottages about two hundred guests. It is now kept by the Mur-
ray Brothers, and is open from June to October.
There is very little mercantile business in the town at the present time.
Among those who have at various times traded here are Benjamin Spencer,
Moses Goddard, Oliver Whitney, Henry and Silas W. Hodges, Caleb Hall,
Henry Brown, Lewis M. Walker, Ruel Parker, Henry Hitchcock, O. B. Bar-
low, W. P. Horton.
A store is now kept by J. P. Merriam at the springs, and J. C. Spencer is
in trade at East Clarendon. Mr. Spencer began business at his present location
in 1852, succeeding Gaskill & Weeks, who had carried on the business eight or
ten years ; they were preceded by George and Almon Bullard, and before that
Calvin Grossman and George W. Bullard were in business as the first merchants
here. John Bowman had a grocery some years ago, and James Eddy kept one
at the depot, where the post-office was located a few years. J. E. Spencer has
been postmaster for twenty-four years, succeeding James Eddy. The latter
was preceded in the ofiice by Harvey Kingsley, and he by Newman Weeks.
Calvin Grossman was a still earlier official.
Town of Clarendon. 569
The first grist-mill at East Clarendon was built for Nathaniel Crary, who
sold it to Chester Kingsley about 1825 ; he sold it to Harvey and Harrison
Kingsley in 1839. Fourteen years later Harrison purchased his partner's in-
terest. The mill was rebuilt while in the hands of the two Kingsleys, and is
now owned by Harrison Kingsley. The elder Kingsley also built a carding-
mill here, and a saw-mill, which were carried off in the great flood.
At North Clarendon B. E. Horton carries on a large manufacturing busi-
ness, embracing a grist-mill, cider-mill, saw-mill, shingle-mill, cheese-box fac-
tory and chair stock factory ; all these industries are carried on in one large
building. Mr. Horton purchased the lands in 1877 and the following year
built the saw-mill, grist-mill, etc., and thus started the entire establishment.
He began making cider here in 1877, and built the present cider-mill in 1882 ;
about 1,500 barrels are manufactured annually. From 12,000 to 20,000
cheese-boxes are annually made and eight or ten men are employed. There
was in earlier years a saw and grist-mill on tliis same site and a carding-mill.
N. S.Walker's cheese factory is in successful operation near Chippen Hook
(a hamlet in the southwestern part of the town).
Marble. — There is a marble deposit in Clarendon, but little has ever been
done to develop it. Dr. O. R. Baker, of New York, and Thomas Lynch, of
Rutland, have recently purchased a property lying on one of the low ranges of
hills on the river about half a mile from Clarendon Springs. A small opening
was made here some forty years ago, when the marble industry was in its in-
fancy, and a few blocks were taken out and sawed. The owner, a man named
Ta\-lor, stopped the work because of the small promise of profits under then
existing facilities for carrying on the business. W. F. Barnes subequently be-
came the owner of the property and held it at the time of his death. It was re-
cently sold to Gardner Gates, who transferred two-thirds of the property to
the first named gentlemen. Si.x large openings have been made up to the
present time, and the developments seem to warrant the richness and value of
the deposit. Test cores of 103 feet have been taken out, several of which are
three and one-half feet long. Several capitalists of New York, Philadelphia,
and Chicago have become interested in the enterprise and the work will be
rapidly advanced.
Biograpliical. — While we cannot attempt to give anything like a complete
biographical record of all of the prominent men of early times in this town, it
will not be out of place to briefly refer to a few of them.
Theophilus Herrington^ was born in Rhode Island in 1762. He came to
Clarendon in 1786, but soon afterward went back to Rhode Island on business.
On his return to Vermont he saw a young woman named Betsey Buck in a
house which he was passing. So strong was the impression made upon him
1 This name is spelled with both an " a " ami an " e," and nsually with an " a," but a refeience to
ourt records in Rutland shows that he himself wrote it as ii appears herein.
S70 History of Rutland County.
that he stopped, made suit to her and took her with him as his wife when he
left the house. They Hved near Clarendon Springs and had a family of twelve
children. He represented the town seven years ; was speaker of the house one
year; was chief judge of Rutland County Court three years, and was a judge
of the Supreme Court ten years and until a few weeks before his death. He
died the 17th of November, 1813, and was buried at Clarendon with Masonic
honors. "Judge Herrington was not a lawyer; he was a plain, rough farmer
with no legal education, and but little learning of any kind ; yet he was an ex-
cellent judge ; a resolute, acute, strong-minded man, caring little for the forms
of law, brushing away the quibbles and sophistries of the lawyers with a strong
hand and intent on doing substantial justice in every case. He was a large
man, six feet high, broad-shouldered and of great muscular strength. His
complexion was swarthy ; his beard black, heavy and generally unshaven ;
his hair black, coarse and rarely combed. His eyes were small and keen and
his face expressive." On the bench he usually appeared as if he was half
asleep, and apparently paying no attention to the case on trial. Nothing, how-
ever, escaped his observation or his recollection and, though the trial might
last for days, it was found when he came to charge the jury, that though he
had not taken a single note, he knew the names of all the witnesses, the order
in which they were introduced, and the exact language in which they testified.
Many anecdotes are told of this extraordinary man and his decisions, but we
have space to relate but one: Judge Herrington was applied to for a warrant
for the extradition of a negro, who was claimed as a slave. The clamiant
made out what he regarded as ^. prima facie case, and then " rested," but the
judge intimated that the title to the slave was not satisfactorily established.
Additional evidence was put in, but the judge was still not satisfied. A third
attempt was made and proof was furnished that the negro and his ancestors
before him had " time out of mind of man," been slaves of the claimant and
his ancestors. Still the judge declared that there seemed to be a defect in the
title. " Will your honor then," returned the astonished claimant, " be good
enough to suggest what is lacking to make a perfect title." " A bill of sale,
sir, from God Almighty," was the reply. This extraordinary decision, made
at the time when many even of the Northern States held slaves, gave him a
national reputation and made his fame enduring. In the great debate in Con-
gress on the passage of the last fugitive slave law, the decision of Judge Her-
rington was cited by the South to show the need of such a law to regain their
escaping slaves.
In 1S84 the Legislature of Vermont appropriated $400, and appointed W.
G. Vcazy, Seneca E. Smith, Hannibal Hodges, and Lyman Fish, commission-
ers, to erect a monument at the grave of Theophilus Herrington in Clarendon,
where
'• He sleeps on the hills no sl.ive ever trod,
Nor claimant brought bills from .Vlmighty God."
Town of Clarendon. 571
James Herrington, a brother of Theophilus, represented Clarendon in 1806
and 1807, was judge of probate in 1803 and 1804, and assistant judge of the
county court in 1806 and 1807. He was a man of good natural ability and
had influence in the town and count)-. He also had a habit of "sleeping at
the most unnatural times and places. Returning from court on horse-back he
would perhaps waken to find that his horse had strayed into some barn- yard
b\' the waj'side, and was helping himself to supper," His style of living, like
that of his neighbors, was far from luxurious. A sea captain, hearing that his
old school-fellow had become a judge in Vermont, paid him a visit. His vis-
ions of possible magnificence were quickly dispelled, and in nautical terms
more forcible than elegant, he pictured the simplicity of the judge's hospital-
ity. " For supper a pan of milk with 'johnny cake,' which sunk as quick as
a lead sinker in the milk. Each person was provided with a spoon, and gath-
ering about the pan, one after another ' made a dive,' and finall\- the captain
made a di\-e, but failed to get anything. In the morning the judge conducted
him to a shed and brought him a gourd filled with water in which to perform
his ablutions. Breakfast was a repetition of supper, and the captain departed
a wiser man."
William Herrington, a younger brother, was a Baptist minister, and was
judge of probate three }'ears, 181 1-13.
Increase Mosely was a native of Connecticut, was a judge of the Supreme
Court in 1784, and president of the first council of censors in 1786. He was
a lawyer and had been a judge in his native State ; was "a man of staid mein
and stately form," and wore in court the old-fashioned powdered wig, while
Ebenezer Marvin, the first assistant judge, wore a cocked hat.
Dr. Silas Bowen came to Clarendon October, 1822. He was born in Con-
necticut September 6, 1774. At the age of sixteen he went to Schodack, N.
Y., with a scanty wardrobe of homespun, and ten dollars, the only money his
father ever gave him. He was soon engaged in teaching in the day time, post-
ing books for a merchant in the evening, and rose before daybreak to study
mathematics. He became a famous physician, was an energetic, persevering,
self-reliant, influential man ; a great friend of schools, public libraries and de-
bating clubs. He was one of the founders of the " Medical Society of the
State of Vermont." He was buried at Clarendon May 20, 1858, with Masonic
honors. Colonel W. T. Nichols pronounced his eulogy.
Dr. Silas Hodges, a surgeon of Washington's arm\', came into Clarendon
about 1783, and settled on the fiirm where his grandson, Hannibal Hodges, now
lives, and died there in 1S44. He was the progenitor of a large and distin-
guished family.
Henry Hodges, the oldest son of Dr. Hodges, was born Juh' 30, 1779, and
died November 27, 1840. He built the dwelling-house and owned the farm'
where Edwin Congdon now lives. He was precluded from obtaining such an
572 History of Rutland County.
education as he ardently desired, but all his life was a studious reader of well-
chosen books, and thus became possessed of more than usual culture and infor-
mation. Few men in his day equaled him in the extent and accuracy of his-
historical information. He was widely known as a man of remarkable ability.
His courtesy was such as to compel his staunch political opponent. Judge Her-
rington, to make the notedc oncession, " If there is a polite man in the county
of Rutland, Harry Hodges is the man." He represented the town in 1819-20-
and 1821, and was assistant judge thirteen years.
George T. Hodges, the successful merchant, member of Congress and pres-
ident of the Bank of Rutland, was born in Clarendon, 1788.
Silas Wylys Hodges, Dr. Hodges's second son, was born 1785, and died
April 19, 1858. He was a man of more than ordinary ability, represented the
town two years ; was town clerk fourteen years. His son, Hannibal Hodges,
born September 12, 18 17, lives on the old homestead; has represented the
town and held mo.st of the town offices.
Silas Henry Hodges, the able lawyer, and U. S. commissioner of patents,
was born in Clarendon in 1804.
Edward F. Hodges, also a distinguished lawj'er, was born in Clarendon
in 1816.
Eliphalet Spafford was born in Temple, N. H., 1773. He settled in the
northeast part of Clarendon, where he died in i860, aged eighty-seven. He
was a descendant of John Spafiford, one of the first settlers of Rowley, Mass.,
in 1638, and of whom the following anecdote is told: During his residence at
Rowley, a drought was followed by a great scarcity of food, and he repaired to
Salem to purchase corn for himself and neighbors. The merchant to whom he
applied, foreseeing a greater scarcity and higher prices, refused to open his
store and supply his wants. Having plead in vain the necessities of himself
and others, he cursed him to his face; but on being immediately taken before
a magistrate, charged witli profane swearing, he replied that he had not cursed
profanely, but as a religious duty, and quoted Proverbs xi, 26, as his authority :
" He that withholdeth corn from the hungry, the people shall curse him." He
was immediately acquitted, and by the summary power of the courts of those
days, the merchant was ordered to deliver him as much corn as he wished to-
pay for.
He was a direct descendant of that Saxon family which occupied Spafford
Castle, one of the most ancient in England at the time of the Norman conquest.^
"1 Lord Percy made a solemn feast.
In Spafford's princely hall,
And there came lords and there came knights.
His chiefs and barons all.
" With wassail, mirth and revelry,
The castle rung around ;
Lord Percy called for song and harp.
And pipes of martial sound.
Town of Clarendon. 573
Eldad Spafford, the oldest son of Eliphalet Spafford (who had eleven chil-
dren), was born October 26, 1799; and died August 25, 1874. He was well
known as a blacksmith whose anvil rang in the northeast part of the town for
half a century.
Hiram B. Spafford, born May 10, 1825, owns the old homestead; he is a
wood-turner and insurance agent ; has served as town superintendent and text-
book committee several times, and justice of the peace many years; has two
sons, Charles A., and Irving, who reside in Clarendon.
O. H. Round was born in Clarendon, December 5, 1788, in the first house
built at the Springs. He lived to be nearly ninety and held every office in
town, e.xcept town clerk, and when he was in town no one else was thought
of for moderator of the town meetings; he was constable from 18 17 to 183 1 ;
represented the town in 1827-28; was a member of the Constitutional Con-
vention about the same time, and was captain in the militia. He was a man of
great energ)- and endurance and had a remarkable memory, and claimed that
he never took a chew of tobacco, smoked a pipe or cigar, never drank any
spirits of any kind, nor paid a lawyer a fee in his life.
Among other early settlers in the town may here be properly mentioned
the following : —
William Crossman came in from Easttown, Mass., in 1777, locating first in
Brandon, but removed to Clarendon in 1781, settling on the farm now owned
by VV. R. Crossman. William was a Revolutionary soldier, and related that
Burgoyne's men came as far as his home in Brandon and took his o.xen and
grain from him. John Weeks was an early settler from Washington, Conn.,
and located in Clarendon on the farm now owned by John Cleveland in 1787.
Newman Weeks, of Rutland, is his grandson. Jonathan Parker settled in the
north part of the town in 1785 and became a large land-holder. James Eddy
settled in the town at an early date. He was a scout in Revolutionary times
for the colonial army and was engaged in many daring expeditions. Many
"The minstrels of that noble house,
All clad in robes of blue.
With silver crescents on their arms.
Attend in order due.
"The great achievements of that race
They sung, their high command.
How valiant Manfred o'er the .seas
First led his Northern band.
" Brave Galfrid next, of Normandy,
With venturous Rolla came.
And from his Norman castle won.
Assumed the Percy name.
"They sung how in the conqueror's fleet
Lord William shipped his powers ;
And gained a fair young Saxon bride.
With all her lands and towers." — Hakgrave's Hisloiy, p.
574 History of Rutland County.
of his descendants still live in the town. Lewis Walker came to Clarendon
from Cheshire, Mass., in 1779, and settled on the farm where he died in 1813.
His son, Lewis, jr., was born on the homestead in 1781 and became prominent
in the town. Silas Whitney, the first selectman of the town (1778), came from
Connecticut in 1770. Isaac Tubbs immigrated from Connecticut about 1780,
locating on the farm now owned by Daniel Tubbs. Isaac built a tannery on
that farm and carried it on for more than forty years. Daniel Colvin came in
1780 and located on the farm now owned by the heirs of Benjamin Fisk. Elias
Steward, from Volney, Conn., settled in the southeast part of the town in 1777.
Christopher Pierce came to this town from Exeter, R. I., in 1802 and settled
on the farm now owned by Hannibal Hodges ; he subsequently purchased the
farm recently owned by his brother, Giles, where he died in 181 1, leaving a
large family. James Wylie came in from Connecticut in 1777, locating on
Otter Creek on the farm now owned by W. L. Wylie. After his death, in
1834, his son William took the homestead, where he has since resided. Oba-
diah Chapman came from Salisbury, Conn., in 1786, and occupied the house
of Silas Smith, recently owned and occupied by Burr Chapman and now in
possession of Josiah Seaman. This is one of the oldest houses in good repair
in the town. Mr. Chapman purchased a farm in the north part of the town,
and in 1786 built the house in which he lived and died ; it stood just in front
of Joseph Chapman's brick house ; the old farm has remained in possession of
a representative of the family from the first. Charles F. Button was an early
settler and father of Frederick Button, who was born in the town in 1789,
passed his life here and died in 1874. Daniel Dyer came to Clarendon from
Rhode Island in 1798 and settled on the farm now owned by his daughter,
Mrs. Lydia S. Briggs, widow of Philip Brjggs. Joseph Congdon, father of
George Congdon, was a settler in the town previous to the Revolution.
Thomas Spencer settled near the center of the town at an early date. His son,
Calvin, born in 1799, studied medicine at Castleton and practiced in Clarendon
until his death in I 870. He was father of J. C. Spencer. Henry Hitchcock,
who died in 1871, was a merchant at Clarendon Springs for some years.
Stephen Arnold was the first town clerk, his first record being made in
1778. Abner Lewis was the first representative.
Mrs. Sprague, grandmother of Frederick Button, is said to have been the
first white woman who came to the town. Her son, Durham Sprague, was
the first male child born in town. Mrs. Sprague died at the great age of one
hundred and four years.
The first frame house in the town was erected by Daniel Briggs in the year
1777 ; it is still standing in the southeast part of the town.
The first mill built in Clarendon was situated on the farm now owned by
Timothy K. Horton ; the mill-irons were brouglit from Albany in a two-
wheeled cart drawn by oxen.
Town of Danby. 575
Stephen Pope was one of the first tanners in the north part of the town ;
he also did shoemaking as early as 1795. A furnace was operated at West
Clarendon, southwest of Chippen Hook, before 18 1 7, and did a large business
for those days ; stoves were cast there.
Near!}' all of the early industries, except farming, as well as the mercantile
business, which for many years gave Clarendon a position as a leading town in
the county, have been given up, and chiefly since the building of the railroads.
The Rutland and Bennington Railroad crosses the town north and south, and
the Vermont Central crosses the northeast corner of the town ; but the con-
summation of these improvements only served to carry to other points (prin-
cipally to Rutland) the business of the locality.
CHAPTER XXV.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF D.\NBY.
DANBY, which forms with Pavvlet and Mount Tabor the southern tier of
towns in the county, is bounded on the north by Tinmouth and Walling-
ford ; on the east b\' Mount Tabor ; on the south by Dorset, in Bennington
county, and on the west by Pawlet. It is a trifle more than six miles square,
containing 24,960 acres. The surface is broken by mountains, and indented
with valleys, which unite the various water-courses so plentifully distributed
throughout the town. The Danby or Spruce Mountains intersect the town
north and south and at nearly right angles with the Dorset Mountains on the
southern boundary. The principal streams are Mill River, which is formed by
the concourse of many small brooks in the southwestern part of the town, and
flows east into Otter Creek in the town of Mount Tabor ; and Flower Brook,
which is formed in a similar manner in the northwestern part of the town and
flows southerly and then westerly into Pawlet River in the town of Pawlet.
These streams and their tributaries have afforded the inhabitants unsurpassed
mill privileges. Like all the towns in the county, it was originally covered
with a luxuriant mantle of forest trees, which were a source of wealth to the
earlier inhabitants.
The original design for the settlement of Danby was conceived, and the
plan adopted, in Nine Partners, N. Y. The charter was granted by Benning
Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire, on the 27th of August, 1761. The
following persons were the grantees : Jonathan Willard, Samuel Rose, Matthew
Ford, Lawrence Willsee, Benjamin Palmer, James Baker, Jonathan Ormsby,
Joseph Soper, William Willard, Joseph Marks, Daniel Miller, Daniel Dunham,
576 History of Rutland County.
John Nelson, Aaron Buck, Asa Alger, Joseph Brown, John Sutherland, jr.,
Joseph Brown, jr., Thomas Brown, Jeremiah Palmer, Benjamin Hammond,
William Blunt, Israel Weller, Benjamin Finch, Noah Pettibone, Samuel Shep-
ard, John Weller, David Weller, Nehemiah Reynolds, Jonathan Palmer, Will-
iam T. Barton, jr., John Partilow. Joseph Alger, Hugh Hall Wentworth, Sam-
uel Alger, Jonathan Weller, Lucius Palmer, Ephraim Reynolds, John Downing,
Captain John Chamberlain, Moses Kellogg, Reuben Knapp, David Willoughby,
Isaac Finch, William Barton, Gideon Ormsby, John Willard, Samuel Hunt, jr.,
Eliakim Weller, Noah GiUett, Colonel Ebenezer Kendall, Samuel Hunt, Nathan
Weller, William Kennedy, Nathan Fellows, Lamson Sheah, John Edmunds,
Daniel Ford, Richard Joslin, William Shaw.
The first meeting of the proprietors was held, in pursuance of the provisions
of the charter, at the great Nine Partners, Cromelbow precinct, Duchess coun-
ty, N. Y., and Jonathan Willafd, through whose efforts, chiefly, the charter was
obtained, was the moderator of the meeting. The second and subsequent
meetings were held at Nine Partners, N. Y., until the spring of 1763, and com-
mittees were repeatedly appointed for the purpose of surveying the new town-
ship, dividing it into shares, laying out roads, etc. The first road was actually
laid out in the fall of 1763, or spring of 1764, and led from Bennington to
Danby, and is now used for a highway across the mountain from Danby to
West Dorset. It was first worked in the summer of 1764, and those who per-
formed the work were to receive their pay in land. Although at first a mere
bridle-path, it was the only road to the town for some time, and was conse-
quently the avenue of the original settlements.
The first settlements in Danby were effected in the summer of 1765, wlien
Joseph Soper, Joseph Earl, Crispin Bull, Luther Colvin and Micah Vail es-
tablished homes in the wilds of the new township. Joseph Soper came with
his family from Nine Partners, N. Y., finding his way by marked trees, and
bringmg his worldly goods on horseback. He made a clearing and erected a
log cabin on the farm now occupied by Benjamin M. Baker. The cabin stood
there until about 1800. Joseph Earl, also from Nine Partners, began a clear-
ing west of Soper and near the present residence of John Hilliard. In the fol-
lowing year, it seems, he erected a log cabin, and was joined by his family.
Crispin Bull settled near the present residence of Richard Stone, but afterwards
made the first clearing in the east part of the town, and erected a cabin a little
south of the school-house. Luther Colvin came from Rhode Island and pitched
on the farm now owned by John Hilliard and occupied by Eli Wellington.
Micah Vail's settlement was on the farm owned by A. B. Herrick, south of the
Corners. These five families constituted the population of Danby in 1766.
The hardships and privations which these rugged and daring pioneers suf-
fered cannot be depicted, but a faint idea is already given in the tragic death
of the first named. Joseph Soper was frozen to death a few years after his
Town of Danby. 577
arrival here, and before the breaking out of the Revolutionary War. There being
no grist-mill in town, the settlers had habitually either pounded corn in bowls,
or hollowed stumps of trees, or gone to Manchester, fourteen miles away, for
their grist. Soper had gone on an errand of this kind, and on his return had
stopped at the house of a brother in Dorset. It was already dark, and the
night was bitter cold. A fierce snow storm, and a heavy wind were raging.
Soper resisted the importunities of his brother's family and pursued his way
alone across the menacing mountain. His family waited for him all night in
vain, and his brothers, fearing that some disaster might-have befallen him, came
to Danby on the following morning. They found the team, and near by the
lifeless body of Soper against a tree, where he had been overcome by the cold,
less than a mile from home. He was buried in a hollow log on the ground that
witnessed his death, the land being now owned by John Hilliard, nearly opposite
the residence of Harvey Harrington. Joseph Earl left town during the Revolu-
tionary War. Crispin Bull was one of the first board of selectmen, chosen in
1769. He received from the proprietors sixty acres of some of the best land
in town for sixty days' work building roads. It is now owned by George W.
and Stephen W. Phillips. He died in 1810 at the age of seventy years. His
father, Timoth)-, was a Quaker, and settled in 1767, a little southwest of the
residence of Harvey Harrington. Luther Colvin found his way here by marked
trees. His log cabin had but one room and no windows or doors. It is said
that he brought the first stove into town, and built the second framed house.
He also joined the Quaker society. He was an enthusiastic hunter and trap-
per. He died in 1829 at the age of about ninety years. Captain Micah Vail
was very prominent in the town and State. He was moderator of the annual
town meetings in 1773 and 1774; was one of the selectmen in 1 770 and 1775 ;
was a firm friend of Ethan Allen, Seth Warner, and an unwavering opponent
of the New York land jobbers. He represented Danby in the convention
which assembled at the house of Captain Kent, in Dorset, in 1776, and pro-
nounced the New Hampshire Grants " a free and separate district." He and
his wife both died on the same day in 1777, and were buried in the same
grave.
In the year 1766, Seth Cook, then twenty-six years of age, came to Danby
from Rhode Island and settled on the since well-known " Cook farm," now
occupied by the widow of the late Seneca Smith, south of the Corners. The
town then contained but seven families. He was one of the first board of se-
lectmen ^in 1769, and was unjustly suspected of entertaining royalist ideas.
He died in 1801. Nathan Wellercame from Nine Partners, N. Y., in the spring
of 1767, and settled on a portion of the farm now owned by Harris Otis. He
was a prominent man in the early history of Danby, having been selectman
eleven years from 1770, town treasurer in 1772, and lister four years. Cap-
tain Stephen Calkins came from Connecticut in 1768, and settled on the pres-
5/8 History of Rutland County.
ent farm of C. G. Herrick. He purchased the right of an original proprietor,
and was thus the first to clear a farm north of the Corners. He was the first
selectman elected in town. He was captain in the Revolutionary War, and
took part in the siege of Yorktown, when the British surrendered. He built
the first grist-mill in town. He died in 1814, at the age of eighty-three years.
Thomas Rowley came to Danby from Hebron, Conn., in the same year with
Captain Calkins and settled near the residence of the late A. C. Risdon, and
was surveyor for the town and proprietors' clerk for a number of years. He
was town clerk from 1769 to 1782 inclusive, was one of the town's committee
of safety ; was elected representative in 1778 and again in 1782. He opposed,
with Chittenden, Allen and Warner, the pretensions of the New York land
jobbers. He was the poet of the Green Mountain Boys. In 1768, also, Jesse
Irish, from Nine Partners, settled on the farm now owned by Nelson Colvin-
He had seven sons, some of whom, like himself, bore the reputation of being
Tories. It is related that his property was confiscated because of his active
sympathy with the British. He remained in Danby until his death, some years
after the war.
The year 1770 witnessed a considerable immigration of settlers. Among
others that came that year was William Bromley, sr., who settled on the pres-
ent homestead of Ira H. Vail, and erected his rude log cabin on the site of the
present framed house. He was town clerk from 177610 1780; proprietors'
clerk in 1786; one of the committee of safety in 1777; selectman in 1781,
and town treasurer from 1783 to 1785. He died in 1803, at the age of eighty-
four years. Abraham Chase also came in 1770, from Nine Partners, and es-
tablished a settlement near the recent residence of A. C. Risdon. He owned
and kept the second tavern in town in 1774. After a few \'ears he removed
to Plattsburg, N. Y. Captain William Gage came the same year (1770) and
kept a tavern on the site of the poor-house. He held many prominent posi-
tions of trust in the town ; was especially active against the claims of the
"Yorkers " to Vermont territory ; joined the army during the invasion of Bur-
goyne, and participated in the battle of Bennington. He remained in town
some years after the close of the war. Wing Rogers came from Mansfield,
Mass., in 1770, and came at once into possession of broad acres, including the
farms now owned by J. E. Nichols and F. R. Hawley. He was a Quaker and
one of the founders of that church in Danby. He was a man of great force of
character and peculiar eccentricities. He was the first " hog constable," being
elected in 1777 ; was selectman four years, and a member of the Legislature
from 1790 to 1793 inclusive. He died after 1800 in Ferrisburg, Vt. His
brother, Stephen, settled also in 1770, on the farm now owned by the H. P.
Tabor estate. He was a Quaker. In 1790 he erected there the first two-story
house-built in town. He died in 1835, at the age of eighty-five years. Israel
Seley came from Rhode Island in 1770; participated in the Revolution and
Town of Danby. . 579
died in 18 10, advanced in years. Ephraim Seley, a brother, came here about
the same time and built the red tavern at the Corners. He opposed the New
York land grants. He removed to Canada. Walter Tabor, another immigrant
of 1770, came from Tiverton, R. I., and settled on the ground afterward cov-
ered by the woolen factory, near the A. C. Risdon place. He fought in the
Revolution, and after the war was over became the associate of Micajah Weed
in the tanning business. In about 1792 he removed to Mount Tabor, where
he died in 1S06.
Abel Haskins, sr., came from Nine Partners, N. Y., in 1772, and lived here
until his death in 1820, at the age of eighty years. Ezekiel Ballard, a Quaker,
came from Rhode Island in 1775, and settled on the north part of the farm now
owned by A. A. Mathewson, and afterward on the farm now owned by the
H. P. Tabor estate. In the same year Joseph Wing came from Dartmouth
and settled on the farm now owned by William H. Bond. He died at the age
of ninety in 1 8 10.
In 1776 Joseph Armstrong, of Bennington, took up a temporary residence
in the northwest part of the town. He afterwards settled in Pavvlet. In the
same year Governor Thomas Chittenden, to avoid the dangers of the exposed
condition of the frontier, came to Danby by the way of Middlebury and Cas-
tleton, and took up his abode on a farm at the foot of the mountain, presuma-
bly near the residence of the late A. C. Risdon. On the evacuation of Ticon-
deroga in July, 1 777, he went to I'ownal, and later to Arlington and to Will-
iamstown, Mass. At the close of the war he returned to Williston. Stephen
Williams was the first settler on the present farm of Frank Goodwin, and af-
ter a residence of a number of years here, during which he was honored with
various town offices, he removed to Concord, Erie county, N. Y. Bethuel
Bromley came from Preston, Conn., in 1777, and founded a settlement on the
farm of the late Hiram Bromley. He was a brother of William Bromley, sr.
About the time of his arrival, Oliver Harrington, from Rhode Island, settled
in the little village, where he resided until his death in 1839, aged eighty-one
years. Elihu Benson came from Rhode Island as early as 1778, but probably
did not establish a residence here until several years later. Obadiah Edmunds
came the same year from the same State. Although a man of peaceable dis-
position, he bore a share in the War of the Revolution. He died in 1809.
Elisha Fish also came from Rhode Island in 1778, and began the clearing of
the farm now occupied by Freelove Fish. At the time of his death, in 1S45,
when he had reached the age of eighty-three years, he had acquired what was
then deemed to be a considerable property. Charles Leggett, one of the first
school teachers in Danby, lived here from 1778 to 1806, when he removed to
Chester, N. Y. Anthony Nichols came to Chittenden, Vt., from East Green-
wich, R. I., his native place, in 1776, and two years later commenced the farm
now occupied by Isaac J. Nichols and sisters, in Danby. He was a Quaker.
58o History of Rutland County.
He introduced about the second stove in town, the " Abbott stove." His
death occurred in 1822, when he had attained the age of seventy-one years.
His brother, Charles, accompanied him on his arrival in Danby, and settled at
Scottsville, near where his grandson, Charles, now lives. The name of Dr.
Ebenezer Tolman, the first physician in town, first appears on the roll of 1778.
He was a prominent man in town until he went away in 1800, and was suc-
ceeded in practice by Dr. Adam Johnson. John H. Andrus came from Col-
chester, Conn., in 1780, and established a home in the west part of the town.
He held many prominent public positions, having been one of the judges of
the County Court in iSii and 1813, a member of the Constitutional Conven-
tion of 1 8 14, and a councilor in 1820. He was also selectman eleven, and
representative nine years. He died in 1841, aged seventy-three years, in
Pawlet, whither he had removed in 1822. Another settler of 1780 was Henry
Frost, who kept tavern near the residence of the late A. C. Risdon, and ran
the first store in town. He was selectman two years. Thomas Harrington,
sr., came from Gloucester, R. I., in the same year. He brought considerable
money with him and became an extensive land- owner. He was selectman
four years and town surveyor for a long time. Thomas Nichols, sr., the ear-
liest known ancestor of the Nichols family who came to Danby from Green-
wich, R. I., in 1780. He was of Welsh descent. He died at an advanced
aged in 1798. Jonathan Seley, who subsequently became one of the largest
land-owners in town, came from Rhode Island about the year 1780. He was
constable in 1784, selectman five years, lister five years and justice of the
peace ten }-ears. He removed to St. Lawrence county, N. Y., and afterwards
to Ohio, where he died. Rev. Hezekiah Eastman, the first settled minister
and the first Baptist clergyman in town, was ordained at the house of Stephen
Calkins on the nth of October, 1781. He received the benefit of the share
of land reserved by the charter for the first settled minister of the gospel. Al-
though his education in the schools was limited, he had great natural ability,
a thorough knowledge of the Bible and of men and affairs. He preached in
nearly all the surrounding towns, often traveling long distances, both on foot
and on horseback, to meet his appointments. Services were usually held in
log buildings. He remained here until about the year 1800.
Captain Amos Brown, of Gloucester, R. I., settled in 1782 on the farm
now owned by his grandson, Daniel Brown, and is entitled to the credit of
having been the first to make a clearing in the west part of the town. He af-
terwards settled on the farm now occupied by his grandson, John Brown. The
present dwelling house he erected in 1793. He died in 1843, at the age of
eighty-six years. Lemuel Griffith came also in 1782, on the farm now owned
by R. E. Caswell, and soon became one of the most extensive land-owners in
town. The apple orchard that he planted is there yet and the site of the old
house is marked by the cellar, still visible. The first buildings were removed
Town of Danby. 581
in 1839. He died in 18 18, at the age of seventy- three years. He has no
sons or grandsons in town now, but many more remote descendants. J. C, C.
W. and S. L. Griffith are great-grandsons.
Joseph Button and Daniel Parris, both worthy of mention, came in 1785 ;
the former, from Rhode Island, settled on what is still known as the " Button
farm," now owned by Howell Dillingham. He was a Quaker, and possessed
great wealth and energy. He kept a store and manufactured potash. He
died in 1829, at the age of eighty years. Daniel Parris came from Williams-
town, his native place, and built a house on the farm now owned by his grand-
son, John S. Parris. He died on the 17th of February, 1822, aged sixty-two
years.
The principal arrival in 1787 was that of Caleb Smith, who first resided on
the farm now owned by A. D. Smith. The site of the old log cabin is marked
by a single apple-tree. Like so many others of these early inhabitants he was
a Quaker. The house which he built in 1798 is still occupied by his grand-
son. Captain Alexander Barrett, who came in 1788, was a prominent Metho-
dist here in early days, and a man of wealth and social position. He died in
1849, in his eighty-second year. In the year 1789 came three brothers from
Scituate, R. I., viz., Benjamin, Benoni and Reuben (sr.) Fisk. Benjamin set-
tled on the present farm of Anthony Haley, and remained here until his death
in 1866, when he had attained the unusual age of ninety-five years Reuben
Fisk, sr., who cleared a part of the farm now occupied by P. W. Johnson,
had the power, it is said, of healing by manipulation. He removed to Hol-
land Purchase.
In about the year 1790 Stephen Baker from Rhode Island came here,
worked a while for Daniel Parris, and in 1804 settled in the little village,
having returned to Rhode Island and married in the mean time. He went to
Rhode Island again, then to Mount Holly in 18 14 and from there came here
in 1828 and took up his residence near Scottsville, where his son, Orean, now
lives. He died in 1858, aged eighty years. He has four sons, Benjamin M.,
Orean, Austin S., John F., and two daughters, Elizabeth and Philena S., wife
of Simeon E. Harrington, now in town. The year of his arrival here witnessed
also the settlement of Bradford Barnes, of Plymouth, Mass., near what has been
known as " the borough " or, Danby village, on the Rowland Stafford farm,
now owned by A. S. Baker. He kept a tavern here until about the year 1802.
He died in 1 8 16 at the age of sixty- nine years. In 1790, also, John Buxton,
from Rhode Island, established a residence on the farm now owned by N.
Clark. He died in 1845, being then eighty-five years of age. James Sowl
first lived here about 1791, when he settled on the farm which his father,
Wesson Sowl, had previously cultivated to some extent. He died at Westport,
Mass., the home of his father. He had been a seafaring adventurer in his earlier
days.
582 History of Rutland County.
Dr. Harris Otis, a native of Scituate, Mass., came to Danby in 1793. Al-
though a finely educated physician, he withdrew by degrees from the practice
of medicine and devoting himself entirely to farming, accumulated a handsome
property in land and became especially noted as a dairyman. He resided
where his son William now lives ; the farm is carried on by Harris F. Otis, his
grandson. He was a leading Quaker. He died on the 8th of August, 1847,
in the seventy-third year of his age.
In 1795 Jacob Bartlett, from Rhode Island, settled near the present farm
of Michael Cunningham, his birch-pole house then being on the old road, since
discontinued. He was a blacksmith and a member of the Quaker society. His
death occurred in Granville, N. Y., in 1837. Caleb Bufifum came here in 1797,
from Providence, R. I., and after carrying on the blacksmithing business until
1806, purchased the trip-hammer and shop of Samuel Dow, and remained
there about twelve years. From 18 18 to 1S41 he resided in Mount Tabor.
Then he returned to Danby and kept the tavern several years. He died in
1857, at Rutland, being seventy-six years of age. Elkanah Parris, a Quaker
from Pembroke, Mass., came in 1797, to the west part of the town and re-
mained until his death, in 1813. Abner Bartlett, of Rhode Island, came in
1798, and built a log cabin on the hill a little east of Erastus Kelley's, and in
1799, a framed house still farther east. He worked at blacksmithing part of
the time with his brother, Jacob, until I 80 1, when he died of small-pox. Dr.
Adam Johnson, of Norton, Mass., established a residence near the site of the
old Quaker meeting-house, and afterwards bought out Dr. Tolman about a
quarter of a mile west of the Corners, as before noted. He had formerly been
physician on board a privateer; had been a prisoner six months in the tower
of London, and when liberated found that he had been robbed of all his earn-
ings. He died in 1806, in the fifty-fifth year of his age.
The most prominent arrivals in 1800 were Elisha Brown, Asa Brown, Ru-
fus Bucklin and William Green. There were, of course, in the interim between
the first settlement in Danby and 1800 a great many homes founded here
which have not been mentioned. Among these other immigrants were John
Allen, who settled where Michael Carley now lives ; Gideon Barnum, Benja-
min Brownell, John Brock, Captain John Burt, Dennis Canfield, Joshua Col-
vin, Jonathan Crandall, Jacob Eddy, Dr. Ira M. Frazer, John Hart, Roger
Williams, Henry Herrick, sr., Henry Herrick, jr., Abel Horton, sr., Nicholas
Jenks, Benjamin Kelley, William Lake, Jesse Lapham, Henry Lewis, Peter
Lewis, James Lincoln, Elisha Lincoln, Darius Lobdel, Rev. Jared Lobdel,
James McDaniels, Gideon Moody, Lieutenant John Mott, John Palmer, Ca-
leb Phillips, Benjamin Phillips, Israel Phillips, John Priest, William Roberts,
Nathan Saulsburj', Daniel and Elihu Sherman, Henry Signor, \Vesson Sowl,
Rowland Stafford, Abraham Staples and Elisha Tryon.
Meanwhile the population had grown to the number of 1. 487 souls, over
Town of Danby. 583
two hundred more than the town possesses to-day. The forests had not, it is
true, been felled as they have been since. The houses, many of them, were
still built of logs, and everything presented the aspect of a new and opening
country. The town had been organized about thirty-one years, the first town
meeting having been held at the house of Timothy Bull on the 14th of March,
1769. The first officers were: Timothy Bull, moderator; Thomas Rowley,
town clerk ; Stephen Calkins, Seth Cook and Crispin Bull, selectmen ; Daniel
Vanolendo, constable ; Nathan Weller, treasurer ; Peter Irish, collector ; John
Staff'ord, surveyor; Joseph Earl, Stephen Calkins and Seth Cook, committee
to lay out highways. In the fall of that year it was voted to lay out five new
roads, the first being from the Notch in the mountain to Joseph Earl's (near
the site of John Hillard's present residence); this was the first road in town;
thence it was to continue to the house of Micah Vail. Two roads were to
start at Micah Vail's. one to lead north and the other east. The fifth road was
laid out from the house of Jesse Irish, in the northern part of the town, to the
house of Nathaniel Fisk, in the eastern part.
These were times, indeed, "that tried men's souls." Perpetual struggle,
unremitting warfare, from year to year. P""irst the bitter hardships that had to
be endured, the obstacles that had to be surmounted or removed, in gaining a
livelihood in the wilderness ; then, the strife between the inhabitants, who al-
most universally claimed under New Hampshire grants, and the " haughty
land-jobbers of New York," as Ethan Allen described them. While at the
same time, for years, raged the battles between tyranny and independence, be-
tween the British invaders, with their hireling Hessians, and their blood-thirsty
Indian allies on the one side, and the sturdy resisters of oppression on the
other ; a people whom Burgoyne described as being the most active and most
rebellious race on the continent, which "hangs like a gathering storm on my
my lett." The citizens here felt the most bitter hatred against the Tories, who
were found here in some ifflmbers, and who were sometimes shot down at their
own doors or hanged on the nearest tree. During Burgoyne's invasion a
company of militia was organized here. Some of the residents participated in
the battle of Bennington.
Thirty years of peace intervened between the close of the Revolutionary
War and the breaking out of the War of 1882. Twenty-two of the citizens
of Danby took an active part in this war, of whom thirteen were drafted, while
there have been forty-seven of its citizens who served in the Revolution.
Among the curious customs of these times may be mentioned that of warn-
ing the inhabitants who were exposing the town to cost, without owning real
estate, by the service of a mandate upon the constable commanding the unwel-
come residents to leave the town within a specified time* According to the
records, twenty-one families were warned out of town during the eight years
following 1778. It was a custom initiated by the passage in 1779 of a law
S84 History of Rutland County.
requiring it, for each town to elect annually a " horse brander," whose duty it
was to brand every horse belonging in town. The letter for Danby was " I."
But this custom fell into disuse when horses became a subject of general specu-
lation and trade as much as a beast of burden. In 1784, at a special town
meeting held on the 26th of January, it was voted to erect a whipping-post and
stocks near the house of Abraham Chase. This was done in pursuance of an
act passed by the Legislature in 1779, for the purpose of punishing delinquents
and exhibiting notifications, warrants, etc.
In 1791, when the population was 1,206, framed houses had been erected
largely in the place of the rude log cabins of earlier days, in consequence of
the building by Stephen Calkins of a saw-mill ; schools had been started in the
several parts of the town, and roads had been opened sufficiently to render
travel to and from any part of the town an easy matter. By 1800, when the
population had increased two hundred and eighty-one persons, great progress
had been made in the clearing of the land, and nearly every farm in town was
under cultivation. Three saw-mills had been built, two churches erected, while
two stores and three hotels were in operation. At that time, and, indeed, un-
til the opening of the railroad through the "borough," the "Corners" was the
most thickly-settled part of the town. " Dutch Hill," " Ox-Bow," " Bromley
Hollow " and " South America " had all been settled. In 18 10 there were at
the " Corners " two stores, kept respectively by James McDaniels and James
Weeks.
Danby suffered in common with a hundred other towns in New England
and New York from the cold season of 18 16, and the famine that followed in
the ensuing year. Grass and the grains were a complete failure. Many of the
inhabitants were reduced to the last extremity, and but for the succor of will-
ing and more able friends must, perhaps, have perished of want. The popula-
tion diminished after 18 10 until 1840, when a slight increase was shown over
the previous census report, which, in 1830, was 1,362, and in 1840, 1,379.
The next ten years witnessed a very decided growth, but since 1850 the num-
ber of inhabitants in town has gradually fallen off The condition of the town
in 1 840, as given in Thompson's Gazetteer, was as follows : A society of Friends
or Quakers had then a meeting-house in the east part of the town, while the
Separatists, or Orthodox Friends, had another in the north part. A society
of Methodists, one of Baptists, and one of Universalists, owned, jointly, three
houses of worship, in the central, south and east parts respectively. There
were several marble quarries in the southeast part, and in the east village three
mills for sawing marble. The town was divided into thirteen school districts.
There were two grist-mills, five saw-mills, five stores, two taverns, two tanner-
ies, and one trip-hammer in town.
The Tmvn in the Civil War. — When the war of 1861-65 was ended, Dan-
by's war debt was wholly paid, notwithstanding that her bounties aggregated
Town of Danby. 585
$18,625, ranging each from $100 to $1,200. The quotas required under the
several calls of the president were promptly filled. Under the president's call
for 500,000 men on the iSth of July, 1864, the town iias the following record :
Number enrolled, 137; quota, 24; excess of credit from previous calls, 18;
number to be raised on July 31, 1864, only six.
The town furnished the following named soldiers in the last war: Aaron H.
Baker, first and second enlistment, co. E, 5th regt.; Albert A. Baker, co. E,
5th regt.; Henry J. Baker, co. F, 6th regt; Holden D. Baker, Joel C. Baker,
CO. B, 9th regt.; Elias S. Baker, John F. Baker, co. B, 14th regt.; Luman A.
Ballou, CO. G, 7th regt.; William H. Bond, first and second enlistment, co. A,
2d regt.; Chester Bradley, first and second enlistment, co. D, 7th regt.; James
W. Bromley, first and second enlistment, co. B, 2d regt.; Erwin E. Bromley,
CO. E, 1st cav.; Henry Bromley, co. B, 14th regt.; P. A. Broughton, co. I, 7th
regt.; George A. Bucklin, co. H, loth regt.; Elisha Bull, first and second en-
listment, CO. B, 7th regt.; Bernice M. Buxton, co. D, 7th regt.; Thomas Bur-
nett, U. S. N.; Job H. Colvin, co. C, lOth regt; Alonzo N. Colvin, co. K, 14th
regt.; Charles A. Cook, George M. Cook, first and second enlistments, Co. D,
7th regt.; William S. Cook, co. E, 2d s. s.; Morris H. Cook, co. I, 7th regt.;
John Cook, co. B, 14th regt; William Corey, co. C, lOth regt.; Albert Cran-
dall, CO. H, 1st cav.; his second enlistment, co. B, 14th regt.; Evarard Cran-
dall, CO. I, 7th regt.; William Crandall, co. H, 1st cav.; Francis E. Crapo, co.
K, 14th regt.; Daniel V. Croff, co. B. 14th regt.; Ezra Croft", co B, 14th regt;
Israel T. Croft', co. H, loth regt.; Alonzo E. Doty, co. H, ist cav.; Henr\' Den-
ver, CO. D, 7th regt.; Benjamin F. Dawson, co. K, 14th regt.; Gary H. Emer-
son, Orange G. Emerson, Hiram R. Edgerton, first and second enlistments, co.
E, 2d s. s.; Caleb P. Fisk, co. B, 14th regt; James P^itzpatrick, U.S.N.; Mar-
tin Flanagan, co. D, 7th regt. ; Edwin M. Fuller, George Gardner, William
Gardner, first and second enlistments, co. F, 6th regt; Warren Gifford, co. B,
2d regt.; Danforth B. Gilmore, co. I, 7th regt; Spencer Green, co. B, 9th
regt.; Smith Green, Gardner F. Griftith, co. B, 14th regt.; Hiram P. Grififith,
CO. I, 7th regt.; Julius C. Griffith, co. B, 14th regt.; John E. Hagar, co. F, 6th
regt.; Henry M. Hall, co. F, ist s. s.; Enos Harrington, jr., co. B, 14th regt;
Sewall T. Howard, co. E, 2d s. s. ; George E. Kelley, co. B, 7th regt. ; John
Kelley, first and second enlistments, co. F, 6th regt; David H. Kelley, Isaac
W. Kelley, co. B, 14th regt.; Daniel H. Lane, co. B, 14th regt.; second enlist-
ment, CO. E, 17th regt.; Lysander B. Lord, co. B, 14th regt; John Maker, co.
F, 6th regt.; John Mclntyre, co. H, 1st cav.; John Mylott, first and second
enlistments, co. D, 7th regt.; James C. Moore, co. F, 6tii regt.; John Murphy,
U. S. N.; Joel T. Nichols, first and second enlistments, co. D, 7th regt.; Jared
L. Parris, co. H, 2d s. s.; John J. Parris, co. E, 2d s. s.; Foster J. Parris, co.
B, 14th regt.; Isaac Porter, co. F, 1st regt.; George W. Potter, co. G, 7th regt;
Gustavus Reed, co. B, 2d regt.; George P. Risdon, co. H, lOth regt.; Charles
586 History of Rutland County.
A. Roberts, co. G, 7th regt; Elbert Sherman, co. C, 9th regt.; William W.
Stimson, co. B, 14th regt; Richard Stone, co. G, 1st cav.; George Stults, co.
I, 7th regt.; Elisha Sweat, co. K, 14th regt; Francis Sylvester, U. S. N.;
Charles H. Tarbell, first and second enlistments, co. F, 6th regt; Abner W.
Tarbell, James M. Tarbell, first and second enlistments, co. E, 2d s. s.; George
F. Taylor, co. B, 9th regt ; John C. Thompson, co. B, 14th regt. ; James
Thompson, U. S. N.; Thomas Van Guilder, co. D, 7th regt; Henry H.Vaughan,
CO. B, 14th regt.; Orsemus W. Weaver, first and second enlistments, co. D, 7th
regt.; Merrick G. Wilkins, co. C, nth regt; Moses O. Williams, co. F, 5th
regt.; Martin V.Williams, co B, 14th regt., second enlistment, 6th regt; John
C. Williams, William Wightman, co. B, 14th regt ; Moses O. Wheeler, co. I,
7th regt.; Alonzo White, co. E, 2d s. s.; Harvey S. Woodard, co. I, 7th regt;
Daniel Woods, co. C, loth regt; three unknown men.
The following persons who were drafted in August, 1863, paid commuta-
tion, $300 each : Oliver G. Baker, Joseph Fisk, Lyman Fisk, jr., Lemuel Har-
rington, Simeon E. Harrington, Erastus Kelley, Jeremiah Ragan, Edward J.
Reed, and Henry G. Thompson. Procured substitute : Oratus Kelly. En-
tered service : Isaac Porter.
The earliest manufactured products of the town were maple sugar and
potash. Woolen factories, grist-mills, saw-mills and tanneries have also been
erected and operated at various times. Jonathan Barrett built the first woolen
factory about the year 1810, a mile and a half south of the Corners. He op-
erated a carding-machine in connection with it. Barrett failed and the factory
closed forever in 1 82 1. That same year David Youngs built another in the
East village, or " the Borough," which he ran until it burned in 1837. A third
one was built about the same time at Scottsville and operated by Joseph
Brownell. John Bishop ran a cloth-dressing and fulling mill at an early day,
just west of the site of Erastus Kelley's saw-mill. This business has been ex-
tinct in town for nearly forty years. The first grist-mill in town was erected
and operated by Stephen Calkins as early as 1780, and continued many years.
Andrew White built one near the east village, in 1795. The first saw-mill was
built about 1790, by Stephen Rogers, near the George F. Kelley place. Soon
afterward Stephen Calkins erected one on the site of Erastus Kelley's present
mill. Still another one was built at a very early day by Henry Frost, near
the residence of Mrs. Mary Ann Bull, and afterwards rebuilt by Jazaniah Bar-
rett. The first tannery was built by Micajah Weed near the present farm of
Mrs. W. M. Parris. Daniel Sherman erected one about the same time (1800)
where Albert Mathewson now lives, and Isaac Nichols operated another for a
longtime on the site of the present residence of Isaac J. Nichols. In 1810
Peleg Nichols, Hosea Williams and Bradford Barnes built a tannery at the
east village. Two years later Daniel Heal}' started one at Scottsville, which
he subsequently sold to Job Scott. It remained in Scott's hands nearly thirty
Town of Danby. 587
years. Adin Green built the next one at the east village and was succeeded
by Aniasa Bancroft, and he by O. B. Hadwin, who four or five years ago con-
verted it into a grist-mill and runs it as such now. Joseph, Jesse and Elisha
Laphani built a tannery in 1 82 1, on the site of D. E. Gorton's place. Others
of a smaller capacity have been at various times operated by John Vaughan,
Anthony Colvin, Thomas Nichols. There is no tannery in town now. There
have been in town two trip-hammers used in the manufacture of edged tools.
Samuel Dow built the first one at the east village, in 1795, and Savid Bartlett
and Isaac Southwick built the other in 1810, near the residence of Henry B.
Kelley. Benjamin Phillips also erected a furnace very early near the present
residence of Edwin Staples, and carried on the business many years.
The marble industry has been prominent in Danby until within a few years,
but owing to the inferior quality of the product, as compared with the Rutland
marbles, the business has gone down. Previous to 1840 James Lincoln and
others gained a livelihood here by hewing gravestones out of the native marble.
The first mills were erected at the east village, one by William, Alfred and
Albert Kelley, and the other by Moulton Fish, Elisha Fish and Allen Congor.
In 1S41 Aaron and Elisha Rogers and Seth Griffith built the third. In 1845
John T., George and Gardner Griffith built one, and continued it for a number
of years. In 1848 another mill was built and operated by William Haskins
and Hiram Kelley. Aaron Rogers, jr., William Stimpson and Hannibal Hop-
kins began sawing marble in 1850. The opening of the railroad stimuluted
this industry, as it did all industries in the east village. George F. Kelley
erected a mill soon after the road was completed, which was subsequently op-
erated by Albert and Alfred Kelley. John H. Vail, who acquired the prop-
erty, disposed of it to the present owner, James Connor. The mill is disused.
Other firms and corporations were organized, but lasted only a short time.
The first tavern in town was kept on the site of the poor-house as early as
1775 by Captain John Burt. Abraham Chase kept an inn from about 1778
to iSoo about a mile south of the Corners, near the house of the late Alvah
Risdon, and was followed until 1 8 10 by Henry Frost. The building was
then converted into a store. About the year 1800 Elisha Brown built the first
tavern at the Corners, and remained there for years. He was followed by
Henry Herrick, jr., who kept tavern in town, in all, twenty-one years. He
built and for several years attended the famous " Red House," being succeeded
by Nicholas Jenks, who remained until 1823. The old Red House still stands,
though unoccupied. Barton ]5romley built a public house at the west end of
the Corners about 1830, out of the old Methodist meeting-house. Arwin
Hutchins first ran it, and Nicholas Jenks followed him. The first inn at the
east village, or Borough, was built by Rowland Stafford in 1795, near the site
of the present hotel, and was followed in 1802 by Samuel Dow. Bradford
Barnes kept one just north of the village, on the farm now owned by Austin
588 History of Rutland County.
Baker, in 1800. Abraham Anthony also kept tavern at an early day where
where the Phillips brothers now live. The hotel which stood on the site of the
present hotel was built in 1804, by William Webber, who was followed, four
years later, by Dr. McClure. Elisha Southwick then kept it a short time and
was succeeded by Augustus Mulford, during whose proprietorship it burned,
in 18 1 2. Mulford immediately rebuilt on the same ground the present hotel.
Hosea Williams followed him, and was succeeded by Rufus Bucklin, jr., who
remained until 1820. Caleb Buffum kept the house from 1841 to 1847, ^"^
then Levi Barrett until 1851. For a number of years after that the landlords
remained only a year. The present proprietor, William H. Bond, succeeded
Lytle Vance about the year 1869.
The first store in town was opened by Henry Frost in 1790, in connection
with the tavern. Jazaniah Barrett, his successor, remained until about iSio.
Elisha Tryon opened a store in 1805, and about the same time Isaac Southwick
kept one near the present residence of C. G. Herrick. James McDaniels suc-
ceeded the former and contemporaneously with James Weeks engaged in the
first mercantile business at the Corners in iSio. They were followed by
many others. S. & N. J. Smith built a large store in 1S30 and conducted the
business many years. Miner Hilliard built one soon after, and some time later
was followed by Crofif & Bates, Mr. Brown, and finally by P. Holton & Co.
Mr. Holton is now in New York, and the only store at the Corners is kept by
William F. Otis. The old McDaniels store, after being occupied by various
merchants, came at last into the hands of Bucklin & Vail. Three or four years
ago it was destroyed by fire. There is no store at present at Scottsville, though
Jobb Scott started one there about 1825 and remained in the business more
than thirty years. S. E. Harrington was the last merchant there. The first
store at the east village was built and opened by Oliver Arnold in 1 803, near
the site of Frank Bromley's residence. His successors were Robert Green and
David Young^^. About the same time Elisha and Jesse Lapham built a store
on the farm now owned by D. E. Gorton. Hosea Williams built one in 1808,.
on the site of the present hotel, and which forms the ell of that building. Jesse.
Lapham, who followed him, remained until 18 12, when he erected a new store
on the site of James Fullom's house. Isaac and Piatt Vail afterwards kept it.
Jesse Lapham erected the store now kept by William Pierce in 1836 and con-
ducted the business for years. Since then H. G. Lapham, R. J. Vail, R. A. Vail &
Co. (about 1840), William Sperry, C. M. Bruce (about ten years), A. Smith and
J. B. Lapham have kept there. William Pierce followed Bruce about 1868.
Since 18 10 Eggleston & Youngs, Seth Griffith, Caleb Buffum and others have
kept store in the east village. About 1855 a union store was established,
Daniel Bromley and J. C. Thompson being agents. , W. H. Bond afterwards
occupied it as a tin and hardware store. It burned in about 1867. The store
building west of the east village, occupied by L. S. Waldo, was erected sooiv
Town of Danby. 589
after the opening of the marble industry by WilUam Kelley. The store now
occupied by C. H. & W. B. Griffith was built by S. L. Griffith in 1862. The
present occupants, brothers of the builder, went in there about 1865. The
store now occupied by O. A. Adams was built in 1867, by C. M. Bruce, who
was succeeded by J. C. Griffith ; after he went out the building remained va-
cant a short time. Then A. S. Adams & Co. occupied it four or five years,
going out in the spring of 1880. After a vacancy of five years O. A. Adams
occupied it in the spring of 1885. The hotel store, now occupied by Mcln-
tyre & Griffith, was built by Wm. H. Bond in the spring of 18S0 and leased
at once to A. S. Adams & Co. On the first of April, 1885, Eugene Mclntyre
and S. L. Griffith succeeded them. The first hardware store in town was kept
by Nichols & Button, and afterward by J. B. Nichols. In 1865 William H.
Bond succeeded Nichols and still remains in the business. W. D. Smead opened
his tin shop four or five }-ears ago.
The grist-mill now owned and operated by Henry B. Jenkins was built in
1846 by Nathan L. Baker, and Joseph Bartlett. The latter soon sold his in-
terest to Mr. Baker, who in 1864 transferred it to H. B. Jenkins. Tlie saw-
mill of Erastus Kelley was built by Stephen Calkins, probably before the year
1800. Mr. Kelley succeeded his father, Nelson, more than ten years ago and
rebuilt the mill in 1878, the old one having burned. E. Minett manufactures
cheese boxes in connection with wagon-making. He succeeded his father,
Henry, about 1866. S. L. Griffith started a wagon shop here in 1880, in which
he manufactured most of the wagons for his own use, and did work for others.
(See History of Mount Tabor.)
The Otter Creek Nczvs was started at the Corners about 1865 by John C.
Williams, the author of an exhaustive and excellent history of Danby. He
published the paper only two or three years ; the printing being done in Rut-
land. About 1868 A. S. Baker & Son (Charles S.) took the paper and had
the printing done in Bennington. The enterprise was abandoned about 1872.
The first postmaster at the east village is not positively known. Adin H.
Green kept the office as early as 1836. Joseph R. Green and A. R. Vail then
held it about four years each. Andrews Eggleston was postmaster eight or
ten years. A. R. Vail, S. L. Griffith, C. M. Bruce, James Fish and J. C. Griffith,
have all had the office here for a time, the last named holding it nearly twelve
years. He was succeeded by the present incumbent, O. A. Adams, in the
summer of 1885. The present postmaster at the Corners, William F. Otis,
succeeded J. C. Williams about ten years ago. P. Holton held the office seven
or eight years before that, having succeeded G. J. Locke. Locke's predecessor
was Jeptha Frost.
The Professions. — There are at present no lawyers in Danby. The med-
ical profession is ably represented by Drs. E. O. and F. E. Whipple. Dr. E. O.
Whipple was born at Athens, Windsor county, Vt., on the 20th of June, 1820.
590 History of Rutland County.
He studied medicine with Professors S. W. Thayer at West Randolph, and P.
D. Bradford, finishing with the latter, in Bethel, Vt. He was graduated from
the Castleton Medical College in June, 1847, ^"^ opened an office in Danby
in September of the following year. Dr. F. E. Whipple was born March 12,
1857, at Danby. He studied medicine with his father and was graduated from
Bellevue Hospital Medical College, March 10, 1881. He began to practice at
once in Danby. (For further particulars of the two professions in this town,
see Chapters XVI and XVH.)
The variation in population of Danby since the first census of 1791 is
shown by the following figures: 1791, 1,206; 1800, 1,487; 18 10, 1,730;
1820, 1,607; 1830. 1.362; 1840, 1,379; '850, 1.535; i860, 1,419; 1870,
1,319; 1880, 1,202.
The present officers of Danby are as follows: W. F. Otis, jr., clerk and
treasurer ; E. J. Reed, I. W. Kelley, J. N. Phillips, selectmen ; W. Hilliard, con-
stable ; Mrs. I. C. Adams, superintendent of schools ; Elkanah Parris, D. C.
Smith, H. J. Fisk, listers ; C. G. Herrick, overseer of the poor ; J. N. Phillips,
town agent.
Ecclesiastical. — As has already been observed, a large portion of the early
settlers of Danby were Quakers, and a society, formed at an early day, held
their meetings at first in a log house on a hill west of the residence of Howell
Dillingham. In 1785 the first regular edifice was erected on the southeast
corner of the present farm of James E. Nichols. Another church was built in
1805 not far from the present residence of Howell Dillingham. The Friends
at this time outnumbered all other denominations. The Hicksite division of
1827 separated this body in Danby, and the orthodox Friends built about 1830
a church near the residence of C. G. Herrick. The last church was built in
1845 '" the east part of the town; but the society has now entirely run out.
Spiritualism has to a large extent taken the place of Quakerism.
The Baptists formed a society here in 1781, and appointed Rev. Hezekiah
Eastman their first pastor. Thomas Rowley, Abraham Chase, William Brom-
ley, sr., John Stafford, Nathan Rowley, Roger Williams, Joseph Fowler, Ste-
phen Calkins and Abel Haskins were among the first members. Mr. Eastman
left hereabout 1 800 and the church discontinued. It was reorganized in 1826
under Elder Joseph Packer. The church went down about 1850.
The first church edifice was erected by the Methodists in 1795, and stood
west of the Corners near the burial ground. It was torn down in 1822 and
meetings were thereafter held in the brick school-house. The Methodist Church
and society flourished here until within a short time. Within a year a new
Methodist Church has been organized at the Corners. G. F. Eddy fills the
pulpit there usualU'.
In 1838 the church building now used by the Congregationalists was built
by a union society composed of Episcopal Methodists, Close Communion Bap-
Town of Fairhaven. 591
tists and Friends. The church south of the Corners was finished in 1839. The
building at the Corners was completed about 1840.
The present Congregational Church at the east village was instituted in
1869 by Rev. Aldace Walker, D. D. It had first but twelve members. The
pastor was Rev. James P. Stone. The present pastor is Rev. L. D. Mears.
The church property is valued at about $2,000.
CHAPTER XXVI.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF FAIRHAVEN.
THE town of Fairhaven originally embraced the town of Westhaven, and
was chartered at Manchester October 27, 1779, by the General Assembly
of the State. It is situated in the western part of Rutland county and bounded
on the north by Benson ; on the east by Castleton and a part of Poultney ;
south by Poultney River (separating it from Hampton, N. Y.), and west by
Westhaven. The surface is generally hilly, the hills rising only in one in-
stance to the dignity of mountains, viz.. Mount Hamilton, just northward from
Fairhaven village. To the northward of this eminence is the " Great Ledge,"
reaching the Benson line. To the eastward of Mount Hamilton and along' the
east border of the town is Scotch Hill, so named from the number of Scotch
people who settled there. Along the west part of the town e.xtend the great
slate deposits, which have given the locality a national renown and a source of
wealth practically beyond computation. (See Chapter XIII.)
The numerous picturesque valleys which lie between the hills of the town
and along the streams embrace lands of great productiveness, with soil of
varied character. The principal streams are the Castleton and Poultney
Rivers. The former enters the town from the east, south of its center, and
flows westward to the Poultney River. The latter, as stated, forms the south-
western boundary of the town. Numerous small streams coming down from
the hills and reaching the larger ones, drain the entire town. Inman Pond,
situated about three miles north of P'airhaven village, is on the top of a hill,
covers an area of about eighty acres and is fed entirely by springs ; from this
the village receives its water supply.
The grant of Fairhaven was made in consideration of the sum of ^^6,930,
and signed by Governor Chittenden. Of the large number of original grant-
ees only Colonel Matthew Lyon, Oliver Cleveland, Philip Priest, Israel Trow-
bridge, Derrick Carner and Eleazer Dudley, became settlers here.
The first meeting of the proprietors to organize under their charter was
592 History of Rutland County.
held at the house of Nehemiah Hoit, Castleton Corners, June 14, 1780. Col-
onel Ebenezer Allen was moderator, and Isaac Clark, proprietors' clerk ; here
it was voted to make a division of one hundred acres to each proprietor's
right, with five acres for highways, and Lieutenant Elisha Clark, Oliver Cleve-
land and Asa Dudley were chosen to lay out the first division lots. Captain
John Grant was chosen proprietors' treasurer. It was voted that the 2 1st of
August, 1780, be the day to begin to survey the pitches. At other meetings
in 1780 and 1781, three other divisions were voted, the first of one hundred
acres ; the second of sixty-three acres, and the third of fifty acres. At a
meeting in April, 1782, Beriah Mitchell and Oliver Cleveland were appointed
a committee to warn land-owners when to work on highways. The main high-
way from Castleton line to Mr. Dudley's camp, a point somewhere not far
westward of the present division line between Fairhaven and Westhaven, was
surveyed October 8, 1^2,2, via " Muddy Brook," Philip Priest's house, and the
house of Joseph Haskins. In November, 17S2, Philip Priest and Curtis Kel-
sey were appointed overseers of highway work, and the laying out of other
roads continued as the needs of the settlers demanded.
The town was organized at the house of Mr. Priest, August 28, 1783, with
Mr. Priest moderator, and Eleazer Dudley, town clerk. The selectmen chosen
were Philip Priest, John Meacham and Heman Barlow ; Michael Merritt, con-
stable. No other officers were chosen until the spring of 1784, when the fol-
lowing were elected on March 22 : Eleazer Dudley, town clerk ; Eleazer
Dudley, Thomas Dickson and Oliver Cleveland, selectmen ; Daniel Munger,
grand juryman; Philip Priest and Beriah Mitchell, listers ; Beriah Mitchell,
constable ; Michael Merritt, treasurer ; Ichabod Mitchell, John Meacham and
Philip Priest, surveyors ; Philip Priest. Michael Merritt and Eleazer Dudley,
trustees to take care of the school right and the right for the support of the
ministry. The school lot was sold, according to a vote, in September, to
Eleazer Dudley for;^75.
The warning for the March meeting of 1792 called it for the purpose of
choosing town officers and " to see if they will agree to petition the Legisla-
ture of this State to divide this town into two, and to see if they can agree
upon a dividing line." James Witherell and Lemuel H_\'de were appointed
agents to petition the Legislature for the said division. The questions of mak-
ing the division at Mud Brook and at Hubbardton River were both voted
against; but the proposed division as it was finally made received forty-eight
votes in favor and seven against. The minority made considerable opposition
to the proposed division, holding that the town was too small for such a divi-
sion, and that the western land was the most valuable, etc.; but the division was
made by act of Assembly passed the 1 8th and signed the 20th of October,
1792, at Rutland. The two towns had but one representative and held their
freemen's meetings together until 1823, when the town of Fairhaven was
granted her separate rights in this respect.
t / 1 t .1 Y 1 ( « t> i ^ «
.%%%%%^
W
Town of Fairhaven. 593
Up to the date of the division settlement of the town had gone forward
with gratifying rapidity, and improvement of farms, roads and bridges and
the general prosperity of the settlers had progressed in encouraging ratio.
The first settler of prominence was Oliver Cleveland, who had established
a settlement here before the town was incorporated in 1779. Although held
to be a resident of Fairhaven, he first settled in 1777 on the New York side
of Poultney River, then supposed to be a part of Vermont. He came from
Killingworth, Conn. ; a few years after his arrival he came on to the tract of
land embracing the present farms of Charles P. Green and Chaunce\' Wood.
At his death in September, 1803, the farm was divided among his three sons,
Josiah, Albert and James. Notwithstanding his absolute illiteracy, Oliver
Cleveland was a leading man in the early days of Fairhaven, and served as
selectman nearly every year between 1784 and 1803. None of his descend-
ants live in Fairhaven now, though some are living in Chicago and other parts
of the West.
John Meacham came to Fairhaven very soon after the arrival of Oliver
Cleveland, and resided north of his farm, on the well-known Kidder place,
now occupied by Mr. Wood. He had ten children, but no descendants of any
of them now live in town. Joseph Ballard came about the same time and
lived north of Meacham. He has no descendants here now. Besides these
settlements, which seem to have been the first in the south part of the town,
there were others farther down the Poultney River, some of which may have
been older still. P'or instance, at the point were the " Hessian Road " crossed
the river, Jonathan Lynde, who, it has been suggested in Mr. Adams's his-
tory, may have been one of a company of Dutch people that came from the
Bennington or the Albany neighborhood at the time of the Revolutionary
War, had improved a place.
It is probable that Benoni Hurlburt, Joseph Carver, Jonathan Hall and
John Van Dozer settled before the town was chartered, on the fall of Poultney
River, now known as Carver's Falls. There were undoubtedly other settle-
ments made along certain portions of Poultney River at this period, though the
more prominent characters in the organization of the township came about the
beginning of the year 1780 or soon after.
Michael Merritt, in August, 1780, came from Killingworth, Conn., to the
farm on the old disused road, in the west part of the present town, now owned
by Heman Stannard, of Hampton, N. Y., being the same farm whereon Jona-
than Lynde had begun improvements. He was chosen first constable at the
organization, and afterwards served as town clerk, treasurer, selectman, and in
other public offices. He died here August 18, 18 15, aged seventy- seven years,
leaving eleven children, none of whom, or their descendants, survive in Fair-
haven. Philip Priest, brother-in-law to Mr. Merritt, having married his sister,
came with him, and built his log house on the farm now owned and occupied
History of Rutland County.
by Hiram Hamilton. He kept tavern here for a number of years. He died
in Chateaugay, N. Y., about 1816. He was a prominent man in town affairs.
Israel Trobridge and Jeremiah Durand came about this time from Derby,
Conn., and located near the west line of Castleton. In the summer of 1780,
too, came Curtis Kelsey, sr., from Woodbury, Conn., purchasing the proprietary
right in Fairhaven of Josiah Grant, of Poultney. He was one of the wealthiest
of the early settlers. His farm included the tract now owned and occupied by
Elbridge Estey. He died in March, 1827, aged eighty-seven years. In 1788
Silas Safford and his brother-in-law, Ager Hawley, arrived from Arlington, Vt.,
and made the first settlement on the site of the village. He owned the farm
where Myron Barnes now lives, and kept tavern there some of the rime. He
was elected the first justice of the peace of the town, and remained in the office
for forty years. He had thirteen children, Alonzo being the ninth. Alonzo
Safford was interested for some years after 1829 in the paper mill. He lived
on the site of the present residence of R. E. Lloyd. He died in Michigan a
few years ago. Silas Safford died May 12, 1832, aged seventy-four years.
While in the village he occupied the house which now forms the rear part of
Henry Green's dwelling-house.
The most prominent of all the early residents of Fairhaven, Colonel Mat-
thew Lyon, came here from Arlington, Vt., in 1783, after having purchased
tracts of land including nearly all the present village. While yet resident in
Arlington he proposed to Mr. Safford to give him eighty acres of land as a
premium to go to Fairhaven with his family and board the men who might be
employed in building his proposed mills. With Ager Hawley, a millwright,
he agreed to build a grist-mill in co-partnership, Hawley to have one-third of
the mill. Safford and Hawley accordingly came to Fairhaven. Hawley then
built the first grist-mill, either this season or the following spring, on the south
side of the lower falls, a little below the present site of the Marble and Marble-
ized Slate Company's mills. About the same time the bridge over the river
and the saw-mill on the north side were built. In 1784 Colonel Lyon's house
is said to have stood near the north end of the bridge under the hill. But sub-
sequently, about 1785, he built and for a number of years occupied a tavern on
the hill where the Park View House now stands, and later still he lived on the
site of the Knight block. He was really the " father of the town," having,
even before his removal from Arlington, caused the erection of the first saw
and grist-mills; and in the summer of 1785 commencing the building of the
forge and iron works, and a short time afterwards of the paper-mill. Colonel
Lyon was prominent beyond the boundaries of his own community. Although
nicknamed "The Knight of the Wooden Sword," for alleged cowardice while
holding a lieutenant's commission in a company of soldiers stationed at Jericho
in 1776, under the command of Captain Fassett, he denied the justice of the
charge, and attained political eminence in the State and nation. He was rep-
Town of Fairhaven. 595
resentative from Arlington from 177910 1782, and while in the General Assem-
bly, in October, 1779, he became one of the original grantees in the charter for
Fairhaven. In 1786 he was one of tlu- assistant judges of the Rutland County
Court, and in 1788, 1790 and 1791 selectman. After being repeatedly de-
feated, he succeeded, in 1796, in securing the election to Congress, and took
his seat in November, 1797. He was a bitter opponent of the Federalist ad-
ministration, and in 1798 was arrested, tried and convicted under the "alien
and sedition" law, and sentenced to four months' imprisonment and a fine of
$1,000, with the costs of the prosecution. He passed his imprisonment at Ver-
gennes. Before his term had expired he was re-elected to Congress, and pre-
vented the re-arrest with which he was threatened by immediately proclaiming
himself on his way to Congress. He soon afterward removed to Kentucky.
He died near Little Rock, Ark., August i, 1822. Some of his descendants
were recently residents of Eddyville, Ky. (See Chapter XV.)
Joel Hamilton came from Brookfield, Mass., in 1783. During a part of the
time he lived in the town he resided where his nephew, Hiram Hamilton, still
lives, and died there June 5, 1826. He was constable from 1785 to 1793, and
was also for a number of years deputy sheriff of Rutland county. He has no
direct descendants in town.
Samuel Stannard lived at first toward the lake in Westha\'en, but soon
after made his home on the farm afterwards occupied by his son Heman, and
now owned by his grandson, Heman Stannard, of Hampton, N. V., and where
Mr. Cook lives. He died April 8, 18 15, in his sixty-seventh year. He was a
prominent man among the early settlers, and was frequently chosen on the
board of selectmen. Timothy Goodrich, from Woodbury, Conn., in 1784 set-
tled on the farm now owned by Heman Stannard. He died February 17, 1829,
in his seventy-third year. His brother, Chauncey, lived and died on the farm
now owned and occupied by O. P. Ranne)'. He died in his sixty- ninth year,
September 20, 1856. Daniel and Ashael Munger, who also came in 1783,
settled on the intervale through >vhich the well-known " Munger Road " now
runs. The houses are now all gone. Joseph Snow occupied a house on the
west side of the road, nearly opposite the residence of Daniel Munger. Daniel
Munger was deacon of the church, and probably superintended the building
of the old edifice about 1791. After his death his son, Ashael, succeeded him
as deacon. He died February 10, 1S05, in his eightieth year.
Lieutenant Charles McArthur, of Nobletown, N. Y., purchased, in July,
1783, two hundred and sixty acres of land on the hill in the northeastern part
of the town, now known, from McArthur's national origin, as Scotch Hill, where
he erected the first framed house in town. He died on the 8th of October,
1815, in his seventy-fourth year.
Eli Everts and Ambrose, his brother, came to town some time in 1783,
the former locating on the place now owned and occupied by Rufus Hamilton.
596 History of Rutland County.
He was called " captain " by his contemporaries. He was selectman in 1793.
Richard Beddow, an Englishman and a deserter from the army of Burgoyne,
settled about this period near John Meacham, on the farm now occupied by
Isaac Wood and Mrs. A. Kidder. He was a blacksmith and nailer, and man-
ufactured nails with John Meacham in a shop on his farm.
In the fall of 1783, after the civil government of the town was organized,
Moses Holmes came to town from Lenox, Mass., and settled on a thirty acre
tract of land on Poultney River and next north of John Meacham, but a year
later moved to the extreme south part of the town. David Punderson, who
was one of the listers in 1785, resided on the upper side of the road beyond
Mr. Everts. In the early part of 1785 Charles Rice came here from Brook-
field, Mass., and settled on the west street, but afterwards removed to West-
haven where he kept a public house, with the sign
" Nothing on this side, ami nothing on t'other ;
Nothing in the house, nor in the stable either."
He removed to Canada before the War of 181 2.
Isaac Cutler, one of the most prominent of the early settlers, came also
from Brookfield in the spring of this year. He lived on the farm now owned
by Hamilton Wescott, and occupied by Brooks Roberts. He kept a popular
tavern there for a number of years. In 1798, it is supposed, he came to the
village to live with his brother-in-law, Nathaniel Dickinson, who kept the vil-
lage tavern. Later still he lived on the site of Owen Owen's present residence.
He died in Westhaven, in November, 1832, aged eighty-six years, after a five
years' residence there. He had been a Revolutionary soldier, and was for
years a justice of the peace in Fairhaven. Stephen Rogers came in 1785 from
Branford, Conn. He was an intimate friend of Colonel Lyon. He was fol-
lowed, soon after his arrival here, by his younger brothers, Ambrose, Beriah
and Jared. Stephen, with the aid of Colonel Lyon, started the first tannerj' in
town, under the hill on the west side of the common. He built a house on
the site now covered by the dwelling of Simeon Allen. He went west in
1801.
Gamaliel Leonard came in 1785 from Pittsfield, Mass., to Greenfield, N.
Y., staying on Hampton Hills, and while there in 1786 bought land on Poult-
ney River in Fairhaven. In the spring of 1786 he erected the second saw-mill
in town on the site now covered by the saw-mill of Edward Bristol, having
previously built his house near the falls. In 1788, in company with Elias
Stevens and Daniel Arnold, of Hampton, he built a forge at the west end of
the mill. An ancestor of his, James Leonard, erected the first forge in the
country, on the banks of the Taunton River. Gamaliel Leonard was a Revo-
lutionary soldier. In 181 1 he was one of the selectmen. A grandson, How-
ard Leonard, and great-grandson, are now living over the State line on the
road to Whitehall. In the summer of 1786 Charles Hawkins, sr., came from
Smithfield, R. I., and located north of the junction of Muddy Brook with Poult-
Town of Fairhaven. 597
ney River on the road that has since fallen into disuse. He was a blacksmith
in Rhode Island. He died on March 31, i8io, in his seventy- fifth year. Mrs.
Harris Whipple now living in town is his granddaughter. He has other de-
scendants in Detroit and other portions of the West David Erwin, otherwise
" colonel," and otherwise " general," came from New Jersey as early as 1786.
He was a man of decided ability, and acted as foreman in the slitting-mill here
for some years. Ethan Whipple from North Providence, R. I., grandfather of
Harris Whipple and C. C. Whipple, still living here, came this year. He had
taken an active part in the Revolution. He was a carpenter by trade, and
built the house where John Allard now resides. He was one of the selectmen
from 1782 to 1796, and in 1802, 1803 and 1805. He was town treasurer from
1793 to 1813, and town clerk from 1809 to 1813, thus taking a leading part in
town government. Among the arrivals of 1787, were Dr. Stephen Hall, of
Connecticut, on the west street, the first physician owning land in town, and
Timothy Brainard, of East Hartford, Conn., on the farm lying next south of
Oliver Cleveland's, between the Poultney west line and Poultney River.
In the spring of 1788 Major Tilly Gilbert came from Brookfield, Mass., in
company with Gideon Tafit, who resided here a while and then removed to
Whitehall. Major Gilbert, then quite a young man, put up for a time at the
tavern of Silas Saffbrd, on the site of Henry Green's residence, and was em-
ployed by Colonel Lyon to teach school, probably in the school-house on the
common. From about 1781 to 1799 he was a resident of Benson and Orwell,
but returned to Fairhaven in the latter year and opened' a store, dispensing
drugs and medicines as well as more common merchandise. His house was on
the site of the present Knight block. He owned a half interest in the lower
saw-mill, with his brother, Eliel, until November, 1802, when he bought out
his brother. In 1806 he purchased the saw-mill on the upper falls, and re-
tained the former until 1813, the latter until 1822. He built the house which
his son, Benjamin F. Gilbert, still occupies, in 18 14. He removed to West-
haven in about 1832, where he died September 5, 1850, at the age of
seventy- nine years.
Isaiah Inman came from Massachusetts in the fall of 1788 with his family
and lived for a time with his brother-in-law, Charles Hawkins, sr. Inman Pond,
near which he located, derived its name from him. Thomas, or " Doctor "
Dibble, came from Nobletown, N. Y., about this time, and settled near the
Castleton line.
In 1789 Dr. James Witherell, an eminent physician, came from Mansfield,
Mass., via Hampton ; his residence while here was on land now owned by Ham-
ilton Wescott. He succeeded to the practice of Dr. Stephen Hall, and was for
more than twenty years an influential citizen here, being several times a rep-
resentatative in the State Assembly, judge of the County Court and once a
Member of Congress. He removed to Detroit, Mich., about 1810, where he
598 History of Rutland County.
became one of the United States judges of the Territory. He has descendants
there now who hold a prominent place in society. Judge Witherell bore a
prominent part in the Revolutionary War, and at Detroit in the War of iSi2.
He died in Detroit, January 9, 1(838, in his seventy-ninth year.
Other arrivals about this period were Frederick Hill, Jabez Newland, Be-
riah Rogers, Charles Boyle, Olney Hawkins, William Buell and Nathaniel
Dickinson. Abijah Warren, from Litchfield, Conn., a son-in-law of Daniel
Munger, came at least as early as 1790. He lived latterly in the grist-mill
house.
John Brown, who kept the town records from 1793 to 1 80 1, as town clerk,
was a beautiful penman. He came here from Rhode Island in 1792, and re-
sided for a time on the piece of ground now occupied by Mr. Campbell (son
of James Campbell) ; subsequently he kept'the tavern in the village a number
of years. He died at St. Albans, on the i6th of March, 1805, aged thirty-
nine years.
Shubel Bullock, a carpenter and joiner, came to Fairhaven about 1798,
and built his house southwest of the Cedar Swamp. After several years he
removed to the farm next south of the Durand Place. He had a numerous
and respectable family.
Lewis D. Maranville, of Poultney, who subsequently married a daughter
of Oliver Cleveland, bought a tract of fifty-four acres from William Buckland,
in July, 1799. The lot lies just east of where Richard Beddow then resided.
Here Mr. Maranville resided until the time of his death in 1849. His son,
Lewis D. Maranville, is still a resident of this town.
A prominent settler reached here in 1799 in the person of Joseph Sheldon,
of Dorset, who thereafter settled a parcel of land lying on and around " Bea-
ver Meadow." His son, Joseph, came here in 1798. H. R. and Leander
Sheldon, are descendants from them.
Ethiel Perkins, a Revolutionary soldier who participated in the battle of
Bunker Hill, left Derby, Conn., for Vermont, about 1795, and in 1799 settled
on Scotch Hill. He married Esther Fox. He died in February, 1826. Laura
Perkins, Maryette, who married Romeo Proctor, and Sarah D., who married
Richard Lewis, and now residing in Fairhaven ; Rev. James G. Perkins, of
West Rutland, and Polly Ann, v\ho married Nathan Ager, from Keene, N. H.,
and now residing in Castlelon, arc all great-grandchildren of Ethiel Perkins.
There were many other settlers here, of more or less prominence, but the
foregoing names embrace most of those who were conspicuous in the earliest
settlement of the town. Situated as the town was, so near the battle-field of
the Revolutionary War, the building up of the prosperity at present indicated
by the increasing population, and the noisy but auspicious hum of industry, did
not, in reality, begin until the later years of the preceding century. The fath-
ers and grandfathers of the prominent men whose interests are identified with
Town of Fairhaven. 599
those of Fairhaven to-day, were many of them men who forsook their fields
and shops and hearth-stones in the ahnost impervious wilderness, and engaged
for years in the defense of a country which had yet to prove the splendor of
her destiny. Among the Revolutionary soldiers who afterwards lived in Fair-
haven were the following: Jacob Barnes, Solomon Cleveland, Isaac Cutler,
Jonathan Cady, Jeremiah Durand, Alexander Donahue, Jabez Hawkins, Ben-
jamin Hickok, Benjamin Raskins, Colonel Matthew Lyon, Gamaliel Leonard,
Ethiel Perkins, Silas Safiford, Ethan Whipple, sen., and James Witherell.
It is thus seen that in comparison with other towns Fairhaven furnished
her full share of men for the wars which have interrupted at times the peaceful
progress of the country. She furnished many and valiant men in the War of
1812, and in the last war sent out men as follows: —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to call for 300,000 volunteers
of October 17th, 1863. — Adolphus Boonville, co. C, 7th regt. ; Jeremiah Cal-
lagan, co. C, iith regt.; George A. Cantine, co. C, 7th regt.; Henry Davis,
Samuel Dowling, co. H, cav.; Edward Gilbert, Moses F. Lee, co. C, nth regt;
Eli Lefevre, co. C, 7th regt.; Joseph Lescarbeau, John H. Macomber, co. C,
nth regt.; George W. Manchester, co. F, ists. s; Asa F. Mather, co. C, nth
regt; Emmett Mather, co. H, cav.; Henry C. Nichols, co. F, 1st s. s.; David
A. Patch, CO. K, 2d regt; David Pelkey, Lewis Pelkey, co. C, nth regt.; Jo-
seph Pelkey, co. C, 7th regt; John Pocket, co. C, i ith regt.; Oscar C. Proctor,
William H. Proctor, co. E, 2d s. s.; Michael Riley, Emons H. Shurtliff, co. C,
7th regt.; Josephus Sheldon, co. B, 2d regt.; Albert Smith, co. C, nth regt;
Griffith Williams, co. B, 2d regt.; Myron Wood, co. C, nth regt.; Zebedee
Wood, CO. D, 7th regt.; Moses Young, co. C, i ith regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers, and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Peter Bro, co. C, i ith regt; Theo-
dore Chase, co. H, cav.; Michael Dempsey, jr., co. I, 17th regt.; Joseph Dick-
low, Mederick Dicklow, Paul Dicklow, co. C, nth regt.; James Duggan, co.
B, 9th regt; Patrick Fay, George Forget, Joseph Gallipo, co. C, nth regt.;
Michael Hogan, co. D, cav.; Walter S. Hanks, co. I, 17th regt.; William C.
Hawkins, co. C, nth regt.; Edward T. Hooker, co. A, 8th regt; Robert Hun-
ter, nth regt; Eugene Kelly, co. F, 1st s. s.; Joseph H. Monroe, co. K, nth
regt.; Charles Pelkey, John Plumtree, co. I, 7th regt.; Henry Preston, co. C,
nth regt.; Thomas Rudd, co. B, 9th regt.; Charles W. Stewart, 54th Mass.;
Adrian T. Woodward, co. I, 17th regt.
Volunteers for one year. — Robert Brown, 54th Mass.; George D. Calvert,
Nathan S. Capen, co. C, nth regt.; Cyrus Dolby, 54th Mass.; Nelson Gran-
ger, CO. C, 7th regt; Henry Hummerston, co. C, nth regt.; George Hunter,
S4th Mass.; Burr B. Manchester, nth regt; James Murphy, co. B, 7th regt;
Mansel A. Ormsbee, 5th regt ; Moses Parret co. C, 7th regt.; Charles W.
Sager, co. L, nth regt
6oo History of Rutland County.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Adolphus Bonville, Eli Lefevre, John Lefevre,
Joseph Pelkey, Michael Riley, co. C, 7th regt.
Enrolled men who furnished substitutes. — Charles Clark, W. B. Esty,
Benjamin S. Nichols.
Naval Credits. — Hiram Kilburne, Granville C. Willey.
Miscellaneous. — Not credited by name, three men.
Volunteers for nine months. — Julius H. Bosworth, James B. Crowley, Cor-
nelius Crowley, Vincent C. Dewey, Patrick Fay, Michael Grady, Joel W. Ham-
ilton, William H. Hamilton, Charles Harrison, John Humphrey, Patrick Hum-
phrey, Benjamin E. Lee, Richard Lewis, Andrew Marnes, David McBride,
English L. Maynard, Patrick O'Brien, Charles Perkins, John F. Perkins, James
Rafiferty, Daniel Reardon, William S. Roberts, John Rowland, Dallas M. Ware,
Hiram E. Whitlock, John H. Williams, William E. Williams, Leman Wood,
CO. F, 14th regt.
Furnished under draft. Paid commutation, James Donnelly, John W.
Eddy, Edgar S. Ellis, Robert W. Jones, Rollin M. Kidder, Wesley Lee, Oli-
ver K. Ranney, John Ryan, Wesley Shurtliff, Edward J. Stannard, Abram S.
Taber, John J. Williams. Entered service, Samuel Hunter, 54th Mass.
The present officers of the town of Fairhaven, elected in March, 1885, are
as follows: Town clerk, E. D. Humphrey; selectmen, O. A. Peck, P. Maley,
Robert Morris ; treasurer, E. H. Phelps ; overseer of the poor, W. Ketchum ;
constable, William A. Smith ; listers, Seth Thompson, R. K. Hamilton, N. S.
Wood ; auditors, A. N. Adams, I. W. Parkhurst, S. D. Williams ; trustee of
public moneys, C. C. Knight ; fence viewers, John Rutledge, Rev. J. Gow, W.
Bixby; town grand jurors, N. R. Reed, A. N. Adams; inspector of leather,
Thomas Hughes; pound-keeper, W. L. Town ; inspector of wood and shing-
les, S. Thompson.
The general growth of Fairhaven, with occasional declines from accidental
causes, is shown by the following extract from the census table: 1791, 3/5 ;
1800,411; 1810,645; 1820,714; 1830,675; 1840,633; 1850,902; i860,
1,378; 1870,2,208; 1880,2,212.
Ecclesiastical. — Public worship was held for twenty years after the organiza-
tion of the town under town auspices, and without any distinct sectarian organi-
zation. In the )'ear 1791 Colonel Matthew Lyon, and Deacon Daniel Munger
built the " Lord's Barn," so called, being the same building recently used by Dan
Orme as barn. The first minister mentioned is Rev. Mr. Farley, a young man
from Poultney, who came here about 1803. During the early part of 1S05
Rev. Joseph Mills preached on alternate Sundays in Fairhaven and West-
haven. On the 15th of November, 1803, the first church organization was
effected, called the " Church of Chirst," in Fairhaven and Westhaven. Dur-
ing the last part of 1805 and the first part of 1806, Rev. Silas Higley acted as
pastor.
.,.,v/V;.>;;<,*',->y;<
4 M .\ » A
Town of Fairhaven. 6oi
The first Congregational Society was organized on the 2d day of January,
1806, with a membership of fifteen. The first meeting, held in the school-
house, was presided over by Asher Huggins, of Westhaven, moderator ; Joel
Hamilton was the first clerk; Curtis Kelsey, treasurer; Oren Kelsey, collector ;
Timothy Brainard, Paul Scott and Calvin Hunger, committee ; while Tilly
Gilbert, Silas Safibrd, and Roger Perkins were chosen committee to unite with
the church committee in giving a call. Rev. Silas Higley, although given a
call, did not remain, and his successor, Rev. Rufus Cushman, was ordained and
installed February 12, 1807. In January, 1811, Joel Hamilton began to draw
stone for a new church edifice, which was raised on the tenth of May follow-
ing, on the present site, and was dedicated June 18, 18 12. In 1837 °^ '3^ a
new pulpit replaced the old one, and in 1840 the old spire, which had become
insecure, was taken down, and the steeple furnished with turrets. In 185 i the
whole building was remodeled to its present shape. Among the pastors who
have served since Mr. Cushman's death in February, 1829, have been Rev.
Amos Drury, 1829-1837; Rev. F. C. Woodworth, 1840-1841 ; Philo Can-
field, 1842-1844; Rev. Mr. Hine ; Rev. J. B. Shaw, 1846-1850; Rev. S. L.
Herrick, stated supply, 1852-1855 ; Rev. Edward W. Hooker, D. D., 1856-
1862; Rev. R. L. Herbert, of the Welsh Chapel, until 1869, and others. The
first parsonage was purchased in the fall of 1838. The present parsonage was
finished in October, 1 880, about $2,000 having been expended upon it.
The house of worship has also been extensively repaired and improved, and it
is now in connection with the parsonage valued at $ 1 0,000. The present
pastor. Rev. R. C. Flagg, came January 1st, 1880. The church membership
now numbers about 100, while the meeting-house has a capacity of about 250
persons. S. L. Allen is the present Sabbath-school superintendent. The
average attendance at the school is about eighty. The present church deacons
are, Otis Eddy, E. L. Allen and Marcus Dewey.
The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1825 by Rev. Albert
Chapin, although there had been occasional preaching by ministers of this per-
suasion for more than a quarter of a century preceding. Rev. Lorenzo Dow
preached at the house of Stephen Holt as early as 1796, and had among his
congregation members of the Ballard and Holt families, and afterwards Beriah
Rogers. In 1827 Fairhaven and Castleton formed part of the same circuit,
and were visited by Revs. Mr. Hazelton, Joseph Ayers, C. R. Wilkins, and Mr.
Stewart. Fairhaven was afterwards connected with East Whitehall, and was
supplied about 1838 by Rev. Albert Champlain. He was followed by Rev.
Joel Squires for about two years. Rev. Mr. Cooper, assisted by Rev. Jesse T.
Peck, D. D., and others from the seminary at Poultney, was supplying, when
the subscription, to build the first edifice, was raised in 1842. Among the
pastors sent here by the Troy Conference are the following reverend gentle-
men : Mr. Graves, Matthias Ludlum, Godfrey Saxe, J. E. Bowen, Thomas
602 History of Rutland County.
Pierson, John Hasseman, David Osgood, Mr. Griffith, H. Ford, P. H. Smith,
John Thompson, Hannibal H. Smith, A. Viele, R. Fox, and Delmer R. Low-
ell. The present pastor. Rev. M. B. Mead, came here on the 1st of May,
1885. The present church edifice was erected in 1877 (the old one having
been destro}'ed by fire), at a cost of $15,000, and will easily^seat 500 persons.
The estimated value of the church property is now about $15,000. The church
membership is about 160. The present officers are as follows : ^Stewards (and
trustees), W. Ketchum, W. L. Town, E. F. Fields, R. W. Sutliff, C. Gardner,
B. Lape, M. D., T. Hughes, E. R. Bristol, W. R. Esty, A. Dowd, H. Farr, R.
E. Lee, R. Rowell; class leaders, L H. AUard, Charles Cline, F. Town, J. Al-
lard, D. S. Davis ; local deacon, R. Hanger ; local preacher, J. Green ; ex-
horter, E. C. Lee ; Sabbath-school superintendent, Frank Town. The average
attendance at Sabbath-school is 125.
The Welsh Protestant Society, of Fairhaven was organized in the summer
of 1 85 1 by Rev. Evan Griffiths, of Utica, and Rev. Thomas R. Jones, of
Rome, N. Y. Rev. Griffith Jones was the first pastor. The first regular meet-
ings were held in the school-house. In 1857 the society erected their brick
house of worship, on the east side of Main street, at an expense of about $3,500.
The second pastor. Rev. R. L. Herbert, of Utica, remained here a number of
years. The present pastor is Rev. John W. William.
The Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Society was formed in 1859 by a portion
of the last above named society, and at once erected a small edifice across the
street from the house of worship used by the Welsh Protestants. Their first
pastor was Rev. Daniel T. Rowland. Other pastors have been Rev. John
Jones, Rev. E. W. Brown, and Rev. Robert T. Griffiths. The present pastor
is Rev. J. M. Hughes. The church edifice was considerably enlarged and im-
proved in 1885.
St. Mary's Church (Roman Catholic) was organized in 1856 by Rev. Zeph-
urin Druon, of Rutland, who erected the first house of worship here. At
the time of its organization this church had 100 members. The church was
attended from Rutland by the Rev. Fathers Druon and Lynch, until Decem-
ber, 1866, when Rev. J. C. O'Dwyer was settled as the first resident pastor.
The present pastor. Rev. P. J. O'CarroU, came in 1872. His assistant. Rev.
A. J. Glynn, came in 1880. The present church edifice was completed in
1873, at a cost of $35,000, The estimated value of the church property, in-
cluding the old French Church, which was built in 1869 and afterwards trans-
ferred to this church, is about $45,000. About 200 families attend here.
The churches at Poultney, West Castleton, Castleton, and Middletown are at-
tended from this chnrch.
The Baptist Church was organized on the 14th of December, 1867. Most
of the first members were from the church at Hydeville. The first deacons
were Alonson Allen and I. N. Churchill. The first meetings were held in the
Town of Fairhaven. 603
chapel over Mr. Adams's store, and after that for some time in the Town Hail.
Rev. P. F. Jones was the first pastor. The corner-stone of the first and pres-
ent house of worship was laid during the pastorate of Rev. D. Spencer, June
2, 1870. The building was completed in 1873 at a total cost of about $24,-
000, and will now accommodate 475 persons. The estimated value of the
church property at present is $25,000. The church membership is about 120.
The average attendance at Sabbath-school is eighty-four, the pastor acting as
superintendent. The pastor, until about January i, 1885, was Rev. John R.
Gow, who came in July, 1882, as successor to Rev. A. C. Ferguson. The
present church officers are: Ira C. Allen, clerk ; B. F. Gilbert, jr., assistant
clerk ; I. N. Churchill, J. S. Moon, Isaac Harlow, H. W. Farmer, deacons.
MUNICIPAL HISTORY.
The account of the early industries of Fairhaven has been reserved for the
present caption, because the business has alwaj's centered in and about the site
of the present village. Varied manufacturing industries of nearly a hundred
years ago were built under the influence of the same inducements which cause
the prosperity and continuance of the mills of the present day. In most town
histories it is found that a saw-mill was the first evidence of man's approach-
ing dominion over the undirected forces of nature, and Fairhaven furnishes no
exception to this general rule. The first saw-mill in this town was erected by
Colonel Matthew Lyon in 1783, on the north side of the lower falls. Between
the time of its erection and 18 1 3 it was owned and operated successively by
Asa Smith and Heman Hoffman, Colonel Lyon and Dr. Simeon Smith, Col-
onel Lyon and Solomon Cleveland, Colonel Lyon and Pliny Adams, Pliny
Adams and Eliel Gilbert, Eliel Gilbert and Stephen Rogers, Eliel and Tilly
Gilbert, Tilly Gilbert, Salmon Norton and Isaac Cutler, Tilly Gilbert, Jacob
Davey. The property then passed throngh various hands, and in 1850 was
deeded by H. & H. Howard to Cullen W. Hawkins, the grantors reserving
water from the flume for a bark and hide-mill, and pump and rolling-mill
which they erected on the north side of the adjoining grist-mill. About i860
George O. Kilbourn built the brick building next above it for a woolen fac-
tory. In 1863 it was occupied by E. S. Eells and Joseph Delahaunty, for
weaving soldiers' jackets, and shortly afterwards by Edward L. Allen, for the
manufacture of oil safes. It is now used as a shirt factory. (See present busi-
ness interests). The second saw-mill was built by Gamaliel Leonard on the
falls near the line between Vermont and New York States, in 1785. After
being operated by difterent owners with varying degrees of success it was ac-
quired in May, 1842, by David H. Bristol, who built the present wood- turning
shop and dwelling-house, now owned by Edwin R. Bristol. Edwin R. Bris-
tol put in the circular saw in 1878, and now carries on a verj- considerable
business. Another early saw-mill was erected in 1797 by Stephen Holt for
6o4 History of Rutland County.
Moses Scott, of Waterford, N. Y., and James Lyon, of Fairhaven. It stood
on the upper falls, above the old iron works, hereafter mentioned, and was a
very large mill, calculated to do an extensive business. It was carried away
by the great freshet of i8i i, and was succeeded by a new one which Major
Tilly Gilbert at once erected. This building was destroyed by fire in 1833,
while owned and operated by Jacob Davey, and was never rebuilt. Another
mill was erected in 18 14 by Joseph Sheldon, near the outlet of Beaver Meadow,
which did a large business for many years. Two small mills were built in
18 17, one by Eliab Briggs for Olney Hawkins and Nathaniel Sanford, at the
outlet of Inman Pond, which was operated until nearly the middle of the cen-
tury, and the other by Benjamin, Elias and Matthew Hickock and Dr. Eben-
ezer Hurd, near Little Pond ; very little came of it. The first grist-mill was
built by Colonel Lyon and Ager Hawley, on the south side of the river below
the old paper-mill, about 1783. It was probably superseded by the grist-mill
north of the saw-mill first mentioned, and which is the ancestor of the present
grist-mill of the Hazard Slate Company.
The one industry, however, which for a series of years wrought the great-
est benefit to the village and town of Fairhaven, was the iron manufactory of
Colonel Matthew Lyon, which stood on the upper falls. Colonel Lyon built
the dam to turn the water in July, 1785, and undoubtedly built the works in
the same season. In October, 1785, he petitioned the State Legislature to lay
a duty of two pence per pound on nails coming into the State, that he might
build his works and supply the State. From the importance which this inter-
est attained here the town was long afterwards known familiarly as " Lyon's
Works." Lyon operated them until 1800, and then sold them to Edward
Douse, of Dedham, Mass. Jacob Davey, interested in so many other affairs
of manufacturing importance, owned these works from 1 807 to 1843, rebuild-
ing them twice, after a fire in 1813, and another in March, 1843. Alonson
Allen operated them under a lease for five years preceding the last fire. They
are not now in operation.
The old Fairhaven paper-mill was built by Colonel Lyon, as early as 1790,
and was owned and operated by the " Colonel '* and his son, James (a part of
the time), until 1799, when Josiah Norton, of Castleton, purchased it, with
thirty-two acres of land on both sides of the river, for $1,500. This mill was
burned in March, 1806, the site sold by the owner, Alexander Donahue, to
John Herring, Moses Colton and Joel Beaman, who rebuilt the mill. It was
burned again on the 31st of January, 1831, having been used in addition to its
former purposes, as a store and whiskey distillery, and was at once rebuilt.
The business after that never amounted to much, although carried on a part of
the time by men of good business qualities, and a few years ago was finally
abandoned. It is now occupied by the P~airhaven Marble and Marbleizing
Company as a slate- mill.
Town of Fairhaven. 605
Several tanneries were operated on tlie site of the present village in the
period of its early growth, which undoubted!)- contributed not a little to the
prominence of the place in the count)'. The second sale of land made by Col-
onel L)'on, within the present village, was to Stephen Rogers, in Ma)% 1792,
of seven acres of land on the bank of the river, west of the common. The deed
contained a reservation by Lyon of the sole right to keep a tavern or house of
entertainment, store, shop for the sale of merchandise or imported spirits, for
fifteen years ; thus evincing a disposition to monopolize the benefits arising
from these interests himself The tannery which Stephen Rogers built stood
under the hill west of his house, and was operated after 1801 by Calvin Hun-
ger and others, including Harvey Church. It failed for the last time in about
1834, while operated by Isaac Patch and Theophilus T. Parmenter, of Brandon.
Beriah Rogers, brother of Stephen, also ran a tannery in the place for a num-
ber of years.
In 1808 John and Joshua Quinton and Thomas Christie erected a building
with a trip-hammer and anvil, for the manufacture of scythes, and used at a
later date in making axes and hoes, on or near the site until recently occupied
by the Union Slate works, and near the old tannery of Beriah Rogers. In its
earlier days considerable business was done there, but it finally fell into disuse,
was afterwards, about 1 839, used for a bark-mill and tannery, and by Welling-
ton Ketchum was converted into the Union Slate Works.
In the same year, 1808, Jacob Dave)', Seth Persons and Horatio Foster,
■the two latter being respectively residents of Sudbury and Hubbardton, erected
a building on land north of the river and west of the iron works, in which they
carried on for )'ears the business of fulling, coloring and dressing cloth, and
made considerable money at times, the price of fulling and finishing cloth it is
said, being fifty cents per yard during the War of 1812.
A further industry, which occupied the attention of some of the most prom-
inent men at a somewhat later period, viz., the distilling of whisky, is thus
mentioned in the excellent History of Fairhaveu by A. N. Adams: —
" The business of distilling spirituous liquor in the form of whisky, from
rye and corn, was extensively carried on in this town in former years. The
almost universal of use whisky made it an article of merchandise in great de-
mand, and no store of goods was complete without it.
" The difficulty and expense of transportation so far as Troy, then the prin-
cipal market for grains, rendered the grain products of the country of little
worth at home, and unless there could be a market and sale for them the
farmer had no means of purchasing the goods which the merchant might im-
port. Accordingly distilleries or 'stills ' were established and their existence
was an evidence of enterprise and business in a town."
Erwin Safford, an early merchant here, erected a distillery near Church's
tannery, on the side hill, in 1818, to the rear of the old parsonage, and carried
6o6 History of Rutland County.
on the business for several years. In July, 1819, he sold his store, on the east
side of the common, and distillery to James T. Watson. Moses Colton and
H. H. Crane owned it after February, 1821, and also one built by Mr. Crane
and Elisha Parkhill in 1820, on the west street beyond the burying-ground. In
February, 1823, the firm of Colton, Warren & Sproat, proprietors of the paper-
mill, bought the Safford still and made whisky here in large quantities for
several years. They also erected and operated, in 1825, a distillery on land
lying next east and north of the Safiford property. They failed in July, 1827,
the Safiford distillery having burned in 1824, and been rebuilt.
In addition to its prominence as a manufacturing center, early Fairhaven
had also a wide reputation for its taverns and stores. Colonel Lyon's tavern,
which he built on the site of the Park View House about 1785 or '86, was well
known throughout this part of the State. He himself officiated as host for a
number of years until he moved into his private sesidence on the site of Knight's
block, and rented the tavern to Nathaniel Dickinson, who kept it until about
1798, and probably in 1799, 1801, 1802 and 1803. while John Brown kept it
in 1800. It was afterwards kept by Royal Dennis, Thomas Wilmot, John
Beaman, Mrs. Thomas Wilmot, Spencer Ward. In 1838 Mrs. Wilmot sold
the tavern to her agent, John D. Stannard, who kept it until about 1850. Since
that time it was never kept open for any great length of time. Another early
tavern, known as the old Dennis tavern, was opened by Royal Dennis in 1809,
and stood on the site of Mead's drug store and the Allen National Bank build-
ing, John Beaman, Joseph Brown, James Greenough and others kept this
house at various, times. It was practically closed when Mrs. Lucy Wilmot
bought it in 1829.
Prominent among the early merchants were Colonel Matthew Lyon, Will-
iam Hennessy and Seth Persons. Lyon's store stood in the rear of the site of
the residence (in 1870) of Thomas Hughes, and was built no later than 1791.
The building was used for mercantile purposes through the first quarter of the
present century.
The Hennessey store, built about 1794, stood six or seven rods north of
Lyon's dwelling-house, and was closed in the first half dozen years of the cen-
tury. The store of Seth Persons was erected on the lot purchased in Decem-
brr, 1808, by Seth Persons of Major Tilly Gilbert, and which included the site
of the present First National Bank building. It was converted into a dwelling-
house in 1 81 2, by Mrs. Anna Wells. In 1815 or 18 16 Dr. Israel Putnam built
a new store on Mrs. Wells's land which did good mercantile service for years.
Village Organisation. — " The village of Fairhaven was first laid out and
established December 21, 1S20, under a general law of the State, by Isaac Cut-
ler, John P. Colburn and Harvey Church, selectmen of the town at the time, as
follows : ' Whereas application has been made to the undersigned, selectmen
of the town of Fairhaven, to lay out and establish a village in said town agree-
Town of Fairhaven. 607
able to an act passed March, 1817, restraining certain animals from running at
large in villages within the State, we do, therefore, lay out and bound a village
in said town as follows: Beginning at the southeast corner of Barnabas Ellis'
farm (called the Wadkins place) ; thence westerly on the south line of said
farm, and on the south line of Enos Bristol's farm to the southwest corner
thereof; thence northerl)' on said Bristol's, and on Tilly Gilbert's west line, till
it strikes the road leading from the meeting-house, in said town, to the State
of New York, by way of the Rev. Mr. Cushman's ; thence in a straight line
until it strikes the turnpike at the place where said turnpike and the road lead-
ing from Curtis Kelsey's westwardly, intersects ; thence easterly on the north
line of said road until it strikes the highway leading from Fairhaven to Castle-
tleton Mills ; thence to the southeast corner of a piece of land recently sold by
Curtis Kelsey to John Beaman ; thence in a straight line to the northwest cor-
ner of Hezekiah Whitlock's farm ; thence southwardly on said Whitlock's west
line to his southwest corner; thence in a direct line to the bounds begun at.'
" We do not learn that any other action in reference to a village, than this
formal survey, was taken by the citizens of Fairhaven until the fall of 1865,
when the Legislature of the State passed a charter or act of incorporation,
erecting a tract of one square mile into a corporate village." ^
The first officers of the village elected at a meeting held on the 4th of De-
cember, 1865, in Adams and Allen's Hall were as follows : Edward L. Allen,
clerk ; Ira C. Allen, Israel Davey, Joseph Jennings, trustees ; Joseph Adams,
treasurer; John G. Pitkin, collector ; John W. Eddy, Julius H. Bosworth, John
J. Williams, Timothy Miller, and William C. Green, fire wardens.
Perhaps the most beneficial results of the village organization is the la}ing
of an aqueduct from Innian Pond to the village, thus affording its inhabitants
ample and convenient supplies of water. The first action towards the estab-
lishment of the works was the appointment in December, 1879, of James Pot-
tle, George M. Fuller and O. A. Peck, to act as committee to investigate and
report the feasibility of bringing water to the village. Upon due investigation
Inman Pond was selected as the source of supply and money was borrowed to
prosecute the work of laying the pipe. The works cost about $37,147.35, and
consist of a main ten-inch pipe, clarifying pipes of from six to eight inches
in diameter, according to location. There is a fall of nearly two hundred feet
from the pond to the street in front of the Park View House. The present
village officers elected on the second Tuesday in April, 1885, are the follow-
ing: William H. Preston, clerk; Robert Morris, Lawrence Kinsella, trustees;
O. A. Peck, J. T. Hughes, E. H. Lewis, water commissioners ; William A.
Smith, collector of taxes ; E. H. Phelps, treasurer ; C. C. Knight, chief engi-
neer ; William A. Stephens, O. A. Peck, T. H. Streeter, L. E. Wood, E. L.
Goodrich, fire wardens in the order named.
■From A. N. Adams's History of Fairhave
History of Rutland County.
PRESENT BUSINESS INTERESTS.
Tlie Slate Business. — This most prominent industry in Fairhaven was be-
gun in a small way by Alonson Allen and Caleb B. Ranny, in the fall of 1839,
who quarried for a time with a view to the manufacture of school slates.
James Colman is one of the pioneers in the slate business of Vermont. He
and Ryland Hanger introduced the marbleizing process here in the spring of
1859, and carried on the business together until the summer of 1862. Before
1859 Mr. Coleman had been for some time in West Castleton, and after the
dissolution of tlie partnership he passed a i,'ear in England, and the remainder
of the time until 1880 in West Castleton. In 1880 he became associated with
Melvin Wescott.
The firm of Colman & Westcott now do a considerable business, having one
quarry in the village, from which a superior quality of green slate is taken, and
one mill, with appurtenant machiner\^ for the finishing of slate. They employ
in all about forty men.
William E. Lloyd, successor to Lloyd, Owens & Co., has been continuously
interested in the quarrying of slate here since 1865, his quarries being situated
on the farm of Loomis Spaulding in Poultney, though the enterprise properly
belongs to Fairhaven. He and R. E. Lloyd, in company with Owen Owens,
G. O. Williams and Owen Ellis, leased quarries on this farm in the fall of 1865.
R, E. Lloyd, in 1872, also, with John E. Lloyd, operated quarries on the same
farm, and now owns that interest. He and Robert W. Jones are successors,
too, to a company formed in August, 1 87 1, composed of themselves, Hugh D.
Humphrey and John E. Lloyd. R, E. Lloyd, R. W. Hughes, and William R.
Hughes are working a quarry about a mile northwest from Hydeville, called
the Little Pond quarry. This is a mill stock quarry, while the others last above
mentioned produce only roofing slate.
Simeon Allen erected the two mills which he still operates in 1867, and be-
gan the manufacture of slate. He works four or five openings in F"airhaven,
and employs about twenty-five men in the mills and fifty in the quarries.
R. C. Colburn began the manufacture of marbelized slate mantels in 1869,
and continued until 1876, when the Stewart Marbleized Slate Mantel Company
was organized with T. B. Stewart, president, and R. C. Colburn, treasurer.
The Vermont Union Slate Company was established in September, 1871,
by the present proprietors, A. R. Vail and son, M. H. Vail. They occupy the
old foundry erected by Israel Davey, and finish and marbleize slate. They
have one quarry and employ from fifty to si.xty men.
The business which William P. Fo.x now does in finishing slate and manu-
facturing slate mantels was established in 1873 by Thomas Fox, who erected
the finishing mill at that time. The present proprietor succeeded him in 1875,
and in [883 erected the rough stock mill opposite the station, which is now
leased by Colman & Wescott. Mr. I"ox keeps busy some twelve or fourteen
hands.
=;<>:■;•;-"
•I" : >.'
Town of Fairhaven. 609
The Riverside Slate Company was incorporated in tlie spring of 1 881, with
a capital stock of $6,000. The first president was Andrew Pierce, and the
first secretary and treasurer. Bishop Merriam. The mill was built the same
year. The quarry, about eighty rods east of the mill, has two beds, and pro-
duces green and variegated slate. About thirty men are employed. The
present officers of the company are, Thomas Greer, president ; B. Merriam,
treasurer ; A. H. Merriam, secretary.
The Hazard Slate Company was incorporated August 31, 1882, and pur-
chased their property of N. R. Reed, who had operated the grist and saw-mill,
still run by this company since 1866. The officers of the company are: W. F.
Parker, president ; S. L. Hazard, treasurer and superintendent of works ; S. L.
Hazard, jr., clerk. The capital stock is $So,000. About sixty men are em-
ployed. The quarry, which is located on the Scotch Hill vein, produces purple
slate. The grist and saw-mill were remodeled at the time the company took
possession, and the building now occupied as a shirt-factory was built anew.
The buildings are constructed on the most approved plans. The grist-mill has
three run of stone.
The business of sawing marble was here commenced in the fall of 1845 by
William C. Kittredge, Alonson Allen and Joseph Adams, under the firm name
of Kittredge, Allen & Adams. Allen & Adams continued the business after
October, 1846, until 1852. In the latter year, Ira C. Allen entered into part-
nership with them. From 1854 to 1869, Alonson Allen having withdrawn
from the firm, the name was Adams & Allen. In the fall of 1869 Joseph Ad-
ams purchased the entire interest, and took in his son, A. N. Adams, from
whose history we have drawn largely.
The Valido Marble Company, chartered in 1883, with a capital stock of
$300,000, is the legitimate successor to the business thus established by Kit-
tredge, Allen & Adams. The enterprise probably belongs to Rutland (as the
quarries are in West Rutland), and is mentioned in that chapter.
J. Warner began the manufacture of marble and granite monuments, etc.,
in Fairhaven in September, 1884. For further details of this great and grow-
ing industry, see preceeding chapter on the marble and slate deposits of the
county, and later biographies of Alonson Allen, R. Hanger, and others.
Miscellaneous Mminfactures. — The manufacture of brick now carried on
by E. L. & D. A. Allen, was begun in 1855 by Timothy and John Miller, who
were succeeded in 1858 by Otis Eddy & Son. The Allen brothers followed
in 1871. This firm have made over 8oo,ooo brick in a season, and average
about 300,000. The clay from the }'ard, whicli is about eighty rods northeast
the railroad station, is remarkably free from lime and all other impurities.
They now have two kilns in use.
E. L. Allen began to manufacture oil safes in 1863, in an old building near
the depot, where the coal house now is. The Allen Oil Safe Company, now
6io History of Rutland County.
carrying on the business, consists of D. L. and E. A. Allen, and was formed in
1 87 1. The business has been carried on in the present building since 1879,
when it was built. For fourteen years before that the shirt factory building
was used. The safes will hold from fifty to fifteen hundred gallons of oil, and
contain from one compartment to twelve. They are sold throughout the
United States and Mexico and lead the market.
The shirt factory of Miller, Hall & Hartwell (Justus Miller, William L. Hall,
Charles E. Hartwell, Frank B. Miller) was established here in 1883 by Miller
& Bingham, of Troy. In November, 1885, the present firm succeeded to the
business. About 2,000 dozen shirts are made here per month. The main
business is at Troy.
The firm of Hill & Dedrick (E. R. Hill and F. M. Dedrick) manufacturers of
wagons and carriages, was formed in April, 1885. They employ about ten
hands, and are reasonably confident of increasing to a large business.
Prese7it Mercantile Interests. — The merchant of longest standing now do-
ing business in the place is Thomas Hughes, who began to deal in boots and
shoes here as early as 1856. He erected the building he now occupies in 1880.
His son, W. T. Hughes, began in a small way to sell books, stationery, etc.,
in 1879, and has now a business of gratifying proportions. R, E. Lloyd estab-
lished a store here in 1859, and continued alone until 1882, when he associated
with himself his present partner, J. T. Hughes. They carry a stock of from
$12,000 to $15,000. Albert B. Harrington commenced the manufacture and
sale of harnesses October 8, i860, in the building which he still occupies.
Pitkin & Brother, dealers in hardware, tinware, glassware, etc., are successors
to a business founded by W. W. Pitkin and F. W. Mosely, in the spring of
1861. The present partnership was formed in the fall of 1865. Their store
was formerly on River street, but they removed to their present location after
being burned out in 1878. Dr. Clark Smith, druggist, commenced in an old
building on the same site as the one he now occupies, in 1864, as successor to
A. H. Stowe. The present building was erected in 1871. F. H. Shepard
succeeded Joseph Jennings in a grocery and general mercantile trade in 1866.
The extensive mercantile business of Goodrich & Adams (E. L. Goodrich and
A. N. Adams), was established in 1854 by Adams & Allen, who then erected
their store building on the site of Colonel Lyon's old hotel barn. The firm of
Goodrich & Adams was formed in the spring of 1868. O. A. Peck, furniture,
sewing machines, picture frames, glass, etc., started in business in Fairhaven
in 1869, succeeding a small business headed by S. N. Peck. He is also and
has always been undertaker. Thomas McGuire began to trade in general mer-
chandise here in 1869. Wilbur F. Parker, dealer in jewelry and fancy goods,
began his trade in Rutland in 1862, removing to Fairha\-en in 1 87 1. He occu-
pied his present store building five years. He carries a large and well selected
assortment of goods, the largest stock, indeed, in the count}' outside of Rut-
Town of Fairhaven. 6ii
land. O. Reed & Son (Roland C. Reed) succeeded, in 1883, C. Reed, exten-
sive dealer in coal and lumber, who est-iblished the trade in April, 1S74. In
1880 he erected a large and commodious coal-house near the railroad and so
situated that the cars are switched on to the ground floor of the building and
their contents dumped into the basement. The coal comes direct from the
mines of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company in Carbondale, Pa. The
firm sells about 3,000 tons of coal per annum, and deal quite largel}', also, in
lime and cement. The grocery trade of M. & P. Maley was founded by the
present proprietors May I, 1S76, on a capital of about two hundred dollars.
In 1884 they had an income of about $36,000. The general mercantile busi-
ness which H. S. Humphrey and I. W. Parkhurst now carry on under the firm
style of Humphrey & Parkhurst, was established in 1866 by E. D. Humphrey
and R. R. Williams. Their successors, who preceded the present firm, were
E. D. Humphrey & Co. They value their stock at from $10,000 to $15,000
according to the season. E. H. Lewis, dealer in stoves, etc., bought out M.
Lamphere in 1879. R. O. Jones started his cigar store here in March, 1880.
S. D. Williams commenced trading in boots and shoes in his present building
in 1880. His son, E. J. Williams, became associated with him in 1882. W.
H. Lloyd, who carries a stock of dry goods and groceries worth about $7,000,
opened his store here in April, 1880, after a course of mercantile experience
which fitted him for success. A. L. Kellogg started his jewelry store here in
1 88 1, having then just returned from the West. He was eight years proprietor
of a drug store here aft.jr 1867. On the 1st of December, 1881, John H. Foy
became successor to E. Preston as dealer in harnesses, trunks, bags, etc. Pres-
ton established the business a few months previously. M. P. Mead has con-
ducted, the drug business in town since February, 1884, having then succeeded
George N. Harris. Harris followed A. L. Kellogg, before mentioned. The
Burdett Brothers established their grocery business April I, 1884. The enter-
prising firm of clothiers, Bardy, Babbitt & Co., composed of N. R. Bardy,
George D. Babbitt and F". M. Wilson (manager), was formed and their busi-
ness established on the 19th of April, 1884, on the corner of Main and River
streets. On the ist of April, 1885, they removed into their present quarters
on the corner of Liberty and Main streets. They carry an average stock of
about $15,000. W. V. Roberts and David Morris, general merchants, entered
into partnership in March, 1885, and established their present business at that
time. The general store of H. M. Redfield was first opened October 8, 1884,
by E. W. Baker. W. W. Dawley & Co., of Rutland, then kept it for a few
weeks as auxiliary to their business at the last named place. Mr. Redfield suc-
ceeded them in May, 1885. O. A. Proctor established the grocery trade in
1880, which W. H. Proctor has conducted since July 18, 1885. W. L. How-
ard, the present postmaster of Fairhaven, has dealt in books and stationery
since he began the performance of official duties, on September I, 1885. A.
6i2 History of Rutland County.
W. Langmaid and F. H. Kimball, under the firm name of Langmaid & Co.,
opened a confectionery store on the 2d day of December, 1885.
Banks. — The First National Bank of Fairhaven was organized as the im-
mediate result of a meeting held at the hall of Adams & Allen on the 20th day
of January, 1864, with a capital of $100,000. The first board of directors
were Joseph Sheldon, Zenas C. Ellis, Ira C. Allen, Joseph Adams, Pitt W.
Hyde, Charles Clark, John Balis, Benjamin S. Nichols, Chauncey S. Rumsey.
The presidents have been as follows : Joseph Sheldon, Joseph Adams, Zenas
Ellis (elected in 1878) and the present incumbent, Rodney C. Abell, who was
elected in the fall of 1883. The cashiers have been Merritt Clark, of Poultney,
Samuel W. Bailey, and the present cashier, elected in 1873, E. H. Phelps.
The present directors are R. C. Abell, M. Maynard, F. A. Barrows, Cyrus
Jennings, C. S. Rumsey, George W. Dikeman and A. N. Adams. During the
twenty-one years of its histor)' this bank has without an omission paid semi-
annual dividends of never less than four per cent, and reaching sometimes five
per cent.; the aggregate of these payments being $189,456. The surplus fund
is $20,000, and the undivided profits are over $21,000, making the net total
profits since organization, $213,993.07.
The Allen National Bank was organized on the 2d day of April, 1879, with
a capital of $50,000. The first directors were Ira C. Allen. S. Allen, Norman
Peck, Owen Owens, M. L. Lee, C. C. Knight and Ellis Roberts. The first
officers were as follows: IraC. Allen, president; S. Allen, vice-president;
Charles R. Allen, cashier. The present directors are Ira C. Allen, S. Allen,
C. C. Knight, Owen Owens, Charles R. Allen. The deposits in this institu-
tion amount to $42,509. The surplus fimd is $5,000, and the other undivided
profits aggregate $37,055.91.
Most of the insurance business of the place is done now by W. li. Preston,
agent for the Continental, Sun, Niagara, and New England companies, and E.
D. Humphrey, agent for the Northern, Queen and Commercial Union com-
panies.
The Press. — Concerning the history of the press in Fairhaven, we cannot
do better than quote the following extract from Adams's History of Fairhaven :
" After Matthew Lyon's time the business of printing and publishing was
not carried on in P'airhaven until the }ear 1853. At that time, De Witt Leon-
ard, son of Ira Leonard, residing near the State line, then a }'onng lad, com-
menced printing for his own amusement, upon a press of his own construction.
He issued several numbers of a small monthly paper called The Banner, in
1854 and '55, using second-hand type procured from the Whitehall Chroniele
office. Being encouraged by having several jobs given him, he ordered new
type from time to time from the founders, until in a few years he had quite a
complete assortment of jobbing type. In 1856 he printed and bound for the
author, Edward L. Alleti, a Slaters Guide, a. table for the computation of roof-
4 .4 .4 4 4 ,\ :» A ^
■r J * m ^ *$ t H^
(^ it '4.
Town of Fairhaven. 613
ing slate. This was the first book printed in town subsequent to Matthew Ly-
on's time. One number of a small sheet called the Golden Sheaf v/ as issued
in January, 1 86 1. Business had increased so much that in November, 1861,
he purchased a Gordon press, the first power press ever brought into the town.
Being engaged in bookselling, he issued a small quarterly or montlily sheet, as
an advertising medium, in 1856-57.
"In September, 1863, the first number of the Fairhaven Advertiser vias
issued as an advertising medium for the merchants and business men of the
town. It was circulated gratuitously, and other numbers were issued from
time to time, as the demands of advertisers required, until Wm. Q. Brown
purchased the office, when it was made a regular monthly publication. Its
circulation was 1,000 copies.
" Among various other works emanating from this office was a Quarterly
Journal, containing from thirty-two to thirty- six octavo pages, published by
Ripley Female College, commenced in February, 1865, and continued until
February, 1886, when Mr. Leonard sold his press to McLean and Robbins, of
Rutland, and the type and other material lay unused until the July following,
when Wm. Q. Brown purchased it and removed it to his dwelling-house on
Washington street, and adding a new Gordon press, continued the job printing
business and made the Rutland County Advertiser a regular monthly paper.
Mr. Brown, wishing to remove from the town, sold his office back to DeWitt
Leonard in April, 1868, who conducted it three months, until July i, when he
sold it to Messrs. Jones and Grose. Through the efforts of the gentlemen last
named a weekly paper, styled the People's Journal, was started. A number
of the leading business men in town assisted them in purchasing a new Taylor
cylinder press and an outfit of type and material for the newspaper. The first
regular issue of this paper was dated September 5, I 868. Its editor was Rev.
P. Franklin Jones, who was also pastor of the Fairhaven Baptist Church, and
H. Seward Grose, Mr. Jones's son-in-law, was publisher. A part of the second
story of Norman Peck's dwelling and the second story of his new building, ad-
joining the drug store, were occupied as the printing office. After being con-
nected with the paper a few months, Mr. Jones retired from the editorial chair,
and Mr. Grose became editor as well as publisher.
" In the summer of 1869, payments not being promptly made, the office
fell into the hands of the citizens who had assisted them, by whom it was sold
in July, 1869, to DeWitt Leonard and E. H. Phelps, who continued the pub-
lication of the paper under the firm name of Leonard & Phelps, the name of
the paper having been changed to The Fairhaven Journal, E. H. Phelps, ed-
itor. This paper is still being published by these gentlemen, and has obtained
a good circulation in Rutland and Addison counties and the neighboring towns
in New York State."
The Fairhaven Weekly Era, ably edited by John Metcalf, has had but a
brief existence, but promises much for the future.
6i4 History of Rutland County.
Attorneys. — For biographical notices of deceased attorneys and physicians
the reader is referred to Chapters XVI and XVII.
The oldest living attorney in Fairhaven is Hon. Cyrenius M. Willard, who
was born in Pawlet, Vt, on the 13th of September, 1820. He studied law
with G. W. Harmon, of Pawlet, and was admitted to practice on the 19th of
September, 1841. He practiced in Fairhaven from May, 1842, until 1854,
when he accepted a position as cashier of the Castleton National Bank, and re-
paired to that village. He was a member of the State Senate in 1856-57, and
from 1864 to 1872 practiced law in Castleton. From 1872 to 1874 he resided
in Boston, and from then until 1884 lived part of the time in Pittsford. He
resumed his practice in Fairhaven in Jul\-, 1884. For the ten years preceding
1872 he was judge of probate for the Fairhaven district.
George M. Fuller was born in Pittsfield, Vt., on the loth of August,
1842, worked on a farm during his boyhood da^'s, attending the common
schools and the academy at West Randolph, Vt, began the study of law in
the office of the Hon. C. H. Joyce on the 7th of April, 1867, remained there
until September 4, 1867, when he entered the law department of the Univer-
sity at Albany, graduated in May, 1868, and was admitted to tlie bar at Al-
bany on the 1 8th day of May, 1868. He then returned to Rutland and again
resumed his studies in the office of Hon. C. H. Joyce. At the September term
of the Rutland County Court in 1868, he was admitted to the Rutland
county bar. On the 2d day of October, 1868, he came to Fairhaven and en-
tered the law office of H. G. Wood; here he remained in Mr. Wood's employ
until the spring of 1872, when he formed a copartnership with Mr. Wood, which
continued until the next October, at which time Mr. Wood removed from the
State and Mr. Fuller succeeded him in the law business, was elected State
attorney in September, 1876, and held the office for two years ; was elected a
member of the General Assembly in 1878, was chairman of the committee on
rules and also a member of the judiciary committee of the House of Repre-
sentatives.
W. H. Preston was born in Fairhaven on the 29th of March, i860. He stud-
ied law with George M. Fuller and was admitted to practice in March, 1883.
He has always practiced in Fairhaven.
Physicians. — Dr. T. E. Wakefield was born on the 15th of March, 1821,
at Manchester, Vt. He studied medicine with Dr. Charles Bacchus, of Fair-
haven, and was admitted to practice in 1843. He has in reality practiced
medicine here since 1842. Dr. C. H. Carpenter was born July 23, 1832, in
Whiting, Addison county, Vt, He studied medicine with Professor Perkins,
of the Castleton Medical College, and was graduated from the Burlington Med-
ical College in 1862, and from the medical department of the University of
New York in the winter of 1874-75. He commenced practicing in Fairhaven
in 1862. Dr. W. H. Morehouse was born in Brandon, Vt, July 29, 1845.
Town of Fairhaven. 615
He studied medicine with Dr. O. C. Dyer, of Brandon, and Dr. T. E. Wake-
field, of Fairliaven, and in 1877 was graduated from the medical department of
the University of Vermont. He came at once to Fairhaven. Dr. R. Lape
was born November i, 1854, at Sand Lake, Rensselaer county, N. Y. He
studied medicine with Dr. William H. Nichols, of West Sand Lake, and was
graduated from Albany Medical College in 1877. After a few months' prac-
tice with Dr. Nichols he came to Fairhaven in 1877.
Dr. A. S. Murray was born in Orwell, Vt., July 5, 1849. ^'^^^ter taking a
practical course of study with Dr. Spark, of Burlington, he attended the
Hahnemann Medical College in Chicago, from which he graduated in the
spring of 1882. Previous to that, however, he attended lectures for two >-ears
at the university in Burlington. He began to practice in Fairhaven i;i the
spring of 1882. He is of the homeopathic school.
Dr. E. G. Roberts was born in Carnarvon, North Wales, on the 25th of
August, 1850. He studied medicine in Belfast College of the Royal Univer-
sity of Ireland and then practiced for eight years in Wales. In the spring of
1884 he was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and came im-
mediately to Fairhaven to practice.
Dentists. — Dr. Clark Smith, who has been mentioned as a druggist of long
standing, has practiced dentistr}- in Fairhaven since 1857.
O. H. Morehouse was born on the 9th of June, 1844, in Brandon, Vt.,
studied dentistry with Dr. F. Pierce, of Brandon ; practiced a year in Rutland
and removed to Fairhaven in 1873.
G. L. Gutterson was born on the 12th of November, 185 1, in Andover,
Vt. He was graduated from the Boston Dental College in the spring of 1883,
and came at that time to Fairhaven.
Hotels. — Although Fairhaven boasts now of but one prominent hotel, it
has in earlier days been well supplied with these conveniences. Some men-
tion has already been made of the earliest taverns, but the Vermont Hotel de-
serves in this place a brief sketch. It stood on the site of the Knight block
and was in part constructed from the old dwelling-house of Colonel Matthew
Lyon, which was the first building erected on this site, and which constituted
the rear extension of the Vermont Hotel. S. Fish bought the lot and the old
building which stood thereon, of Israel Davey on the ist of April, 1858, and
erected the three-story brick building, which he denominated the Vermont
Hotel. In March, i866, David Ofifensend succeeded Mr. Fish, and from 1868 to
1870, David McBride kept it. In April, 1870, Charles C. Knight, who had
already purchased it, entered into possession, and he continued the owner un-
til the disastrous fire on the night of November 8, 1878. This fire originated
in a boot and shoe store kept by B. Merriam, and caused a loss of about $30,000,
though the property was well insured. Mr. Knight thereupon erected the
present commodious block which bears his name.
6i6 History of Rutland County.
The Park View House was erected in the summer of 1882 at a cost of
about $22,000, by the Fairhaven Hotel Company, a stock company composed
at that time of the following gentlemen : Ira C. Allen, A. N. Adams, Charles
R. Allen, C. C. Knight, Simeon Allen, I. W. Parkhurst, E. L. Goodrich, N.
R. Reed, R. E. Lloyd, M. H. Vail, James Coulman, M. Maynard, W. F. Par-
ker, O. A. Peck, John D. Wood, Pitkin & Brother, W. H. Streeter, W. H.
Reynolds, H. S. Humphrey, Mrs. Hugh G. Hughes, E. L. Allen, E. D. Jones,
all but the last two of whom still retain their interest in the concern. The first
landlord, for not quite a year, was Vincent C. Meyerhoffer, now proprietor of
the Killington House on the summit of Killington Peak. Russell W. Hyde
followed him one year. The present landlords, Rutledge Brothers (John E.
and David J.) came March 17, 1884, from Brandon, where they had been keep-
ing the Douglas House. The house is well built of brick, heated by steam,
and is calculated for the pleasure and convenience of guests. There are sixty
sleeping apartments.
A hotel called the Adams House stood on the site now covered by the
Park View House, before the latter was built, but had not been opened to the
public for a number of years.
The Fairmount Trotting Park, situated a little to the south of the village,
on Prospect street, was constructed in 1874, and is now the property of Ed-
ward Leonard. The Western Vermont Agricultural Society have held two
fairs on this ground, with remarkable success, and have erected suitable build-
ings thereon. The capital stock of the society is $2,000.
Graded School. — This building, which has served the purpose at once of a
graded school and a town hall, was erected by the town in the latter part of
1 86 1, and dedicated in March, 1 86 1. The town meetings are no longer held
in It. The present principal of the school is Professor George B. Wakeman, who
came in the spring of 1885. There are seven departments well graded in the
school, and an attendance at times of more than five hundred pupils.
CHAPTER XXVH.
history of the town of hubbardton.
HUBBARDTON lies northwest from the center of the county, and is
bounded on the north by Sudbury, east by Pittsford, south by Castleton,
and west by Benson. It was chartered by Governor Bcnning Wentworth on
the 15th of June, 1764, to Thomas Hubbard, from whom the town received its
name, Samuel Hubbard, Isaac Searls, William and Giles Alexander, Isaac
Town of Hubbardton.
Wandel, John Miller, jr., John, Daniel and Samuel Hall, Andrew Wiggins,
Zimri and Ira Allen, and others. Although chartered as a full township, Hub-
bardton suffered considerable contraction by reason of the prior establishment
of surrounding towns, reducing its area to about l8,000 acres. Had every
town been bounded strictl)' by its charter limits, Hubbardton would be about
where Castleton now is, and a town called Dunbar where Hubbardton is.
Zimri and Ira Allen made the first surveys, beginning near the southeast cor-
ner of the town. The surface towards the east is broken by steep, and in places
precipitous mountains, and is everywhere diversified by hills which seem to
have been thrown in by a lavish and tastefully disorderly hand. The farms
which lie in the valleys and the flocks which feed in the uplands, form the prin-
cipal wealth of the people. The drainage is formed by numerous small and
limpid streams. Lake Bomoseen, described in a former chapter, extends
north from Castleton to near the center of this town. There are about a dozen
ponds distributed throughout the town, of which Horton Pond, lying partly in
Sudbury, is the largest, and Bebee, Half-Moon, Keeler, Marsh, Austin and
Black Ponds are the minor bodies. The principal rocks are quartz and slate,
considerable quantities of the latter having been in times past quarried for
roofing purposes and for pencils. Black lead and lead have been discovered
in small quantities, and whetstones have been made here. There are indica-
tions that the ponds and primeval forests hereabout were the favorite haunt of
the Indian, relics of an old encampment being found near the northwest corner
of the town, and an artificial mound about six rods in diameter, testifying, per-
haps, to the presence of " Mound Builders."
The first survey of lots in Hubbardton having been unsatisfactor)', attempts
were frequently made to procure a re-survey, and once a proprietor's meeting
was held in town for the purpose of obtaining the consent of the original land-
owners to it, but the meeting was adjourned upon motion immediately after
the organization, and nothing therefore came of it.
No sooner had the dangers of the Revolutionary War been passed than the
early settlers, some of whom had sold valuable possessions in the older New
England States to purchase land in Hubbardton, were harassed by an indis-
criminate service of ejectment papers upon them by unknown and evil-minded
claimants. These embarrassments, it seems, were occasioned by the careless
manner in which the original proprietors disposed of their claims, on the pre-
sumption that the town was six miles square. It is said that the grantees of
the Aliens were never molested in this way. This uncertainty retarded the
settlement of the town, so that though Uriah Hickok and William Trowbridge
began clearing in town as early as 1774, there were but nine families here in
1777. These all occupied log houses in the southeastern part of the town.
They were Benjamin and Uriah Hickock, William Trowbridge, Samuel and
Jesse Churchill, John Selleck, Abdiel Webster, Benajah Boardman and William
6i8 History of Rutland County.
Spaulding, with their families. After the evacuation of Fort Ticonderoga, July
6, 1777, a party of Indians and painted Tories came to Hubbardton, under a
Captain Sherwood, and made prisoners of Benjamin and Uriah Hickok, and
two young men named Henry Keeler and Elijah Kellogg.
On the following day was fought the famous battle of Hubbardton, de-
scribed in a previous chapter. In the mean time the inhabitants hastily col-
lected their personal effects and fled. John Selleck, on whose land, a little
north from the Baptist house of worship. Colonels Warner, Francis and Hale,
rear guard for General St. Clair, had encamped, had taken his family from
town the da)' before. Mrs. Boardman and two children were left in his house,
but after the battle succeeded in reaching Castleton. Benjamin Hickok es-
caped from his captors, returned to his family and conducted them with the
members of his brother Uriah's family to the deserted house of J. Hickok in
Castleton, whence they proceeded southward. On the morning of July 9th
Colonel Warner notified Samuel Churchill of his danger, and he started with
his family when the firing began. They all then, with the exception of John
and Silas, who took part in the battle, returned to the house. Silas was taken
prisoner. Sherwood and his party surprised and captured them at the house,
and Samuel Churchill was tied to a tree and apparently consigned to death by
the flames because he protested that he had no flour in his house, when Sher-
wood relented. Thus Samuel Churchill and his sons John and Silas, Uriah
Hickok, Henry Keeler and Elijah Kellogg were taken to Ti. and subjected to
the hardships incident to their position. Churchill and Hickok escaped after
a short time, and finding their houses deserted, went on to their families, that
of the latter in Castleton, and of the former at their old home in Sheffield,
Mass., whither they had traveled — a party of four women, two boys, and two
mere infants, a distance of about three hundred and fifty miles without a guide.
The other prisoners were retaken by Colonel Brown in October following. Af-
ter the capture of Burgoyne, Churchill brought his family to Castleton and
left them for a time, while he and his sons rebuilt their old home in Hubbard-
ton; William Spaulding and Uriah Hickok returned the next spring; no others
came back until i78oand few until 1783. Early in 1784 the inhabitants found
the whitened bones of the killed on the site of the battle of Hubbardton and
gave them burial.
After the close of the Revolutionary War new families began to arrive,
and by the summer of 1784 there were about twenty families in town, among
the new arrivals being Lemuel Wood, Joseph Churchill, Ithamer Gregory,
Janna Churchill, Josiah Churchill, Nathan, Joseph, Daniel, Isaac, Hezekiah
and John Rumsey, and perhaps several others. For a number of years they
were obliged to go over a bad road to a mill in the west part of Castleton,
which had but one run of stones, for their flour and feed. " In winter they
would go with an o.x team and be gone two or three days."
Town of Hubbardton. 619
The first road in town was the old Ti. road, whicli was too rough and
crooked to be of much use to the settlers. The next was more useful, being a
north and south road through the east part part of tovvn. Says Amos Church-
ill in his history published more than thirty years ago : " The first tax that was
assessed on the town was for making a road through north and south, west of
the center, but did not succeed. The next move for the same road was the
grant of a lottery; the plan was laid, the tickets sold, the money collected,
the lottery drawn, and the chief manager absconded with the monej', so that
the old east road was still the thoroughfare. The third public move was for
a turnpike; this succeeded, and a good road was made, greatly to the injury
of the east part of the town. The first settlement commenced in the south-
easterly part of the town ; here the main business transactions were carried on
for many years, and it got the appellation of village. There were in the length
of two miles about thirty dwelling-houses, with a good supply of stores, me-
chanic shops, etc. But on the turnpike road coming into use, travel and busi-
ness being withdrawn from that street, it ran down, and now^ it is not much
but a neighborhood of decent farmers. The railroads on every side have de-
stroyed the turnpike road."
The first frame building erected in town was a barn built by Samuel Church-
ill in 1785. The nails used in its construction were picked up on the site of
Fort Ti. after it was burned.
The town was organized on the first Tuesday of March, 1785. The earliest
records have been lost or destroyed, and the proceedings of the earlier meet-
ings cannot be given. The earliest record attainable is on March 4, 1793,
when Captain Benjamin Hickok was chosen moderator of the meeting; David
Hickok, town clerk and treasurer; Israel Dewey, Timothy St. John, and Bige-
low Lawrence, selectmen ; Thaddeus Gilbert and Bigelow Lawrence, consta-
bles ; Dyer Watrous, Asahel Wright, Nathan Rumsey, Elisha Walker and Itha-
mer Gregory, listers; Thaddeus Gilbert, collector, and William Pope, leather
sealer.
Of some of these early families all, or nearly all, are gone. There were
once fourteen families by the name of Churchill in town ; thirteen by the name
of Rumsey, and seven by the name of Hickok, the three names being borne
by a majority in the town. Now there are none resident here with either name.
Amos Churchill, before quoted, mentions as native and formerly resident in
Hubbardton, even at that early date, men who afterwards became useful, as fol-
lows : Two members of Congress, one lieutenant-governor, four judges of
courts, two land commissioners, one surveyor- general, two brigadier- generals,
one major-general, four colonels, one minister to a foreign court, one high
sheriff, a number of ministers of the gospel, one missionary to Burmah and
■one to Diabekir, in Turkey.
Among .the early settlers Nathan Rumsey was very prominent. He was
620 History of Rutland County.
active in inducing settlers to immigrate to Hubbardton, kept the first store,
and erected the first grist-mill. He represented the town and served many
years as justice of the peace and captain of the militia. After the death of his
wife he went west and accompanied Lewis and Clark in their journeys through
the extreme west, and after his return wrote a journal of his travels. He was
a Revolutionary soldier, participated in the War of 1812, was taken prisoner
in September, 18 14, and died in his captivity at Halifax in March, 18 15.
The first settlement of the town, however, as before stated, commenced in
1774, by Uriah Hickok and William Trowbridge, from Norfolk, Conn. Eliz-
abeth, daughter of Uriah Hickok, was born on the 1st of August, 1774, and
died in September, 1776, thus furnishing the first birth and death in town.
James Whelpley, a soldier of the Revolution and a great hunter, settled
in Hubbardton in 1787. He was frequently a member of constitutional con-
ventions, represented the town a number of years, and served for a long time
as justice of the peace. He outlived all his children, dying January 6th, 1838,
at the age of ninety years. Dr. Theophilus Flagg, the first physician in town,
came in 1791. He was for a number of years deacon in the church and rep-
resentative of the town.
- Joseph Churchill came to town in the winter of 1783, and raised a family
of seven sons and five daughters, all of whom reached maturity. He was many
years justice of the peace and selectman, and was noted for his remarkable
strength.
David H. Barber, son of David and Sarah (Lawrence) Barber, came from
Castleton, in 1784 to live with his uncle, Bigelow Lawrence. He afterwards
married Clarissa Whelpley, by whom he had a large family of children. Some
of his descendants still live in town.
Rufus Root, grandfather of Seneca Root, though not an early settler here,
was interested in the town from having come three- days after the battle of
Hubbardton to pick up the stragglers and wounded. Seneca Root, who estab-
lished a residence here in 1837, was the postmaster at East Hubbardton for
fifteen years after the establishment of an office there.
Christopher Bresee, born near Stockbridge, Mass., March 13, 1788, came
to Pittsford, Vt., with his father when he was eight years of age, and resided
on the farm now occupied by Wallace E. Bresee. About the year 1813 he
came to Hubbardton and resided on the farm now occupied by Alexander
Walsh. In March, 1837, he removed to the farm now owned and occupied
by his son, Albert Bresee, a sketch of whose life will be found in subsequent
pages.
The St. John families came from Connecticut. Nehemiah St. John, with
Ruth, his wife, came from Redding, Conn., about 1786. Their son, Seth, was
then sixteen years of age. Nehemiah was a descendant of Matthias St. John,
who came to Boston from England in 1630, and was made a freeman of Dor-
'<:«.*.'<_.< ,%^,'*,^
X * ,.t -
.\ ^ M <^
Town of Hubbardton. 621
Chester, Mass., on the 3d of September, 1634. Seth married Rebecca Foster
in 1793, and became the father of the following children: Samuel W., born
in 1795; Ruth, 1797; Levi, 1799; Seth, 1801, and Nehemiah, 1805. They
all resided for some time in Hubbardton, and finally removed, Seth and Ruth
to St. Lawrence county, N. Y., and the rest to Wisconsin. The elder Seth
died August 8, 1846.
Timothy St. John, of a numerous family, was born in Norwalk, Conn.,
May 3, 1757. He came to Hubbardton before 17S9 with his brother-in-law,
Joseph Rumsey. In 1789 he built the first framed building west of the old
saw-mill near the turnpike. In 1794 he married Rachel Curtis, and died on
Christmas day, 1 83 1. His wife died June 6, 1837. Two sons, Ezekiel and
Reuben, and three daughters survived them. The first named son was killed
b)' a falling tree in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., in December, 1840. Reuben
remained on the homestead (where his son Reuben now lives) until his death
August, 19, 1882. Another son, Ezekiel H. St. John, resides now at the head
of Horton Pond in Sudbury, and contributes to this chapter nearly all that re-
lates to the history of Hortonville. He was born on the 20th day of June,
1831.
Samuel Parsons, born in Redding, Conn., on the 15th of December, 1765,
came to Hubbardton in 1787, and soon after married Esther Selleck, and set-
tled on the farm still known as the Parsons Hamlet. He died May 27, 1846,
and his wife Februar}' 21, 1848, leaving a daughter, Betsey, who removed to
western New York, and a son, Aaron, who was born August 7, 1800, and died
March 16, 1862. He was a shrewd man, caustic in speech, and though of
intemperate habits, kept and enlarged the possessions which he inherited.
David Barber was born in West Salisbury, Conn., March 15, 1770; came
with his parents to Castleton in 1783, and in 1784 went to live with an uncle
on the Christy place, in Hubbardton. In 1792 he married Clarissa, daughter
of James Whelpley, He died June 11, i860. He was the father of six chil-
dren, descendants from some of whom still reside in town. Mr. Barber was
married twice, the second wife being the widow of Judge Rich, of Shoreham.
He was in the Legislature from 1813 to 1815 inclusive, in 1825, '26, '35 and
'^6. Two of his sons, James W. and Milton G., were also in the Legislature
two }'ears each.
Asahel Wright came from his native place, Lennox, Mass., as early as 1774,
but afterwards served six years in the Revolution, part of the time as a minute
man in Massachusetts. He returned to his claim in 1787, and remained here
until his death, a period of more than sixty years. He left several children, of
whom but one, Justus, stayed on the homestead, the others finding homes in
western New York.
James Ressegne eame from Connecticut about 17S9, and married Sarah
Rumsey. Of their children Abram and Isaac alone reached maturity. They
622 History of Rutland County.
established homes on adjoirnng farms near the center of tlie town and became
prosperous farmers. Abram went to Wisconsin in 1834; Isaac remained in
town until his death, March 11, 1864. He was for many years deacon of the
Congregational Church. His wife, Mary Dewey, survived him two years, and
the property passed from the family.
David Davis married Martha, daughter of William Spaulding, and came to
Hubbardton about 1785, when their son David was less than a year old. After
his death his widow married William Hill and became the mother of Harriet,
wife of Justin Jennings. The child, David Davis, better known as " Major,"
remained here and in Westhaven until his death on the 17th of January, i86o.
His home in Hubbardton was in a " wild glen " on the old turnpike road. He
was a wheelwright, and was noted for his ready wit and overflowing good
humor.
Joseph Selleck, before mentioned, died here December 7, 1836, aged sev-
enty-one years. He left three children, Luman, who went to Illinois in 1842 ;
Huldah, afterwards the wife of Riatthew Whitlock, and Wealthy, who married
Amasa Jordan.
Rufus Griswold, a native of Connecticut, came early with his brother Sam-
uel to Orwell, and afterward to Benson. He removed to Hubbardton about
1818, carrying on for a time the business of tanning, but finally settled on a
small farm where he died. He died in August, 1882, aged eighty-nine years.
Frederic Dikeman, grandfather of George W. and M. M. Dikeman, a sketch
of whose lives appears in subsequent pages, was born in Redding, Conn., Au-
gust 26, 1760. He served in the Revolutionary War, and came from Ballston,
N. Y., to Hubbardton in 1796, settling on the farm now owned and occupied
by Myron M. Dikeman. He was a shoemaker and farmer. He was four
times married. Perry, the third child by his first wife, was born in Ballston
March 18, 1788. Frederic Dikeman died here May 17, 1848.
William Rumsey, a native of Connecticut, settled very early on the farm
now owned by Albert Bresee, where he died on the 22d of February, 1836,
aged eighty-five years. He had five .sons, Walker, Henry, William, Joel and
Chauncey S., and two daughters, Betsey and Nancy. Chauncey S. Rumsey
still lives in Castleton. Josepli Jennings, from Lanesborough, Mass., settled
before 1789 on the well known Jennings place, which remained in the family
for more than ninety years. His first wife, Faith, died August 8, 1789, aged
thirty- five years. He afterwards married a member of the Selleck family. He
died in March, 18 13, of the epidemic, leaving two sons, Ira and Justin Jen-
nings. There were also children by the first wife. Ira Jennings married Bet-
sey, daughter of William Rumsey, and about 1835 went to Michigan. Justin
Jennings, born January 18, 1793, when he reached his majority found employ-
ment with Samuel Walker, a farmer, merchant and manufacturer of potash.
He afterwards boated on the canal, and peddled, finally developing into a
Town of Hubbardton. 623
drover, and becoming noted as " Captain Tobe," from St. Lawrence to
Boston. He thus amassed a princely fortune. Though a Democrat in a Re-
publican town he was elected to the Legislature in 1849 and 1850. On the
i6th of June. 1830, he married Harriet Hill (born October 12, 1802), who bore
him five sons, as follows: Noble, born April 22, 1 831, died July 18, 1869;
Andrew J., born July 5, 1834, died November 30, 1846; Joseph, born Febru-
ary 28, 1836; Cyrus, born February 23, 183S, and Sumner, born December
20, 1S40, died November 27, 1869. Justin Jennings died March I, 1873, his
wife having preceded him January 6, 1866. Of his two surviving sons, Cyrus
has become the proprietor of the mill at Hortonville, and evinces the same
sterling qualities that brought his father such well-earned success. His wife,
Alice A. Eddy, whom he married at Brandon, November 13, 1861, was born
in Hubbardton, February 21, 1842. They have four children, as follows: Will-
iam A., born December 10, 1862 ; Eddy J., born August 18, 1865 ; Elmer E.,
born August 8, 1867, and Joseph S., born July 22, 1875.
The part that Hubbardton took in the early wars has been as fully as pos-
sible set forth in this and a previous chapter of this work. The warlike spirit
of former days cannot have degenerated greatly, if the following list of enlist-
ments may be accepted as evidence: —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teer of October 17, 1863. — Charles J. Blackmer, co. H, 5th regt.; Hiram W.
Blackmer, 2d bat.; Marcus Eaton, co. B, 2d bat.; Charles A. Fay, James W.
Gibbs, CO. H, 5th bat; Edward Z. Good, co. C, 9th regt.; Jacob P. Hall, co. C,
nth regt.; John M. Hall, Silas L. Hart, co. B, 2d regt.; Allen Holman, co. C,
lith regt.; Joseph N. Howard, 2d bat.; Isaac Newton Perry, co. H, 5th regt.;
Ezekiel H. St. John, co. B, 2d regt.; Warren B. Varney, 7th regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers, and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years.— B..rton Blackmer, Charles J. Black-
mer, Franklin Blackmer, Harrison Conger, 2d bat.; Patrick Downey, co. H,
7th regt.; John Howard, 2d bat.; Albert Lee, Charles K. Root, co. I, 17th
regt.; Fenimore H. Shepard, Harvey Shcpard, co. A, 7th regt.; John M.
Thomas, co. A, 5th regt.
Volunteers for one year. — Edward Bird, 5th regt.; Henry E. Varney, War-
ren B. Varney, 2d bat.
Volunteer re-enlisted. — Joseph H. Howard, 2d bat.
Enrolled men who furnished substitutes. — David Barber, Henry G. Bar-
ber, Francis C. Gault.
Volunteers for nine months. — John P. Barber, co. F, 14th regt.; Lewis N.
Crane, co. D, 14th regt.; Albert B. Hall, Daniel Holmes, Nathaniel A. Kil-
born, Charles H. Manley, James Morgan, James D. Perkins, Stillman D. Per-
kins, William A. Perry, Charles K. Root, Duane Smith, co. F, 14th regt;
Charles C. Westcott, co. G, 12th regt.
624 History of Rutland County.
Furnished under draft. — Paid commutation, William Balis, Chandler Gibbs,
Sumner Jennings, Charles R. Jones, Samuel W. St. John. Procured substitute,
Zimri H. Howard.
The following figures, taken from the United States census reports, indi-
cate the growth and decline in population of the town : 1 79 1, 404; 1 800, 641 ;
1810,724; 1820,810; 1830,865; 1840,719; 1850, 701 ; i860, 606; 1870,
606 ; 1880, 533.
Following are the present officers of the town : Clerk and treasurer, S. M.
Dikeman ; school directors (town system), R. C. Allison, A. L. Hill, Allen St.
John; selectmen, H. W. Phillips, D. P. Naramore, Timothy Parsons; overseer
poor, Seneca Root ; constable and collector, E. C. Roach ; listers, E. C. Roach,
T. E. Walsh, S. W. St. John ; auditors, Albert Bresee, William Walsh, F. C.
Gault ; trustee surplus revenue, Cyrus Jennings; fence viewers, Chester
Roach, John B. Barber, H. H. Petty; grand juror, J. P. Giddings ; inspector
of leather, William Bansier ; agent to prosecute and defend, E. J. Ganson ;
superintendent of schools, R. C. Allison.
Ecclesiastical. — Until December, 1787, religious services were held in the
old school-house. At that time the people built a log meeting-house at what
is now East Hubbardlon, which was of rude and primitive construction. This
was the first church in town. In 1 800 another building, known as the Hub-
bardton Baptist Church, was erected, and Elder Nathan Dana was chosen by
the society as pastor. At its organization the church had twelve members ;
now it has twenty-five or thirty. The pastor is Rev. Chauncey Baker.
The Congregational Church of Hubbardton was organized by Rev. Eleazer
Harwood in November, 1784. There were then but eleven members, and Rev.
Ithanier Hibbard, who is mentioned in the history of Poultney, was the first
settled pastor. The first house of worship was erected in 1 8 18, followed in
1838 by the present edifice, which will seat 200 persous. The present pastor,
Rev. R. C. Allison, has officiated here about three years.
Hortonvillc. ^ — Hortonville is a small business center, and the only pretense
of a village in the town. Its mills are a great convenience to the surrounding
country ; the water privilege is of the best, and was once more utilized than
now. Of its first inhabitants it is almost impossible to find any trace The
first mills were built some time toward the close of the last century by Ithamer
Gregory. He came to Hubbardton in 1784, and on the first organization of
the militia, in 1785, was chosen captain. Besides his property in the village, he
bought a considerable tract of land beyond the pond, once known by his name.
Of this last there is a deed on record from him to Gideon Horton dated 1805.
His title to the rest being involved in law, it partly, by direct purchase and
some adroit management, passed into the hands of said Horton, the result of
which was a suit at law instituted by Gregory against him. We now lose sight
1 Contributed by E. H. St. John, of Sudbury.
Town of Hubbardton. 625
of Gregory altogether. He was a resolute, quiet, peaceful man. Upon one
occasion the people around the pond, aggrieved at the height of water raised
by his dam, came as a mob to destroy it. Placing himself between them and
the object of their wrath, he said, " Let us leav^e the matter in dispute to arbi-
trators," to which the}' assented, and the matter was settled to the relief of
both parties by lowering it a little. The level of the pond was once much
higher than now, as a man now living is said to have speared fish off a bridge
in the road leading from Hortonville to Brandon.
Major Gideon Horton, who now owned the entire water privilege as well
as the land around, came with his father and grandfather from Colebrook, Conn.,
to Brandon in 1783. Gideon Horton, sen., and his son Hiram, were prominent
in the early history of the town, where Gideon, jr., remained until 1808, when
he came to Hubbardton, to which place, it would seem, he had been some
time preparing the way. His house was east of the present residence of Henry
Arnold, which, being burned, he fitted up the last named, which he had used
as a store and dwelling, he carrying on the business of a merchant in addition
to his other occupations. What is remembered as the old red store was built
by himself or son. He is said to have built the present grist-mill and saw-mill,
soon after his coming to the place. He was a man of much public spirit, of
whom some odd stories are told ; the head of a numerous family of sons and
daughters. As a whole they were aristocratic in their tastes and habits, of
dignified and courteous demeanor and gentlemanly bearing, and from them the
place received much of its religious and social character. He died October 2,
1842, aged seventy- three. His wife wasThyrza Farrington, of Brandon. His
mother was of the Douglas family, a member of which, a brother, settled in
that town and became the grandfather of Stephen A. Douglas, United States
Senator from Illinois.
Of his four sons, Jewett, the second, was for some time engaged in trade,
and a short time before his going to Sudbury was in partnership with his
brother-in-law, Jefferson Goodrich. They both removed to Sudbury and bought
farms about the year 1835, where he remained until a little before the year
i860, when, his wife dying, he spent the remainder of his life with his sons, and
died in Orwell in 1 87 1, aged seventy-nine.
Daniel, the first, in his earlier life settled in the place and carried on the
business of a clothier and wool-carder, and is supposed to have erected the
building which stood above the old tannery, used for the business ; or it may
have been built by his father. He built and occupied the house now the resi-
dence of Horace Knapp. He also was a respectable farmer, and during his
stay in the place enjoyed the esteem and respect of his townsmen, and was
very liberal in his contributions to the church. His family of four daughters
were married and settled before the death of his wife in 1848, and one was
dead. After that event, in the spring of 1840, he removed to Sheldon and
History of Rutland County.
spent the remainder of his days with Harriet, his youngest child. He died
June 1 8, 1863, aged seventy-seven.
Charles W., the third son, studied medicine and settled in Sudbury, where
he practiced successfully many years. He removed to Brattleboro about 1855
(having previously buried a son and daughter, his only children), where he
lived a lonely and desolate man. He was much esteemed by his fellow citizens,
and died at Brattleboro in 1875, aged seventy-five.
■ Rollin Van Ransom, the fourth son, upon the death of his father was in
the possession of the mill property, the homestead and considerable other real
estate, and was entitled by his position and character to stand among the fore-
most citizens of the county. He gave much of his time and attention to sheep
husbandry and was looked upon as a prosperous man. He had been married
for some years to Mary Hyde, of Sudbury, an estimable woman, and sons and
daughters were born to them, youths and maidens ; when suddenly all was
changed. He had for some years felt well after being a little dry, just a little,
while at last his appetite overcame the powers of resistance, and the spirit of
his father, which had for ten years slept quietly beneath its tombstone, seemed
to rise from its grave.
It was in the winter of 1852-53 ; one Sartwell, who had been for many years
employed in the grist-mill, proposed to leave. He was a plain, honest, simple
man, had accumulated a few hundred dollars, and, I believe, he was Horton's
creditor. The mill had fallen somewhat out of repair. There was a long un-
settled account, loosely kept, and some other causes of difficulty raked up ;
part of which were left out to three referees, who, strangeK' enough, adjudged
to Horton a considerable sum for damages done by the miller to his business.
By submitting to this decision the miller supposed the matter to be settled,
when other claims were presented, which, if allowed, would have sent him
penniless away. Until now Horton had had things pretty much his own way,
when the affair came to the ears of the neighbors, who began to bestir them-
selves, and meeting together waited upon the parties to inquire into the mat-
ter. They found the miller dazed and dumbfounded ; his wife, who was never
seen beyond her gate, on her bed with distraction. They then waited upon
Horton and denounced his conduct and the action of the referees in no meas-
ured terms. The miller found friends, and writs were issued on both sides.
An expensive law suit followed, which lasted for some years, but terminated in
the miller's favor. Sartwell removed to Hydeville, where he died soon after
the close of the war. Horton, finding the matter becoming serious, mortgaged
his homestead for $2,000 and sold the grist-mill to Samuel Russell, of Crown
Point, and the remainder of his property, in detached portions, long afterwards,
upon which he is supposed to have realized but a moiety of its value, and never
much at any one time. He returned from Illinois after some years and went
to Sudbury, a poor man. There his wife died in 1862, aged fifty-two years.
Town of Hubbardton. 627
The two younger of his four children remained with him, and they supported
themselves by " taking farms" for a time, when, his younger daughter marry-
ing, he was left alone. Hyde, a youth of eighteen years when the family re-
moved, never returned, and was murdered by Indians while herding cattle in
the far West. The father, who had long since given up his intemperate habits,
was now a stricken and desolate man. The tongue of censure was silenced by
the recollection of his past condition in the presence of his ineffable calamity.
He spent a few years among his relatives in the vicinity, and during the last
nine years of his life found an asylum with a respectable widow, in the man-
agement of whose estate he showed considerable care and judgment. He
died near the place of his former abode February 10, 1883, aged seventy-two
years. His children were far awa\-, and of the crowd of mourners who fol-
lowed his parents to their graves, but two were present. Such was the end of
Rollin Van Ransom.
In addition to Major Horton, among those who, beside taking a prominent
part in the general affairs of the place in their day and generation, further
served their country and perpetuated their names by raising large families, were
Jason Kingsley, and last but not least, Captain Reuben Webb. The birth-
place of the first is not known. In the twenty fourth year of his age he mar-
ried Parnel Abel, of Bennington, August 2, 1879. I think I have been told
that he came first to Hubbardton and then removed to Orwell. He came from
Sudbury to Hortonville. He is said to have been a man of rare ability, and
was always spoken of as old Squire Kingsley, whose business as justice of the
peace was large if not lucrative. Said one of his neighbors, " Had he pointed
his feet that way, he would have been made judge of the court." Before com-
ing to Hubbardton he had evidently seen better days. Said Mrs. W. P. Hyde,
" The friends and relatives who came to visit him appeared to be people of high
standing." But she knew not whence they came. He injured his prospects
in life by indulging in the social habits of those days. On coming to Horton-
ville, he, with his son Asahel, carried on the business of wagon-making for
some years. His house was the old brown one that stood between the dwell-
ing of Cyrus Jennings and Horace Knapp. His shop was where the black-
smith shop now is. The last glimpse we have of him is in an old diary, June
16, 1835. " Poor old Squire Kingsley and wife go West to visit their children.
His wife had a bad cough." They never returned. She died in 1837, ofsmall-
po.x. He lived a few years longer and died near Rochester, N. Y. Of his
children there must have been half a score, most of whom settled in western
New York before my recollection. The youngest daughter was Mrs. Thomas
Cutts, of Orwell. Another daughter married Timothy Lampher and died in
Westhaven. Two of his sons, Orrin and Asahel, remained in the place for some
years. Orrin lived in a house standing on the site of Cyrus Jennings's resi-
dence. He was a shoemaker, a busy, fussy little man, much given to traffic.
628 History of Rutland County.
He finally left the place in 1847, lived in different places in the vicinity until
1853, when he removed to a farm in Kingsbury, N. Y., where he died in 1863,
aged sixty-two. Asahel remained until 1839, when he bought part of the
Ethan P. Eddy farm of R. St. John, lived there twelve years, removed to Salis-
bury in 1852, where he died in 1881 aged eight}'-two years. His name was
usually mixed up in church matters.
Captain Reuben Webb, the village blacksmith, was born in Norwich, Conn.,
in 1780, from which place, at the age of fourteen, he, with a young man known
as Dr. Burke, came to Vermont. The pair traveled alone in winter, their pos-
sessions on an ox sled, and first stopped in Orwell at a place called Abel's Cor-
ners. Burke often taught school and, many years after, the writer's father was
one of his pupils. He settled in Benson where he lived to an old age. Webb
remained in the vicinity for some years and married before settling in the vil-
lage. He was a powerful and muscular man, very self-contained, shrewd and
wily. He was the husband of four wives and survived them all. The first,
Taphner Peters, he married in 1800. At what time he came to the village I do
not know. On coming there he first lived in a log house that stood south of
the store, and afterwards built the dwelling now occupied by Hiram Linsley,
where for a time he kept a tavern. He built the stone blacksmith and trip-
hammer shop in 1824; there he labored at his forge and anvil with little inter-
mission until past his three-score and ten, when age and infirmity compelled
him to desist. In 1847 he built the dwelling-house now the residence of Cyrus
Jennings, which he sold or gave to his son Adin, as well as the business of the
shop. He then set up a small grocery, and in an evil hour accepted a license
from the selectmen to sell distilled liquors according to the law of that time,
185 I, which he used with little discretion. Soon after, the present prohibitory
law went into force, viewed by the minority as an act of bigotry to be enforced
by a spirit of inquisitorial tyranny. Captain Webb, two or three years after,
having some business misunderstanding with one Orskins, the latter, to make
himself even, entered a complaint against him in the winter of 1855-56. The
grand juror was a new man, burning to distinguish himself, who received it with
delight, and the weak and infirm old man was hauled before a justice court, with
a crowd of witnesses more or less respectable, who claimed to know nothing
about the matter, save one. He plead guilty to several offenses and was fined
with costs, which he was ill able to pay. How far he was technically guilt)'-
we do not know, but by the more respectable part of the community the affair
was looked upon as an outrage. The old man, who had probably yielded a few
times to the importunities of those whom he had previously looked upon as
friends and neighbors, felt himself struck below the belt and insulted. The
associations of the place seemed unpleasant, and in the course of a year he re-
moved to Benson, where he spent seven years of his second childhood. In
1863 he was removed to Stockholm, N. Y., where he died three years later,
Town of Hubbardton. 629
aged eighty-six years and six months. He for many years kept a diary of
the events transpiring in his own town and vicinity in a most neat and accu-
rate manner, a complete history of the community. Of several children, but
one settled in Vermont. Rosvvell, one of the eldest, studied medicine and
practiced successfully in northern New York. He returned to Hortonville
with his family and died soon after (June 2, 1846) aged forty-three. The de-
parture of Captain Webb may be said to have completed the history of what
was once known as the " old kingdom," for what reason I know not, perhaps
from the varied spiritual influences that may have permeated the heights and
depths of its religious and social state.
It was sometimes remarked in my boyhood by some of the knowing ones
that if the Hortons would leave, capital and enterprise would pour in and de-
velop the latent resources of the place, but the reverse happened, and a sort of
depression settled down on the little community until the past, compared with
the present, seemed a golden age. New men, however, came, some with the
intention of staying for a while, getting what they could and going away, in
which last, fortunately, for themselves, they were successful. But I anticipate
some years. In 1838 Norman Eddy came into the place, married, and after-
wards permanently settled there. In company with a Mr. Hoffman he engaged
in the manufacture of leather and shoe-making, which he soon after carried on
alone. His wife dying in 1851, the following year he removed to Brandon,
sold his house and shop to R. W. Brown, and his tannery to a Mr. Crone. By
them the two branches of his business until recently were carried on, but are
not likel)- to be resumed. In 1855 the Daniel Horton farm was bought by
Archibald Gibbs of Benson for $4,000. It was next sold to Horace Knapp
in 1883.
In 1S56 a lumber lot belonging to R. V. R. Horton was sold to Amos
Douglas for $4,000, who also, I believe, bought the saw-mill. The property
returned into Horton's possession after having been denuded of much valuable
timber.
In 1 87 1 the saw-mill was sold to Edward Hall, who immediately erected
the present mill. After his death in 1873 it was purchased by Henry Wilson
The grist-mill was bought by Henry Wilson in 1866, who improved it to a
considerable extent. He died in 1875, and in 1880 the two mills were bought
by Cyrus Jennings for $6,000. By him the property has been greatly im-
proved.
Of merchants there have been a score beside the Hortons. Before my
recollection there was a store kept under the sign of Benson & Ray, which I
have seen. After J. Horton removed to Sudbury a store was kept open by
three men in the order named. Baker, Case and Abbott. The store was closed
in 1 841, and re-opened in the fall of 1844 by two young men, Horace Spencer
and Mason Burr. In 1848, Burr having gone out, a partnership was formed
630 History of Rutland County.
between Horace Spencer and Gilbert Gregory. Some real estate was pur-
chased, and in 1849 the present store was built and well stocked. In 1850
they seemed to be doing a good business, when in the summer, to the confu-
sion of their creditors, an assignment was made of their goods, which were
sold at public auction. A store or shop was kept open by different parties,
when in 1856 Noble Jennings commenced trading here, and established a post-
office. On his going away he was followed by his two brothers successively,
when in 1867 Sumner Jennings sold the store building to Wilber Kellogg, of
Benson, who invested a considerable part of his patrimony in trade, but in
1870 he closed out his business at public auction. His successor was closed out
five years later. The present merchant, D. P. Naramore,' who has remained
some nine years, seems to hold and add to his own.
In 1845 ^ partnership was entered into between James P. Morgan and Har-
vey Hurlbut, for the purpose of sawing marble quarried in Sudbury, and a
mill was erected, but the expense of transportation rendering the business un-
profitable, it was abandoned.
Religious meetings were kept up at an early day by a small and respecta-
ble body of Methodists, supplied by ministers from the Troy Conference. The
last of these was .Rev. William Bedell, who closed his labors in 1849. The
Baptists then undertook to support meetings for a few years, but they were not
congenial to the spirit of the place and were in turn supplanted by the Univer-
salists, and for the last twenty years or more it has been left as an abandoned
field.
, CHAPTER XXVIII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF IRA.
IRA is a triangular tract of land about three miles broad at its widest part,
and eight miles long, and is situated nearly in the central part of the county.
It is bounded on the east by Pittsford, Rutland and Clarendon, on the south
by Tinmouth and Middletown, and west by Middletown, Poultney and Castle-
ton. The original boundaries of the town have twice been changed, a part
of the town being taken from Ira to form the town of Middletown, October
28, 1784, and in 1854 a portion of the territory of Clarendon being annexed
to it.
From all that can be ascertained concerning the origin of the town, it is
thought to have been chartered by Benning Wentworth about the year 1761.
The original charter was lost when the capitol at Montpelier burned.
1 The present postmaster.
Town of Ira. 631
The greater part of the surface is so broken by the Taconic range of
mountains as to be incapable of cultivation. In some of the principal valleys,
and notably in the interval formed by Ira Brook, are found a few farms which
afford excellent grazing facilities, and give the town its principal wealth. The
highest peak is Herrick Mountain, in the center of the town, which is 2,661
feet above tide water, and the most noted peak is Bird Mountain, peculiar by
virtue of its composition, which is quartz conglomerate.
The lumber business, and the various industries collateral to it, have never
prospered here, because the streams, though numerous enough to drain the
soil, are not large enough to offer good mill privileges. The largest stream is
Ira Brook, which rises in the south part of the tovyn, flows in a northeasterly
direction, and adds to the volume of Tinmouth River in Clarendon. Castle-
ton River flows westerly through the north part of the town.
The following, being the persons who took the freeman's oath on the 31st
of May, 1779, are undoubtedly the earliest settlers in town: Isaac Clark,
George Sherman, jr., Nathan Lee, Nathaniel Mallory, Cyrus Clark, Solomon
Wilds, Amos Herrick, Nathan Walton, Benjamin Richardson, David Adams,
Benjamin Bagley, jr., Cephas Carpenter, John Collins, Thomas Collins, Benja-
min Bagley, Leonard Robberts, Joseph Wood, Ebenezer Wood, Asahel Joiner,
Thomas McLuer, James McLuer, Philemon Wood, Gamaliel Waldo, Silas
Reed, David Haskins, Isaac Runnels, Isaiah Marin, David Wood, George
Sherman, Reuben Baker, James Cole, John Baker, Abraham White, Joseph
Wood, jr., James Martin, Thomas Martin, Hezekiah Carr, Thomas Obrient,
John Walton, Henry Walton, Cornelius Roberts, Purchas Roberts, Samuel
Newton, Joseph Baker, John Burlingame, John Baly, Isaac Baker, Nathaniel
Mason, Jason Newton, Elijah Mann, Oliver Edd\', Nathan Collins; fifty-two in
number.
The first birth of which there is a record was that of Olive, daughter of
George and Olive Sherman, September 5, 1773. The first marriage was Isaac
Clark and Hannah Chittenden, daughter of Governor Thomas Chittenden, who
performed the ceremony on the 5th of September, 1779. The first death on
record is that of Hannah Baker, daughter of John Baker, February 24, 17S5.
About the earliest families that came into town were the Lees, who settled
not far from 1770 in Ira Hollow, and owned three hundred and twenty-four
acres of the best land in town. John Lee sympathized too fervently and
openly with England in the Revolutionary difficulty with the mother country,
and was consequently obliged to leave town under penalty of the " beech
seal," while his farm was confi.scated February 28, 1779, by James Claghorn,
commissioner of probate of Rutland and Bennington counties, and sold to
Thomas Collins, of Lanesborough, Berkshire county, Mass.
Isaiah Mason came to Ira from Berkshire county, Mass., in 1780. Jason
Newton came in 1782, from the same countv. Preserved Fish was born on
632 History of Rutland County.
the 5th day of November, 1770, at Massachusetts Bay, and immigrated to this
town in 1790. He began to work at masonry. He served as justice of the
peace for more than forty years and represented the town thirteen years. It is
also related that he was foreman of the grand jury a great many times, even
the boys being so familiar with the fact, that they circulated the by-word " A
true-bill, P. Fish, foreman." He married Abigail Carpenter in August, 1791,
and by her had twelve children, eleven boys and one girl, all but one of whom
became of age and married. Numerous descendants still reside in town. Na-
thaniel Wilmarth settled here as early as 1793. David Parker came soon af-
ter. Peter Parker came some years later. These two men were great story
tellers and rhyme makers. Peter Parker especially manifested great pride in
his physical powers. Some of the boys in Ira thought to frighten him by
making an effigy of a man by stuffing some old clothes with straw and hanging
it from a tree over the road just east of Bird Mountain, where Parker would
have to pass in the evening. But Peter did not scare. On the contrary, he
stalked up to the specter of straw, and with the emphatic interrogatory, "Who
are you, God, man or the devil ?" laid it at his feet with a blow from his fist.
He then threw away the straw, appropriated the clothing, which was better
than his own, and continued his way with serenity.
Captain Isaac Clark, the old " Rifle Clark," of Revolutionary fame, came
here at a very early day, but moved a short time afterwards to Castleton.
Cephas Carpenter was the first to settle on the farm now owned by Captain
Enos Fish. Wilson Carpenter followed him a short time after, and settled in
the south part of the town. Caleb Williams moved to Ira at an early date and
resided here until his death in 1872. Justus Collins was another early settler.
He cleared the farm now occupied by his son, Harry Collins, who is now an
e.xtensive blooded stock-breeder. Salmon Kingsley came here about 1776,
and afterwards removed to the West, where he died in 1828.
The town was organized on the 31st day of May, 1779. The first officers
elected were: George Sherman, moderator of the meeting; Isaac Clark, town
clerk ; Nathaniel Mallory, constable ; Nathan Lee, Amos Herrick and Isaac
Clark, selectmen. Isaac Clark was chosen the first representative of the town
in the following fall.
The pioneer settlers of Ira were frequently exposed to the raids of the In-
dians and the depredations of the British soldiers during the Revolution, and
at an early day took measures for self-protection. For example, on the 20th of
August, 1780, a special town meeting was held in the house of Joseph Wood,
and among other measures the following vote was carried: "Voted that the
town raise for three months, two men to scout in the frontier, except sooner
discharged, that the town pay said men for their services two pounds per month,
that each man pays according as he stands in the list. Test, Joseph Wood,
town clerk." Feeling also ran very high here against the Tories, as witness the
forcible expulsion from the community of the outspoken John Lee.
Town of Ira. 633
The War of iSi2,too, brought six minute men, vohinteers from Ira: Jason
Newton, jr., Seth Russell, David Johnson, Hosea Goodspeed, Nathaniel Tower,
James Hunter. The following either went to or started for Plattsburg when
the call was made for men : Matthew Anderson, Edmund VVhitmore, Thomas
C. Newton, John Mason, Russell Fish, Leonard Fish, Leonard Mason, Jacob
Butler, Abel Spencer, Noah Peck, Barton Collins, Nathan Collins, jr.. Smith
Jolinson and Freeman Johnson ; Edward Carpenter, Israel Carpenter, John
Hall, Isaiah Mason, Nathaniel Wilmarth, Wilson Carpenter and Omri Warner.
Preserved Fish received a dispatch one Sunday to start immediately for West
Clarendon and notify the people of the call for soldiers. He found most of the
inhabitants at meeting, but on receiving the news they at once dispersed and
made so active preparations that on Monday morning they started with stores
of provisions for Plattsburg.
The epidemic of 1813 smote the families of Ira with as hard a hand as was
laid upon any of the afflicted towns in the county, si.xteen or seventeen being
carried over to the majority with it.
Ecclesiastical. — The Baptist Church of Ira was organized in the summer
of 1783, by the Rev. Thomas Skeels who had preached here occasionally for
eight years previously. He was the first pastor. Cephas Carpenter was the
clerk, and Reuben Baker the first deacon. Mr. Skeels left in the spring of
1785, and was succeeded in February, 1786, by Rev. Amasa Brown. His resi-
dence here continued only until the following January. Deacon Reuben Baker
was licensed to preach on the 20th of May, 1788, and ministered to the church
for several years, but was never ordained. Rev. Thomas Skeels was again set-
tled in the pastorate on the 15th of November, 1791, but died in one year,
and for several years the church was again without a pastor. From December
31st, 1 80 1, to 18 1 2, Rev. Joseph Carpenter was pastor; from 181 3 to Novem-
ber, 1815, Rev. Leland Howard; from 1815 to 1819, Rev. William McCuller ;
from Jul\- 10, 1822, to 1825, Rev. Lyman Glazier; 1825 to 1827, Rev. John
Peck; 1828 to 1830, Rev. Artemas Arnold; 1832 to 1836, Rev. Joseph Par-
ker; 1836 to 1837, Rev. John Cannon; 1838 to 1842, Rev. Elias Hurlbut;
1843 to 1844, Rev. Jacob P. Huntington; 1847 to 1852, Rev. Levi Smith ;
1854 for a great many years. Rev. Norman Clark.
The remarkable revivals, together with the number added to the church,
have been as follows: 1753 a great many professed their awakening; in No-
vember, 1808, 225 were added to the membership, but on the 1 8th of June,
I 81 2, the membership was diminished by the establishment of a church at West
Clarendon; in 1 8 16, forty persons joined the church ; in March, 1837, about
100 accessions were made; in 1838 thirty new members were received; in
1858 between twenty and thirty were added. The church edifice was erected
in 1852, at a cost of about $2,000. Leonard Moses, Bradley Fish and Jo.hn
Jones, were the building committee.
634 History of Rutland County.
The present pastor of the church is Rev. Joseph B. Lewis, who has been
here about four years. The officers are as follows: Deacons, L. W. Fish and
Simeon L. Peck ; clerk, Simeon L. Peck ; Sabbath-school superintendent, Sim-
eon L. Peck. The church membership at present numbers about lOO persons.
The following citizens of Ira participated in the late civil war. Volunteers
for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volunteers of October
17, 1863. — John L. Bachelder, co. I, 7th regt.; WiUiam Coagle, co. B, 2d regt.;
Henry T. Davis, co. G, 5th regt.; Henry Flagg, co. B, 9th regt; Silas Gid-
dings, CO. F, ist s. s.; Edward Haley, John Haley, John Hunter, co. G, Sth regt.;
Benjamin Mann, jr., co. B, 9th regt; Joseph W. Parker, co. G, 5th regt; Charles
W. Peck, Harrison J. Peck, co. F, ist s. s.; Collamer Persons, co. H, cav.; Henry
H. Peters, co. D, 7th regt.; Levi Plumley, co. I, 7th regt; Rollin Russell, co.
B, 2d regt; Sylvanus L. Whitmore, co F, Ist s. s.; Mansur W. Young, co. B,
9th regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. — Volunteers for three years : Cornelius P. Curtis, co. C, i ith regt.;
Janus H. Fowler, cav.; Thomas Fary, Aaron A. Savory, co. C, iith regt.;
Henry F. Tower, 2d bat.; William H. Walker, cav.
Volunteers for one year. — James S. Fox, Horace H. Wheeler, co. F, 9th
regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Henry T. Davis, co. G, 5th regt.; Henry H. Pe-
ters, CO. D, 7th regt.; Levi Plumley, co. I, 7th regt
Volunteers for nine months. — Charles P. Bateman, co. K, 12th regt;
Lawson E. Barber, John T. Bour, George Brown, Gilbert Hanley, Aaron
Hinkley, Arthur E. Morgan, Cyrus Russell, Emmett M. Tower, co. H, 14th
regt.; Henry C. Tower, James E. Wetmore, co. H, 13th regt.
Furnished under draft. — Paid commutation. Smith Johnson, J. W. Thorn-
ton, George W. Tower, Thomas A. Tower.
The present officers of the town of Ira, elected March 3, 1885, are as fol-
lows : Town clerk, Simeon L. Peck ; selectmen, Charles C. Cramton, Smith
Johnson, John Hart; treasurer, Lyman W. Fish; overseer of the poor, Lyman
W. Mann ; first constable and collector, Simeon L. Peck ; listers, Leonard Fish,
Leonard W. Day, Patrick Mullin ; auditors, George Brown, Elbert L. White,
George Clark; trustee of surplus money, L. W. Fish; fence viewers, George
Brown, F. L. Day, Charles D. Mann ; town grand jurors, Harry Collins, L.
W. Fish, S. L. Beck, George Clark ; town agent, Bradley Fish ; superintend-
ent of schools, F. L. Day; petit jurors, Leonard Fish, C. C. Crampton, Henry
Fish, George Brown, Patrick Mullin, A. E. Day, S. Johnson, Silas Giddings,
Bradley Gilmore.
Miss Mary Gillmore has been postmistress here for about twenty years
past.
The only industry of any importance is the lime kiln of A. E. & S. W. Day,
which was started about fifteen years ago.
Town of Mendon. 635
The following figures show the population of the town at different dates in
its history: 1791,312; 1800,473; 1810,519; 1820,498; 1836,442; 1840,
430; 1850,400; 1860,422; 1870,413; 1880,479.
CHAPTER XXIX.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MENDON.
THE town of Mendon is situated a little northeast of the center of the county.
Its surface is taken up mostly by the Green Mountains, which render the
greater part of it non-arable, although in the western portion of the town are
to be found a few farms of considerable value, especially for grazing purposes.
The township is bounded on the north by Chittenden, on the east by Sher-
burne, on the south by Shrewsbury, and on the west by Rutland. The town
is watered by numerous mountain streams, abounding in trout, and affording
excellent mill-sites, the largest stream being East Creek, wdiich flows westerly
through the northern part of the town. The principal business is lumbering.
On the 23d day of February, 1 78 1, Governor Thomas Chittenden, by and
with the advice and consent of the Council and General Assembly, in pursuance
of a petition presented by the Hon. Joseph Bowker and thirty-four associates,
granted them the town of Medway, now Mendon. The conditions of this grant
were as follows : Each proprietor of Medway, his heirs or assigns, was to plant
and cultivate five acres of land, and build a house at least eighteen feet square
(on the floor), or have one family settled on his right or share within three
years from the first day of June, 1781. A violation of any of these conditions
wrought a forfeiture of the right of the delinquent, and a reversion of the land
to the freemen of the State. On the 7th of November, 1804, a tract of land
called " Parker's Gore " was annexed to the town, and the name Parkerstown
substituted for Medway.
The first town meeting was held at the house of Johnson Richardson, by
virtue of a warning signed by John Fuller, justice of the peace. The moder-
ator of the meeting was Darius Chipman. The following town officers were
elected : Town clerk, John Page ; selectmen, Benjamin Farmer, Johnson Rich-
ardson, Daniel Bradish ; town treasurer, Benjamin F"armer ; constable, Minot
Farmer; listers, Nahum Goddard, Minot Farmer, Philip Perkins; highway
surveyors, Ira Ingerson, Minot Farmer, James Cummings.
The selectmen were at this meeting chosen a committee to receive from
Jonathan Parker, esq., a deed for a certain mill privilege for the use of the
town.
6^6 History of Rutland County.
The first recorded birth in Parkerstown was that of Trowbridge Maynard
Richardson, son of Johnson and Sibil Richardson, November 7th, 1800. The
first marriage was that of Lyman Parker and Lucy Perkins, December 4, 1809.
It is more than probable, however, that these were not the first birth and mar-
riage in the town, but merely the first recorded.
Concerning the first settlers in the town, but little is known. The first two-
families to settle here were probably Johnson Richardson and his family, and
Jonathan Eggleston and his family. The latter moved into the northwest part
of the town about 1792, and many of his descendants are still residents there.
In 181 1 there were only ten freemen in town, viz. : Zidon Edson, Joseph Ross,
Rufus Richardson, Johnson Richardson, Rogers Eggleston, James Eggleston,
John Shaw, Eliphalet Webster, William Shaw, Simeon Russell. In 181 2 the
town had sixteen voters, and in 1823, twenty-eight.
Zidon Edson, another earl}' settler, was born in Grafton, Vt., and in 18 10
erected the first mill in town, which was destroyed by a freshet in iSi i. He
was an honest, rugged New Englander, well fitted by nature and inclination
for the legal profession, but forced by untoward circumstances to pass his life
on a farm. Cyrus Edson, father of Ezra Edson, came to Parkerstown in 1825.
He was born in Bridgewater, Mass. He used to make wooden sap-buckets,
plates and salt-cellars, the first things of the kind manufactured in Mendon.
Ezra Edson came into town with his father's family, but in 1838 moved away
to learn the blacksmith's trade. He came back to Mendon in 1S40.
Some time after 1820 Sarah Bennett, known as " Sally " Bennett, lived
over the Notch, and made baskets for a living. She resided there a number of
years and then moved to Lowell. She was afterwards burned to death in Mo-
bile, Ala.
Mrs. Newton Squier was born in Rutland, August 25, 1821, came to Men-
don to live in 1826; returned to Rutland in 1833; was married to Newton
Squier on the 13th of September, 1S41, at the hotel in Mendon, and has since
then made this town her home. Newton Squier was born in Rutland on the
8th of September, 181 1. Began to work in the old tannery in Mendon when
he was nineteen years of age. From 1837 to 1 84 1 he lived in Leicester, Vt.
Parker's Gore was a tract of land purchased from the county by Jonathan
Parker, of Rutland, in 1804. It was to have been sold to the highest bidder
by the high sheriff of the county, at that time Abraham Ives, of Wallingford.
On the day advertised for the sale to take place Ives, in the interest of certain
Rutland men, opened the sale at midnight and sold the land to Parker at a
nominal value, making the sale of advantage to himself For this act he was-
obliged to resign his office and leave the State to avoid prosecution. The
township retained the name of " Parkerstown " until November 6, 1828, when
it assumed its present name of Mendon.
" But one Indian ever lived in the town since the settlement of the whites;.
Town of Mendon. 637
he was known as Indian John, He had, previous to coming to Medway, or
Parkerstown, belonged to some tribe of Indians in the western part of New
York. A number of famiHes of whites made a settlement not far from the In-
dian settlement, and the Indians determined to phinder and destroy them.
Indian John gave the whites warning and they prepared for tliem, so the
project failed. The Indians mistrusted John and slit the rims of his ears, and
lie then found they were devising a harder punishment for him. He accord-
ing!}' fled to the American army. They were about to go through the wilder-
ness towards the lake to join some others there. He knew they would be way-
laid by Indians and piloted them another route from what they had designed
to go. They went safely and for the act the government gave him a reward.
He had also a pension from the government. But the Indians were furious
and determined on his destruction. He found his way, however, into the wilds
of Parkerstown and built a camp not far from Johnson Richardson's, where he
used to make quite a home. Indians used to come lurking about, suspecting
something of his whereabouts ; sometimes they kept around many days ; the
family would keep him secreted till they were gone. Once three of them got
on his track and followed on till they got a glimpse of him, but he got a glimpse
of them also. He came to a brook and crossed it on a log. There happened
to be a large tree turned up by the roots exactly in range of the log he had
crossed. He fled behind the turned- up roots and waited. They followed his
track, came to the log, held a short talk, then all three started to cross ; he,
meantime, had made a hole through the dirt on the roots so that he could put
his gun through and take good aim ; when they were fairly in range, one
after the other, he fired, killed two and wounded the third. He ran and took
one of the Indian guns and shot the third, and then went to work and hid the
dead Indians, took their guns and went to Richardson's and told them what he
had done. He was never molested after that, onl\' some Indians once in Rut-
land made inquiry, but could learn nothing about him. He used to bring in
pieces of lead which he said he found, and promised he would sometime tell
where there was plenty of it. He lived to be very old : no one knew his age,
but judged him to be over ninety years. He died very suddenly. He tried
to tell something before he died, but could not make them understand. "^
Early B//si//css. ^The first public house in town was kept by Johnson
Richardson, and stood in District No. I. The house is now gone and from
the center of the old cellar a tree, two feet in diameter, stands like an immov-
able sentinel. This is the farm now occupied b)' Reuben Ranger, a little west
of his home. Rufus Richardson kept it after Johnson Richardson ; A. B.
Campbell followed him, and finally Ira W. Seward kept it until it burned. The
second tavern here, in point of time, stood and still stands, though now unoc-
cupied, about half a mile below the present residence of General Edward H.
J 'ennoKt Historical Magazine.
638 History of Rutland County.
Ripley. The original proprietors were Asa Hale and Josiah Hale, about whom
little or nothing is known. Thomas Hooker bought it of them, and sold it to-
John and William Shaw. As early as 18 10 they sold to Elisha Estarbrooks^
who remained a number of years. Ebenezer Mussey purchased it of Estar-
brooks, and Edward Mussey, his son, bought it of him in 1831. He kept this
house for ten years. Then he purchased of Alanson Mason, Ambrose Brown
and James Barrett the house now occupied by General Edward H. Ripley.
He continued the entertainment of guests in this house until January 19, 1853^
when he sold the property to William Y. Ripley. It was thereafter never used
for hotel purposes. There has been no hotel in town in the past fifteen years.
There have never been any grist-mills, asheries or distilleries in Mendon.
In 1834 Draper Ruggles, of Rutland, and his brother-in-law, Norman Hurd,
under the firm name of Ruggles & Hurd, built a tannery in the northwest
part of the town, in the hollow opposite the present post-office. They oper-
ated it two or three years and failed. The property passed into the hands of
Alanson Mason, James Barrett and Ambrose L. Brown. Mason soon tired of
the business and went West. Barrett secured the services of John Osborn, of
Danvers, Mass., to operate the tannery. Osborn carried on the business until
1850, and ran a store in the village at the same time. Barrett then converted
the mill into a pill-bo.x factory in the spring of 1854, being for a time in com-
pany with Augustine D. Waymouth and Isaiah L. Averill. In 1866 W. C.
Walker purchased the property and began to manufacture worsted. He or-
ganized a corporation called the Pioneer Worsted Company. All the looms
and machinery and skilled workmen came from England. The company soon
failed and the building was used for the manufacture of woven curtains. It
was burned about twelve years ago.
Post-Office. — Edward Mussey was the first postmaster in Mendon. He
was appointed about 1841 and kept the office in his hotel, the building now
occupied by General Ripley as a summer residence. In 1853 he was suc-
ceeded by Amasa Nichols, and he by A. G. Bagley. The next postmaster was
James Blaisdell, who, after a brief interval, deserted his family and ran away
with another woman. His wife then kept the office until another appointment
was made, and James Furman began the performance of post-office duties.
Then, until 1880, William Hall kept the office, and was succeeded by John
Moss and Edward Fomeroy. The present postmaster, Alonzo Ormsby, was
appointed on the^.23d of February, 1882. There has always been a store con-
nected with the post-office. The building now occupied by Mr. Ormsby is
the one that John Osborn erected for mercantile purposes in 1840.
During the Civil War, Mendon, scant)' in numbers though her population
was, furnished for soldiers more than one-half the number of legal voters in
the town; paid in bounties the sum of $13,000; and in commutation money,
$2,400. She furnished two men more than the number required to fill her
quota. The following is a list of the soldiers credited to Mendon: —
Town of Mendon. 639
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volunteers
of October 17, 1863 : Anthony Barney, co. E, 5th regt.; John Barrows, jr., co.
G, 5th regt.; Josiah Brown, jr., co. B, 9th regt.; Franklin H. Downey, co. G,
2d regt.; Nelson Durkee, co. I, 7th regt.; Amos W. Edson, co. B, gtl) regt.;
Enos Goslow, co. I, 7th regt.; Alonzo Hoyt, co. D, 7th regt; John Lambert,
Elijah H. Mann, Edward J. Neff, co. G, 5th regt; Robert Peino, co. B, 5th
regt.; Abel M. Peters, co. G, 5th regt.; Alfred Peters, co. I, 7th regt; Harri-
son D. Peters, co. G, 5th regt.; John Plath, co. D, 7th regt.; Ebenezer H.
Rhodes, co. D, 7th regt; Christopher Rice, co. C, lOth regt.; Luther Rice,
Nelson A. Rich, co. G, 5th regt; Henry Rowe, co. E, cav.; Henry H. Rowe,
Franklin Sanders, Isaac Sawyer, co. G, 5th regt.; Isaac E. Sawyer, co. C, lOth
regt; William H. Shedd, Charles Stebbins, co. D, 7th regt.; William F.. Stone,
CO. H, 7th regt.; Joseph St Peters, co. D, 7th regt.; Joseph St Peters, jr., co.
D, 7th regt.; Marcus E. Tenney, co. B, 2d regt.; Addison Webster, co. I, 2d
regt.; Nelson E. Wheeler, Frederick W. Wilcox, co. G, 5th regt.; Charles Wil-
kins, CO. B, 7th regt; Wallace Wilkins, co. G, 5th regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years: George Henry Rock, cav.
Volunteers for one year. — William Butterfly, co. B, 7th regt; Paul Clark,
9th regt.; Edward Z. Holbrook, co. B, 9th regt.; Clark L. Long, cav.; Lewis
A. Martin, George F. Slason, Orick Sprague, co. B, 9th regt.; Friend A. Weeks,
CO. F, 1st s. s.
Miscellaneous. — Not credited by name, one man.
Volunteers for nine months. — P^rederick Cady, Albert W. Edson, Joel S.
Frink, co. K, 12th regt; Phineas R. Rice, co. H, 14th regt; William Rock, co.
K, I2th regt.; Harlan P. Sherwin, co. H, 14th regt.; George A. Wilkins, co.
K, I 2th regt.
Furnished under draft. — Paid commutation, Harvey Core)-, George Eg-
gleston, William Kimball, jr., George Petty, Reuben Ranger, Leland J. Will-
iams. Procured substitute, Willard Edson.
Ecclesiastical. — The history of church organizations in Mendon is a narra-
tive of tentative efforts which have not, with one exception, been entirely suc-
cessful. The first preacher in Mendon, of whom mention is anywhere made,
was Thomas Hunt, who was ordained an elder of the Methodist Reformed
Church in Douglas, Mass., and came to Mendon in 1818. In iSigBlackmer
Cook, a blind preacher, brought a certificate from a Free Will Baptist Church
in Burrillville, licensing him to preach and baptize, and to form a church. He
lived "over the Notch," and in addition to his preaching, he used to peddle al-
manacs in winter. He did not succeed in establishing a church. In the latter
part of the year 1835 a young man named Crowley preached here for a time.
He would have been ordained and settled here but for a difference arising be-
tween himself and the inhabitants concerning the price of a lot reserved in the
640 History of Rutland County.
town charter for the "first settled minister of the gospel." He insisted upon
having title to the land in fee, which they refused.
On the 23d of January-, 1836, the Union Evangelical Society was formed
with the following members : Draper Ruggles, Henry Strong, Ira Seward,
Rowell Gibson, James K. Pearson, E. Mussey, Rufus Richardson, Samuel
Caldwell, Jeremiah Green, Ira W. Seward, C. C. Burditt, Ira P'elch, Coomer
H. Boorn, James K. Farnam, Timothy Gibson, F. B. Temple, William Foster,
David Rice, jr., Abraham M. Gibson, Blackmer Cook (by his mark). Supply
Nims, all of whom but Samuel Caldwell, now living in California, and Abra-
ham Gibson, still a resident of Mendon, liave since died. The first officers
were: Ira Seward, president ; Edward Mussey, clerk ; James K. Pearson, treas-
urer ; Roswell Gibson, Timothy Gibson and Rufus Richardson, prudential com-
mittee. The first clergyman whom they procured to preach here was Rev.
Elbridge Wilmington, who quit-claimed to the society the lot above mentioned,
thus estopping himself from claiming title to it under the charter. He re-
mained here about two years and went to Maine. From this time until 1858
preaching was done here in a desultory way. In 1858, owing to a revival in
Rutland, considerable interest in religious matters was awakened here. A Sab-
bath-school was formed. In September of the same j'ear a ladies' society
was organized, and by the eflbrts of its members, a subscription was taken,
land purchased, and the present church edifice was erected. It was finished in
the summer of i860 and dedicated on the first of August in that year. Ser-
vices were afterwards held with considerable regularity in the church, and from
1863, when Rev. Mr. Barton came to Mendon, down to the present time, the
church has not been without a pastor, though most of the pastors have been
of the Methodist denomination. The list is as follows, each pastor having been
here but two years excepting the Marshalls, who were each here three j-ears :
Revs. Mr. Barton, M. D. Herrick, F. S. Lovet, N. E. Jenkins, M. Stewart, H.
Barnes, A. V. Marshall, Perry Marshall, J. S. Mott, N. C. Parker, R. Osborn,
and J. C. Richmond, the present pastor, who came in 1885.
On the 26th of November, 1867, Rev. N. E. Jenkins organized a Wesleyan
Methodist Church at the Union Chapel at Mendon. On the 28th of February,
1876, the Union Evangelical Society conveyed by deed the church property to
the stewards of the Methodist church, viz., to Ira Ormsby, Ezra Edson, John
C. Thomas and Robert G. Richardson. The present officers of the church are :
Stewards, B. Dimick, A. G. Bissell ; recording steward, Leland Williams ; A.
Ormsby, secretary and treasurer; George Seward, Edward Eggleston, W. E.
Wood, William Hagar and William Kennison. The pastor. Rev. J. C. Rich-
mond, came in July, 1885. The present value of the church property is
about $1,100.
Manufacturing Interests. — The saw-mill of Dr. Orel Cook was originally
built about 1829 or 1 830, by J. D. Esting, and rebuilt by Dr. Cook in 1 87 1.
Town of Middletown. 641
The Darius Carruth saw-mill was built about 1836 by Rufus Richardson. He
ran it a number of years and then sold it to the present owners, the Sheldons
of Rutland. Mr. Carruth operates it. General E. H. Ripley's saw- mill, was
erected in 1853 by William Y. Ripley. Freeman W. Eggleston built a water-
power saw-mill a short distance above the Carruth mill in 18S4. It was first
operated in April, 1885. It is estimated that the aggregate capacity of this mill
is about 13,000 feet of lumber per day.
The present officers of the town of Mendon are as follows : Town clerk,
Newton Squier (for the last twenty-five years); selectmen, George W. Seward,
Oscar Wood, Osgood Sargeant ; town treasurer, L. A. Green ; overseer of the
poor, George T. Kennison ; constable and collector, H. H. Shedd ; listers, J.
E. Seward, William Johnson, Edward Pomeroy ; auditors, J. E. Seward, M.
Penney, William Johnson ; trustee of public money, Ezra Edson ; fence view-
ers, Reuben Ranger, Robert Magin ; town grand jurors, A. Bennett, Brooks
Bennett, O. Wood; inspector of leather, A. Bennett; surveyors of highways,
Patrick Cooney, H. H. Shedd, Oscar Wood, John Parker, Peter Stebbins, Lewis
Young, George Sargeant, Charles Hemenway ; town agent, Allerton Bennett ;
county grand jurors, Ezra Edson and Allerton Bennett ; petit jurors, Osgood
Sargeant, Aaron G. Bissell, Charles Ranger, William J. Hagar, Marcus E. Ten-
ney, Henry L. Gleason, Edward Pomeroy, John Cooney ; superintendent of
schools, Matthias Kenyon.
The figures below indicate the increase of population from 1791 to 18S0:
1791, 34; 1800, 39; 1810, III; 1820, 174; 1830, 432; 1840, 545; 1850,
504; 1860,633; 1870,612; 1880,629.
CHAPTER XXX.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN.
MIDDLETOWN is situated in the soutli western part of the county and
bounded on the north by Poultney and Ira ; east by Ira and Tinmouth ;
south by Tinmouth and Wells, and west by Wells and Poultney. The terri-
tory of which it is formed is of a peculiar shape and was taken from the towns
of Poultney, Ira, Tinmouth and Wells. The charters of these four towns were
granted in 1761, except that of Ira, the date of which is unknown ; but it is
supposed to bear about the same date. About three-fourths of a mile north
of the village of Middletown, a little east of the present dwelling-house of Har-
vey Leffingwell, on land now owned by a Mr. Cairnes, is the spot where was
formerly located the northeast corner of Wells, southeast corner of Poultney,
642 History of Rutland County.
the southwest corner of Ira, and the northwest corner of Tinmouth. The line
from thence, between the towns of Wells and Tinmonth, ran south, passing in
its course througli the eastern part of the village between the school-house and
the stream, a little west of the school-house; also, in its course further south,
it makes the west line of the " old Zenas Frisbie farm " (now owned by M. E.
Wheeler), the east line of the " Thomas Morgan farm," and passes very near the
west line of the "Burnam farm," now owned by S. W. Southworth, and the
" Perry farm," now owned by Mr. Atwater. The line from thence (the corners
above named), between the towns of Poultney and Ira, ran directly north from
those corners, and lines running east and west from thence divided the towns
above named.
The township of Middletown was created by an act of the Legislature of
October 28, 1784. Prior to that time the territory of which it is composed
was included in the above named four towns, with the lines as above indicated.
The settlement of the town, or the territor)', was begun some years before 1 784 ;
and in speaking of such settlement it will be mentioned as if in Middletown.
The exact date of the first settlement cannot be given, except upon the
authority of Mr. Thompson, who says in his history that " the settlement was
commenced a short time before the Revolutionar)' War by Thomas Morgan
and others," " and mills were erected." Mr. Morgan came here before the
war, as did also Richard and Benjamin Haskins, Phineas Clough and Luther
Filmore. Mr. Morgan, who lived until 1841, informed Judge Frisbie before his
death that he found his way hither by marked trees and that when he arrived
not a tree had been cut ; the entire town was an unbroken forest. He also
said that he came about three years before the war began ; but he probably
considered the stirring events at Ticonderoga and Burgoyne's invasion as the
beginning of the conflict ; if so, he probably made his settlement in 1774.
Mr. Morgan bought one hundred acres of land about three-fourths of a mile
south of the village site, and built his log house a few feet north of the site of
the framed house on the " old Morgan farm" (now owned by his grandson,
Daniel Morgan). In the summer of 1777, so energetically had he labored, he
had four acres of wheat sixty or seventy rods from his house, opposite of where
Orson Thomas now lives, and on the east side and adjoining what is known as
the " Coy Hill road." He was called away to the struggle at Bennington and
the wheat was never harvested. Richard Haskins commenced his settlement
a little east of the village site and he, too, had two acres of wheat in 1777,
which he never harvested, but went away to Bennington. Benjamin Haskins
had built his log house and begun his improvements near where Deacon A.
Haynes now lives. Luther Filmore had put up a log house on the southwest
corner of what is now known as " the green," in the village. Where Phineas
Clough first located himself is not now positively known ; but he very early
settled on what has since been known as the " Orcutt farm," now occupied by
Town of Middletown. 643
Mr. Lobdill. These five men are all who are now known to have been here
before the Revolutionary War. They all left in the summer of 1777, joined
the militia at Manchester, and were all in Bennington battle.
But were " mills erected " before the war? The mills known as " Miner's
mills," in an early day were built by Gideon Miner in 1782. They were lo-
cated about a mile and a half east of where the village now is. Mr. Morgan
then assisted Mr. Miner, as a workman, in building the mills. Morgan brought
the mill irons from Bennington on a horse. Members of the Miner family in-
formed Mr. Frisble that there was some sort of a mill there when Mr. Miner
came, while descendants of Mr. Morgan were equally confident that he had
nothing to do with mills until he worked for Mr. Miner in 1782. If there
was a mill there before that time, it was never operated and was rebuilt in
17S2 by Mr. Morgan.
In Mr. Thompson's work referred to he says that the settlers " returned
after the war," which is somewhat indefinite. While there was little done in
the way of settlement for a few years after the summer of 1777, still Benjamin
Haskins and Phineas Clough were back here in 1778, and Morgan and Fil-
more a little later ; a good many others were here before the close of the war.
Azor Perry came as early as 1778. James and Thomas McClure, it is sup-
posed, came in 1779. William and Jonathan Frisbie came in 1781 ; and Gid-
eon Miner, Nathaniel Wood and his sons, Jacob and Ephraim, Caleb Smith,
Jonathan Brewster, Gamaliel Waldo, Nathan Walton, and some others were
here as early as 1782. And Joseph Spaulding and some others, it is supposed,
came the same year. We find that a Congregational Church was organized as
early as the spring of 1782, and Mr. Spaulding was made its clerk. It is clear
that the settlements from the close of the war were quite rapid, as in the fall
of 1784 the people petitioned the Legislature, then in session in Rutland, for
a new town ; a movement indicating that the settlers in those parts of Poult-
ne)', Ira, Tinmouth and Wells now included in Middletown, fraternized and
felt among themselves mutual interests, in spite of the town lines. Two churches
had already been organized — another proof of that fact — Congregational
and Baptist, and a log church erected near the southeast corner of the present
burial ground ; the members were from the four towns, but they all had com-
mon interests. If the town lines had not been changed, it is more than prob-
able that the same village must have grown up here. The territory was formed
apparently by nature for a town, and the increasing number of settlers real-
ized it.
The prayer of the petitioners for the town was granted. On the 28th day
of October, 1784, the following act was passed by the Legislature : —
An Act constituting a new Town by the name of Middle toivn :
" Whereas, the inhabitants of a part of the towns of Wells, Tinmouth, Poult-
ney and Ira, which are included in the bounds hereinafter described, have, by
644 History of Rutland County.
their petition, represented that they labor under great inconveniences with
their several towns for public worship and town business, by reason of being
surrounded by high mountains,
" Be it therefore enacted, and it is hereby enacted by the representatives of
the freemen of the State of Vermont in General Assembly met, and by the
authority of the same, that the tract of land or district hereinafter described,
be, and is hereby created and incorporated into a township, by the name of
Middletown, and the inhabitants thereof and their successors with the like priv-
ileges and prerogatives, whicli the other towns in the State are invested with,
viz.:
" Beginning at a beech tree marked, standing west 26 degrees south 310
chains from the northeast corner of Wells ; thence east 40 degrees south 290
chains, to a white ash tree standing in Tinmouth west line; thence east 10
degrees south 45 chains, to a beech marked ; thence north 33 degrees east 264
chains, to a beech marked ; thence north 10 degrees west 333 chains, to stake
and stones standing in Poultney east line ; thence south 10 degrees west 28
chains, to stake and stones ; thence west 1 1 degrees north 60 chains to a small
beech marked ; thence south 45 chains, to a hard beech tree ; thence west 40
degrees south 207 chains 5 links, to a stake and stones standing in Wells north
line ; thence west — south 4 chains, to a stake ; thence south 10 degrees west
185 chains, to the first mentioned bounds."
These boundaries took three thousand five hundred and ten acres from
Tinmouth, six thousand one hundred and eighteen acres from Wells, two thou-
sand three hundred and eighty-eight acres from Poultney, and one thousand
eight hundred and twenty acres from Ira ; making in all fourteen thousand
eight hundred and forty-one acres.
Joseph Spaulding, who was a surveyor, was prominent in procuring the
charter of the town, and it is believed that the form of the surrounding moun-
tains governed the survey, to a large extent, thus giving the town its peculiar
shape. After Mr. Spaulding had completed his survey and the arrangements
for presenting the matter to the Legislature, the inhabitants conceded to him
the honor of naming the town, which he did. As he had removed from Mid-
dletown, Conn., and as the new town was situated, if the term may be used,
" in the middle of four towns," he thought that name an appropriate one. In
the fall of 1784, he, with the petition in his pocket, went before the Legislature
in Rutland, presented the matter and the act was passed, as stated.
Following is a brief record of a town meeting in this town, held November
17, 1784, in the log meeting-house: —
" At a town meeting holden at Middletown, at the meeting-house, on Wed-
nesday, the 17th day of November, 1784, F^i/r^, Edmund Bigelow, Moderator;
Joseph Rockwell, Town Clerk ; Edmund Bigelow, Justice of the Peace ; elected
as a committee, Edmund Bigelow, Joseph Rockwell and Joseph Spaulding, to
Town of Middletown. 645
reckon with several inhabitants of the town respecting costs made in getting
the town estabhshed. The meeting was adjourned to Thursday the 22d inst."
"At the adjourned meeting — Voted, That the amount allowed by the
committee chosen for examining accounts for getting the town established be
two pounds, 12 shillings and 7 pence.
"Joseph Rockwell, Register."
This meeting and its proceedings must be looked upon as the organization
of the town. From this record we find that Edmund Bigelow was the first
moderator of the town and the first justice of the peace ; the latter office he
held many years; and Joseph Rockwell was the first town clerk.
The first annual town meeting was holden March 7, 1785, at which meet-
ing they elected the following town officers : Hon. Thomas Porter, of Tinmouth,
being present, was chosen moderator, Joseph Rockwell, town clerk ; Jonathan
Brewster, Jacob Wood and Edmund Bigelow, selectmen ; Caleb Smith, town
treasurer ; Ephraim Wood, constable ; Ashur Blunt, Jona. Griswold, Reuben
Searl, listers ; Silas Mallary, collector; Jona. Frisbie, leather sealer; Samuel
Sunderlin, Reuben Searl, jurymen ; Nathan Record, tithingman ; Elisha Gil-
bert, hayward ; Caleb Smith, brander of horses ; Increase Rudd, sealer of meas-
ures ; Edmund Bigelow, sealer of weights ; Abraham White, Solomon Hill,
John Sunderlin, Benjamin Haskins, Benjamin Coy, Phineas Clough and James
McClure, highway surveyors ; Luther Filmore, pound- keeper, Thomas Mor-
gan, William Frisbie and Increase Rudd, fence viewers.
At the same meeting Ephraim Wood, Gamaliel Waldo, Reuben Searl,
Bethel Hurd, Benjamin Coy, James McClure and Edmund Bigelow, were ap-
pointed a committee to divide the town into school districts. That committee
afterwards performed that duty, and the school districts, with a very little alter-
ation, remain to this day as recommended by that committee.
Immediately following this town meeting record is a " roll of the freemen
of Middletown," which was doubtless made in the spring of 1785. Following
are the names : —
Ephraim Wood, John Sunderlin, Daniel Haskins, Samuel Sunderlin, Jacob
Wood, Reuben Searl, Joseph Spaulding, Jona. Brewster, Benjamin Haskins,
Jona. Haynes, Increase Rudd, Jesse Hubbard, Barzilla Handy, Gideon Miner,
Isaiah Johnson, Abel White, Benjamin Coy, Timothy Smith, Francis Perkins,
Samuel Stoddard, Benjamin Butler, Nathan Record, Jona. Mehuran, Elisha
Gilbert, Richard Haskins, Thomas Morgan, Chauncy Graves, William Frisbie,
Anson Perry, Sylvanus Stone, Thomas French, Gideon Buel, Caleb Smith,
Jona. Griswold, Gamaliel Waldo, Joseph Rockwell, David Griswold, Edmund
Bigelow, Philemon Wood, Jona. Frisbie.
By this list we are enabled to know who were the early settlers of the town,
and to it may be added the names of Luther Filmore, James and Thomas Mc-
Clure, and Silas Mallary, who are known to have been here prior to 1785.
646 History of Rutland County.
Filmore, as we have seen, was liere before the Revolutionary War, and was
elected pound-keeper at the first annual meeting ; Mallary was elected collector,
and James and Thomas McClure are known to have been here about as early
as 1779.
Interrupted as the settlement of this town was by the Revolutionary War,
yet the grand list taken in the spring of 1785, the first one made, shows that
five hundred and seventy-four acres had been cleared ; and the personal prop-
erty in the list was eighty-one cows, forty-seven horses, thirty-six oxen, eighty
steers, seventy-three head of other cattle and twenty-two swine. This indicates
a remarkable growth and development in the few years of settlement preced-
ing the date of the list. Judge Frisbie's father, who was a son of William Fris-
bie, told the judge what the condition of the settlement in the town was when
his father came in 178 1. He said that Filmore had cleared up three or four
acres where the village now is. Morgan had a little more than that cleared,
ind the two Haskinses and Azor Perry had made some progress in their clear-
ing. He told me that according to his recollection, six log houses had been
put up within the present limits of the town, when he came here. Those he
gave me as' Mr. Morgan's, Filmore's, the two Haskinses', Clough's and Azor
Perry's. Those were undoubtedly all there were in the town, or within what
is now the town, in the spring of 1781, except what had been put up on the
" McClure road," as it has been called — for it is well known that Isaac Clark
(old Rifle) settled there as earl)' as 1779, and that year he was made town
clerk of Ira, and James and Thomas McClure settled there, it is believed, the
same year. At this time (1785) we find at least forty-four freemen in the
town — the number of inhabitants might have been three or four hundred, as
most of the early settlers had large families.
A grist and saw-mill had been erected, and were in active operation, grind-
ing the grain of the settlers, and sawing their lumber. Three framed houses
had been built and preparations made for erecting more. Of these first settlers
in the town let us speak a little more in detail.
Thomas Morgan, as we have stated, made the first clearing and claimed to
have built the first framed house, though he said that Filmore and Richard
Haskins each began building the same season. Morgan's house stood on the
lot now owned by Daniel Morgan. Thomas Morgan was from Kent, Conn.,
and lived where he first settled to about the time of his death, which occurred
December 20, 1841, aged ninety- four years. Jonathan Morgan, his son, was
the first child born in the town (1782). He was for many years justice of the
peace ; represented the town in 1838, and often held the office of selectman.
He died December 3, 1857, from the effects of being thrown from his wagon.
He left three sons and four daughters, of whom Daniel is the only one living
in Middletown.
Luther Filmore felled the forest where the village stands. He came from
Town of Middletown. 647
Bennington and put up his cabin on the soutlnvest corner of the "green," as
it is called. He afterwards built a frame house on the opposite side of the
road, in the yard of the place now occupied by E. W. Gray. He owned the
land occupied by the burial ground and deeded it to the town September 30,
1787 ; he also owned 150 acres including the present limits of tlie village. He
was the first inn-keeper in the town, beginning soon after he built his house.
The tavern was kept there by him and a part of the time by one of the Brews-
ter family, until some years after 1800. Sometime after iSii Henry Gray
bought and lived in the house until about 1835, when he built the brick house ;
the old tavern house was moved down below "Cider-mill Hill," and repaired
for tenant uses. Luther Filmore died February 9, 1809, at the age of sixty,
leaving several sons, none of whom arc living.
Richard Haskins returned after the war to his settlement, near where Lu-
cius Copeland lives. He was from Norwich, Conn., where the Wood families
came from ; they came in 1782 and took Mr. Haskins's settlement and he took
the next lot north — now the Copeland Haskins farm. He lived a long life
and raised a large family; he died about 1845 '" Highgate, Vt., when over
eighty years old. Benjamin Haskins was a prominent man, a member of the
Congregational Church, and though somewhat eccentric, was a useful man in
the community. It is said that he successfully encountered and routed four-
teen wolves with no arms but a cudgel, when they attacked some cattle he was
driving home. He died in 1824, aged seventy years.
Phineas Clough died September 24, 1809, on the farm where he first set-
tled ; he left but one child, a daughter who married Erasmus Orcutt. She in-
herited the farm, which became known as the " Orcutt farm." She was the
mother of five children, the only living one being^ Phineas C. Orcutt, now in
New Jersey.
Azor Perry was deeded a piece of land by one of the Tinmouth proprie-
tors in 1777, the tract being in what is now Middletown, and in the spring of
1778 shouldered his axe, came on and took possession of his land. It was
the same tract now known as the Azor Perry farm, and owned and occupied
by Jonathan and Merritt Atwater. He built a log house where Mr. Atwater's
dwelling now stands, covering it with poles and bark. Here he lived the first
year alone, and was married at Bennington in 1779. He was from the town of
Orange, Conn., but lived in Bennington a while before settling in Middletown.
He was a rough, unpolished man, but of strong will and high courage, and
fought at Bennington and other early battles of the war. Many anecdotes are
related of his prowess in fighting wolves and bears, for which space cannot be
here given. He had eleven children, several of whom are still living; one of
these is Mrs. Atwater, who lives on the old farm. Mr. Perry died November
15, 1824, aged sixty-nine.
Thomas and James McClure probably came next in the order of settle-
648 History of Rutland County.
ment. They were natives of Scotland, and with another brother first stopped
at WalHngford, after coming to Vermont. A little latter, in 1779, James and
Thomas came on farther and decided to locate in the northeast part of the
town (then in Ira). Their settlement was made at the upper end of the road
which leaves the main road running from Middletown to Tinmouth, a little east
of what is known as the " Edgerton place." It was supposed a village would
be located at this point, which led to their selecting it as a place of residence.
The two brothers appear to have been prominent men and held many import-
ant positions. James died February 22, 1815, at the age of sixty-seven
years ; Thomas died before 1800. Each left a family ; David G. and Samuel
were sons of James. David G. was a physician and succeeded Dr. Ezra
Clark ; was in practice here several years prior to 1822, and removed to Ohio.
Samuel was a farmer and died in Middletown ; had a large family, of whom
two sons and two daughters are living. His son, David G., lived and died in
Rutland ; his daughters married, one of them Albert H. Tuttle, of the Rut-
land Herald, and the other C. M. Haven. Harry B. McClure, second son of
Samuel, lived many years in Middletown, but removed to Spencerport, N. Y.
Next in the order of settlement came William Frisbie, whose name appears
on the roll of 1785. He was a native of Bethlehem, Conn., and lived in Still-
water, N. Y., a number of years before coming to Middletown ; all of his chil-
dren were born there. He took part in the battle of Saratoga, near his own
home. The land he bought was what is now known as the " Buxton farm,"
and he put up his log house near where the brick house now stands ; in I785>
or 1786, he built a frame house a little northwest of the brick house site. He
is remembered as a somewhat eccentric man ; unyielding in his principles and
intolerant of a wavering disposition in others. He died March I, 1813, at the
age of seventy-six years. He had two sons and four daughters. The oldest
son, William, jr., was seventeen when his father came to the town ; he studied
medicine with Dr. Clark and began practice in company with him, but soon
went to Pittsford, where he practiced until about 1820; thence he removed to
Phelps, N. Y., where he died about 1837. He has descendants in Phelps and
several in the West. Zenas, the second son, was a farmer and lived and died
in Middletown, aged .seventy-six years; he died January 19, 1851, leaving eight
children ; two sons and a daughter live West, and a daughter, Mrs. Lucy A.
Thomas, lives in Middletown, and a son, Hon. Barnes Frisbie, now lives in
Poultney, and is one of the assistant judges of the county.
The settlements cannot be further taken up in chronological order; but
Captain Joseph Spaulding, a name ever to be honored in the town, may be
appropriately alluded to next. He first settled on what has been known as
the " Micah Vail farm," now owned by C. Clift, but soon removed to where
William Spaulding now lives ; this place has e\er since been owned in the fam-
ily. It has already been indicated that Captain Spaulding was the leading
Town of Middletown. 649
spirit in the formation of the town, and the people very properly made him
their first representative. He was about thirty-six years old when he came
here ; had taught school in Connecticut and also taught the first one in this
town, following the honorable occupation for some forty winters and until he
was more than seventy-five years old. He was captain of the first militia in
town and held that office at the time of the Shay's rebellion in 1786; he started
with his company to the relief of the courts at Rutland, but learned at Castle-
ton that their services were not needed and they returned. He died February
25, 1840, at the great age of ninety-si.x years. He was a candid, judicious and
honorable Christian man. Harley Spaulding, now living on the next place
north of the old homestead, and Deacon Julius Spaulding, of Poijltney, are
the only representatives here of tlie families that sprang from Captain Joseph
Spaulding.
Jonathan Brewster came in as early as 1782 and settled on the farm now
owned by William Kelly, about a mile and one-half south of the village. He
was a leader in the formation of the Congregational Church and its first dea-
con ; represented the town four years, and died April 29, 1820, aged seventy-
six years. He had a large family, seven of whom — Orson, Ohel, Oramel,
Jonathan, Eunice, Lydia and Joanna — survived him. Orson removed to
Northampton, Mass., and there died ; Ohel died and left two daughters, one of
whom is the widow of Dr. Amos Frisbie, formerly of Foultney ; Jonathan and
Oramel removed to northern New York and died there ; Eunice married
Fitch Loomis, and was the mother of Reuben and Fitch Loomis, jr., Mrs.
Henry Gray, Mrs. Thaddeus Terrill and Mrs. Johnson; she died about 1851.
Lydia became the wife of William Fay, the well-known early publisher of
Rutland ; Joanna married Luther Cleveland.
Gideon Miner removed from Woodbury, Conn., to Rutland in March,
1779, and to Middletown in 1782 ; he settled about two miles east of the vil-
Inge, at the place formerly called " Miner's Mills." He built a grist-mill and
saw-mill, the first in the town. He was much esteemed and died in 1808, aged
eighty years. Gideon Miner's oldest child was Abigail, who married Thomas
Davidson, and died in Saratoga, New York, in 1843, at the age of seventy-
eight. Samuel Lewis Miner, the oldest son, removed to Castleton in early life
and died in 18 17, aged fifty years, leaving three 'children — Roxena, Cyrena,
and Lewis. Captain Joel Miner was the third child, and became a man of un-
usual capacity and conducted a large business ; he was the leading man in the
town at the time of his death. He died suddenly at Montpelier, while attend-
ing the Legislature in the fall of 1813, at the age of forty-four years ; his chil-
dren were Ovid, now in the ministry in Syracuse, N Y., and Lamson, also a
clergyman, and died in the midst of his usefulness at the age of thirty-three.
Gideon Miner, sr.'s, fourth child was also named Gideon, and becamea prominent
man; was deacon in the Congregational Church nearly forty years, and re-
6so History of Rutland County.
moved to Ohio in 1834, where he died at the home of his son, Dr. Erwin L.,
in 1854, aged eighty-four years. Ahiman Lewis Miner, son of Deacon Miner,
is an attorney and now lives in Manchester (see Chapter XVII). Deacon
Miner's other children were Chloe, who died in Ohio ; Malvina, Uving in Mis-
souri as the wife of a clergyman ; a daughter who died in Onondaga county,
N. Y., and another who died in Ohio in 1858; Orlin H., removed to Ohio in
1834 and died two years later ; and Thomas Davison Miner, who died in Ohio
in 1856. Returning to the children of Deacon Miner, sr., there were Ase-
nath, who married Alexander Murray and removed to Albany, N. Y., and
Lamson, who died in 1806. The youngest was Elizabeth, who married Moses
Copeland and had four children, Lucius, Martin, Betsey and Edwin. Lucius
and Edwin are among the prominent citizens of this town ; Martin became a
lawyer and died in Bristol, Vt., January 11, 1861. Betsey married Deacon
Julius Spaulding and died in Poultney in 1865. Moses Copeland died May 3,
1858, aged eighty- eight years, and his wife, Elizabeth, died in Poultney in the
fall of 1 866.
The name of Caleb Smith is on the roll of 1785, and he probably came
here as early as 1783. He settled where Elihu B. Cook now lives and was
prominent in establishing the Baptist Church ; was its first moderator and first
deacon ; he was also town treasurer. He died February 10, 1808, at the age
of fifty-nine years, leaving a son, Jedediah, and a daughter who married Ros-
well Tillie, of Tinmouth.
Gamaliel Waldo came here as early as 1782 from Pawlet, finding his way
by marked trees. While Ticonderoga was occupied by Allen and his men,
Mr. Waldo was employed to convey provisions to the fort, a perilous duty ; he
lived at Pownal during the Revolutionary War, and settled here on the farm
owned by Mr. Hulburt, cleared that place and remained there until his death,
in 1829. He was the father of one son and four daughters.
Asa Gardner, who died here in 1849, came in with his father's family when
he was ten years old, and lived to be nearly eighty. His three sons, Charles,
Aimer and Daniel R., all lived and died in this town. Asa Blunt and Nathan
Walton came about the same time Mr. Waldo did and settled north of him on
the hill road to Ira. Mr. Blunt removed to northern New York quite early.
Mr. Walton raised a large family and died in 1829.
Edmund Bigelow, who was the moderator of the meeting at which the
town was organized, and the first justice of the peace, settled where M. E.
Wheeler lives ; he seems to have been the acting magistrate for fifteen years or
more following his first election, and to have been a competent ofiicial. The
late Dr. Bigelow, of Bennington, was his son.
Joseph Rockwell settled where the widow of E. Prindle resides, and was the
first town clerk. The late Solomon Rockwell was his son, and other descend-
ants live in St. Lawrence county, N. Y.
Town of Middletown. 651
John and Samuel Sunderlin settled north of the village ; Samuel probably
on the place recently owned by Mrs. Germond. John was a lieutenant of mi-
litia under Captain Spaulding and a man of real worth. His two daughters
married Dyer Leffingwell and Ohel Brewster. John's son, Daniel, married
Nancy Stoddard, and their sons, Erwin and Edwin, succeeded Merritt and
Horace Clark as merchants in Middletown. John Sunderlin died about 1826,
on the farm now owned by the widow of Whiting Merrill. Samuel passed
much of his life in Shoreham, but died in Middletown, March 11, 1862.
Increase Rudd settled on the farm now occupied by Mrs. Aden H. Green
and her son, Albert A. He had a large family, none of whom are left in this
vicinit}'.
Gideon Buel and Jonathan and David Griswold all settled on what is now
the road from " Miner's Mills" to the Haskins place, where Deacon Hayes
lives ; they were all Revolutionary soldiers. Roswell Buel, an attorney and
member of the Rutland bar, is a grandson of Gideon Buel. (See Chapter
XVH). Jonathan Griswold moved from his first settlement to the farm next
on the north, now known as the Griswold farm. He had a son named Jona-
than, who was killed by the discharge of a musket, heavily loaded with a blank
cartridge, near his head on a "training day" in June, 1816. Jonathan, sr.,
died earlier than his brother David. The latter lived to December 10, 1842,
being ninety-three years old at his death. All of his children, except his son
David, reinoved from the town many years ago. The son married Emily
Paul, daughter of Stephen Paul and sister of Dr. Eliakim Paul ; they had one
son and four daughters.
Jonathan Frisbie, a brother of William Frisbie, settled near where Martin
H. Coy now lives. He had several children, most of whom died young.
Benjamin Coy went to Tinmouth before the Revolutionary War, and after
that struggle was over, settled in this town where his grandson, Martin H.
Coy, now lives. He was an industrious, honorable man ; had a large family.
Martin H. and Charles P. are sons of Reuben, son of Martin ; Charles P. has
moved to the West.
Francis Perkins was a faithful soldier of the Revolution ; he was from New
London, Conn., and located first where John Lewis lived and afterward, about
1786, removed to where Charles Gardner lived; he remained there until his
death. His first summer there in his log house, with his wife and his little
child, before he had a clearing made on which to raise anything, was one of
much privation ; they lived much of the time on greens and leeks. Once or
twice he carried a little potash to Manchester, with which he purchased what
he could bring home on his back ; and on one occasion he worked for Azor
Perry a day, for which he was given half a bushel of grain ; this he carried to
Miner's grist-mill, had it ground and carried it home, making about nine miles
travel, besides his day's work, during the day. Such were some of the priva-
652 History of Rutland County.
tions of the fathers of the town. He was an honorable and upriglit man, and
died December 26, 1844, ^^ tl^e age of eighty- six years.
Jonathan Haynes was probably the last man who settled here prior to the
making of the roll given a few pages back; he came early in March, 1785,
and his name appears on the roll of Captain Samuel Robinson's company,
which was in the battle of Bennington. Mr. Haynes was severely wounded
in that engagement, and at first given up as beyond recovery; but he survived,
settled here and built a log house a few rods southeast of where the school-
house in the south district now stands, and on the opposite side of the road.
Soon afterwards he removed about half a mile to what is known as the Haynes
farm, where his grandson now lives. He died in Middletown May 13, 18 13, at
the age of fifty-nine years. Of his large family all removed from this town
except Hezekiah. The latter also had a large family, two of the sons being
physicians; these were Bacchus, now in Rutland, and Sylvanus H., deceased.
The foregoing list includes the families who settled here before the spring of
1785, with a little of their locations and what they accomplished. They were
people who came here fully imbued with energy, perseverance and a determin-
ation to create homes in the wilderness ; how well they succeeded is known to
all. Leaving for a time this record of settlements, let us see what the town
authorities, as well as the men we have named, turned their attention to in
early years.
The town took early steps to provide a burial-ground, the first one being
on land now owned by Mrs. Green, opposite the present foundry and saw-mill
of E. W. Gray ; the land was then owned by Increase Rudd, but the purchase,
made on the 30th of July, 1787, was from Luther Filmore. Following is the
language of the deed, in which we find the location of the first school-house :
" Beginning at the corner of the road, four rods west of the school-house
in the center of the town at a stake and stones, thence running west sixteen
rods, thence south ten rods to a stake and stones, thence sixteen rods to a stake
and stones, thence ten rods to first mentioned bounds."
This ground was almost entirely occupied with graves in less than seventy
years. General Jonas Clark saw the necessity of enlarging the grounds, and
in October, 1853, conveyed to the town about an acre of land adjoining the
old ground on the west; this was a gift to the town, the only condition being
that it be kept fenced.
In 1 791 the first census was taken and showed the population of Middle-
town to be six hundred and ninety-nine — only a little more than one hundred
less than at the present time. Rapid progress had been made, not only in
clearing up lands and putting up buildings, but two churches had become
firmly established and prosperous ; schools had been organized in about
every district ; roads had been made and by the united effort of a hard)', in-
telligent and industrious population, they were moving along harmoniously.
Town of Middletown. 653
Another grist and saw-mill had been erected by Nathan Record, near
where the road which runs to the " Barber place " crosses the race-way that
now carries the water to Gray's mills, on land now owned by Mrs. Anna Clark.
A blacksmith's shop, and one or two other shops had been built in the village.
Mr. Filmore had begun to keep tavern, and John Burnam, who moved into this
town some time duringthe season of 1785, at about this time (1791) com-
menced building mills and dwelling-houses at the place since known as " Bur-
nam Hollow." Mr Burnam removed from Shaftsbury to Middletown, and
first purchased largely of real estate in the south part of the town. His pur-
chases included what has been known as the " Burnam farm," now owned and
occupied by Mr. S. W. Southworth ; also the Whiting Merrill farm, lying west
of Mr. Southworth's, and also a large tract of land lying south of the Merrill
farm. He first put up a log house in what is now called the " upper orchard "
on Mr. Southworth's farm ; the road then ran in that vicinity. The next year
{1786) he built a frame house, and in the year 1791 he again made large pur-
chases of real estate in the west part of the town ; he began at once the erec-
tion of a dwelling house, afterwards known as the " Sam Willard house,"
which is still standing and said to be the oldest house in the town. His son,
Jacob, occupied these premises, while the father continued his extensive oper-
ations, building mills, a forge, foundry, an oil- mill, carding- machine, a distill-
ery and dwellings. All these manufactures were successfull}- inaugurated and
carried on until the great freshet of 181 1, which swept them all away. He
rebuilt the forge and saw-mill, but did not enter largely into business again.
Mr. Burnam was a lawyer and a man of uncommon ability; was born in Old
Ipswich, Mass., in 1742 and came to Bennington in 1761, being one of the first
settlers in this State ; he represented the town in the Legislature six years,
and died in Middletown August I, 1829, leaving four sons and two daughters,
none of whom are now living ; indeed, none of his many descendants now live
in this vicinity.
The census of the town in 1800 shows the population to have been one
thousand and sixty-six — a gain of three hundred and sixty-seven in nine years.
This indicates very rapid settlement. The village had sprung into existence
with about as many inhabitants as it now has, and probably more business.
Every part of the town was settled and the farms were cleared or partly cleared
and under successful cultivation.
The " Woods Scrape." — This affair (it having been generally termed "the
Woods scrape"), occurred in Middletown about the year 1800, and deserves
brief mention here ; our account being drawn from the very careful investiga-
tions made by Judge Barnes Frisbie. The Wood families were early settlers
of the town and came from Bennington ; some of them were in this town as
early as 1782 and were originally from Norwich, Conn. In 1800 they were
more numerous here than the people of any other name in the town ; there
654 History ok Rutland County.
being at that time Nathaniel, Nathaniel, jr., Ephraim, Jacob, Ebenezer, Eben-
ezer, jr., John and John, jr., Philemon, Lewis, David and Moseley Wood. The
Elder Nathaniel was the father of Nathaniel, jr., and of Jacob and Ephraim.
Nathaniel was a preacher and after the organization of the Congregational
Church, offered his services in their pulpit ; but Deacon Jonathan Brewster,
having known him in Connecticut as a man who delighted in controversy and
neighborhood difficulty, opposed Wood's proposition. He was, however, a
member of the church until 1789, when that body passed the following: —
" That Joseph Spaulding, Lewis Wood and Increase Rudd be a committee
to confer with Mr. Nathaniel Wood, and tell him his fault, viz.: of saying one
thing and doing contrary, and persisting in contention, and saying in conven-
tion that he wished for a council ; and when the church, by their committee,
proposed to have a council to settle the whole matter, he utterly refused."
In October of that year the church excommunicated him. It appears that
this trouble arose mainly from Wood's charges against other members and the
church, in which he claimed that injustice had been done him. He was a very
ambitious man, had a strong will, good mental power and could not endure
defeat.
Being thus excluded from the church he began holding meetings of his
own, chiefly in the dwellings of his sons. At this time, however it might have
been previously, his doctrines included a belief in supernatural agencies and
special judgments of God upon the people. By the year 1800, such was his
tenacity of purpose and his influence upon others that he had drawn into his
circle nearly as many as constituted either of the other congregations. These
he assumed to regard as modern Israelites, or Jews, who were under the special
guardianship of the Almighty, while the " Gentiles " (that is, all who were
opposed to him) would suffer for their action. Such was the situation of Wood
and his followers, when the new phase of the affair was developed through the
use of a witch hazel rod for the discovery of buried treasure and money- dig-
ging. The Woods did not begin this feature of the business, but they were in
condition to readily assume it.
A man calling himself Winchell when he first arrived in the place began
using the hazel rod. He was undoubtedly a great and an expert rascal, and
probably came some time in the year 1799. It developed that he was a fugi-
tive from justice from Orange county, Vt., where he had been engaged in
counterfeiting. He went to the house of Mr. Cowdry, near the line between
Wells and Middletown, and staid there for some time, becoming intimate with
that family. Mr. Cowdry was the father of Oliver Cowdry, who later became
a noted Mormon and claimed to have written the book of Mormon. It is
probable that while Winchell was at Cowdry 's he began his impositions in the
way of money-digging. Later in the year 1799 he repaired to Ezekiel Perry's,
in the extreme south part of the town, and remained there all winter, keeping
Town of Middletown. 655
secreted from public gaze and practicing his deceptions whenever possible with-
out attracting too much attention to himself. In the spring of 1800 he became
a little bolder and gathered quite a number in that immediate neighborhood,
whom he confidently assured there was money buried in that region and that
he could find it with the rod. He told them if they would keep the secret and
aid in digging for it, they should share in the results. When everything was
ready, Winchell, followed by his dupes, took his rod, went to the hill east of
Perry's house and there, just on the Tinmouth side of the line, pretended that
the rod had located the treasure. His followers immediately began digging,
which was continued two or three days, when the party began to show signs
of giving out. Winchell made other investigations with his rod, and informed
them that the money was in an iron chest under a great stone, and that they would
soon come to it. Again they went to work and soon struck a stone. Again Win-
chell had recourse to his rod, and as a result told the men the\' must wait till
sundown before raising the stone ; that not a word must be uttered nor their
faith waver in the least, or he could not answer for the consequences. After
much prying and lifting at a stone so heavy as to defy their efforts, one of the
men stepped on another's foot, and the latter cried out, " Get off my toes!"
Winchell then exclaimed, " The money is gone ! Flee for your lives! " Every
man dropped his tools and ran in terror from the spot. Winchell had got
what little money the dupes had, while the digging was going on, which was,
doubtless, his prime object.
Soon after this aftair Winchell made the acquaintance of the Woods, whom
he found ready and anxious to join in his ignoble work. They began the use
of the rod, the elder Wood using it mostly as a means of revelation, from which
he deduced and delivered numerous prophecies; while Jacob, one of his sons,
became the " expert" in the use of the rod for treasure-finding. The Woods
did not do much of the actual labor of digging, leaving the hard work for their
followers, while Winchell still remained concealed. The greatest part of the
digging was done on the Barber farm and on the Zenas Frisbie farm, then
owned by Ephraim Wood ; but they dug a good deal in many other places,
and many ludicrous incidents are related in connection with this pastime, for
which we have not the space. The rods-men, as they were called, became
absolutely infatuated and gave up most of their time to the foll_\% and several
families outside of this town indulged in money-digging.
Among the numerous instances of imposition practiced and credulit)' de-
veloped, which we cannot stop to relate, was a pretended re\-elation to the
Woods that they must build a temple. The timber was prepared and the frame
raised as far as the rafters, when another revelation put an end to the project.
Towards the end of the year 1 800 it began to be apparent that a crisis was
approaching. " Priest Wood," as the old man was called, was becoming more
vehement and frenzied on his favorite theme of God's judgments on the misguided
656 History of Rutland County.
people who did not adopt his creed, and it was not difficult to perceive that
some sort of a collapse or crisis was near. Finally, as anticipated, a revelation
came that there was to be an earthquake, just prior to which " the destroyer"
would pass through the land and slay a portion of the unbelievers and the
earthquake would complete the destruction of the remainder, witli their pos-
sessions. The day predicted for this great event was January 14, 1 80 1. Con-
cerning this climax of the whole miserable business we now quote from Judge
Frisbie's history of the town as follows : —
When the day arrived for the earthquake, the Woods and their friends all
collected at the house of Nathaniel Wood, jr., who lived on what has been
known as the Micah Vail farm, which is now owned and occupied by Crockee
Clift, and as they left their own houses, prepared them for the earthquake by
putting the crockery on the floors, and wrote on each of their door-posts:
" Jesus our passover was sacrificed for us." The rods-men, or those who
handled the rods, among whom Captain Wood was chief, were at Nathaniel
jr.'s, house early in the day. One of their duties on this occasion was to de-
termine who were and who were not to be saved from the approaching destruc-
tion or " plague," as they called it, and to admit such into the house, and those
only who were to be spared. The occasion was with them the Passover, and
how they kept it will pretty fully appear from the letter given hereafter.
Up to the evening of this day the people of the town had looked uncon-
cerned upon this folly of the Woods, but now they became suddenly aroused,
and many were very much alarmed. They feared some evil might befall some
of the inhabitants during the night. They (the Gentiles) had no belief in the
Woods' predictions, but feared that they or some of their followers would them-
selves turn " destroying angels" and kill some of the inhabitants, or get up an
artificial earthquake by the use of powder, which would result in injury toper-
sons or property. Captain Joel Miner was commander-in-chief of the militia
in town, and hastily collected his company. Captain Miner was a very ener-
getic, as well as a very earnest man. General Jonas Clark was at the time one
of his subordinate officers, and was teaching a singing school which had assem-
bled at the house of Mr. Filmore. Captain Miner came in much excited, rep-
rimanded him for his indifference in the matter, and ordered him to duty. He
left his singing school at once, and took his place in the militia. The general
was not in the habit of neglecting his duty, but he was a philosopher, and it is
probable that he " didn't think there would be much of a shower." Captain
Miner stationed his company as sentinels and patrols in different parts of the
town, with directions to allow no person to pass them unless a satisfactory ac-
count of themselves could be given, and especially to have an eye out for the
" destroying angels." The town had a quantity of powder, balls and flints, as
the law then required ; these were kept in the Congregational meeting-house
in a sort of cupboard under the pulpit. From this the militia were supplied
Town of Middletown. 657
with the requisite ammunition, and Jonathan Morgan was left here to guard the
military stores. There was no sleep that night among the inhabitants ; fear,
consternation, great excitement and martial law prevailed throughout the night
— but the morning came without any earthquake, or any injury done to any
of the inhabitants or their property, except Jacob Wood's crockery was broken
up in his house, where he left it on the floor. A journeyman hatter in the em-
ploy of Dyer Leffingwell said he thought " the earthquake hadn't ought to go
for nothing," and went into the house (it was where Lucius Copeland, esq., now
lives) in Captain Wood's absence to attend the Passover, and broke up and
destroyed his crockery. That was the extent of the mischief so far as the
destruction of property was concerned, and no individual received any bodily
harm. The militia were dismissed in the morning and went to their homes.
We now introduce the letter to which reference has been made. It is from
Rev. Laban Clark, D. D., a man who was over ninety years old when he wrote.
Mr. Clark was with the Woods on the eventful night.
" In the year 1801 I traveled in the north part of Vermont, and in Lower
Canada. I met at that time a man who told wonderful stories of finding St.
John's rod, and the strange things it accomplished. November i, 1801, I went
to Brandon circuit, which then included all of Rutland county. I heard, on
arriving there, much talk of the rod-men. People were saying that certain per-
sons were directed by rods to certain plants and roots that they used to cure
diseases, in many cases which they thought almost miraculous. In December I
went to Poultney for my first appointment there ; and was informed that two
young women had been following the rods in a severe cold and dark ni^ht
over places where men could scarcely go by daylight. I went thence to Mid-
dletown, where I preached in the house of a Mr. Done, the onl)' Methodist
family in the place. After the close of the services the people began to inquire
of Mr. Done about the " girls' tramp ; " and I learned that his daughter was
one of the young women above mentioned. When I could see Mr. Done alone
I conversed with him upon the subject. He told me that many people in
America were, unknown to themselves, Jews, and these divining rods would
designate who they were. I asked him to let me see one of the rods. After
some hesitation he did so. I asked him to learn by it whether I were a Jew.
The rod immediately pointed towards me. I said then, ' If that is true, please
tell me to what tribe I belong ? ' He tried several different tribes, but there was
no motion of the rod. I then said, ' I think I belong to the tribe of Joseph.'
At once the rod pointed towards me; thus proving to my satisfaction that it
was moved by the imagination of the person who held it. I felt anxious for
the result of all this, but said little.
" At my next appointment in Poultney Brother Done met me there. He
looked so very dejected I feared he had come for me to attend some funeral
service for a friend. I asked for his family, and for the cause of his sorrow.
658 History of Rutland County.
' O,' said he, ' the judgments of God are abroad.' He then said they had de-
termined to spend the next day as a day of fasting and prayer, and he desired
me to go and be with them. Accordingly, accompanied by Mr. Yates and
Esquire Wells, I went. When we arrived old Priest Wood was lecturing on
the words, " Thy judgments are made manifest," Rev. xv, 4. When he closed
I announced my appointment to preach at Mr. Done's that evening. I was
asked to change the place to tile one we were now in, as seats were there all
ready. I consented. I went to Mr. D.'s to tea and found a great deal of
secret manceuvering going on. To give them all freedom I went to the barn
for a time. On my return, I found posted on the door, ' Christ our Passover
was sacrificed for us.' I said nothing but went to my meeting. After preach-
ing, several persons commenced holding up rods, and running from one end
of the room to the other. I prepared to leave, when Bro. D. came to me much
agitated, and expressed sorrow that I could not stay at his house that night.
' Where will I go ? ' I said. He replied, ' O, you will fare as well as the rest
of us.' So I sat down. We were soon ordered to go to the house fixed up
for the occasion — a school room where they had made a large fire. They
all came in much agitated, many weeping. I found they were expecting there
was to be an earthquake. I conversed with several respecting those that had
the rods. They professed to have been converted, but all the evidence I could
gain of the fact was that the rods would work in their hands. We sat there till
morning light. As morning dawned they went out and looking upward, kept
working the rods. At last the old minister said : ' O, I told them I thought it
would not be until to-morrow night.' Soon after light I went to Brother Done's
and asked to take a nap. On passing through the parlor I found all the crock-
ery setting in the middle of the floor. After sleeping, I was taking my break-
fast, when two men came in and said they had found out the whole mistake.
They had thought because the rods had directed them to have all their goods
packed up, that there was to be an earthquake. But this was the 14th day of
the first month, (it was the 14th of Jan.), and on the 14th day of the first month
the children of Israel were directed to keep the Passover with shoes and hats
on. So they were directed now to keep that day until they were prepared to
go into the New Jerusalem. I made no remark, but concluded they had now
something to work on to deceive the people.
" After eight weeks I had another appointment to preach in the same place.
When I inquired of Brother Done respecting the rods, he seemed perfectly
honest and sincere, but all in earnest and perfectly duped. He told me the
rods were able invisibly to remove gold and silver. He said they had found
that there was a vast quanity of it in the earth, and the rods could collect it to
one place. They were now doing the work and expected to get enough to
pave the streets of the New Jerusalem. I asked him if the gold came in its
native state or in currency. He said in both. I then asked him if the\- had
Town of Middletown. 659
any person wlio understood refining gold. He said they had one who under-
stood it perfectly well. 'Where is he,' I said. ' He keeps himself secreted in
the woods,' he replied. I asked his name, and he told mc it was Wingate. I
remembered at once; it was the name of a man who was detected about two
years before in Bradford, Vt., in milling counterfeit dollars. My father having
been selectman of the town at the time, I had known the case well. After
some reflection, I said to Brother Done, ' I fear there is counterfeiting going on,
and if you are not careful I fear you will be drawn into it and your reputation
and your famil)- ruined.' He was alarmed. I said, ' I think I can tell you how
to escape. If my fears are correct, they will call on you for sums of money,
and will want it in specie.' He replied they had already done so. I advised
liim then to put away his rod and quit them, or he was a ruined man. Four
weeks after that, when I returned, he told me he had not seen his rod since I
left. I asked him to burn it. He replied his wife knew where it was, and left
the room. She brought it and I burned it.
" I ascertained afterwards that the eldest son of Priest Wood, called Captain
Wood, was the principal religious mover in sight while Wingate kept concealed.
Wood was Wingate's outside agent, and got up the religious excitement to aid
the scheme."
The foregoing was penned by a friend for Mr. Clark, as will appear from
the following, which accompanied the same in Mr. Clark's own hand.
The conclusion of this whole affair is that Wingate, mentioned by Mr. Clark,
and Winchell, as he called himself, were one and the same; and that he was a
counterfeiter hiding from justice, and that this affair was inaugurated for the
purpose of covering some further scheme of counterfeiting. Whether the Woods
were privy to this feature of the business, if it existed, seems to be in uncer-
tainty. It is more probable, perhaps, that their part in the affair was more in-
timately associated with the religious fanaticism and projects of the elder Wood^
and that when Winchell came on the scene with his " rod," they seized upon it
for their own purposes. Previous to the beginning of this imposition with the
rod, the testimony is to the effect that the Woods were respectable members
of the community, and some of them were very able men ; Jacob Wood was
elected one of the selectmen at the first meeting after the town was organized ;
Ephraim was elected constable at the first annual meeting and several times
afterward ; Nathaniel, jr., was probably the superior of all the Woods in ability
and culture ; he represented the town in the Legislature several successive
years ; was for a long period the active justice of the peace here ; was town
clerk several years and held other offices. He was father of Reuben Wood,
who studied law with Jonas Clark, went to Cleveland, Ohio, about 1817, ob-
tained a large practice and was made a judge of the Supreme Court of that
State, and later governor. After the collapse of the " earthquake " the Wood
families soon removed from Middletown to Ellisburg, N. Y., and it is said be-
came excellent citizens.
66o History of Rutland County.
As to Mr. Clark's opinion that this Wood movement gave rise to the Mor-
mon doctrines of Joe Smith, there seenrs to be a good foundation for it. The
two " rehgions " were much the same at the start ; the father of Joe Smith
lived in Poultney at the time of the Wood affair and had a hand in it ; Winch-
ell went from here to Palmyra, N. Y., where Joe Smith's Mormon religion ob-
tained its first substantial footing ; it has been said that Oliver Cowdry's father
was in the "Wood scrape," and he afterwards went to Palmyra and there
Winchell and himself and later their sons, engaged in searching for money with
the hazel rod. We cannot devote more space to detailing the evidences that
the seeds of Mormonism, at least, were planted in Middletown ; but the fore-
going are the stronger points of the proof and are thought to be quite convinc-
ing. We have not sufficient ill-will towards Middletown to care to make the
proof any stronger.
In the year iSoi there was again placed on the records a " roll of the free-
men of Middletown." As a list for reference it is valuable: Ephraim Wood,
John Sunderlin, Daniel Haskins, Samuel Sunderlin, Jacob Wood, Jonathan
Brewster, Benjamin Haskins, Jonathan Haynes, Increase Rudd, Edmund Big-
elow, esq., Thomas Morgan, Jonathan Frisbie, Benjamin Coy, Timothy Smith,
Francis Perkins, Samuel Stoddard, Benjamin Butler, Nathan Record, Jonathan
Mehurin, Richard Haskins, Joseph Rockwell, Jesse Hubbard, Gideon Miner,
William Frisbie, Azor Perry, Thomas French, Gideon Buel, Jonathan Griswold,
Levi Skinner, Wait Rathbon, Gamaliel Waldo, James McClure, Phineas Clough,
Nathan Walton, Silas Mallary, Nathan Colegrove, James Smith, Ashur Blunt,
Luther Filmore, Nathan Ford, Ephraim Carr, Rufus Clark, Baruk Rudd, Na-
thaniel Wood, Nathaniel Wood, jr., Nehemiah Hazen, Enos Clark, Theophilus
Clark, Solomon Rockwell, Orson Brewster, Lewis Miner, Edward Corbin,
Thomas Davison, Bela Caswell, Stephen Richardson, Joel Frisbie, Joel Miner,
Jacob Burnam, Roswell Clark, David Tracy, Ansel Shepardson, Reuben
Loomis, Joseph Chub, Joseph Bateman, John Burnam, esq., William Downey,
Jonathan Davison, Samuel Tracy, Jonas Clark, Nathan Colgrove, jr., Moses
Leach, Dyar Matson, Gideon Miner, jr., Joseph Spaulding, jr., Caleb White,
Russel Barber, Amasa Mehurin, Abel Hubbard, Ezra Clark, Augustus F"ris-
bie, Johnson Rudd, Ebenezer Wood, Ebenezer Bateman, Fitch Loomis, John
Burnam, 3d, Mosley Wood, Alexander Murray, Jacob Harrington, Calvin Col-
grove, Ambrose Record, Samuel Northrop, Obadiah Williams, David Griswold.
The foregoing list does not contain the names of all the males over twenty-
one years of age in the town in 1801. Jospeh Spaulding, Asa Gardner, Jonas
Clark, jr., Zenas Frisbie, Philemon Frisbie, Elisha Clark, George and Eli Oat-
man, and a few others were then inhabitants of the town, and over twenty-one
years of age. There may have been other names omitted.
Some of the persons named on this roll were children of the first settlers
and came in with their parents after the first roll was recorded. Among such
Town of Middletown. 66 i
was Joel Frisbie, brother of William and Jonathan, who came in 1786. He
bought out Francis Perkins on the Lewis place and died there about 181 1.
He was an estimable citizen and had a family of six children. Barker Frisbie,
youngest son of Joel, studied law with General Jonas Clark; was admitted to
practice in 1 8 14, and continued his profession here until he died, February,
1S21 ; he left no family.
Rufus Butts was a useful member of the community. He was born in
Wells and came to Middletown before he reached his majority. He possessed
great natural mechanical genius, and made many early farm implements. He
removed to Cambridge, Vt., and died there.
Bela Caswell came to Middletown from Mansfield, Mass., in 1786, when he
was nearly fifty years old. He then had four sons and six daughters, three of
whom had preceded him to this town. He settled where Deacon Sears now
lives and there died November 22, 1826, at the age of eighty-nine. His fam-
ily were remarkable for their longevity. Of the numerous descendants of the
family, Mrs. Calvin Leonard is the only one living in this town.
Jesse Caswell was a prominent citizen and exerted a marked influence in
the Congregational Church for many years. He had three sons and two daugh-
ters. Menira, the oldest son, died in Castleton ; Jesse, the second, became a
minister, entered into missionary labor and died in Siam in 1848. Enoch, the
youngest son, was also a minister and died at Bennington in 1863. One of
the daughters married Russel Barber, who came here soon after the town was
organized, and was one of the useful men of the community. He died in 1830,
at the age of sixty-two, leaving a large family.
Moses Leach, whose name appears on the last quoted roll, was one of the
pioneers, and settled on the farm now occupied by Edwin R. Buxton. He died
many years ago.
Reuben Loomis came in early and settled on the first farm north of the vil-
lage, now occupied by Mr. Cairnes. He died September 24, 1 808. His son,
Fitch Loomis, lived on the homestead until his death in Januarv', 1847, '^t the
age of sevent\--four. The latter left five children, most or all of whom are
dead.
Ezekiel Perry, a brother of Azor Perry, before alluded to, came here before
1790, from Bennington county, having taken part in the battle of Bennington.
His family comprised eleven children, none of whom are now living here.
George Oatman's name does not appear on the roll of 1785, but he was an
earl}' settler here, having come from Arlington in 1785, doubtless soon after
the roll was made. He located on what has been known as the " Oatman
farm," now owned and occupied by Amos Buxton. He was a strong man and
had fought in the Revolutionary War. His three sons were Eli, Eliakim and
Lyman, all of whom are dead. He died about 1836. Two of the children of
Eli live in Poultney and one in Milwaukee; the two in Poultney being Mrs.
662 History of Rutland County.
Deane and Mrs. Bannister. Eli Oatman was a prominent and useful citizen ;
held the office of selectman many successive years, and other town offices ; was
one of the founders of the Methodist Church. He died May 30, 185 i, at the
age of seventy-four. His children were Ira, Orlin, Joel, Calista, Emily, Lu-
cien, Cyril, Ellen, Mary, Jane and Demis. Of these we need only note Joel,
who studied medicine with Dr. Eliakim Paul, graduated at Castleton in 1832
and became a prominent physician of New York city. The other children are
either all deceased or removed to other parts of the country.
Dyer Leffingwell was the first hatter in the town, his shop standing on the
site of the dwelling next east of that now occupied by Edway Mehurin. He
died after a useful life in 1 82 I. His large family moved away from the town,
except Harvey, who is still living here and is, perhaps, the oldest man in the
town.
The Clark families have, perhaps, had more to do with making the history
of this town than those of any other name. Briefly it may be stated that the
Middletown Clarks are descended from Theopholus, one of the two sons of
Thomas, who came to Massachusetts colony some time previous to the year
1700. Theopholus had six sons — Nathaniel, Benjamin, Adam, Theopholus,
Jonas and Stephen. Nathaniel had seven sons and three daughters ; five of
the .sons removed to Middletown from Canterbury, Vt., soon after this town
was organized. They were Asa, Elisha, Rufus, Roswell and Ezra Clark. Eli-
sha and Rufus came as early as 1785 or 1786; the others later. They all re-
mained for many years among the substantial business men of the town and
aided in laying the foundation of society here upon correct, moral and religious
principles. They were all members of the Congregational Church. Ezra was
a physician and practiced here until 18 19, when he removed to Ohio. Elisha
was deacon of the church some twenty years and was one of the first victims
of the epidemic which prevailed here in 1813, dying at the age of fifty-seven.
Asa died in Tinmouth about 1823. Roswell removed to Castleton about 1818
and died there in 1825, aged sixty-three. Rufus died in East Poultney about
1837 and Dr. Ezra Clark died in Ohio about 1828. There are no representa-
tives of this branch of the family in this State at the present time, as far as
known to us.
Jonas Clark, one of the six sons of Theopholus Clark, came to Middletown
in 1790; his sons Enos and Theopholus (twins) had preceded him about two
years. Jonas had three sons — the two above named and Jonas Clark, jr., long
known as " General " Clark. The senior Jonas was a peaceful, quiet citizen, a
member of the Baptist Church, and died September 23, 1813, aged seventy
years. The three sons were all men of unusually marked character. Theoph-
olus died comparatively young, leaving seven children, among whom were Si-
mon and Milton Clark, who removed many years ago to other localities. Enos
was a man of vigorous intellect and followed his trade of a mason ; he died in
Town of Middletown. 663
Middletown at the age of fifty-one, leaving a family of four sons, Barton, Cul-
ver, Ashley and Orson, and two daughters. Of the sons Orson became the
most conspicuous in public life. He studied law with his uncle, Jonas Clark,
and was admitted to the Rutland bar in 1828. He practiced in Middletown
until his death, September 20, 1848. He represented his town in 1836-37,
and was town clerk from 1836 to 1842 inclusive ; was one of the senators from
the county in 1840-41. His sons are Albert, now in Cincinnati, and Warren,
living in Whitehall. N. Y.
General Jonas Clark, the third son of Jonas, sr., furnished a striking exam-
ple of untiring industry and indomitable perseverance. His school education
consisted in merely learning to read ; his father was poor and his son learned
the mason's trade, but occupied his evenings and leisure in persistent study,
until he had mastered the law and was admitted to the bar soon after he was
thirty years old. He soon acquired a large practice ; held the office of State's
attorney for Rutland county fol- sixteen years ; was assessor and collector of
government taxes in 1819; a justice of the peace forty years and represented
his town eighteen years ; was Democratic candidate for governor in 1849, and
several times the candidate of his party for Congress in this district ; was a
member of three constitutional conventions, and held high rank as a lawyer.
General Clark died in Middletown February 21, 1854, aged seventy-nine j'ears.
He had three sons, Merritt, Horace and Charles; the latter died when but a
few years old. Hon. Merritt Clark graduated at Middlebury College in 1823
and studied law with his father two years ; his health failing, he engaged in mer-
cantile business with his brother Horace, opening a store in Middletown in
1S25 ; this he continued until 1841, when he was elected cashier of the bank
of Poultney, to which town he removed. They first began business in Middle-
town in the building now occupied as a store and forming part of the Valley
Hotel structure; in 1832 they built the brick store now occupied by Dyer
Leffingwell, Merritt Clark represented Middletown in the Legislature three
years; was a senator for Rutland county in 1863-64, and represented Poult-
ney in 1865-66. In 1850 he was Democratic candidate for Congress in this
district. He has now retired from active business. His two sons are Henry
and Edward, the former a well known citizen of Rutland and the latter of
Poultney.
Horace Clark spent his life in Middletown and died February 23, 1852,
aged forty-seven ; he was connected with the building of the Rutland and Wash-
ington Railroad from Eagle Bridge to Rutland, and on the organization of the
company was elected its superintendent. To this enterprise he gave an enor-
mous amount of mental and physical labor, and lived only to see it completed.
His son Charles is teller in the Baxter Bank, Rutland, and Jonas is connected
with the Rutland Marble Company.
Perhaps the most prosperous period in the existence of Middletown was
664 History of Rutland County.
between the years 1800 and 181 1. The population had increased from one
thousand sixty-six, the number at the census of 1800, to one thousand two
hundred and seven, tlie number when the census of 1810 was taken. This was
the largest population the town ever had, and unquestionably it had at that
time a larger population than any other town in the county in proportion to its
amount of territory, and it also at that time had the largest business interests
in proportion to its size of any other town in the county.
Poultney River rises in Tinmouth and runs a westerly course through the
center of the town from east to west, furnishing excellent mill privileges. The
Miners were located on this stream, in the cast part of the town, and John
Burnani on the west part; and in the village there were on this stream, and the
small stream running down from the hills at tiie north part of the town, and
running into the river at the village, two tanneries, clothiers' works and carding-
machine, distillery and other machinery, and all in active operation — and all
were conducted by enterprising and competent business men. Burnam, as we
have before seen, had a very extensive business for those times, and so had the
Miners. There were in the town at the time (i8lo)four grist-mills, three saw-
mills, two or three forges, two distilleries, two or three clothiers' establishments,
besides other mills before named, and all were apparently doing business to
their utmost capacit}'. In the village were several mechanics' shops, two tav-
erns, two stores, one kept by a Scotchman by the name of William Semple ;
the other by James Ives; all was alive with the hum of business. The town
had become a central place for this part of Rutland county. Many of the
people from the adjoining towns of Poultney, Ira, Tinmouth and Wells, came
here for their mechanical work, to the mills, and for other business purposes.
But this then active, thriving little place received a check by the freshet which
occurred in Jul)-, 18 11, from which it never fully recovered. Its numerous
mills, factories and machinery, with the exception of what have since been
known as Gray's mills, were all swept away. In that remarkable freshet the
streams rose so rapidly that little could be saved. Burnam's mills in the west
part of the town, as before mentioned, consisting of a grist and saw-mill (he had
at this time two grist-mills), an oil-mill, foundry, forge, clothier's works and
carding- machine, distillery, some mechanics' shops and other buildings attached
were all carried away, with several hundred bushels of grain, a quantity of lum-
ber, and much other property. The stream rose so suddenly that but little,
was saved. Miner's mills, in the east part of the town had just been under-
going thorough repairs under the superintendence of Henry Gray, who lost his
tools and clothing. Orson Brewster had a tannery, and his brother Jonathan
a clothier's establishment, located near where A. W. Gray & Sons' horse-power
manufactory now stands, which shared the same fate. A few rods above the
bridge, in the east part of the village, was a distillery owned by James Ives,
and above that a tannery. The hides in this tanner}' were in great part saved,
Town of Middletown. 665
and the distillery building was not carried away, but the hogs in the yard,
to the number of one hundred or more, went down the stream, and were
scattered along from Middletown to Poultney, wherever they happened to be
driven ashore; some came out alive, but most of them were drowned. Two
dwelling-houses — one called the Corbin house, the other the Eldridge house
— in the east part of the village, and on opposite sides of the stream running
down from the north part of the town, were also carried awaj' ; and besides this
destruction of mills, machinery, dwelling-houses and other property, great in-
jury was done to the lands on those streams.
The great event of the day was the rescue of fourteen persons from the
" Corbin house" just before it was swept away; this house stood within a few
rods of the road leading east from the village, on the site of the new house on
the east side of the stream at that point. In it were the family of Mr, Corbin,
including his mother, seventy years old, and Israel, son of Russel Barber, and
several children who had gone there to escape from the rain. The Eldridge
house, standing on the east side of the stream on the opposite side of the road
from where the school-house stands, was swept away first, when Mr. Corbin
called the attention of the people in the village to the danger his house was in.
When they arrived at the scene the dwelling was surrounded by water and the
current on the west side, between the house and the village was seventy feet
wide and so rapid that it was impossible to ford it. The inmates of the house,
who might at any moment have been swept to their death, were finally saved
and chiefly through the activity and heroism of Joseph Fox. The liberty pole
was brought with the bell-rope from the Baptist Church ; the pole was thrown
across the torrent, the end of it lying on some stones that had been washed
against the house, considerable of its length being submerged ; the rope was
tied around Mr. Fox's body and he made the perilous crossing on the pole.
The end of it was then raised higher and placed against the house ; the rope
also fastened to the house at a proper height to serve as a hand-rail, the shore
end being lashed to a support at a corresponding height. Thus a bridge was
formed over which the fourteen persons crossed in safety. ^ Many other thrill-
ing incidents occurred on that day which we cannot detail further. A man
named Orrin Cleaveland was drowned. The disastrous effects of the flood were
greater in this town than in most others, on account of the number of its in-
dustries and the character of the beds of the streams ; and the town never fully
recovered from the losses. Many were thrown out of employment and forced
to seek it elsewhere. At the census of 1820 the population had fallen to one
thousand and thirty-nine, a loss of one hundred and sixty-eight. The place,
however, remained one of considerable business activity for many years after
this event.
1 It appears that some question afterward arose as to wlio was most entitled to the credit of saving
these persons, as related ; but after thorough investigation on the part of Judge Frisbie and others, it
is the conclusion that while many aided to the best of their ability in the work, to Mr. Fox belongs the
chief credit for crossing and arranging the pole and the rope.
666 History of Rutland County.
From 1820 to 1840 the population of the town remained about the same;
there was a httle falling off, but no essential difference. The active men then
here consisted of the descendants of the pioneers, and of men who had more re-
cently removed here. Among the then active men here were Jonas Clark, Hez-
ekiah Haynes, Jonathan Morgan, Eli Oatman, Roswell Buel, David and Levi
Mehurin, Stephen Keyes, Janz. and Stephen Barrett, Merritt and Horace Clark,
Allen and Micah Vail, Luther Buxton, Anson Rogers, Alonzo Hyde, James
Germond, Justus Barker, Thaddeus Terrill, Reuben Loomis, Smith Wait, John
P. Taylor, Menira Caswell and Henry Gray.
That class of men seemed to have been the connecting link between the
past and the present — that is, between the early settlement of the town and
the present time. They were in the main, as well those named as others then
living here and not named, a substantial class of men.
Janzaniah Barrett was for many years a merchant here. He owned and
lived in the house now owned by M. E. Vail, esq., in which he and his family
now reside. That house was built by Amasa Squires not long after 1800, and
was for many years occupied as a hotel by Jeremiah Leffingwell and a Mr.
Monroe. The store occupied by Mr. Barrett was the one until recently occu-
pied by Mr. Vail, which has been taken down and removed. Mr. Barrett for
many years did a large business.
Allen and Micah Vail removed from Danby to this town about the year
1 8 10; raised up large families here, and during their residence here were
among the leading and successful farmers.
Henry Gray was perhaps as long an active business man as any other man
who has lived in the town since the daj's of John Burnam. Mr. Gray was an
unusually energetic and persevering man. He suffered many losses by fire and
other casualties, but was full of life, hope and animation — almost to the day
of his death — which occurred in June, 1865, at the age of seventy-eight years.
Two of his sons, William N. and Eugene W., and one daughter (wife of Henry
Hoadley), live in Middletown.
In the financial revulsion of 1837 many farmers and others in Middle-
towii suffered severely. Man)' were largely in debt, the " credit system,"
which was then a system for everybody, proved disastrous to many honest and
industrious men in Middletown. Soon after 1840 the business in the town
seemed to be on the decline. Merritt Clark had removed to Poultney ; Hor-
ace Clark, also Janzaniah Barrett, had gone out of the mercantile business ;
the building of railroads through the State had come to be agitated, and it was
becoming evident that no line of railroad would pass through Middletown ;
large farmers were enlarging their borders, and small farmers were selling out
and going West. The consequence was that from 1840 to 1850 the popula-
tion fell off about two hundred, and up to i860 there was no gain in popula-
tion.
Town of Middletown. 667
The town is essential!}' an agricultural town and must continue to be so.
There is no better soil for that purpose in Rutland country. Keeping a dairy
is now the main business of most of the farmers. The Middletown Cheese
Manufacturing Company was organized in the spring of 1864, and proceeded
at once to erect buildings for the purpose of manufiicturing cheese. The man-
ufacturing room is twenty-six feet square ; the curing house is a two-story
building, se\'enty-two feet long and thirty feet wide. The making of cheese
commenced in the summer of 1864, and has been in successful operation ever
since, and has much increased the farming interest and the value of real estate
in the town. There is probably more cheese made in this town than in any
other in the State of an equal number of acres. Most of the farmers in the
county are in comfortable circumstances and general prosperity exists.
The following figures show the condition of the town as to its population in
the years given : 1701,699; 1800, 1,066; i8ro, 1,207; 1820, 1,039; 1830,
919; 1840,1,057; 1850,875; 1860,712; 1870,777; 1880,824.
/;/ tlic Rebellio7i. — In the great struggle for the perpetuity of our national
life this town gained a noble record ; it paid in bounties more than legally
bound to, and when the war closed there was no war debt on the town. The
amount paid was $6,609, and the number of enlistments, in proportion to the
number subject to military duty, was large. Most of the volunteers were from
the best families and nobly did their duty in the field. William SchoUar was the
first man enlisted in the town. He served in different organizations to the end
of the war. But we must leave the enticing and deserving field of individual
record and deeds of heroism, to state in brief the names of all those who en-
listed in the town, and the organizations in which they served, as compiled by
the adjutant-general of the State: —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — Alonzo Atwater, Henry Barce, Edwin R. Buxton,
CO. C, loth regt.; Samuel F. Buxton, co. I, 7th regt.; Royal L. Coleman, co.
B, 9th regt.; Charles H. Dayton, co. C, lOth regt.; James Granger, co. M, iith
regt.; Adin H. Green, co. C, loth regt.; Stephen A. Griswold, co. D, 7th regt.;
Erwin Raskins, Francis H. Hoadley, William H. Hoadley, Edward Holton,
Curtis Howard, co. C, lOth regt.; David E. Higgins, co. I, 7th regt.; George
Kilbourne, co. C, nth regt; James Kilburn, co. M, nth regt.; Henry J.
Langsyne, Aranah Leffingwell, Harmon P. Leffingwell, John H. Lewis, War-
ren McClure, co. C, loth regt.; Merritt Perham, co. C, 2d regt.; William
Schollar, co. C, loth regt.; William H. H. Thompson, co. C, loth regt.; John
Thornton, co. I, 5th regt.; Philander C. Wetmore, Robert Woodward, co. C,
loth regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers, and subse-
quent calls. — Voltintecrs for three }-ears ; James N. Buell. co. C, lOth regt;
Dexter Grossman, co. D, 2d regt.; Lorenzo Ford, co. C, lOth regt.; Samuel J.
668 History of Rutland County.
Hawley, co. B. 5th regt.; Alvah Hubbard, jr., co. C, loth regt; Daniel Hub-
bard, 1st bat.; Orrin Huggins, Charles W. McClure, co. C, loth regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Harvey Guilder, co. I, 7th regt.; Merritt Perham,
CO. C, 2d regt.
Volunteers for nine months. — William Carnes, Eliphalet Eddy, co. B, 14th
regt; Charles H. Granger. Delett B. Haynes, co. K, 1 2th regt.; Erwin W.
Hyde, John B. Louis, Homer H. Southwick, George Spaulding, Reuben R.
Spaulding, co. B, 14th regt.
Furnished under draft. Paid commutation. — C. J. Clift, Barrett J. Gard-
ner, Gamaliel Gardner, Amos Gates, jr., Abel Haskins, Irwin Haskins, Horace
Hastings, Dyer Leffingwell, James S. Marshall, Henry M. McClure, Horace
Rand, William B. Spaulding, Fayette Spaulding, Henry Streeter, Charles B.
Vial, Harry Wetmore. Procured substitute, Jonathan Atwater, jr.
The present officers of this town are as follows : W. H. Haynes, town
clerk ; C. J. Clift, A. Barker, J. Atwater, selectmen ; A. Y. Gray, treasurer ;
M. N. Paul, constable ; H. R. Clift, William N. Gray, J. F. Haynes, listers ;
A. A. Greene, D. C. Sears, G. Gardner, auditors ; D. Copeland, trustee of
public money ; Frank Gray, Charles Eaton, E. Woodward, fence viewers ; E.
P. Semmons, M. E. Vail, Alonzo Hyde, sr., town grand jurors; Sidney Adams,
inspector of leather ; Charles Schollar, pound-keeper ; A. A. Greene, agent ;
A. L. Porter, M. E. Vail, Amos Buxton, school board ; highway surveyors
(sixteen districts), A. W. Gilman, M. Atwater, J. Haynes, James Powers, H.
R. Clift, H. Cairnes, J. Strong, George Leonard, Amos Buxton, John Aldour,
Clark Moyer, D. A. Barker, H. Green, James Dudley, George Spaulding, C. J.
Clift ; grand jurors, William N. Gray, M. Coy, E. B. Cook, Alonzo Hyde, E.
Copeland, L. Copeland ; petit jurors, J. W. Fall, William Spaulding, G. Phillips,
Amos Buxton, R. Buel, Joel Mason, E. Leffingwell.
Ecclesiastical. — The first church organized in Middletown was the Congre-
gational, the first records bearing date of May, 1782 ; it is probable the church
was formed in that year. The first record is dated Wells, and the church was
known by the name of that town until Middletown was organized in 1784.
The following were among the first members : William Frisbie, Stephen Wood,
Joseph Spaulding, Gideon Miner, Timothy Hubbard, Jonathan Brewster, z'\bel
White, Increase Rudd, William Frisbie, jr., Elisha Gilbert, Jonathan Mehurin,
Richard Haskins, Nathan Record, Reuben Searl, Thomas French and Benja-
min Haskins. There were probably about the same number of females as
males, but it is more difficult to designate them than the males.
The first log meeting-house was built near the southeast corner of the burial
ground, some time before the fall of 1784, and the meeting for organizing the
town was held in that house on the 17th of November, 1784. Jonathan Brew-
ster was the leading man in the church, and a little later we find among its mem-
bers, Lewis, Lampson, Joel and Gideon Miner, jr., Orson Brewster, Fitch Loomis,
Town of Middletown. 669
Joseph Spaulding, jr., Joseph Brown. Jesse and Ziba Caswell; others soon
united. In 1796 a meeting-house was built on the " green," or common, per-
haps a hundred feet south of where the present Congregational Church stands ;
the society had been formed and purchased an acre of land for this purpose.
Up to this time the log house had sufficed. The new house was erected by
the united Baptists and Congregationalists. On the 26th of January, 1 804,
Orson Brewster and Gideon Miner, jr., were elected deacons of the church, and
at the same meeting the society voted " to choose a committee of three to
make proposals to Rev. Henry Bigelow for settlement." Mr. Bigelow was or-
dained September 5, 1805, and became the settled minister. He remained
with the church until his death, June 25, 1832, and the church prospered under
his labors. Soon after his death a Rev. Mr. Stone preached about six months,
and ne.xt. Rev. Guy C. Sampson, beginning some time in 1833, remained two
years. Rev. John A\'cry was settled over the church in the spring of 1836 and
was dismissed in the fall of 1841. The succeeding pastors have been : Rev.
B. Reynolds, from September, 1842, to May, 1844; Rev. Mr. Payne, from
December, 1846, about one _\'ear ; Rev. John H. Beckwith, from fall of 1848
to fall of 1855. Rev. Enoch Caswell, six months, in 1S56; Rev. M. Martin,
September, 1865, about one year; Rev. G. Myrick, the present pastor, came
in 1866. D. Leffingwell and D. C. Sears are deacons of the church, which has
a membership of about eighty-eight. The Sunday-school superintendent is
A. C. Leffingwell, and the school has an average attendance of about seventy.
Baptist Cluaxli.. — This is very near, if not quite, the oldest Baptist society
in the State; it was organized in 1784, and from 1 790 to 1802 was a large
church. In the latter )'ear about thirty-five members had leave to withdraw
and form a church in Poultney. Caleb Smith appears to have been the lead-
ing man in this church until his death in 1808. Among the first members
were : Caleb Smith, Thomas McClure, John Sunderlin, Gamaliel Waldo, Hez-
ekiah Mallary, Zacheus Mallary, Nathaniel Mallar)', Daniel Ford, Asher Blunt,
David Wood, Ephraim Foster, Josiah Johnson, Nathan Walton and Jonathan
Haynes. This church was without a minister until 1790, during which period
Rev. Hezekiah Eastman seems to have administered at communions and per-
formed baptishi. August 6, 1790, Rev. Sylvanus Haynes was called to the
church and accepted ; he remained over the church until 18 17, and his labors
were prospered. To Mr. Haynes belongs the honor of being the first settled
minister of the Baptist Church, and tlie first minister settled in Middletown.
He preached in the log meeting-house and at private houses until what has
since been known as the Congregational house was completed in 1796, when
he preached in that until the Baptist house was built in 1806. After Mr.
Haynes left Rev. Seth Ewens supplied the church about two years. Other
.ministers have been as follows: Rev. Isaac Bucklin, from 1821 to 1828 ; Revs.
Mr. Fuller, Linus J. Reynolds and G. B. Day, each preached between 1828
670 History of Rutland County.
and 1832; Rev. Mr. Soullard next for about three years, leaving in 1837;
Rev. Mr. Haskell, six months; Rev. E. B. BuUard, 1839 for about two years;
Rev. Robert Myers, from 1841 about four years; Rev. R. O. Dwyer from
about 1846 about three years; Rev. M. J. Smith in 1849-50; Rev. J. J. Peck
next for two or three years; Rev. Beriah N. Leach, from 1855 about five
years ; Rev. Mr. Fren\-ear for a short time, and Rev. Thomas Tobin who con-
tinued several years. The church has at present no settled pastor. A Sab-
bath schoool was organized about 1821, and H. R. Clift is the present superin-
tendent. A. Haynes is deacon.
Methodist. — Rev. Laban Clark, whose letter relating to the " Wood affair "
we have quoted, was the first Methodist preacher in this town, officiating about
here in 1801. As earl}' as 1815 there was a class formed in " Burnam Hollow"
in the west part of the town ; Cyril Leach was its leader. Preaching was oc-
casionally enjoyed in the school-houses in that vicinity. The present Metho-
dist society was originated in a class formed in the village by Anthony Rice,
James Germond and wife, and Samuel Hathaway and wife ; others were soon
added and meetings were held in the school-house and in dwellings. In 1835
the society was formed, the following persons signing the agreement : Eli Oat-
man, Samuel Young, Marcus Stoddard, Samuel Hathaway, Charles Lamb,
James Germond, Nathaniel W. Martin, Justus Barker, John Gray.
In 1837 the meeting-house was erected, and dedicated in the following win-
ter. The Sabbath-school was formed in April, 1842, with Lucius Abbott as
superintendent. In 1838 this society was nearly as large as either of the older
ones. John Fitch, a local preacher, came to Middletown in 1838, or earlier,
and considerable of the time until his death in 1859 he supplied the church.
In 1862 while Rev. H. D. Hitchco:k was in charge, the church building was
thoroughly repaired, a work in which Wliiting Merrill was prominent. The
present pastor is Rev. A. Osborn and the membership is twenty- two.
Catholic. — There is a Catholic society here, over which Father Glynn, of
Fairhaven, officiates. The church comprises about twenty families and has a
property valued at about $2,500.
The Medical Profession. — In a preceding chapter we have alluded to the
early physicians of this town. The medical profession is represented here at
the present time by Dr. Charles William Strobell, who was born in Hanover,
Germany, October 20, 1856 ; began the study of medicine under the precep-
torship of Dr. M. Goldsmith, of Rutland, and attended lectures at the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and the University of Vermont, at Burling-
ton, graduating from the latter in 1882. He began practice in Middletown in
September, 1882.
Dr. Arthur C. Norton was born at Arlington, Vt., September 28, 1859;
graduated from the New York Homeopathic Medical College, New York city,
in March, 1882 ; came to Middletown in November of the same year.
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Town of Middletown. 671
Municipal. — Under this heading there is Httle to be said in addition to the
foregoing pages. The clearing, settling and early growth and business of
Middletown village has been sufficiently described, with the disastrous effect
upon it of the great flood of 18 11, and other causes which have operated
against its growth. Prominent among these should be mentioned the fact that
its situation cuts it oft" from railroad communication with the outer world, thus
drawing from it much of the mercantile business that might otherwise have
reached its stores, to other more important centers, where railroads pass. This
effect of railroad connections is always noticeable ; some of the villages of a
county must suffer at the expense of others. Still, there have always been en-
terprising and thorough-going business men in this village, as well as energetic
manufacturers, whose labors have been sufficient for the interests of the inhab-
itants.
Chief among the present manufacturing establishments of the town (and
indeed of the county) is the threshing-machine manufactory of A. W. Gray's
Sons. The business was originated in a small way in 1865, by the late A. W.
Gray, of whom a biography appears in later pages of this work. Mr. Gray
possessed inventive genius, and in 1836 patented a corn-sheller which was an
excellent machine. In 1844 he invented a horse- power, which he manufac-
tured a few years to a limited extent, in a small shop, with one or two work-
men. A little later he became interested in the inventing and perfecting of a
nail- machine, which took his attention for several years, when he again turned
his energies to the horse-power, in an improved form, which he perfected in
1856. In 1837 he purchased a building formerly used as a woolen factory in
Middletown, and fitted it up for the manufacture of the machines. About that
time his oldest son, Leonidas Gray, became associated with him, and ten j-ears
later (1866) his }-ounger son, A. Y. Gray, took an interest in the business. In
1875 the sons bought out their father and the firm took its present style.
From the insignificant shop in which the first horse- powers were made, the es-
tablishment has grown to a building three stories in height and ninety feet
front, surrounded on three sides by smaller buildings and several large store-
houses of two or three floors each. The demand for the machines rapidly in-
creased from the first and now extends throughout North and South America,
England, German}-, Turke}-, Russia and other countries. About twelve hun-
dred machines are made annually. Much of this great success is due to the
remarkable business energ)' and capacity of the sons of the founder of the
house.
On the 3d of April, 1884, the Gray National Bank was organized, the pres-
ent officers of which are, , president (this office was held by A. W.
Gray at the time of his death, in October, 1885); A. Y. Gray, vice-president;
A. A. Greene, cashier. L. and A. Y. Gray are also interested in the First
National Bank of Poultney, L. Gray being its vice-president.
672 History of Rutland County.
Middletoivn Springs and Hotels. — The Montvert House was built in 1 870,
and is one of the outgrowths of the celebrated Middletown Springs. The
house was erected by the Middletown Springs Company, a stock organization,
who ran it three or four years. In June, 1 880, L. and A. Y. Gray bought it
and sold it to Jacob Eager, George Starkweather and Thomas Wilson, of New
York. Wilson sould out to his partners the first year. It is now the property
of Joseph Eager, with George McAvoy as manager. The springs, which have
done so much to make Middletown a popular summer resort, and led to the
building of this hotel, were re-discovered in 1868, and are located near the
village and within a hundred feet of the north bank of the Poultney River.
They were known prior to 1811; the river then ran where it now does; but the
great freshet of that year deposited a great quantity of gravel over the springs,
hiding them from view. In June, 1868, another remarkable freshet occurred
here, which again changed the bed of the river and opened the springs. A.
W. Gra\' & Sons at that time owned the land there, and when Mr. Gray, sr.,
was e.xaminining the work of the freshet, preparatory to making repairs, he
discovered the springs, drank freely of the water and suffered considerably
from nausea ; this convinced him that the waters were strongly impregnated
with minerals. A man who had been badly poisoned with ivy was relieved
by drinking the water, and many others with different ailments experimented
with the water and usually with good effects. The fame of the springs spread
rapidly and a good deal of excitement followed. This ran so high and the
curative properties of the water became so highly extolled, that they were
tried for almost every kind of disease ; their failure in many cases to cure
caused a reaction, and many believed the springs a humbug. There is not a
doubt but these waters are curati\'e in many kinds of diseases ; but they will
not cure everything.
Soon after June, 186S, other mineral springs were discovered a little north
of the first, and two companies were formed, both of them shipping the water
to other localities. In the fall of 1869 the two companies were consolidated
into the Middletown Springs Hotel Company, which built the hotel, as stated.
It is a magnificent house and has been liberally patronized in summer seasons.
The expense of building and furnishing the house was in the neighborhood of
$100,000. These springs may become still more famous in the future.
The Valley Hotel was built by \^'ait Rathbone in the early part of the cen-
tury ; it was nearly carried away by the freshet of 181 I. After passing through
the changes incident to country inns, it has gone into the control of W. H.
Haynes, who has kept it since June, 1882.
G. D. Adams has kept the Adams House since it was opened about 1 870.
In the store occupied by D Leffingwell & Son, M. E. Vail did business
from about 1 83 1 to 1876. D. Leffingwell has been in trade here for eleven
years in succession, and in I 88 I his son, A. G. Leffingwell, joinedjiim.
Town of Mount Holly. 673
J. S. & W. E. Murdock began business in the spring of 1885, succeeding
F. B. Barrett, who had traded there seven years.
D. Leffingwell has been postmaster since the spring of 1875, when he suc-
ceeded W. S. Bassett ; the latter held tiie office sixteen years and was preceded
by HaHey Keyes. There have been numerous changes in the office, which
need not be traced. D. Leffingwell, grandfather of the present official, had
the office about seventy years ago and in I 82 I, when he died.
CHAPTER XXXI.
history of the town of .mount holly.
THIS town lies on the southeastern border of Rutland county, in latitude
43° 29' and longitude 4^ 14' east from Washington ; it is bounded on the
north by Shrewsbury and Plymouth ; east by Ludlow ; south by Weston and
Mount Tabor, and west by Wallingford and Mount Tabor. It was not one of
the original townships. In surveying the towns on the east and west sides of
the Green Mountains, there was left between Ludlow on the east and Walling-
ford on the west, a gore of land.i which became known as "Jackson's Gore,"
from Abraham Jackson, one of the original proprietors and an early settler.
The present town of Mount Holly was incorporated at the October session
of the Legislature of 1792, held in Rutland. The town as incorporated com-
prised Jackson's Gore with all that portion of the town of Ludlow lying west
of the highest ridge of what is known as " Ludlow Mountain," and on the west
a tract one mile in width, or two tiers of lots, from the east side of the town of
Wallingford.
The town lies in a sort of shallow basin, or depression, in the Green Moun-
tains, and in the old days of stage coaching over the road from Burlington to
Boston, afforded the best place for crossing the Green Mountains south of
Montpelier. The land was originally heavily timbered with maple, beech, birch,
1 When the General Assembly, ai its session of October, 17S0, resolved to raise money to place
Ycrmont on a war footing, for resistance to the decree of Congress abolishing its government, three ex-
pedients were adopted, viz. : The confiscation and sale of the lands of all British adherents, thus rais-
ing the sum of ^430,000 ; second, the sale of all ungranted lands ; and third, the issue of money.
Under the second expedient this gore was transferred to Abraham Jackson and twenty-nine associated
residents of Wallingford. This charter of transfer is dated February 23, 1 781, and reads as follows :—
" Resolved, That a certain tract or gore of land, lying and being situate on the east side of Walling-
ford, containing by estimation nine thousand seven hundred acres, be granted to Abraham Jackson,
esq., and his associates to the number of thirty. To be annexed to, and incorporated with the town of
Wallingford."
The fees for this grant were nine pounds per right, realizing the sum of two hundred and seventy
pounds.
43
674 History of Rutland County.
spruce and hemlock, with a lesser quantity of fir, basswood, black and white
ash, wild cherry and poplar. By far the greater portion of the old forests have
fallen before the axes of the inhabitants.
The rock is mostly Green Mountain gneiss. In the extreme southern part
limestone is found from which a good quality of lime was formerly made. The
soil is largely a strong and somewhat heavy loam ; while clay beds are fouad
in several localities, suitable for brick making. Brick were made in a yard near
the site of the Mount Holly railroad station many years ago in quantities suffi-
cient for the then comparatively small demands of this and neighboring towns.
Mill River is the only considerable stream ;.it rises in the extreme south-
west part part of the town, flows northerly and crosses a corner of Wallingford,
emptying into Otter Creek in the town of Clarendon. There are numerous
smaller streams, all of which on the western slope empty into Mill River ;
those on the eastern slope find their way to Black River and thus into the
Connecticut.
The surface of the town is uneven and hilly, though less so than most of
the mountain towns ; there is less waste land in it than in the majority of towns
in the State, in spite of its situation on and near the mountain ; it has no
swamps, no rugged ledges and no abrupt and inaccessible mountains. ^ The
soil is better adapted to grass than grain, and not very much of the latter is
raised. The farmers generally find it more profitable to keep their land in
grass and devote their attention to the raising of stock or the manufacture of
butter and cheese, than to even raise their own breadstufts. Oats are, how-
ever, raised in considerable quantities, but mainly for home consumption.
Early Settlements. — The first settlement on Jackson's Gore was made by
Abraham Jackson, and Stephen, Ichabod G. and Chauncey Clark, of Connect-
icut, in the year 1782. In the following year they were joined by Jacob Wil-
cox and Benjamin G. Davvley, from Rhode Island, and soon after by Jonah,
Amos and Ebenezer Ives, also from Connecticut ; they were graduall)' followed
by others. The first settlers in that part of the town which was formerly Lud-
low were Joseph Green, Nathaniel Pingrey, Abram Crowley, David Bent and
Silas Proctor, who came in about the year 1786. They were soon joined by
John and Jonas Hadley, Joseph and Jonathan Pingrey, Richard Lawrence and
Samuel Cook. These two settlements, though only about three miles apart,
were, according to Dr. John Crowley (from whose sketch many of these facts
1 Professor Hagar, in his report on the geology of the State says : " The tourist who thinks Mount
Holly is a poor town is mistaken ; for there are few towns in the State which produce more cattle,
sheep, beef, pork, butter and cheese, or have a larger number of wealthy farmers." Dr. John Crowley,
in his interesting sketch of this town, in the Vennont Historical Magazine, says: "The Rutland rail-
road runs through a sort of gorge or ravine, and the traveler who passes through by rail sees the poor-
est part of the town, and often makes taunting remarks about the country and a people who can obtain
a livelihood in such a sterile region ; but let him travel a mile or two in either direction from the lihe of
the railroad, and the substantial farm houses, commodious barns, and general signs of thrift will essen-
tially modify his opinion of the character of the town, and of its inhabitants."
Town of Mount Holly. 675
are taken), " for some time ignorant of their proximity to each other. Those
on the west side, or the ' Gore,' supposed the settlement nearest them was in
the valley of Otter Creek, while those on the east side thought their nearest
neighbers were on Black River in Ludlow. They were separated by an un-
broken wilderness, with not even a ' blazed ' footpath between them, each
having reached their settlements from opposite directions. They are said to
have discovered each other in the following manner : Some of the settlers on
the east side started out on Sunday morning to look for stray cattle ; after
traveling westward some two miles, they were about to take another direction,
when they were surprised by hearing the barking of a dog still farther west.
They followed the sound, and soon came to the log cabin of Ichabod G. Clark,
which stood some forty rods northwesterly from the spot where the Mount
Holl)' railroad depot now stands. At this cabin the people of the ' Gore '
were on that day assembled for religious worship. The surprise of each party
was equaled only by their gratification at finding neighbors so near. They
at once set about providing means of intercommunication by marked trees and
subsequently by primitive roads ; and the acquaintance thus begun soon rip-
ened into friendship and constant intercourse, and resulted in the union of the
two settlements into one town, as before described."
The Clarks were, perhaps, the most prominent family in the organization
of the town and its later improvement. Stephen Clark settled on a farm at
what is known as the North Parish and near the Baptist Church, owning all of
the land in the vicinity of what is now North Mount Holly. His farm has since
been divided into several estates. None of his descendants is living in the
town. Stephen Clark became a man of influence and was given the honor of
naming the town, calling it after Mount Holly in Connecticut, from which place
he emigrated to Vermont. He was a son of Job Clark, of Wallingford, and
married Rachel Jackson, of the same town. Their sons were Lyman, Miles,
Russel, Asahel, Stephen, Orville, Homer; and daughters, Fanny, Orpha and
Lorry. ] < All but two or three of the eldest of these were born in Mount Holly.
Mr. Clark prospered here for some years, but met with reverses for which he
was not responsible, and removed to Ohio in the fall of 18 15. Miles and Ly-
man had already preceded him to that then new State. Asahel settled at
Glens Falls, N. Y. In Ohio the family prospered and became prominent.
Asahel Clark, during his life in Glens Falls, became eminent as an attorney,
and General Orville Clark, who located at Sandy Hill, N. Y., became conspic-
uous in military life, as well as in politics.
Abraham Jackson was one of the Quaker settlers of Mount Holly, and
Nelson W. Cook has furnished us with the following sketch of his life : He was
born at Cornwall, Conn., in 1750, and came to Wallingford with his fatlier in
1773. He was made the first town clerk of the town and the first representa-
tive, holding the latter office in the years 1778, 1780, 1781, 1785, 1789 and
6/6 History of Rutland County.
1790. In 178! he was successful in securing the large grant of land from the
Legislature which has always borne his name and forms a large part of the
town of Mount Holly. He was a large owner in this tract, his possession in-
cluding a small lake and valuable water privileges at its outlet. Here he erected
the first saw-mill in the town. The first house he built stood on the elevated
land east of Mechanicsville, now owned by Elwin Dickerman. Mr. Jackson
sold the house to a Mr. Morrison in I 800 and built the house directly north,
now owned by George Mead. He possessed in a large degree those great
moral and religious principles by which men's lives should be guided; and it
was at his house that the meetings of the first religious society in the town
were held. It was in his "spacious kitchen " that they sat in silent worship.
He removed to "the Gore" in 1791 and was chosen moderator of the meeting
that organized the town ; he was also its first representative in 1793. In 1810
he sold out his real estate and remo\'ed to northern New York.
It will, perhaps, be as well to give Mr. Cook's notes of other prominent
early Quakers of this town in this connection: Stephen Baker came from
Rhode Island in 1790 and settled first in Danby, removing from there to
Mount Holly. His wife was Susanna Mathewson. He returned to Rhode Isl-
and for a few years, afterwards returning to Danby, where he died in 185S, at
the age of eighty years. He had a family of eleven children.
Peter Baker, a brother of Stephen, came from Rhode Island in 1804 and
settled in Mount Holly. He died in 1852, aged seventy-eight years. His
children were Lydia, Candace, Jonathan, Sanford, Stephen, Willard, Amasa
and Nathan L. Jonathan married Anna Hasmore, of Mount Holly. His
children were Marcellus (married Alvira, daughter of Edmund Wheeler) ;
Ann Eliza, who married Frederick Parnieter ; James, who lives in Michigan,
and Mary Ann.
Samuel Cook was born in Preston, Conn., May 18, 1765. He married
Sally Chamberlain, of Wethersficld, Ct., January I, 1791. He was the third
son of Thaddeus and Zervia (Hinckley) Cook, and the fifth in descent from his
Puritan ancestor, Gregory Cook, of Cambridge, Mass. He left home after he
became of age, his father giving him $1,000 with which to purchase land. He
made his purchase in Ludlow, clearing a large portion of it, on which he always
lived. He was a successful farmer and gave considerable attention to stock
raising, and improved his farm in various ways, with good buildings, fruit trees,
etc. He early joined the Quakers and was one of the strictest and most con-
scientious of that sect. When the town of Mount Holly was organized he
was elected to " take a list of the polls and ratable estates of the inhabitants of
the town." In 1793 he was elected grand juryman, and in 1795, selectman.
He was a lieutenant in the militia until he joined the Quakers, when he re-
signed. He never accepted office after connecting himself with the Quakers.
He lived a quiet, industrious life, and raised a large family, as follows : Hinck-
Town of Mount Holly. 677
ley, born October 27, 1792; Wyatt, born February 3, 1794; Thaddeus, born
May 31, 1795 ; Sabrina, born May 28, 1797 ; Chauncey, born April 27, 1800;
Lumas, born February 21, 1802; Mary, born March 14, 1804; Uriah, born
September 12, 1806; Anson, born February 25, 1809; Julia Elma, born
August I, 1812. The three daughters are living and two sons, Wyatt and
Lumas.
While the Quakers of this town were not very numerous, they formed an
influential and respected portion of the community.
Jedediah Hammond was for many years a leading man in this town. He came
from Old Bedford, Mass., in 1770, and settled on "the Gore." He was for
several years constable and collector and held other town offices ; was repre-
sentative six years and justice of the peace sixteen years. He became quite
noted as a " pettifogger," and had a large business before the justices' courts.
He held the office of deputy sheriff" early in the century and had the custody
of James Anthony in 18 13, on the night before his expected execution for the
murder of Joseph Green, as detailed in the preceding chapter of Rutland.
Anthony hung himself in his cell and Mr. Hammond was charged with being
accessory to the crime ; but the charge was not substantiated. He died No-
vember 20, 1S49, at the age of eight)'-three years.
John Crowley, second son of Abraham Crowley, was a prominent pioneer
and lived in the east part of the town. He was elected town clerk in 1801,
and held the office nine years ; he held every other office in the gift of the
town, except that of constable ; was representative six years, and justice of the
peace twenty-five years from 1802. He removed to St. Lawrence county, N. Y.,
in 1827 and died there September 12, 1840, aged seventy-four. He was the
father of Dr. John Crowley, for a sketch of whom see Chapter XVI.
Stephen Tucker was a prominent early resident and died December 26,
1828, aged sixty- four. He was town clerk four years and held other responsi-
ble positions; was twelve years justice of the peace and held the office when he
died. He was an honorable and upright man ; he lived one and a half miles
west of Mechanicsville.
Deacon Edmund Bryant was an early settler and one of the substantial
men of the town ; particularly prominent in religious affairs ; was one of the
originators of the Baptist Church and its first presiding officer. He died De-
cember 19, 1839, aged seventy-one years, honored by the entire community.
A similar record may be given of Deacon Isaac Dickerman, who was for
many years a leading citizen and a pillar in the Baptist Church. He, more-
over, held very many of the town offices and discharged their duties with the
utmost faithfulness.
Hon. Nathan T. Sprague settled in the town in 1810 and for many years
wielded a strong influence in all its affairs. He engaged in mercantile business,
in which he was very successful, during the most of the time of his residence
678 History of Rutland County.
here, and also became a large land-owner and carried on farming extensively.
He held many offices ; represented the town seven years and was justice of the
peace many years. He became the wealthiest man who lived in Mount Holly ;
but removed to Brandon in 1833 and several times represented that town in
the Legislature and held the office of assistant judge of the County Court.
Abel Bishop was one of the noted early schoolmasters of this town — one
of the first to teach here and followed the occupation twenty years. He was
representative four \-ears and justice of the peace. He removed to western
New York in 1825.
Edward Parmeter, father of Frank, came to Mechanicsville in 1836 and was
a respected and useful citizen.
Among other inhabitants in Mount Holly who were prominent in its affairs
of whom we can give only the briefest memoranda were Daniel Jaquith, who
located very early in the extreme south part ; and Phineas Carlton near him.
Joseph and Benjamin Frost, who lived about a mile northward from Mechanics-
ville. Hoxey Barber and David Chatterton who settled near the site of
Bowlville. Alfred Crowley, who lived on the place formerly occupied by his
grandfather, Abraham Crowley. Abel Foster, who settled on the place now
occupied by Henry Foster, great-grandson of Abel and son of William W., who
removed to Springfield, Mass. Ebenezer Ives, father of Allen, who still occu-
pies the old place with his son. Jonah, Amos and Jonathan were brothers of
Ebenezer and came in in 1781. Leumas Tucker, grandson of Stephen Tucker
before mentioned, who occupies the homestead; and Stillman Tucker, who
lives on the place formerly owned by his father, Joseph Tucker. Jonas Hol-
den, who lived on the place now occupied by his grandson, Marvel Holden.
Aaron Horton, who lived where his grandson, Darius, now resides. Perry G.
Dawley, father of L. Dawley, was the first male child born in Mt. Holly. He
settled on the farm now owned by D. G. Dawley, his grandson, between the
turnpike and "shunpike." Perry G. was the father of eight boys and three
girls ; these are all dead excepting two sons, Perry A. Dawley, now in Bowl-
ville, and L. Dawley.
Others who have lived in the town and performed noble w^ork in clearing
the lands and making homes in the wildernees, were Thomas and Asa White,
Joseph Bixby, Abel Farwell, Job Todd, Asa and Jesse Sawyer, Edmund and
James Tarbell, Enoch Jaquith, Royal, John, George and Walter Crowley, Sam-
uel Hosmer, John Chandler, William and Jacob Earle, William Graves, Isaac
Fish, John Moors, Zacheus Prescott, Jacob White, John Randall, Jethro Jack-
son, John and Samuel Russell, Pardon Crandall, Perry and Alexander Wells,
Nathan Doolittle, Seth Livingston, Elijah Davenport, Martin Cole, Thomas
Davis, Joseph Kinnee, and probably others whose names and deeds are in the
past.
The inhabitants of Mount Holl}' have gone forward in advancing the ma-
Town of Mount Holly. 679
terial interests of their community, with httle to disturb or interrupt them. The
long-remembered cold season of 18 16-17 had less effect in this town than in
many others ; a good deal of hardship was, however, experienced from the pre-
vailing scarcity of provisions and money.
Dr. Crowley, in his sketch, from which we have liberally drawn, notes the
occurrence of a number of casualties, the first of which was the accidental death
of Lyman Dickerman, in 1S25, by being thrown from his carriage. In 18 —
Silas Proctor, jr., was killed by a falling limb, while felling a tree in the woods;
and the next year Judson Chilson, a young man, met his death in the same
manner. In the month of April, 1852, Silas E. Cole was drowned in Randall's
Pond, while rowing in compa'ny with Miss Tamar Pratt. The lady was saved
by the heroic conduct of D. L. Dawley, but the young man, being unable to
swim, was drowned. In April, 1853, a little son of Leander Derby was drowned
in the flume of his father's tannery; he was an only child. In April, 1865,
Charles Kimball, while demolishing an old building, was fatally injured by be-
ing struck on the head by a falling timber. During the great freshet of Octo-
ber, 1869, Mrs. Esther Bixby, wife of J. J. Bixby, and her little son, were stand-
ing near the bridge at the outlet of Randall's Pond, watching her husband and
A. C. Randall, as they were attempting to save some lumber. Suddenly the
ground gave way beneath them and they were precipitated into the boiling cur-
rent. The accident was witnessed by two men, who hastened to the rescue and
succeeded in saving Mrs. Bi.xby ; the boy was drowned. On the morning of
the 8th of June, 1870, a terrible railroad accident occurred about half a mile
west from Summit Station, where a culvert allowed the current of a small
stream to cross under the track. A heavy rain swelled this stream into a tor-
rent and the surroundings of the culvert were washed out. The morning train,
containing one express and passenger car with about thirty passengers, passed
upon the track at this point, which sank and caused the overturning of the pass-
enger car. Six men lost their lives in this accident, and very many were in-
jured.
Ill the Rebellion. — No town in Rutland county did more than Mount Holly,
according to number of population, for the support of the government in its
struggle with rebellion, or did it more freely. The following record gives the
names of the soldiers who enlisted from this town, and the organizations in
which they served, as nearly as it has been possible to obtain them : —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — Dana Ayres, co. C, 6th regt; Orson H. Benson,
George L. Briggs, co. I, 5th regt; George W. Briggs, co. B, 9th regt; Rodol-
phus D. Briggs, co. C, 6th regt.; Warren Briggs, co. G, 5th regt; Nelson Broe,
CO. B, 9th regt; Hiram D. Bussell, Barney Cannon, co. C, 6th regt; Daniel
Cannon, co. I, 2d regt.; James Cannon, co. C, 5th regt; Charles Champagne,
CO. D, 7th regt.; Phillip E. Chase, co. I, 2d regt.; Reuben L. Chase, co. A, 7th
68o History of Rutland County.
regt.; William V. Chase, co. G, /th regt; John Clark, co. F, 6th regt; John
Clark, CO. M, iith regt.; Chauncey M. Cole, co. C, 3d regt.; Major S. Damon,
CO. G, 7th regt.; James Darcy, John Day, co. C, 4th regt.; Henry M. Fletcher,
CO. B, 9th regt; Anson Foster, co. C, 4th regt.; Daniel Frost, Stephen Frost,
CO. I, 2d regt.; David W. Fuller, co. D, 9th regt; Charles S. Goddard, co. H,
lOth regt.; Elisha M. Goddard, co. C, 6th regt.; Corwin Graves, Edmund B.
Graves, Stephen A. Graves, co. B, 9th regt.; James C. Grover, co. D, 9th regt.;
John Haley, jr., co. C, 4th regt.; Elander Haskell, co. C, 4th regt.; Thomas
Healey, 4th regt; Rufus K. Headle, co. C, lOth regt; Oscar Hemenway, co.
H, loth regt; David N. Hill, co. B, 9th regt; Isaac L. Hill, co. I, 5th regt;
James T. Holmes, co. I, 2d regt; Henry N. Horton, co. B, 9th regt; Eli H.
Johnson, co. M. nth regt.; John King, co. C, 6th regt.; Michael Lane, co. C,
4th regt.; Charles A. Loomis, co. G, 4th regt.; Patrick H. Lynch, co. D, 9th
regt.; William H. Lynch, co. C, 4th regt.; William S. Mandigo, co. 1, 2d regt;
George H. Martin, Goel R. Martin, co. I, 5th regt; Joshua B. Martin, co. C,
lOth regt; George C. Mead, co. H, loth regt; Henry P. Morehouse, co. C,
6th regt; Harrison H. Mudge, co. G, 5th regt; Harry H. Mudge, Charles W.
Newton, co. B. 9th regt.; Henry Nolett, co. I, 2d regt.; Daniel C. Parker, co.
D, 9th regt.; Benjamin F. Parmenter, co. I, 2d regt.; Emerson J. Pingree, co.
C, 6th regt.; Rabbins R. Pingree, co. D, 7th regt,; Mortimer Pratt, Loren F.
Pratt, CO. G, 7th regt.; Darius D. Priest, Ethan A. Priest, co. I, 2d regt.; Dan-
iel Richardson, co. I, 5th regt.; Ebenezer Richardson, co. G, 9th regt.; Will-
iam S. Roberts, co. B, 9th regt; Hoxey C. Rogers, co. I, 2d regt; John Shar-
row, CO. B, 9th regt.; Franklin W. Stacy, Timothy Sullivan, co. C, 6th regt. ;
Charles W. Tarbell, co. G, 7th regt; Henry Tole, co. I, 2d regt; Melville B.
Warner, co. I, Sth regt; William G. Watts, co. C, 4th regt; Martin Wells, co.
D, 7th regt. ; Perry G. Wells, co. I, 2d, regt.; Thomas Wilson, co. C, 4th regt.;
Edmund A. Woodard, co. B, 9th regt.
Credits under call of Octobrr 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Lawson E. Barber, Aram Caryl,
1st bat.; Harrison Earle, co. G, 5th regt ; Moses Fisk, 3d bat.; Raymond J.
Fletcher, co. G, 5th regt; George W. Mandigo, co. K, nth regt; Orrin N.
Mudge, CO. G, 5th regt; Isaac Randall, co. B, 7th regt; Truman M. Smith,
George S. Willard, co. G, 5th regt.
Volunteers for one year. — Lawson E. Archer, 9th regt; Henry Barrett,
Austin L. Benson, Edwin B. Chase, Joseph Colby, David G. Dorsett, co. I, 2d
regt; Anson Foster, co. C, 6th regt; Daniel C. Freeman, co. K, 7th regt.;
Henry Glynn, co. D, 9th regt.; George Jefifts, 9th regt.; Franklin A. Moore,
CO. D, 9th regt; Charles W. Priest, Charles H. Ray, Hiram Simonds, Hiram L.
Warner, John L. Willey, jr., co. I, 2d regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Rodolphus D. Briggs, Barney Cannon, co. C, 6th
regt.; Lorenzo A. Dodge, Myron E. Hubbard, co. I, 2d regt.; Perry Lamphire,
:
i < aX :< .^ .^.^J^.^
Town of Mount Holly. 68 i
Henry Morehouse, co. C, 6th regt.; George H. Martin, co. I, 5th regt.; Hoxey
C. Rogers, co. I, 2d regt.; Perry G. Wells, co. I, 2d regt.
Not credited by name — Three men.
Volunteers for nine months. — Eben J. Bailey, jr., Henry Barrett, Michael
Clowery, Frederick W. Crowley, co. H, 14th regt.; Harrison H. Earle, Morton
A. Ives, John Mahon, co. H, 14th regt.; Ryland R. Parker, co. C, i6th regt.;
Nathan Priest, George G. Rice, Charles W. Shedd, Joseph F. Shedd, co. H,
14th regt; Silas A. Thompson, co. B, 14th regt.
Furnished under draft. — Paid commutation, S. H. Ackley, Morgan S.
Caryl, Langdon Cook, Oscar B. Cole, Ambrose Esterbrooks, Wells A. Foster,
Joshua E. Gates, Robert Hoskinson, P. B. Lincoln, Daniel H. Parker, Wesley
Priest, Charles H. Ray, Henry B. Smith. Procured substitute, George P.
Hammond. Entered service, Daruis A. Martin, co. E, 4th regt.
Population. — The following statement shows the population of Mount Holly
at the various dates named and indicates a steady growth until the last decade •
1 79 1, — ; iSoo, 668 ; 18 10, 922 ; 1820, 1 157 ; 1830, 1318 ; 1840, 1356; 1850,
1534; i860, 1522; 1870, 1582; 1880, 1390.
Present Officers of the Totvn. — Windsor Newton, town clerk; S. H. Ackley,
E. A. Priest, A. W. Cook, salectmen ; Windsor Newton, treasurer ; J. D. S.
Packer, constable ; George W. Graves, Michael Clowery, H. C. Carpenter,
listers; I. L. Hill, Z. B. Babbitt, S. M. Dickerman, auditors; Alfred Crowley,
trustee; C. W. Priest, B. F. Parmenter, N. B. Pinney, fence viewers; M. D.
Harrington, Hiland Holden, grand jurors; George W. Graves, M. J. Holden,
S. M. Dickerman, Henry Lord, Sylvester Tucker, D. G. Dawley, Willam B.
Hoskison, A. D. Peck, M. A. Ives, W. D. Holden, Spencer Pillsbury, P. L.
Allard, petit jurors; O. M. Pelsue, M. D. Harrington, town grand jurors; A.
E. Doty, inspector of leather ; S. M. Dickerman, Henry Pratt, Milan Dicker-
man, O. F. Wheeler, pound keepers; Edson Holden, overseer poor; Marshall
Tarbell, surveyor of wood and lumber ; Z. B. Babbitt, town superintendent ;
J. D. S. Packer, collector of taxes.
Ecclesiastical. — In preparing a history of the churches of this town we can
not do better than avail ourselves of the very carefully written material of Rev.
L. P. Tucker, of Mechanics\'ille, which was printed in the Vermont Tribune
during the present year. This material is indicated by quotation marks, and
we have made such additions as seem to be desirable: —
" In common with other towns where its introduction has resulted in a
more permanent organization than this, the first resident -minister was a Congre-
gationalist — Rev. Silas L. Bingham. The exact date cannot be determined,
but it was about the year 1800. There is a vague tradition of a church built
by the society which was organized b)- him in 1802, but it lacks evidence and
is probably unfounded. If, however, it did exist, it was the first church edifice
in town. Meetings were, more probably, conducted in private dwellings and
682 History of Rutland County.
barns, the liouse of Matthew Wing, on the farm now owned by George W.
Meads, being occupied for that purpose by this as well as, in after years, other
denominations. Here adults and children were baptized by the then novel
mode of sprinkling. In 1805 the resident pastor moved to New Haven, Conn.
There never was another. The organization was kept up until 1856, the mem-
bers having interests in the Union Church afterward built in Mechanicsville,
and there was occasional preaching by non-resident clergymen. Its member-
ship embraced Deacons Asa White, Benjamin Parker and Dan Peck ; also Mr.
Hoyt, of the firm of Newton & Hoyt, who sixty-five years ago conducted the
mercantile business in Mechanicsville. Not one of the members of the original
society in now alive.
" September 6, 1804, the Baptist Church was organized. It consisted of
twenty-nine members. These had previously been connected with the church
in Wallingford, but wishing to withdraw and organize a separate church, a
council was called for that purpose, which was presided over by Elder William
Harrington, of Clarendon. The petitioners were granted their wishes, and
thus was organized the Baptist Church of Mount Holly. Elder Cyrus An-
drews was the first resident preacher of the denomination here. His salary,
as shown by the records, was $30 per year. Elders Sylvanus Haynes, of Mid-
dletown, and William Harrington, of Clarendon, and others, came from time
to time to preach the word to this band of pioneers assembled at the dwelling
of Jacob White, which was enlarged by vote of the society for the purpose.
March 11, 1 81 1, Rev. Daniel Packer was ordained pastor. The services were
conducted in a grove near the hotel kept by Dr. Clark. The church grew in
numbers and wealth until 181 5, when they erected their first house of worship,
in the north part of the town. Its style of architecture was like that of its
day — a large gallery and a pulpit with a "sounding-board." The labors of
Rev. Daniel Packer were wonderfully proficient in success, so many being
added to the church that in 1820 was erected another meeting-house in the
south part of the town. This was a Union Church, and was owned by Bap-
tists, Methodists, Congregationalists and Universalists. It was built in the
very respectable style of architecture of the day, numerous evidences of which
are now left standing. In front a portico, with front supported by large col-
unms in the style of the Pantheon at Rome. There was a galler\- on three
sides of the interior, one of which was reserved for the choir, led, in those
days, by a clarionet and bass-viol. This was a proprietary house, each family
having a deed of one of the hij^h pews. Under the pulpit were seats reserved
for the deacons.
"The original subscription paper for this church is in existence, and is in
the hands of C. W. Priest A copy is below. It is worth preserving, both
from its peculiarity of literary composition and the names it contains. Oppo-
site nearly each name are such e.xpressions as " Paid by note," " Deed of
Town of Mount Holly.
683
pew," etc., shoiving how these hardy pioneers obtained possession of their ec-
clesiastical advantages.
" ' MOUNTHOLLY Feb 1st 1819
" ' We whose names are Iiereunto subscribed being Impressed with a beHef that
it is our duty to contribute a part of our substance for the purpose of building
a Meeting-house in the south part of MounthoUy that we may be thus better
prepared to bring up our Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,
and that we ourselves better prepared to wait upon the Lord and attend to the
word of his Grace, and thereby promote virtue and Expell vice from among
us, do cordially unite and form ourselves into a society for that purpose and by
these presents bind our selves to pay to John Crowley David Hoyt and Rich-
ard Lawrence as a committee to superintend the building of said house the
several sums to our names respective annexed to be paid one half in Merchant-
able beef Cattle and the other half in good salable neat cattle not over eight
years old (bulls and stags exempted) to be paid on the first day of October A.
D. 1820 provided said committee build said house, which is to be completed
by the first day of December A. D. 1820 for which said sums so by us paid we
are to receive a deed or deeds of the pews which we bid oft' a record of which
is to be kept by Horace Newton, and we further agree too and adopt tlie con-
stitution which has this day been read to us as our constitution by which we will
here after. Said house is to be built on the East Side of the country road a
little Southerly from the store of Newton & Hoyt and is to be forty feet by
fifty and finished in a goodworkman like manner & well painted.
Newton & Hoyt, $1,301
Jonah Ives, 0.97
Nathaniel Pingry, I.05
Elias Kent,
Wilham Earl, 0.92
Isaac Randall, .90
\Villiam Kent, S6.00
Martin Cole, 71.00
John Ellis. 70.00
Edmond Briant, 66.00
John Crowley, 58.00
Chester Spencer,
Jerial Andrus, 55.00
Ruel Todd, 61.00
Richard Lawrence, 54.00
Asa White, 50.00
Moses B. Russell. 40.00
John Moor, 37.00
David Paland, 4S.00
Daniel Wing,
John Wing, 43.00
Ezra Burke,
Frances White, 37.00
Daniel Jaquith, 36.00
Daniel White, 37.00
Seth Livingstone,
John Crowley, 34.00
Samuel Hosmer, 31.00
John Hadley, jr., 31.00
Abijah Cole, 30.00
Abraham Dodge, 36.00
Wm. Graves, 35.00
Edmond Tarbell,
Joseph Frost, 30.00
Thaddeus Cook,
William Poland, ra.oo
Elijah Davenport, 30.00
Clark Haven, jr., 27.00
Warner Scott, 27.00
Enoch Jaquith, 29.00
Aaron Warner,
Silas Warner, 23.00
Moses B. Russell,
Henry White, 48.50
Arba Tucker,
Stephen Graves, 30.00
Pheneas Carlton, 21.00
James Tarbell, 18.00
Charles Hosmer, 20.00
Jacob Earl, 26.00
Ru-ssell Farvvell, 15.00
Jedediah Hammond, 10.00
Daniel Packer, 9.00
Martin Cole, 9.00
' The subsequent years were full of prosperity for this communion.
In
1S26 the records show an addition of 100 persons. This body embraced much
1 As expressed, certainly indicating the trifling sum of one dollars and thirty cents; but probably
the notation of those days gave license to divide into periods of two figure; each, which would make
one hundred and thirty dollars as the amount indicated; which is made probable by the position it oc-
cupies as commanding the best pews, and preceding amounts of nearly one hundred dollars.
684 History of Rutland County.
of the wealth of the town, and most of its men of influence. In 1 830 forty-
two members were dismissed to form the church at East WalHngford, and,
three years later, as many more to organize societies in Plymouth and Shrews-
bury. Still, in 1842, the members of the church in this town were 466 The
year 1850 witnessed the demolition of the church in Mechanicsville, the erec-
tion of which is narrated above. It was succeeded by the more modern one
but last summer destroyed. One j'ear later the first meeting-house built in
Mount Holl_\- was likewise torn away, and upon its site was erected the edifice
which is now, after many repairs and furnished with modern improvements, oc-
cupied as a place of worship. January i, 1846, Rev. Daniel Packer, after a
continuous pastorate of thirty-five years, closed his labors with the church.
He was succeeded by Rev. Joshua Clement, recently deceased. After his re-
tirement, the pioneer preacher, who had baptized more than 1,600 persons, re-
sided with his son, J, D. S. Packer, until his death, June 30, 1873, at the age
of eighty-si.x years and nine months. Since the date of his resignation, the
church has profited by the labors of Joshua Clement (1846), Ariel Kendrick (a
few months in 1848), Richard M. Ely (1848-52), Winthrop Morse, Samuel
Austin, Daniel Borroughs, Nathaniel Cudworth, Charles Coon, T. H. Archi-
bald, Stephen Pillsbury, G. W. Gates, A. McLaughlin, Silas F. Deane, F. White,
W. H. Lawton, O. J. Taylor, and the present incumbent, L. W. King. Under
the latter's pastorate, the church building put up in 1850 as a Union house
(with the land deeded to Deacon John Eddy, F. L. Frost, and Edward Par-
menter, as representatives of Baptist, Methodist and Universalist), upon the
withdrawal of the Methodists, who owned a commanding interest, has been
succeeded by the elegant and tasty structure recently dedicated, upon the site
of the old one, as a Baptist Church. Its cost was $5,400. The body now
numbers ninety resident and thirty-two non-resident members (1881). Ed-
mund Briant was the first deacon, and was elected November 21, 1805. Fol-
lowing him have been Ichabod G. Clark, Martin Cole, Isaac Dickerman, Har-
vey White, John C. Eddy, Jacob Pingrey, Alvah Horton, Warren Horton,
Harvey Livingstone, David P. Gibson, Windsor Newton, and Andrew L. Mar-
shall. The first church clerk was Simeon Dickerman, elected September 6,
1804. He held office until 1828, when he was succeeded by Daniel Packer
(1828-46), Jacob Pingrey (1846-64), M. H. Dickerman (1864-68), David P.
Gibson (1868-84), and Andrew L. Marshall (elected 1885).
" The Baptist society of this town has furnished the following preachers for
other communities : Cyrus Andrus, William Grant, Jared Doolittle, Larkin B.
Cole, Harvey Crowley.
" The Universalists have never had an organization. They have owned
property in our Union Churches, and their ministers from abroad have some-
times supplied the pulpits. Among the early settlers were some of this faith,
and our town has alwaj's contained a certain number who have immigrated
Town of Mount Holly. 685
hither. Their children and others within their influence have in some ca.ses
adhered to the behef, but have lived without church connection ; others have
become assimilated with the orthodox churches, which have been in the as-
cendancy. Revs. Royal T. Sawyer and Edwin Headle have gone from this
town to preach that faith.
" Onakcrs. — The ecclesiastical followers of William Penn in this country
had, at an early date, a body of worshipers in this town. If the Congrega-
tionalists had no meeting-house prior to the erection of the Baptist Church in
the north part of the town, the Quakers probably had the first meeting-house
in town. The building was scarcely worth dignifying as a church. It was a
small wood structure, standing a few rods north of the road above Mechanics-
ville, which leads to the Dodge farm occupied b\- N. P. Weaver. It was moved
in 1825, after about twenty years of usage, into the village, and is now a
dwelling-house. This order never obtained a very numerous following. About
a dozen families composed the number. Among them were those of George
Crowlev, Peter and Stephen Baker, Snow Randall, Samuel Cook, and Daniel
Kclley.
" The cemetery in use in the south part of the village was at that time the
Quaker burying-ground. In it rest the remains of some of the above worthy
pioneers, who " counted not the' world dear unto themselves." Peter and
Stephen Baker removed to Danby ; the other primitive members died here.
The children generally repudiated their birth-right; and, receiving no additions
from abroad to remain as permanent members (though others came from
Weston and Danby to worship with these), the society became extinct."
Perhaps no more appropriate place will be found than this for the insertion
of the following memoranda regarding the Quakers of this town, as a sect,
which was kindly furnished us by Nelson W. Cook : —
" The Quakers were quite numerous in Mount Holly and settled principally
in the south part of the town, in the vicinity of what is now Mechanicsville.
They were men of courage and sterling character. They went into the wilder-
ness with the single purpose of making for themselves and their families com-
fortable homes, not realizing the great work in which they were to take an
active part, namely, that of converting the primitive forest into fruitful fields,
organizing towns, counties and States, and the building of churches for relig-
ious worship. That they were the most influential, wealthy and enterprising
need not rest upon the assertion of the historian alone; of that fact there is
abundant recorded evidence. To them belongs the credit of building the first
meeting-house in town (1803) and it was the only one for twelve years suc-
ceeding that date. They also organized the first district schooL The meeting
at which the town was organized was presided over by one of their number,
who was also chosen as the first representative of the town. Among those of
this sect who were prominent may be mentioned Samuel Cook, Abraham Jack-
686 History of Rutland County.
son, David Southvvick, Uriel Crowley, Snow Randall, Stephen Baker, George
Crowley, Asa Abbott, Peter Baker, David Kelley, Jethro Jackson, Daniel
Cook." Sketches of several of these are given in earlier pages of the histor)' of
this town.
Methodists. — "Very early in the centur\' the followers of John Wesley
brought the burning zeal of that then great reformer to the solitude of this
then mountain fastness. Inspired with the spirit of their leader, who said ' the
world is my parish,' these burning exponents of ' free grace' were among the
first bands of hardy adventurers who sought and made their homes with no
pleasanter neighbors than the primeval forest sheltered. No dates are at hand
which exactly determine the introduction of Methodism in this town. Prob-
ably not more than forty years after the first Methodist sermon was preached
in this country, or fifteen years after the death of Wesle)', in 1 79 1, were there
among the settlers persons who professed this behalf. Many years previous
to the organization of these persons into a society by Rev. Jacob Beeman, in
1815, were they assembled for religious worship and singing in private houses
and barns, when they were ministered unto by some of the ' saddle-bags-men,'
who were ever active, fording rivers and sleeping in the wilderness that they
might travel their circuits.
" The first meeting of this sort known to have been held in town was prob-
ably in the house of John Moores, on the farm now owned by H. C. Carpenter.
Afterwards meetings were held in the first school- house in the Mechanicsville
district, until some persons in the district objected to their using the wood bought
for school purposes. This building stood near the site of the new school building
erected in 1880, was square, had a hip-roof, and after it ceased to be used for
school purposes was moved near the spot where now stands the town-hall, and
was used on each alternate Sunday by the Methodists as a chapel.
" These persons were organized into a society by Jacob Beeman in 1815.
Among the members of that organization were Captain Joseph Kinne and
wife, David and William Poland, Luke and Silas Warner, Clark Haven, John
Chandler and Mathew Wing. Thus organized, they continued to worship in
barns and school-houses, holding their quarterly meetings, which were often
attended by large loads of people from Clarendon and other towns. In 1820
they had an interest in the Union Church, then built as described in our last
paper. In this they held services a portion of the time ; in their chapel the
balance. Some of the circuit-riders, who in those days and immediately suc-
ceeding came across the mountains from the more thickly populated regions
of New York, sent out by the older Conference (for the Vermont Conference
was not organized until 1844), were Revs. Samuel Drapon, Jacob Beeman, B.
Goodsell, Anthony Rice, Wescot, Meeker, Rider, John White-
horn, John B. Stratton, Tobias Spicer, Cyrus Prindle, John M. Weaver, David
Poor, Joshua Poor, John Alley, A. Lyon, W. Heirs, Hanover, C. B. Mor-
Town of Mount Holly. 687
ris, L. Prindle, Ira Bentl_\-. These men preached the word to tliis pioneer
cliurch prior to its becoming a ' charge ' within the limits of the Troy Con-
ference. They were all circuit-riders, never having a residence here. After
the discnssions in the Methodist Church regarding church discipline, and the
episcopacy and presiding elder-ship, which resulted in the estrangement of a
body of believers in 1830, calling themselves Protestant Methodists, and dis-
carding the above offices, that faith had a small following in this town. They
held meetings in the old brick school-house at Tarbellville. Their numbers
were few. They had preaching each two weeks by Revs. Vaughan and Fasset,
respectively. They never effected an organization in this town. When the
Vermont Conference was organized in 1844, it onh' embraced the three dis-
tricts east of the Green Mountains formerly belonging to the New Hampshire
Conference, and this town still held its allegiance to the Troy Conference. It
had for pastors the following men : W. I. Pond, B. D. Ames, Cooper,
Haselton, L. S. Walker, T. Dodgson, E. Gale, A. Dickinson, A. Howard,
T. B. Taylor, Caleb Fales, Zeb. Twitchell, Isaac Smith, H. H. Smith, Z. H.
Powers, J. E. King, S. Smith, J. H. Stevens, J. F. Chamberlain, Robert Brown,
C. A. Stevens, M. A. Wicker. At the general Conference of i860 the two
districts lying west of the mountains were transferred to the Vermont Confer-
ence (though in 1868 one district was retroceded again to the Troy Conference),
thus placing this town within the limits of the Vermont Conference. Prior to
this time Cuttingsville became associated with this place as a preaching ap-
pointment. The following clergymen have in the order indicated held appoint-
ments here since, preaching at the two places alternately : Hubbard Eastman^
1861-63 ; C. A. Stephens, 1863-64 ; A. Newton, 1864-66 ; H. G. Day, 1866-
67; Moses Adams, 1867-70; Joseph Enright, 1870-73 ; T. Mackie, 1873-
75; Leonard Dodd, 1875-77; J. I. Curnmings, 1877-78; James E. Knapp
1878-81 ; W. C. Oliver, 1881-83 i W. M. Gillis, 1883-85. In 1883 this so-
ciety, with a bequest of Mrs. Mary Knights as a nucleus, secured funds for the
erection of a new house of worship more compatible with their growing needs.
As a result, the new Gothic edifice which now adorns our village was erected
at a cost of $5,800. There is preaching service each Sunday- at 10.30 o'clock,
followed by Sabbath-school, and prayer service in the evening. The present
pastor is Rev. W. M. Gillis, and the society now numbers 145, with thirty-five
probationers. There is an enterprising Sunday-school of about 200 members
at present. The church has a commodious parsonage built at an expense of
$2,280."
The church officers are as follows : Stewards, P. E. Chase, Anthony Adams.
Warren Underwood, R. R. Parker, Sylvester Tucker, P. L. Allen, S. B. Flan-
ders, B. E. Foster, F. F. Cady, A. W. Graves, Asa Meyers (including the
charge at Cuttingsville). Class leader, David E. Eddy. Sunday-school su-
perintendent, Z. B. Babbitt.
History of Rutland County.
" Adveutists. — Some time about 1 840 the Advents commenced a series of
meetings at the brick school-house in Tarbellville. They were largely attended,
and attracted much attention. Such preachers as Locke, Lyon, Bosworth and
Tiff preached. Among those of that faith who in those days were earnest for
its propagation were the families of Daniel Chatterton, Horace Newton, Rufus
and William Jackson, Nathan Doolittle, Gabriel Bishop and Orlin Russell. So
earnest did these become in the belief of the personal coming of the Lord that
they met upon fixed days to prepare themselves by prayer and exhortation,
and be thus assembled to meet him. Some, in 1844, refused to harvest their
crops. During the summer of 1846 they were organized into a society by
Elder D. Bosworth, of Bristol, who became and has since been their pastor.
A chapel was erected at Bowlville, at a cost of $1,000, having a seating ca-
pacity of 300 persons. Here preaching service is occasionally held by the pas-
tor. The societ}- is few in numbers, but they have usually been men of sterling
integrity.
" Roman Catholic. — The last church organization was the Roman Catholic.
This was in 1874, and by Patrick Kelly and John Dorsey. It consisted of
thirt}'-four members. Their church edifice was erected in 1875, and cost
$4,000. Rev. Cliarles Boylan was the first priest. They have now a mem-
bership of more than eighty families, mostly of Irish and French descent. Rev.
Father Lane, of Rutland, presides over the church. Such has been the origin
and growth of the several church bodies. They have each been defended with
true Puritan zeal and steadfastness. Each has contained followers with tenacity
equal to the early Puritans — and some at times with a spirit akin to the Mathers
at Salem. They have been the bulwarks of our civilization, containing our
most earnest and reliable citizens, and ha\e ever been respected and respectable."
Schools. — Mount Holly is divided into twelve school districts, in which
schools are maintained several months of each year. The inhabitants of the
town have always shown a commendable degree of interest in the cause of edu-
cation, and particularly in more recent years; several commodious and com-
fortable school houses have been erected and care taken to secure excellent
teachers.
The Professions. — For an account of the physicians who have practiced in
Mount Holly in past years the reader is referred to the previous chapter devoted
to the medical profession. The venerable Dr. John Crowley is still a resident
of the town, and in that chapter a sketch of his life will be found. Dr. T. A.
Cootey was born in Barnard, Windsor county, Vt., February 27, 1855. Stud-
ied his profession at Woodstock and Burlington, where he graduated in 1880.
He began practicing at once in Mechanicsville.
The only lawyer who ever resided in this town was Ira V. Randall. He
was a native of the town and remained here about three years after his admis-
sion to the bar in 1850. He removed to De Kalb, 111., and became quite prom-
inent in his profession.
Town of Mount Holly. 689
Municipal, Ma^mfacturing, etc. — There have never been any villages of
prominence in Mount Holly ; but there are several hamlets bearing distinctive
names, at which more or less business is carried on. The largest of these is
Mechanics\Mlle, which is situated near the central part of the town.
One of the early business industries of this place was the tannery which was
started by Deacon Dan Peck, more than sixty years ago, on the site now occu-
pied by Dr. T. A. Cootey's house. Daniel Tubbs, of Clarendon, subsequently
carried it on for some time and was succeeded by Stone & Derby, who ran it
for a long time. Leander Derby, in company with Alanson White and later
with Henry \V. Ball, operated it until it was abandoned some years since.
The toy manufactor}' of Phillip E. Chase ^ is located here and is an import-
ant industry. It was started in 1863 by his brother, A. P. Chase, who sold an
interest to Philip E. soon after. It has continued under Mr. Chase's control
since. Water and steam power are used and forty to fifty styles of children's
wagons, wheelbarrows, carts, etc., are made. About fifty men are employed
in the establishment. On this site was formerly a grist-mill for many years,
which was last run by Benjamin Priest ; a part of its old frame was used in
erecting the toy factory. Mr. Chase has a saw-mill in connection with his fac-
tory and uses annually about 8oo,000 feet of lumber in his business.
Frederick Parmenter carries on a chair stock factory, which he, and for a
time at first with his father, Edwards Parmenter, has run nearly thirty years ;
he purchased his father's interest.
I. A. Russell & Son (F. L. Russell) carry on a general store at Mechanics-
ville. It was built by Samuel Hemenway in 1843 or 1844, who conducted the
business a short time and was succeeded for a year or so by Parker Sawyer.
After he left it E. R. Fay kept it for five or six years ; it was then run as a
union store for a short time, Frank Parmenter being clerk. This was succeeded
by Harvey Dickerman four or five years ; D. L. Dawley, eight years ; N. B.
Pinney, a number of years; B. J. Powell, one year; Charles W. Priest, eight
years; the present proprietors succeeded Mr. Priest P'ebruary i, 1884.
Samuel Hemenway kept a hotel at Mechanicsville many years ago in the
house now occupied by Mrs. Abigail Livingstone, and there were inns in the
town even before that. The hotel now kept by E. R. Chase and owned by
him, was opened in January, 1883.
1 Elijah Chase, father of P. E., came to Mechanicsville about fifty years ago; he was a
shoemaker. His son, Phillip E., started on a whaling voyage in 1852 from New Bedford, Mass.;
cruised about the .•\zore Lslands a few months and then sailed for the coast of Brazil where several
months were spent around the Rio de la Platte ; thence he sailed around Cape Horn and at one of the
Chili ports he left the whaling vessel and spent a few months along that coast and Peru, returning then
to Boston. He also made a second voyage to the West Indies. In 1855 he entered the regular army,
in the 2d regiment of cavalry, and spent over four years in Te.xas, returning home in i860. At the
breaking out of the Rebellion he enlisted in Company I, 2d Vermont Regiment and went out as ser
geant ; was m.ade second lieutenant of Company A, same regiment, and promoted to first lieutenant
appointed captain of Company G, same regiment, and was mustered out with the organization.
690 History of Rutland County.
A post-office has been maintained here fifty years or more, of which Dea-
con Dan Peck was postmaster in its early existence. On the ist of April, 1884,
F. L. Russell was appointed to the office, as successor to C. W. Priest. In the
fall of 1885 Frank Parmenter superseded Mr. Russell.
Tarbellville is a hamlet about a mile west of Mechanicsville ; it received its
name from Marshall Tarbell, a prominent citizen. A store is kept here by M.
G. Williams, which was originated by Marshall Tarbell about 1871, in which
year he built it. S. H. Livingston kept it until 1876; Puffer & Pettingill, 1877 ;
F. H. Puffer, two years, 1879; M. Tarbell, one year, 1880; C. F. Ives, two
years, 1882; Morse & Ranger, two years, and were succeeded by the present
proprietor.
The mills at this point were first built more than si.xty years ago, and were
first burned about forty years ago ; the)' were at once rebuilt by Luther and
Calvin Tarbell, father and uncle of Marshall ; the latter took possession about
seventeen years ago and has since conducted a large manufacturing business ;
previous to the time last mentioned he was variously interested with others.
The last fire occurred January 5, 1878, and caused a loss of about eight thou-
sand dollars. The business now comprises the manufacture of lumber, rakes and
chair stock. The capacity of the mill is about 600,000 feet of lumber per year ;
the rake factory turns out from 3,000 dozen to 4,000 dozen a year, and the
manufacture of chair stock consumes 300,000 to 500,000 feet of lumber an-
nually.
The Tarbellville cheese factory was established in 1874, by A. W. Dicker-
man, S. H. Livingston and Marshall Tarbell ; the latter became its owner very
soon after its commencement. It uses the milk of 400 cows and manufactures
from 80,000 to 100,000 pounds of cheese annually.
Mount Holly is a hamlet near the central part of the town and on the rail-
road. The first post-office in the town was established here, in which Darius
Green was postmaster in 1825. George Mead had the office several years and
in 1 87 1 David Horton took it, continuing until October, 1885, when M. J. Hol-
den was appointed.
There was formerly a store kept on the corner opposite Mr. Horton's place
of business, which was built by Jonah Ives about 1S46. He, with his son-in-
law, Mr. Miller, conducted it for a number of years. David Horton has kept
a store here since 1871. This point has telephone connection with perhaps
more places than any other town in the county, embracing Rutland, Cuttings-
ville, Ludlow, Proctor, Cavendish, Chester, Bartonville, Rockingham, Bellows
Falls, Keene, N. H., Plainfield, N. H., Windsor, White River Junction and
Claremont ; also, Troy, Whitehall, Glens Falls, Fairhaven, Castleton, Centre
Rutland, Mechanicsville, Tarbellville, AUard's Mills, East Wallingford, Horton's
Mill, Weston, Londonderry, Woodstock, Springfield, Wethersfield and other
points.
i < A^.^i-^J^^^
i
Town of Mount Holly. 691
Bowlville is a settlement about two miles west of Mount Holly Station and
is also on the railroad ; it takes its name from being the location of a factory
where wooden bowls, etc., were made. A cheese factory was established here
in the spring of 1884, which is owned by George Sherman and operated by
Charles F. Guild.
Hortonville is a settlement in the north part of the town, about one and a
half miles from Mount Holly railroad station. We have spoken of Aaron Hor-
ton being an early settler in the town. He was the father of Andrew Horton
and the grandfather of David Horton. David Horton built a mill here about
1848, and some twenty years ago it passed to the possession of his brother,
Warren, having been in the mean time owned by Nathaniel Horton, and later
by Orville Spencer. It was run by water at first, but steam is now used, and
from 300,000 to 400,000 feet of lumber manufactured annuall\-.
Healdville is a small settlement, post-office and railroad station in the east
part of the town. There was formerly a steam mill here which was owned by
W. B. & J. P. Hoskison, which did a large business ; it was burned in 1872 and
not rebuilt. J. P. Hoskison is postmaster.
Besides the manufactories mentioned it should be stated that the first grist-
mill in the town was built by Jethro Jackson about the year 1802, at the site
of Bowlville. A few years later another was built at Mechanicsville by Abra-
ham Jackson, and still later another was built by Captain Joseph Green near
Healdville, in the east part of the town. None of these is now in existence.
There was formerly a carding-machine in operation in the north part of the
town and one at Mechanicsville, both of which were long ago abandoned.
In addition to the present interests there are Daniel C. Allard's mills in the
west part of the town about two miles from Mechanicsville. They were erected,
or built over, on the site of Greenwood & Parmenter's old mill, which was orig-
inally built by Edward Chilson, of East Wallingford, more than thirty years
ago. Mr. AUard rebuilt the mills in 1876, and they embrace the saw-mill and
a chair stock manufactory.
Parmenter & Johnson's mills (Frederick Parmenter and Gilbert E. Johnson),
are located about half a mile southwest of Mechanicsville. The mill was built
by A. W. Dickerman and Windsor Newton. A quantity of chair stock and
about 400,000 feet of lumber are made annually.
692 History of Rutland County.
CHAPTER XXXII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MOUNT TABOR.
THE town of Mount Tabor is situated in tlie southeast corner of Rutland
county, and is bounded on the north by WaUingford and Mount Holly;
on the east by Weston (Windsor county) ; on the south by Peru and Dorset
(Bennington county), and on the west by Danby. It was chartered August
28, 1 761, by Benning Wentworth, of New Hampshire, under the name of "Har-
wick," to Jonathan Willard and si.xty others ; it contained 23,040 acres, and the
usual reservations were made for the school, ministerial and governor's lots.
The town lies principally on the Green Mountains and is generally of a rugged
character. The west side includes the valley of Otter Creek, in which are some
fertile and comparatively level lands. Otter Creek flows northward along the
extreme west part of the town, and " Big Branch " flows northerly and west-
erly across the town and empties into Otter Creek at about the center of the
west line. Numerous other small streams exist in various parts of the town.
A considerable part of the town is still covered with forest.
This town was organized on the 17th of March, 178S, with the following
officers: Gideon Tabor, moderator; John Jenkins, town clerk; John Stafford,
John Jenkins and Gideon Baker, selectmen ; Jonathan Wood, treasurer; Elihu
Allen, constable and collector ; Giles Wing and John Stafford, listers ; Beloved
Carpenter, Gideon Tabor, Giles Wing, Jonathan Wood, John Stafford and Gid-
eon Baker, petit jurors.
At the date of organization there were seventeen freemen in the town, ac-
cording to the recorded list, as follows : Elihu Allen, Gideon Tabor, Gideon
Baker, Matthew Randall, jr., Giles Wing, Benjamin Cornwell, Beloved Carpen-
ter, Jonathan Wood, Stutely Stafford, Edward Corban, John Stafford, Elijah
Gary, Jacob Wheeler, jr., Stephen Hill, Palmer Stafford, Samuel Quitman and
Daniel Sherman.
Gideon Tabor was elected representative of the town in 178S, according to
a certificate which is extant, signed by John Jenkins as town clerk. A second
town meeting was held on the 28th of May, 1788, at which it was voted that
an estimation be made of the property at once ; also a tax of five pounds to
be made out and collected in grain, to defray the expenses of laying out roads,
purchasing books and paying other necessary expenses.
The name of the town was changed from " Harwick " to Mount Tabor in
i8o3,the change being rendered desirableon account of there being a town named
Hardwick already in the State, which led to confusion in delivering mail. The
town did not have a post-office in its limits until within the past fifteen years;
but depended on Danby and Weston for its mail. A part of Bromley (now
Town of Mount Tabor. 693
Peru), two hundred rods wide, east and west, and six miles long, was annexed
to Mount Tabor in 1805, and remained thus for twenty years, when it was
taken oft' and annexed to Dorset. On that strip of land lived about fourteen
families. About i8i4or 1815 a road was laid out through Mount Tabor from
Danby borough to Weston, and about this date several families were located in
the east part of the town ; the first of these was Samuel Foster.
The first proprietors' meeting was warned by William Fox, of Wallingford,
and held in August, 1805, with William Fox as .moderator, and Gideon Tabor
proprietors' clerk. At this meeting it was voted to allot the town and that
Jonathan Parker, David Steel and Gideon Tabor should be a committee to su-
perintend the allotment. It was also voted to give to David Steel a strip of
land five hundred rods wide on the east side of the town for sixteen original
proprietors' shares that he owned. The remainder was allotted in 1807. The
governor's lot was situated in the southwest corner of the town.
The town, with the exception of Steel's strip and the governor's five hun-
dred acre lot, was run out into ninety-six lots — two lots to each proprietor's
share, which were designated by ranges and numbers, and first and second
division lots. The names of the original grantees of the town are as follows :
Jonathan Willard, John Howard, William Buck, Elijah Ferris, John Renold,
Thomas Hunter, Nathaniel Marshall, David Hunter, Ezekiel Napp, Enos Ful-
ler, Peter Reynold, Samuel Hawley, Abraham Finch, Joseph Crouch, Gabriel
Sherwood, James Palmer, Lewis Barton, Daniel Harris, Eli Parsons, Nehemiah
Messenger, Sarah Lampson (widow), John Lampson, Daniel Hare, William
Hare, Anthony Woolf James Cutler, Jacob Lomis, John Wentworth, John
Chamberlin, Thomas Wentworth, Thomas Martin, John Walbridge, Jonathan
Willard, 3d, Samuel Canfield, Eldad Van, Wort, Hezekiah Lomis, William Fin-
court, Ebenezer Strong, John Rice, Beriah Lomis, Abraham Utler, Samuel
Rose, jr., Judah Aulger, Elisha Smith, David Aulger, Joseph Fames, Ebenezer
Fames, Cyrus Aulger, John Aulger, Ebenezer Napp, Richard Fogeson, Rich-
ard Truesdell, John Joslyn, Hendrick Minard, Christian Ray, Samuel Willard,
Asa Douglas, Richard Wibard, esq., Daniel Warner, esq., James Neven, esq.,
Charles Foot, John Nelson. ^
According to the sketch of this town furnished by Gideon S. Tabor, for the
Vermont Historical Magazine, about three thousand acres of the best part of
the town, including the governor's lot, in the valley of the Otter Creek, was
first settled, and titles obtained by " pitches " and vendue sales for taxes. It
was ascertained in 1857, by running the town line between Danby and Mount
Tabor, that parties claiming under Danby had crowded into Mount Tabor, ten
rods at Danby borough, the center of said line, which takes about sixty acres
of land, eight dwellings, the meeting-house and the old banking-house, all
treated as being in Danby, and will virtually form Mount Tabor, " and remain
1 The spelling of these names is as it appears on the records.
694 History of Rutland County.
so by acquiescence, unless an act of Legislature or a judgment of the court sets
it right."
Early Settlements. — Of the pioneers who came into this town and laid the
foundations of civilization in the wilderness, a few words are merited. John
Sweet came here about the year 1782, and settled on sixty acres of land at the
foot of the Green Mountains, on the farm now owned by Martin Foley. He
was "a staid and God-fearing man," and died about 181S. He had a large
and respectable family, all of whom left the town soon after his decease.
Gideon Baker was in the town at the time of its organization ; was one of
its first selectmen and once represented the town in the Legislature. He lived
on the farm now owned by J. B. Griffith and occupied by L G. Sheldon. He
and his wife were prominent in the Methodist faith and many early meetings
were held at his house. He died in 1824 and his wife in 1823 ; they had a
large family, but none of them is living in the town.
Walter Tabor came from Tiverton, R. L, to Danby, with his family about
the year 1782 or 1783. He lived there about ten years, when he removed to
Mount Tabor and located on the east side of Otter Creek on the farm now
owned by John B. Griffith. He became prominent in the town and held sev-
eral offices ; he died in 1 806, after serving his country in the Revolutionary
War. His eldest son, Gideon Tabor, was born 1762, and also served four years
in the War of the Revolution, in which capacity his zeal for the cause did much
to inspire a patriotic spirit. He came into the town about 1784, married Han-
nah Carpenter, daughter of Beloved Carpenter, one of the first settlers, and
served as town clerk twenty-eight years ; he also represented the town in the
Legislature most of the time for thirty years, and died in February, 1824. He
had a family of eight children that arrived at years of maturity. Caleb Bufi"um
moved into the town in 1815 and settled on the farm now owned by James Ca-
nary and occupied by Amos Wells (this farm was occupied by L. P. Hine, now
of Danby from 1854 to 1863). He lived nearly forty years in the place and
raised a large family of children. Later in his life he removed to Rutland,
where he and his wife both died. He was an energetic and useful man and
represented the town in the Legislature several years ; he also held all of the
town offices at different periods.
Stephen Hill, whose name appears in connection with the town organiza-
tion, lived until his death on the farm in the northwest part where George A.
Hadwin now resides. His }'oungest son, Amos, also li\-ed and died on that
place.
Stephen Hill, Gidetin Baker and Gideon Tabor were the only men who re-
mained in the town from its organization until their death ; and there is not a
living representative of those who organized the town now living in it, except
of the Tabor family. James Hathaway was a sergeant in the Revolutionary
arm}' and long resided in the town ; he died in 1826. Joseph Moulton was in
Town of Mount Tabor. 695
both the French and the Revolutionary Wars and died in 181 5. In the War
of 1812 Edward C. Tabor, Arden Tabor, Gideon Tabor and WilHam Colston
took part from this town, the former having been orderly sergeant.
There was a school-house built of logs at an early date on the farm of Gid-
eon Tabor, which was the first, or one of the first, in the town. Mr. Tabor
taught tliere in the winter of 1808-09; this was the last session in that house.
The town is now divided into four school districts. There is no church in the
town, except the one mentioned as standing on the land appropriated by Dan-
by. Benjamin Shaw, a Methodist preacher, came into the town at an early
date, locating in the east part, and made an eftbrt for several years to secure
the ministerial lot ; not succeeding he went away.
The history of this town has been one of peace and general quietude ; the
inhabitants have gi\-en their attention to their farms and other industries, with-
out attempting to distract themselves with the turmoil of the busy centers else-
where. When the call for troops was issued to aid in suppressing the great
Southern Rebellion, the town responded with the same patriotism that had dis-
tinguished it in the early wars. The following list shows the enlistments from
the town in Vermont organizations as far as known : —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — Joseph Ayres, co. C, loth regt.; Henry J. Ba-
ker, Nathan F. Baker, co. F, 6th regt.; Joseph Buffum, co. H, cav.; Elias E.
Cox, CO. D, 7th regt.; John Fortier, co. C, loth regt.; John J. Howard, co. E,
2d s. s.; George A. King, co. F, 6th regt.; Exes Minett, co. E, 2d s. s.; Joseph
Minett, co. A, 4th regt; Eli A. Moers, co. C, lOth regt; George W. Sheldon,
CO. C, iith regt.; Isaac A. Sweat, co. D, 7th regt; Abel B. Tarbell, co. E,
Sth regt.; James M. Tarbell, co. E, 2d <;. s.; Martin M. Tarbell, co. B, 7th regt;
Thomas J. Tarbell, Henry H. Thompson, Prescott W. Thompson, William A.
Thompson, co. E, 2d s. s.; Edwin Thomas, co. C, 6th regt.; Lyman C. Wells,
Eli A. Willard, co. E, 2d s. s.; Calvin White, co. B, 9th regt.
Volunteers for three years, Daniel H. Lane, co. I, 17th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Elias E. Cox, co. D, 7th regt.; Hiram Greeley,
CO. E, 6th regt; Martin M. Tarbell, co. D, 7th regt; Eli A. Willard, co. E,
2d s. s.
Furnished under draft, paid commutation, Asa L. Warner. Entered ser-
vice, William A. Thompson, co. I, 4th regt.
The following statistics show the population of the town at the various dates
given, and indicate that this is one of the towns of the county which has a
larger population now than at any previous time : 1791,165; 1800,153; 18 10,
209; 1820,222; 1830,210; 1840, 226; 1850,308; i860, 358; 1870,301;
1880, 495.
Following are the names of the present officers of Mount Tabor : T. C.
Risdon, clerk; James G. Johnston, treasurer and overseer of the poor; D. C.
696 History of Rutland County.
Risdon, O. O. Nichols and E. L. Staples, selectmen ; E. Eoley, J. Minett and
N. E. Nichols, listers ; D. C. Risdon, M. Barrett and B. J. Griffith, school
trustees.
Manufacturing, etc. — The first manufacturing in this town was, undoubt-
edly the sawing of lumber in the mills that were early built on the streams for
the accommodation of the settlers in the building of frame houses and barns to
supersede their log structures. The first saw-mill in the town was built by
Elisha Lapham, a Danby man, on the site of P. T. Griffith's mill ; this was
burned and the second one erected within a few years afterward.
N. E. Nichols's mills, located on " Roaring Branch," were built in 1862 and
purchased by him in 1867. They manufacture, besides lumber, cheese-boxes
and scoop-shovels, the manufacture of the latter having been begun the pres-
ent year.
P. T. Griffith's mill, before mentioned, was erected on the site of a former
mill owned by C. H. Congdon, which burned.
What was known as the "Greeley mill," which was built in 1 840 on the branch,
passed into possession of S. L. Griffith, but is not now running. Griffith & Mc-
Intj'-re's mill (S. L. Griffith and Eugene Mclntyre) was built on the Big Branch
in 1872, and has a capacity for cutting 20,000 feet of lumber per day. It is
run by steam. Mr. Griffith has another steam mill a mile above the " Greeley
mill," on the site of an old mill built in 1854 by F. R. Button; it was burned
after coming into Mr. Griffith's hands and he erected the present mill; it has
a capacity of 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 feet of lumber per year ; also manufac-
tures lath and shingles. It will be seen from these statements that the lumber
business is still one of the important industries of the town.
The tanning business has received some attention here. A tannery was
built on land owned by H. W. Lincoln a little after I 840, and first operated by
Henry G. Lapham and Levi Barrett. They conducted it to about the close of
the war, when Hiram Lincoln took it for a year ; he then took in John Mat-
tocks and they continued it eight or ten years. Mr. Mattocks then had it alone
a year or two. The establishment burned a number of years ago.
The Charcoal Business. — This is bj' far the most important industry in this
town and is carried on nowhere else in the county at large, except by the great
furnace companies, to anything like the extent that it reaches here. The coal
is burned from both hard and soft wood, spruce, poplar, birch, etc. The busi-
ness is almost entirely in the hands of S. L. Griffith and the firm of Griffith &
Mclntyre, before mentioned. It was begun by Mr. Griffith in 1872, when he
built si.x kilns. So important is the industry and so picturesque its surround-
ings that it has been written up and illustrated in one of the popular magazines.
At the settlement, which has been given the name of Mill Glen, and where a
little gathering of houses has existed since 1854, when Frank Button carried
on a saw-mill here, are located eight kilns of the thirty-five owned by the men
Town of Pawlet. 697
named (either by Mr. Griffith alone, or by the firm), and more than thirty
famihes have settled down here, members of all of which are employees of Mr.
Griffith. Two blacksmith-shops, a wagon-shop, a harness-shop, a shoe-shop,
a store, two boarding-houses and a school, are conducted at this point and all
substantially under the direction of Mr. Griffith. At what is called " the Sum-
mit Job," Mr. Griffith has ten kilns ; this is located two miles farther up the
mountain. In the vicinity of the Greeley mill he has four kilns, and four near
the railroad depot.
At another settlement called the " Black Branch Job," the firm of Griffith
& Mclntyre have nine kilns, a blacksmith and wagon repair shop, and some
twenty tenant houses ; another school is located here. These schools are kept
up principall)' by the children of the families engaged in the charcoal business.
In the shops all the wagons and sleds, etc., used in the industry are made and
kept in order, nothing being purchased outside except raw material.
The product of this industry js enormous and consists of about 1,000,000
bushels annually. For its shipment forty cars arc kept which were built for
this express purpose. Twenty thousand cords of wood are burned annually,
each kiln holding from forty to forty- five cords. The coal goes largely to the
Washburn & Moen Wire Company, of Worcester, Mass., and to Senator Will-
iam H. Barnum, of Conn. The two men named keep about one hundred horses
and eighteen yokes of oxen in service, and employ in all five hundred men.
Mr. Griffith has also a large farm on which he is making a specialty of rais-
ing blooded cattle and swine; of the former he has about sixty-five head and
of the latter one hundred.
The hamlet called Brooklyn is the only post-office in the town. It is lo-
cated on the Rutland and Bennington Railroad, which skirts the western side
of the town. Joseph I. Scott was the first postmaster here, and was succeeded
by James C. King in about 1S75. O. O. Nichols was appointed to the office
in the fall of 1885. A grocery is kept here by D. C. Risdon, who began the
usmess m
CHAPTER XXXIII.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF P.VWLKT.
THIS is the southwestern town in Rutland county, and is bounded on the
north by Wells ; on the east by Danby ; on the south by Rupert, and on
the west by Hebron and Granville, N. Y. It is six miles square and contains
23,040 acres. It is divided from north to south by a range of mountains,
698 History of Rutland County.
nearly through its center, which range is flanked on the west by another of
lesser height ; its most prominent mountain is Haystack, and others are South
Mountain, North Mountain and Middle Mountain. The principal river is the
Pawlet, or Metowee, which rises in Dorset, flows across the corner of Rupert
and crosses this town diagonall}- from southeast to northwest. Its principal
tributaries are Flower Brook, which rises in Danby and empties into Pawlet
River near the village, and Indian River, which crosses the southwest corner
of the town and joins the larger stream in Granville. Wells Brook joins it in
the northwest corner of the town.
The soil in the town is varied in its character, and while gravelly loam pre-
ponderates, limestone, clay, slate, etc., are found. The entire surface was, of
course, originally covered by a luxuriant forest. In early j-ears the raising of
grain and stock was the leading industry ; this has since given way to more
extended grazing and later to dairying.
Charter and Settlements. — This town was chartered to Jonathan Willard
and sixty-seven others by Benning Wentworth, under date of August 26, 1761.
The usual reservations were made for a church lot, the propagation of the Gos-
pel in foreign parts and for the benefit of the schools of the town. But few of
the original grantees ever settled in the town, and the oncoming of the Revo-
lution and the long controversy with New York had the effect for a period of
delaying settlement. In 1770 there were but nine families in the town. At
the close of the Revolution, however, many soldiers who had passed over the
region during their service, were so pleased with it that they came in and pur-
chased lands ; often of speculators, who stood between the original proprietors
and themselves, at immoderate prices.
Captain Jonathan Willard, the principal grantee and settler of Pawlet, was
from Roxbury, Mass. Considerable of the earlier part of his life was passed in
Colchester, Conn., and later years in Albany and other parts of New York
State ; and at the time of his first visit to the New Hampshire Grants (1760)
he was engaged in the lumber business at Old Saratoga. He selected three
townships of land, and after securing his charter, repaired to Colchester, Conn.,
and informed his friends of what he had done. For merely nominal consider-
ations (in many instances, it is said, a mug of flip or a new hat), he purchased
the rights of those named in the charter, until he owned just two-thirds of the
town. The other third he was anxious to have settled, and accordingly in the
same year ( 1 761), Simon Burton and William Fairfield came in town. Mr.
Burton was voted fifty acres of land on account of his being the first settler;
he was proprietors' clerk in 1769, according to the oldest records in existence
here. He lived at North Pawlet to a good old age and died about 18 10.
The next year, 1762, Captain Willard came in with nine hired men and
several horses ; they cleared several acres and sowed wheat, returning to his
home in the fall. He met with some heavy losses and in 1764 or 1765, re-
Town of Pawlet. 699
turned with his family to iiis clearing ; he was a man of strong character and
respected by all with whom he came in contact. His sons were Colonel Sam-
uel Willard and Joseph Willard. Joseph had sons, Andrew, who lived and
died in town ; George, wlio removed to Castleton, and John. Others of the
Willard family who lived in town were Silas, who died in Granville, N. Y., in
1859; his brother, Dr. James H., who removed to Ohio in 1830.
In briefly alluding to some of the earl)' settlers and their descendants, we
are indebted largely to the information collected by Hiel HoUister for his his-
tory of Pawlet. Gideon Adams settled in 1770, where Geoi'ge Knights now
lives, or very near there ; he became conspicuous and was in the Legislature
in 1778, serving in all six years, and was town clerk and justice thirty-nine
years ; died in 1827.
Timothy Allen came from Woodbury, Conn., in 1768. He was a cousin
of Ethan Allen and located where David G. Blossom now lives. He was an
estimable citizen, of earnest piety ; was moderator of the town meeting of 1770.
Among his children was Caleb Allen, who came with his father and became a
large dealer in lands ; gave the cemetery in the north part of the town to the
school district in which it is situated. He died in 1804, and was succeeded on
the homestead by his son, Daty, who kept the place until 18 16. Timothy
Allen, jr., removed to Hartford, N. Y., in 1814. He was the father of Rev.
Barna Allen and Hon. Alanson Allen, who was conspicuous in the history of
Fairhaven.
John Allen came from Danby and settled in the town in 181 5, with his
sons, Nathan and Elisha ; he died in 1852. Elisha settled on the place now
owned by the widow of Albert A. Boynton, and built the brick house there.
He was a leading member of the Methodist Church ; was in the Legislature
four years, two of them in the Senate, and judge of the County Court three
years ; town clerk nineteen years and director of the Poultney Bank several
years; he died in 1856, aged si.xty-two.
John H. Andrus settled on the present "town farm " in 1820; he was a
judge of the County Court and of note in the community. Captain Zebediah
Andrus, from Norwich, settled in 1784 on the present homestead of David R.
Smith; he died in 1804. His son of the same name came in with his father
and died in 1830. Another son of the pioneer was Asa, sen., who died in the
town in 1821. Asa, jr., succeeded to his father's homestead but removed to
to Lockport, N. Y., in 1821. Rev. Lemon Andrus was a son of Asa, jr. ; he
was licensed to preach at West Pawlet in 1 82 1 , and removed from the town
about 1830. Benjamin Andrus, son of Zebediah, jr., settled on the mountain
near Rupert, and died in 1864. He had four sons and one daughter, all of
whom located in that \'icinity.
Joseph Armstrong settled in the northeast part of the town as early as 1776
and kept a tavern where the widow of Curtis Reed now lives, for twenty-five
700 History of Rutland County.
years. His sons were Jasper, Jesse and Phineas. The latter settled at the
village and died in 1836.
Jonathan Arnold, from Connecticut, was an earl)' settler, and died in Gran-
ville, N, Y., in 1838. His son, Jeremiah, was an early posttrider and a deacon
of the Baptist Church. He removed to Wisconsin.
General Elisha Averill, from New Milford, Conn., was one of the prominent
early settlers. He was the first captain of the Light Infantry and had a store
near the house where Frederick Smith lives ; he removed west in 1803 and
died in Manchester, N. Y., in 1821.
Remember Baker, who was so conspicuous in connection with Ethan Allen
and in the early stirring events of the history of Vermont, was a proprietor
and temporary resident of this town as early as 1768. He built a grist-mill
where John Martin now lives, one of the earliest in town. He was killed by
the Indians not long afterward, near St. Johns, Canada, at the age of thirty-
five.
Elijah Baker came from Canterbury and settled in the south part of the
town in 1786, with his three sons, Ebenezer, Rufus and Ichabod, all of whom
had large families. He died in 181 1.
Daniel Baldridge settled where Henry Smith lives, in 1785. His sons were
Daniel, jr., and Edward. James, son of Edward, succeeded to the homestead
and died in 1S62. Most of his large family removed to Rupert, where they
are prominent.
Elisha Barrett came to the town in 1804 and died in 1828 ; he was the
father of four sons, Charles, Elijah, Elisha and Levi. Elijah remained in the
town and had a large family; two of his sons, Charles and Merritt C, died in
the service.
Aaron Bennett, from Canterbury, Conn., settled about 1784 near the pres-
ent residence of Evan Evans, and raised a numerous family. Samuel, a brother
of Aaron, came in about the same time. Banks Bennett, of another family,
settled in 1790 near the residence of Erwin Pratt; he died in 1829.
Selah Betts, of Norfolk, Conn., settled in 1783 on the farm now owned by
Willis Betts, of Poultne\'. He was in the Revolutionary War and died in
1826; John Betts and his brother, Selah, jr., succeeded to the homestead.
The former had a family of six sons and two daughters.
James Bigart, a native of Scotland, came to this town when a boy with his
father. He kept the Vermont Hotel at North Pawlet a number of years, clos-
ing in 1852. He became conspicuous in horse breeding and brought out the
celebrated " Rattler." He removed to Sandy Hill.
Jonathan Bidwell settled on what was known as the John Stark farm, in
1 8 10, and died in 1S39. His family consisted of one son and fi\e daughters.
David Blakely came from Woodbury, Conn., in 1782 and settled where
Frank Blakely now owns ; he became a successful and respected citizen, and
Town of Pawlet. 701
died in 1821. Captain David Blakely, jr., settled where his son, Walton, now
lives. He was a member of the Legislature two years and was long a deacon
of the Congregational Church. He had six sons and four daughters. The
oldest son became the Rev. Jacob E. Blakely and was settled over the Congre-
gational Church of Poultney ; he died in 1854. The second son, Quincy, also
became a minister. Dan Blakely, son of the pioneer, succeeded to the home-
stead and had a family of five sons and two daughters ; he was a public spirited
and influential citizen and died in 1862.
Jonathan Blakely came from Connecticut in 1785 and settled at Pawlet vil-
lage; he died in 1845, at the age of seventy.
Captain Seth Blossom, from Falmouth, Mass., settled in the town in 1783
and remo\-ed to Batavia, N. Y., in 1829. David C. Blossom came from Wells
in 1 8 16, and settled on the Timoth)' Allen farm. He was the father of seven
children, of whom David G. is the only one remaining in town and one of the
leading citizens of the community.
Hon. Jonathan Brace, of Glastenbury, Conn., settled here in 1780, where
the widow of Casper Leach lives, and was probably the first attorney. He was
a member of the Council of Censors in 1785, but returned to Connecticut in a
few years and became a prominent man.
Daniel Branch was an early settler (1784) in the northeast part of the town,
near the David Blakely place ; he died in 1S22. His son, Joseph, was a prom-
inent business man and ran one of the early lines of stages from Burlington to
New York; he died in 1853.
Captain Milton Brown settled in 181 5 about one-half mile east of the vil-
lage, and was agent of the cotton factory some thirty years ; was three years in
the Legislature, bank director and deacon in the Congregational Church. He
removed to Potsdam, N. Y., in 1853.
Elijah Brown came from Stamford, Conn., and settled on the homestead
occupied in later years by his son, Gerry; he died in 1835, after a useful life.
The son, Gerry, lived to 1864. Seely Brown, from the same place, came here
in 1780 and settled in the north part of the town. He was an enterprising
citizen ; gave the site of the church at West Pawlet to the society ; built at the
falls near by a saw-mill and clover-mill. He died in 1809.
Deacon Benajah Bushnell was an early settler and lived west of the village
on the Alonzo Smith place; he was an honored citizen and died in 1814, at
the age of seventy-one.
Nathaniel Carver located in the northwest part of the town. He had a
family of seven children, and died in 1805 at the age of fifty-two; his son,
John, died in 1864, aged seventy-eight; David settled where Myron Shaw
now lives ; Chester L. died in the asylum for insane at Brattleboro in 1863.
The family were conspicuous for their intelligence and educational require-
ments.
■jfxz History of Rutland County.
Dr. Lemuel Chipman, who has already been mentioned in the chapter de-
voted to the medical profession, came from Connecticut in 1780 and located
near where Mrs. Casper Leach lives. He belonged to a family whose deeds
shed a brilliant radiance on the history of the county and State. He was the
first president of the State Medical Society and was eight years in the Legis-
ture. He removed to Richmond, N. Y., in 1798. Dr. Cyrus Chipman, his
brother, was also a prominent figure and removed to Michigan about 1820.
The Clark families have been somewhat conspicuous in the history of the
town. Elisha Clark was from Sufiield, Conn., and settled in 1784 next south
of the present town farm. He removed to Orwell in 1795 and lived to a great
age. His sons who remained in town were Ozias, Daniel, Joseph and Asahel.
Colonel Ozias Clark was a man of great energy and activity and an influential
member of society ; lived about a mile east of Pawlet village ; was deacon of
the Congregational Church forty-seven years ; one of the corporators of the
Pawlet Manufacturing Company (incorporated 18 14), which operated the first
cotton-mill in Rutland county, and was otherwise prominent. He died in
1855, leaving a family of eight children, one of whom was Fitch Clark, who
was also a leading citizen of the town and father of a large family ; another
was Robert, who kept the village hotel several years, and also raised a large
family. Daniel Clark, second son of Elisha, had a family of eleven children
and died in 1842. Captain Joseph Clark, third son of Elisha, died in 1820,
and none of his family remain in town. Asahel Clark, the other son, located
on his father's place, and died in 1859; he had but one son, Ephraim F.
Hon. Aaron Clark, was a native of the town, son of David Clark, and born
in 1 79 1 ; he graduated from Union College; was private secretary to Governor
Daniel D. Tompkins and clerk of the Assembly. \\\ 1826 he removed to New
York city and was mayor in 1840-41.
Moses Cleveland settled early in the north part of the town where he passed
a long life, dying in 1820. His son Asa succeeded to the homestead and died
in 1864. Another son, Augustus, was a colonel in the War of 1812. Palmer
Cleveland came from Salem, N. Y., became a large farmer and tanner He
removed to Indiana in 1832.
Gideon Cobb came from Connecticut among the earliest settlers and brought
his family ; he died in 1798. John and Joshua were his sons. The former
lived near the village and the latter where Josiah Sherman lives. John removed
to Orwell and Joshua to Vernon, N. Y. Josiah D. Cobb married a daughter
of Ozias Clark and was a deacon in the Congregational Church from 1835 to
1847, when he removed to Wisconsin.
Titus A. Cook enjoyed the honor of being the first person born in the town,
the event occurring on the 22d of July, 1768. He settled near Granville, N.
Y., and died in 1827.
John Cook came from Sandisfield, Mass., and settled at an early day near
Town of Pawlet.
703,
Sherman Weed's present residence ; he was one of the early manufacturers of
lime in the town. Mahlon, John and Erasmus D. were his sons, the latter
succeeding to the homestead.
John Crapo came from Massachusetts about 18 14, and located where his
son, Alden B., afterwards lived. He died in 1862 and was greatly respected.
Josiah Crocker, from Falmouth, Mass., settled in the north part of the town
in 1783, and had a family of six sons and several daughters, to whom he gave
special educational advantages; none of them resides in town. Mr. Crocker
died in 1846.
Phineas and Ithamar Crouch were early settlers in the west part of the town
and had families, nearly all of whom removed to other parts.
Eldad Curtis came from Connecticut at an early day and located on the
place occupied in later years by Robert Stevens. His son Aaron succeeded to
the homestead, and there during the War of 181 2 carried on an extensive rope-
walk. He removed to Ithaca.
Captain Simeon Edgerton, from Norwich, Conn., settled in 1781 in the
town and was looked upon as one of its fathers, having had ninety-five de-
scendants at the time of his death in 1809. He located on the place now owned
by Richard Lane. Five sons, Jedediah, Jacob, John, Simeon and David, with
eight daughters, came with him. He became a prominent citizen and was in
the Legislature two years. Jedediah removed to Moriah, N. Y., in 1803. Ja-
cob settled in this town and was the father of ten children, one of whom is the
venerable Jacob Edgerton of Rutland ; Jacob's other sons were Sheldon, Hi-
ram, Abraham, George and David. John, son of Simeon, settled on the home-
stead afterward occupied by his son Chailes F.; he was town clerk ten years
from 1815, and died in 1827. Captain Simeon, jr., succeeded to his father's
homestead. He was a deacon in the Congregational Church and held a num-
ber of offices, dying in 1862 ; his sons were Porter and John G. Sheldon Ed-
gerton and Charles F. were both sent to the Legislature 03^ their townsmen,
and were influential citizens.
Abiathar Evans was a prominent soldier in the Revolution and died in
1831. He has a number of descendants living in this vicinity. Zadoc Everest
was another Revolutionary patriot and a representative in the first Legislature
of the State in 1778. William Fairfield was the second settler in the town and
as such received a gratuity of thirty acres of land ; but he espoused the royal
cause and his property was confiscated and he sought refuge in Canada.
Dr. Jonas Fay passed the later years of his life here and was an honored
citizen. He was contemporary with Ethan Allen and his associates and one
of the founders of the State ; was clerk of the Council of Safety ; clerk of the
convention of 1777 that declared Vermont a free state, and a supreme court
judge. He lived in the north part of the town.
Colonel William Fitch was one of the earliest settlers and most prominent
704 History of Rutland County.
citizens of the town. He was employed by the Council of Safety to furnish
supplies for the troops rai-sed to repel the invasion of Burgoyne. He owned
the first saw and grist-mills built at the village by William Bradford, and also
kept the first store in town ; the village was known on early maps as " Fitch's
Mills." He died in 1798. His children were John, Sina, Anna, Rachel, Sibel,
Abial and Margaret.
Daniel Fitch, from Norwich, Conn., was another early settler (17S4), lo-
cating where William Moore now owns, in the east part of the town. He died
in 1809, leaving nine children ; his sons removed to other localities, excepting
Daniel, jr., who located where Lucius M. Carpenter lived in later years; he
had three sons.
Joseph Fitch, of another family of this name, came from Norwich, Conn.,
and settled in town in 1776. He became one of the foremost citizens and ex-
erted a large influence for the good of the community. He had seven children,
most of whom settled in the town, and died in 1830, aged eighty-four. His
son Ephraim was a prominent citizen ; was in the Legislature three years ; built
the brick tavern at the village, which he kept, and also carried on milling and
mercantile business. He was instantly killed in 181 3 while cutting ice from
his wheel. His son Dorastus was long an active business man in the village
and mainly instrumental in erecting the Pawlet Academy ; was postmaster nine-
teen years and died in i860. Rev. Ferris Fitch was another son who removed
to Ohio. Captain Benjamin Fitch, anotlier son of Joseph, lived on the farm
with his father ; was a leader in the Democratic party in early years and a very
popular man; he died in 1823. Asahel settled at the village and carried on
tanning till he removed west in 1824, and Silas was a merchant and removed
to Michigan about 1840.
Zebulon Gibbs, who died in 1855, was an early settler near West Pawlet;
and Gideon Gifford, from Massachusetts, came in 1792; served through the
Revolution ; his son. Captain Noah, served in the War of 18 12 and spent his
life in town. Samuel Goodspeed from Barnstable, Mass., settled here in 1790,
raised a large family, and died in 1844; his son, Zenas, succeeded to the home-
stead and died in 1863. Ebenezer Giles, a Revolutionary soldier, settled in
1807 near West Pawlet; he kept a store in the village in 1 8 16 and died in
1838. Beriah Green, from Randolph in 1815, settled in town and some of
the members of his numerous family became very prominent. The Rev. Be-
riah Green, jr., graduated at Middlebury College and was conspicuous in the
anti-slavery agitation ; and his brother, Jonathan S., became a missionary.
Major Sylvanus Gregory came from Sufifield, Conn., in 1790 and lived in
the village where Damon Wheeler now owns ; he carried on the hatter's busi-
ness here ; his family comprised eight children, the oldest son, Silas, remaining
in the town through a long life.
Rev. John Griswold, of Lebanon, N. H., came into the town in 1792 and
Town of Pawlet. 705
succeeded Rev. Lewis Beebe as pastor of the Congregational Church in 1793 ;
he died in 1852. His son Harry was town clerk here from 1846 to his death
in 1848, at the age of fifty-two.
William Hanks settled early, coming from Sufifield, Conn. His sons who
located here were Oliver, Jonah and Arunah. Oliver held the position of jus-
tice fifty-one years and was much respected ; was also in the Legislature four
years ; his son Galusha settled at West Pawlet. Joseph operated the grist-
mill which his father built on the Pawlet River, but removed to West Virginia
in 1S16. Arunah succeeded to the homestead ; he was the father of seventeen
children and died in 1830.
Joseph Hascall came from Bennington in 17S7, and became a man of
prominence in the town. Of his famil)- of ten children several attained posi-
tions of honor which the\- were enabled to reach through the excellent advant-
ages given them by their parents.
Ashbel HoUister came from Glastenbury in 1781. He was in the Revolu-
tionary War ; his sons were Ashbel W., Orange, David, A. Sidne)', Horace,
Harvey, Hiel, and a daughter, Mary. Of these, Hiel Hollister spent his life in
the town as a farmer, school-teacher and merchant, and is the father of six
children. He is the author of the history of Pawlet, published in 1867, and
now lives in Granville, N. Y. Other settlers of this name were Innett Hollis-
ter, who came here in 1 78 1 and became prominent; held several town offices
and was in the Legislature three years from 18 16; had six children and died
in 1844; and Elijah Hollister, who located in the northwest part of the town in
1782; he removed to Alleghany county, N. Y., and died about 1840.
Daniel Hulett came from Killingly, Conn., in 17S0 and settled about two
and a half miles east of the village ; he took part in the battle of Saratoga, was
an industrious man and accumulated a handsome property; he died in 1838,
leaving three sons, Paul, Daniel and Joshua, and seven daughters. Paul was
also a large land owner and located near the village in 1820; he had a family
of nine children and died in 1845. Daniel Hulett, jr., settled near his father;
had ten children, of whom Tobias succeeded to the homestead ; he died in 1 836.
Joshua settled in the east part of the town, where he died in 1858. Joshua,
jr., also spent his life in the town.
Ephraim Jones came from Plainfield, Conn., in 1790 and located where G.
W. Burt now lives ; he had a family of eleven children, most of whom left the
town. Two of his sons, Joel and Asa S., carried on woolen manufacture sev-
eral years in the mill afterwards owned by Enoch Colvin. He died in 1839,
at the age of sixty-nine.
James Leach, from Canterbury, Conn., came in about 1780. He was a
conspicuous man in the councils of the town and was sent to the Legislature
three years. He died in 1835. His son, Lovell, succeeded to the homestead
(where Mr. Young now lives), and lived to a good old age. Another son,
7o6 History of Rutland County.
James, was in the Legislature in 1859-60, and a prominent citizen ; and Eben-
ezer, the third son, became one of the wealthiest men in the community.
Oliver Loomis, from East Windsor, Conn., in 1785, settled where Orla
Loomis now lives. He died in 1837. His son Gideon located on the same
farm and had six children, of whom Orla is one.
Captain Abner Lumbard settled in 1784 where Charles E. Taylor lives,
coming from Brimfield, Mass., and engaged in the cloth-dressing business; he
died in 1861, having had six children, of whom Chester lived in the village and
was a manufacturer.
James Maher settled about 1783 where Samuel Culver now resides ; he
died in 1824. His son William was one of the first manufacturers of cut nails
in the country.
Cornwell Marks came from Glastenbury, Conn., in 1785, and died in 1857.
Of their five children William espoused Mormonism. Ira, another son, settled
at West Pawlet, kept a store and operated a starch factory and stocking fac-
tory.
Captain Asa Meacham settled in the village in 1781, but removed to Rich-
land, N. Y., in 1804. Captain Abraham Meacham came here in 1787, and
removed later to the West.
Captain Josiah Monroe came from Canterbury, Conn., in 1784, and located
where the widow of A. A. Monroe now lives. His brother Jesse also came
about the same time and settled where E. S. Soullard now lives. The former
died in 1846, in the esteem of the community, and his son William succeeded
to the homestead. Asa A. Monroe was in the Legislature in 1856-57. Jesse
removed to Poultney and died in 1858.
Theron Norton was one of the successful merchants at West Pawlet and
became wealthy; removed to Chicago about 1834.
Timothy Nye, from Falmouth, Mass., settled in 1783 at the foot of Hay-
stack Mountain, where James Alexander lives; he died in 1847, his son Na-
thaniel succeeding to the homestead.
Colonel Stephen Pearl settled early in the south part of the town, where he
kept a store and tavern. He was in command of the force gathered to sup-
press the " Rebellion " at Rutland in 1786 ; he removed to Burlington in 1794
and died in 18 16.
John Penfield came to this town from Pittsford in 1803 ; he belonged to a
prominent family ; had twelve children and was deacon in the Congregational
Church; removed to Whitehall in 1840. Simeon Pepper came from New
Braintree, Mass., in 1783, and settled in the west part of the town. He died
in 1822, having had six children ; Simeon, jr., who died in 185 i ; John settled
near his father ; Chauncey P. located at West Pawlet and was a brick maker ;
was the father of seven children.
Deacon Moses Porter came to Vermont in 1780 from Connecticut, and
Town of Pawlet. 707
settled on a farm of Frederick S. Weed. He was in the Revolutionary War
under General Putnam and won his major's commission at Bemis's Heights,
He died in 1803. His son, Deacon Joseph Porter, succeeded to his father's
estate, and became an influential citizen ; he died in 1840.
Captain William Potter located at an early day where his son Joshua now
lives ; he died in 1863 ; his son Samuel also settled in this town and practiced
medicine several years.
Captain James Pratt settled in 1792 where Ervin Pratt now resides; he
came from Ware, Mass., originally, and from Halifax to this town. He was an
officer in the Revolutionary War and one of the most respected citizens of the
town; he died in 1834. His son Ervin has also received evidences of the
confidence and esteem of his townsmen; was sent to the Legislature in 1863—
64, and evinced a great interest in the welfare of our soldiers in the field.
Simeon Reed, from Duchess county, N. Y., 1776, settled on a farm now
owned by Daniel Brown in the northeast part of the town. He was a minute-
man at Ticonderoga at the time of Burgoyne's invasion. He was the father of
twelve children and died in 1840. Stephen settled near his father and was a
prominent citizen ; the same may be said of Silas Reed. Jedediah Reed, from
New London, Conn., in 1770, settled in the northeast part and was also a Rev-
olutionary soldier. Isaac Reed located in the southeast part of the town and
died about 1850. He was in the Revolution.
Captain Nathaniel Robinson came from Attleboro, Mass., in 1812 ; he had
been in the Revolution and held commissions. He, in connection with his
sons, was the first to establish cotton spinning by machinery in this county.
He died in 1841. Jonathan, his son, died in 1862. Nathaniel, jr., was pos-
sessed of great mechanical skill and was machinist for the cotton factory for
thirty years, building much of the complicated machinery himself.
Captain Ephraim Robinson came from Windham, Conn., in 1785, and set-
tled about two miles southwest of the village. He became a prominent citizen
and died in 1843, his son, Ephraim, jr., taking the homestead ; the latter died
in 1857. Richard, a brother of the elder Ephraim, settled west of the latter
and died in 1838. Abel was another brother who located in the same neigh-
borhood.
Ebenezer RoUin located near the Frary bridge about 1800, and carried on
the tanning business; he removed to Johnsburg, N. Y., about 1820.
Major Roger Rose settled before 1770 in the south part of the town ; he
was one of the delegates to the Dorset convention of 1 776, ;]and died about
1800.
George Rush, from Schoharie, N. Y., settled in the east part of the town
and died in 1820 at the great age of one hundred and ten j-ears ; he liad two
sons.
Captain Seth Sheldon came from Sufifield, Conn., in 1782 and located half
7o8 History of Rutland County.
a mile east of the village ; he was a leading citizen and had a large family ot
children, who removed away in later years. Captain Seth, jr., succeeded to
the homestead and removed to Chautauqua county, N. Y., about 1831.
Joel Simonds came from Massachusetts about 1780 ; he was father of a large
family and died in 1821. He lived on the Bigart place and kept a tavern
there, afterward removing to the place now owned by Ossian Simonds. Joel,
jr., succeeded to the homestead; was a leading citizen and gave his nine chil-
dren unusual educational advantages; he died in 1850. Colonel Benjamin
Simonds, a brother of the senior Joel, was in command of the military post in
this town in 1777.
Captain Nathaniel Smith came here with several brothers at an earl)- day.
He was in the Legislature in 1795-96, and died in 1807. His brothers left the
town early. Captain Benoni Smith settled in 1781 were Marshall Brown lives.
He was the means of bringing a large number of settlers to the town and con-
tributed in other ways to the growth of the place. He built a grist and saw-
mill on his premises soon after his arrival, and died in 1799. His son, Josiah,
settled where Horatio Hollister lives and was a leading citizen and the father
of ten children. Another son, Reuben, located near his father, and kept one
of the early taverns.
Captain John Stark came here prior to 1770; was a leading citizen and a
large landholder and settled on the farm of Mr. Hammond ; he was a cousin
of General Stark and commanded a company in the battle of Hubbardton;
was one of the first judges appointed in the State (in 1788). He removed to
Grand Isle about 1800 and was soon afterward instantly killed by the kick of
a horse.
Peter Stevens came from Glastenbury, Conn., in 1783 and located where
Myron Shaw lives ; was one of a family of fourteen children, and died in 1838.
His brother Jonathan located in that vicinity and was considered the father of
the woolen manufacturing business of the town. In 181 2 he, in company
with John Strong, erected the first woolen-mill in town at West Pawlet. In
1832 he built a large mill on Pawlet River, which was burned about 1850.
He then removed to Granville where he operated a mill several years and was
succeeded by his son, Robert R. He died in 1865. Another brother in this
family succeeded to his father's estate and built the mansion now occupied by
Mr. Shaw. He removed to Granville about 1852.
Return Strong came from Suffield, Conn., in 1784 and died in this town in
1807. His son Phineas settled at the village and carried on a mercantile busi-
ness, gaining the esteem of his townsmen ; he was sent to the Legislature two
years and died in 1839. Phineas's son, Martin D., succeeded to his father's
business, was postmaster four years and town clerk si.v years. He removed to
Michigan in 1854. Return Strong, jr., also carried on mercantile business at the
village ; was in the Legislature three years and deputy sheriff several years.
Town of Pawlet.
Captain Timothy Strong came from Connecticut about 1810; became a very
enterprising citizen and was instrumental in starting the breeding of Merino
sheep in this town. John Strong, from Glastenbury, settled at West Pawlet
and was engaged in woolen manufacture. He removed to Sandy Hill, N. Y.
Samuel Taylor was one of the early blacksmiths at the village and followed
the occupation some fifty years. He was from Springfield, Mass., in 1780, and
lived on the place now occupied by Earl Danforth. He had five sons, all
brought up to the same business. He died in 1844.
Josiah Toby came from P'almouth, Mass., in 1783 and settled in the north
part of the town. He was father of seven children and died in 1843. Colonel
Josiah, jr., succeeded to the homestead ; held the office of justice and was
much esteemed. He died in 1863. Reuben Toby, from the same place in
the same year, settled three miles north of the village ; was one of the first
deacons of the Baptist Church and removed to Pittsford, N. Y., in 1S50.
Seth Viets came from Granby, Conn., in 1780 and settled in the west part
of the town ; he died in 1823 and his son of the same name succeeded to the
homestead and had a large famil)'.
Alpheus Wade came from Rhode Island in 1785 and settled near the cen-
ter of the town. He was the father of a large family to whom he gave ex-
ceptional educational advantages ; they all removed from the town.
David Weeks, from Hard wick. Mass, in 1801, settled south of the village
and conducted a tannery more than fifty years, the latter part of the time with
his sons. Rich and Seth B. His son Salmon carried on tanning for a time at
the village. Samuel Weeks also come from Hardwick in 1801, spent his life
and raised a large family in the town.
Daniel Welch, from Norwich, Conn., was one of the earliest settlers in the
town and located on the present town farm ; he removed to Mendon, N. Y., in
1822.
Edmund Whedon, one of the substantial citizens of the town, came here
from Connecticut in 1787, locating where John Ayres now lives. He was an
enterprising man and contributed largely to the advancement of West Pawlet,
where he erected some of the first mills in the town ; he removed to Cayuga
county, N. Y., in 181 5. His brother Ansel settled south of Edmund and ac-
cumulated a large property; he died in 1826. David Whedon settled on the
Edmund Whedon homestead and was an esteemed citizen; he died in 1858.
His son, David, jr., kept a store at the village from 1843 to 1854, the latter
part of the time with Hiram Wickham, and removed to Albion in the last
named j'ear.
Isaac Wickman, from Glastenburj-, settled in the town in 1799, and became
a man of commanding influence; he died in 1835. His son, Hiram, was town
clerk many years and a director in the Battenkill Bank.
On an earlier page we have briefly alluded to Jonathan Willard, one of the
7IO History of Rutland County.
proprietors of the town. Of his sons, Colonel Samuel and family left the town
and settled mostly in northern New York. Joseph died in 1829. His' son,
Andrew, passed a long life in the town. Silas Willard settled at the village,
but died in Granville, N. Y., in 1859.
Andrew Winchester came from New Lebanon, Conn., in 1786 and settled
where Norman Winchester now lives ; Norman is his son. Joel was another
son, who was an estimable citizen of the town and died in 1846.
David Wood, from Plymouth, Mass., in 1792, located near where Silas
Wood now lives, and died in 1836. His son, Luther B., succeeded to the
homestead and had a numerous family; he died in 1865.
Henry Wooster, from Connecticut, settled where John Wiseman now lives,
in 1780 ; he died in about 1820, leaving two sons, Henry and Amos ; the lat-
ter succeeded to the homestead and had a family of twelve children. He died
in 1836.
Samuel Wright settled early in the town and was a noted hunter and trap-
per. His son, Samuel, jr., settled near his father and became an influential
man. He built a linseed oil-mill in 1814, and removed to Michigan about
1850.
The foregoing embrace most of the names of those to whose efforts in the
early years the present generation are indebted for the building up of the town
and the advancement of all of its varied interests. Of others who settled in
the town of whom still briefer mention must suffice, were the following : Har-
vey Baker, who came from Arlington about 1826, and kept a store south of the
village with Dr. Nathan Judson, and afterwards at the village; removed to
Oswego, N. Y. Lemuel Barden, who came from Dighton, Mass., about 18 14
succeeded Ephraim Fitch in the brick hotel at the village, which he kept until
about 1830; he died in 1869. Consider S. Bardwell, from Shelburn, Mass., in
1834, became one of the leading farmers of the town. Robert Blakely, who
came into the town about 1832, without 'capital, and by close application to
the woolen manufacturing industry acquired a competency. Captain Jeremiah
Bushee, a tailor of the village more than forty years ; was selectman ten years
and much respected. Horace Clark settled in the mercantile business in the
village in 1829; was postmaster four years and a leading citizen. Rufus P.
Conant, from Enfield, N. H., 181 1, settled at West Pawlet and was engaged in
the cloth-dressing business ; removed to Wisconsin. Natlianiel Hill, who
came from New York city, lived mostly in the village and died in 1830; his
son, of the same name, spent his life in the village. Ashbel Hurlbut came here
in 1810 and was a respected citizen and devoted to the cause of education; he
died in 1828. Captain James Jones, from Granville, settled at West Pawlet,
where he passed his long life. Joseph Jones, an early settler from Greenwich,
Mass., died in 1816 ; his son of the same name passed a useful life in the town.
George H. Purple kept a store in the village in connection with Reed Edger-
ton, closing in 1830 ; he removed to Ohio.
Town of Pawlet.
Following the war of the Revolution and settlement of all local difficulties,
the inhabitants of this town, in common with those of other localities, turned
their undivided attention to the improvement of their homes and the develop-
ment of business. This continued without serious interruption until the events
which led to the War of 1812 created a feeling of uneasiness in this locality ;
and when the war came, the inhabitants of Pawlet did not hesitate to take up
arms against their old enemy, Great Britain. In Mr. flollister's history of the
town he gives the names of thirty-five citizens of the town who went into the
army in that struggle, several of whom held important offices.
Agriculture was, of course, the chief occupation of the early settlers; but
the prosperity of the entire State received a severe check by the remarkable
cold summer of 18 16, in which there was frost every month in the year and
crops were almost a total failure. There was considerable suffering in this
town ; but it was greatly mitigated by the generosity of the benevolent, who
aided their poorer neighbors.
The early inhabitants made wheat-growing their principal agricultural pur-
suit for a number of years ; but this gave way to the coarser grains, which
yielded more abundant harvests ; the working up of these led to the introduc-
tion of distilleries, which, with the manufacture of potash, received considerable
attention in this town ; they were the earliest manufactures. The growing of
sheep gave a large wool product and the introduction of carding- machines and
cloth-dressing machines followed ; one of the latter was running in West Pawlet
by Walter Jennings as early as 18 12. Jonathan Stevens and John Strong built
a woolen factory at West Pawlet in 181 2, the first in town, and fulling-mills
were in operation, probably before that time at the village. Other factories
and mills have been noted in our mention of the early settlers. There have
been in all seven grist-mills in town; the first on Wells Brook, built by Re-
member Baker about 1768 ; the next one at the village about the same time,
built by William Bradford ; the next built by Colonel Samuel Willard on the
site of the "Red mill" in 1783; another on the Pawlet River by Captain
Benoni Smith; the next built by William Hanks about 1790 near the Frary
bridge ; the next located near where Smith Hitt lived, built by Seth Blossom,
Ashbel Hollister and Safiford Hascall ; and one at West Pawlet, built by Ed-
mund Whedon. There have also been six or eight saw-mills in the town.
There were trip hammers in early years on Wells Brook, by William Ma-
her ; on Flower Brook, by Nathaniel Robinson ; and on Indian River by C. S.
Bardwell, the latter for the making of edge tools.
There have been five distilleries in town, operated respectively by Dorastus
Fitch, at the village ; by Theron Norton at West Pawlet ; one by Leonard Ut-
ley ; one near the center of the town by John Edgerton, and one by a Mr.
Savage ; all abandoned many years ago.
Hats were manufactured in the village by Major Sylvanus Gregor\- and
712 History of Rutland County.
his son, Silas, and a stocking factory was operated by Ira Marks. Palmer
Cleveland & Sons introduced extensive machinery for dressing hemp and flax
and did a large business for several years. A mill for making potato starch
was built by Ira Marks on Indian River about 1843. Nearly all of these man-
ufacturing operations have, by the changes in demand and supply, in processes
of manufacture and through railroad communication with distant markets, been
abandoned.
In November, 1814, was incorporated the Pawlet Manufacturing Company,
the corporators being John Guild, Ozias Clark, John Penfield, jr., Jonathan Rob-
inson, Nathaniel Robinson, jr., William C. Robinson, Napthali Guild, David Rich-
ardson, D. Wilmarth and Daniel Fitch. In 1S15 the company erected a large
building, seventy by thirty-six feet and three stories high, for the manufactur-
ing of cotton cloth. 860 spindles and sixteen looms were employed. A store
was connected with the factory ; but the enterprise failed within a few years
and the machinery was taken away, and the building demolished.
The Flower Brook Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1836 for
the manufacture of woolen goods. A large building was erected at the village
and ample machinery introduced. The factory was operated by agents five or
six years, when John M. Clark bought out the stock- holders, ran the factory
a year or two, when it finally failed. This building was also taken down and
the machinery sold.
Schools. — In matters of education of the young this town has shown cred-
itable interest. There have been seventeen school districts in the town ; but
at the present time there are only fifteen and schools kept in but eleven of
these. A commodious brick edifice was erected near the village for the estab-
lishment of a grammar school and the higher branches were taught there until
1845, when the building was burned. Among its preceptors were Messrs.
Barber, Smith, Meeker, Ira M. Allen, Mervin Allen, John Stuart and Lamson
Miner. When the Methodist Church on the hill was vacated by the society in
1854 it was fitted up for an academy, with Rev. Jason F. Walker as its first
principal. The present academy was erected about 1869, at a cost of $4,500,
and is located at West Pawlet. This institution has been of great value to the
cause of education. A. H. Cook is at present at the head of the institution.
About seventy-four pupils attend it, on the average.
Ecclesiastical. — The First Congregational Church of Pawlet was organized
August 8, 1 78 1, under the auspices of Rev. David W. Perry, with six mem-
bers. Dr. Lewis Beebe, then of Arlington, was the first settled pastor, being
ordained June 15, 1787. The First Church was erected about 1785, and when
this became too small for the needs of the society, another and more commodi-
ous edifice was erected on the hill north of the village; this stood until about
1842. At about this time the present edifice was erected. The Rev I. W.
Peach is the present pastor of the society.
Town of Pawlet. 713
The First Baptist Church (located at West Pawlet) was organized on the
first Monday in May, 1790, by its first pastor, Elder Brown. In the year 1800
a church was erected by the West Pawlet Meeting-house Company. Elder
Isaac Beall was settled over the church in 1801 and in the following year a
parsonage was built. This society was dissolved in 1 83 I.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Pawlet was organized in 1S26, though
a class was in existence before the beginning of the present century. The so-
ciety was organized with about one hundred members, by Rev. Daniel Bray-
ton. At about the same time the brick church was erected near the cemetery.
In 1853 the present structure was built at a cost of $5,000, and the society is
flourishing. Rev. F. Cameron is the present pastor.
The Second Baptist Church in the town was organized in 1826. This so-
ciety owed its origin to the fact that the First Baptist Church (from which its
first members came) had not for years been in fellowship with any other body.
About the year 1848 the organization dissolved, and in 1852 the present soci-
ety was organized under the auspices of Eder A. Wait. The church was built
the same year and was used until 1880, when it was burned, and the present
edifice erected in 1881. The society is at present ministered to by Rev. A. G.
Chick, of Hebron, N. Y., who preaches on Sabbath afternoons.
Protestant Methodist Church. — This society was organized in 1832, on
Pawlet Mountain, It continued in existence about twenty-three years, when
it was dissolved on account of the removal of many of its prominent members.
In 1 83 1 a society called the Church of the Disciples was formed under the
guidance of Elder Worden P. Reynolds. In 1S47 they built a church at West
Pawlet where meetings have been held since, but not with regularity.
The Welsh residents of this town have a Presbyterian society and erected a
church in 1882. A preacher from Granville ministers to the congregation.
Another society composed of this nationality is Congregational in creed and
have services in the academy.
Physicians. — Of the early physicians in this town we maj? mention Eliel
Todd and Abishai Moseley, who were probably the first. Dr. Jonathan Saf-
ford succeeded them, coming from Bennington in 1793; he continued in suc-
cessful practice until his death in 1 82 I. He had a large family. Drs. Lemuel
and Cyrus Chipman were the first physicians in the south part of the town and
were eminent in their profession ; both removed from the town. Dr. John Sar-
gent, from Mansfield, Conn., came into this town in 1798, as the successor of
Lemuel Chipman and became distinguished in practice ; he was the first presi-
dent of the first Rutland County Medical Society ; was captain of the Light Ar-
tillery of 1802 and promoted to the rank of colonel ; was in the Legislature in
1803; died in 1843. Dr. John Sargent, jr., practiced several years here and
in adjoining towns. Dr. Samuel Potter practiced here and in Wells several
years at an earh' date and was very skillful. Dr. Warren A. Cowdry practiced
714 History of Rutland County.
here in 1815 ; removed to Leroy, N. Y., and espoused Mormonisni. Dr. John
L. Chandler was here for a time, and Dr. James H. Willard practiced here a
few years ago and removed to Ohio in 1 830. Isaac Monroe, Aaron Goodspeed,
Charles Houghton, Phineas Strong, jr., all practiced here for longer or shorter
periods. Dr. Rensselaer G. Monroe came from Granville in 1853 and practiced
until 1866 at West Pawlet ; he removed to Rutland. Dr. A. Sidney Hough-
ton came from EUisburg, N. Y., in 1844 and settled at the village where he
practiced manj- j'cars ; he was in the Legislature in 1861-62.
The present physicians are Drs. Warren B. Sargent and H. L. Manchester.
The former is a son of Dr. John Sargent and was born in June, 1803, in this
town. He studied with the Vermont Academy of Medicine as it was then
styled, and with private practitioners; received his diploma November 14,
1825 ; began practice in Michigan in 1827 and came to Pawlet in 1 830. He
has been very successful in his profession and enjoys the unqualified confidence
of the community.
Dr. H. L. Manchester was born in Hampton, Washington county, N. Y.,
December 28, 1855 ; was educated at Castleton Seminary and studied medi-
cine with Dr. Wakefield, of Fairhaven, and in the University of New York,
graduating in 1879. He began practice in Pawlet in June, 1879.
Dr. J. B. Gilman, of West Pawlet, was born in February, 1852, in Salem,
Washington county, N. Y. ; studied three years with Dr. Leroy McLean, of
Troy ; was two years in the Albany Medical College and graduated at the Uni-
versity of Vermont; was given his diploma in June, 1884; came to Pawlet in
June, 1885.
Attorneys. — The legal profession in this town in earh' years was repre-
sented by such men as Jonathan Brace, Israel Smitli, Noah Smith and Truman
Squier. Jonathan Brace was a conspicuous citizen and an able lawyer; but
returned to Connecticut in a few years. Israel Smith removed to Rutland and
Noah Smith to Bennington. Truman Squier removed to Manchester after
some twenty years practice here. Daniel Church practiced law here for a time,
as did also Nathaniel Hunt and Nathaniel Hamblin, both of whom removed to
Ohio. Nathaniel Harmon was one of the leading lawyers of the county and
practiced in this town more than forty years. He might have held high oflfice,
but his tastes did not lead him into the political field. He died in 1845. Dr.
Oliver L. Harmon was his son, and George W., another son, became an attor-
ney and removed to Bennington.
Fayette Potter, born September i, 1823, was educated at Union College.
He studied law with George W. Harmon and was admitted to practice in 1847 ;
since that date he has been in successful business in Pawlet.
J. B. Bromley was in practice in Pawlet a number of years and with him D.
W. Bromley, born July 20, 1837, studied the profession. He was admitted in
March, 1859. His failing health has forced him to relinquish active practice.
Town of Pawlet. 715
Present Tozoii Officers. —Town clerk, O. Bushee ; treasurer, F. S. Weed;
selectmen, M. C. Jones, M. Brown and D. W. Bromley ; constable and collec-
tor, E. I. Vail ; second constable, Wayland Johnson ; listers, L. Johnson, Olin
Parris, J. M. Shaw; auditors, A. S. Whitcomb, D. W. Bromley, S. S. Brown;
trustee, Fayette Potter; fence viewers, James Goodspeed, Frank, Vail, Arthur
Taylor; town grand jurors, George Knight, George W. Beecher ; inspector of
leather, W. B. Miller; pound-keeper, George W. Knight; surveyor of wood
and shingles, Orla Loomis ; town agent, Leonard Johnson; superintendent of
schools, Helen M. Bromley.
The following figures show the population of this town at the different dates
given: 1791, 1,458; 1800, 1,938; 1810, 2,233; 1820, 2,155; 1830, 1,965;
1840, 1,748; 1850, 1,843; i860, 1,559; 1870, 1,505; 1880, 1,698.
In the Rebellion. — This town was represented in nearly every organization
that went out of the State to aid in suppressing the Southern Rebellion, and in
many New York State regiments. These volunteers nobly sustained the pa-
triot teachings of the forefathers, and did their share in sustaining the princi-
ples of the government in its time of trial. The following record shows the
names of the volunteers of this town in Vermont regiments, as nearly correct
as it can now be made : —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — John Adams, co. E, 7th regt.; Michael Agan, co.
G, 7th regt.; Thomas Agan, capt. 20th Mass.; Isaac H. Alexander, co. G, 5th
regt; Merritt C. Barrett, Royal C. Bostwick, co. H, cav.; Harvey C. Beebe,
CO. D, 7th regt.; Hiram Blossom, co. C, 2d regt; Noble C. Bostwick, co. E,
5th regt.; Charles W. Bourne, Leroy S. Bushie, co. C, nth regt; David
Buffam, CO. B, 9th regt; Willard Comstock, co. D, 7th regt.; Simon E. Cook,
CO. C, nth regt; Miles H. Belong, Frederick Folger, co. E, 5th regt; John
M. Frisbie, co. B, 9th regt; Robert Gallop, co. D, 7th regt.; James R. Gibbs,
CO. E, 2d s. s.; Sheldon A. Hall, co. E, 5th regt.; Francis D, Hammond, co. I,
5th regt; George G. Hanks, co. I, 7th regt.; Justis W. Harwood, co. C, 2d regt;
James Hoy, co. C, lOth regt; Charles B. Hyde, co. H, 2d s. s.; George John-
son, CO. M, nth regt; James Lackey, co. E, 5th regt; Charles M. Kingsley,
Patrick McGrath, Thomas C. Mosier, co. D, 7th regt.; John McGrath, co. H,
2d s. s.; Sylvanus McWain, co. D, 7th regt.; Atherton Monroe, co. H, 2d s. s.;
Asa L. Monroe, co. L, nth regt.; Francis Murray, Calvin S. Nichols, co. E,
5th regt; Edward Nye, co. B, 9th regt.; Chauncey H. Robinson, co. D, 7th
regt.; Charles Scott, John Scott, Amyel B. Searles, Oliver Searles, co. E, 5th
regt; Francis R. Shaw, co. C, nth regt; George W. Taylor, co. B, 2d regt;
Chipman J. Tobey, co. H, 2d s. s.; Chester M. Vail, co. D, 7th regt; Daniel
D. Warren, Ira C. Warren, co. H, cav.; George M. Warren, co. H, 2d s. s.;
Edwin L. Waters, co. C, nth regt.; Benjamin R. Wheeler, co. B, 2d regt.;
John Wheeler, co. C, 5th regt.; James W. White, co. H, cav.; Reuben H.
7i6 History of Rutland County.
Williams, Henry C. Wood, Martin P. Wood, co. B, 2d regt; Willard Wood,
CO. C, loth regt.; Austin E. Woodman, co. I, 7th regt.; Stephen Woods, co.
K, 2d regt.; Augustus L. Wright, co. E, 5th regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers, and subse-
quent calls. — Volunteers for three years : John Crawford, co. C, 3d regt.;.
James L. Hall, co. H, 7th regt.; Daniel H. Hall, jr., co. G, i ith regt.; Otis W.
Harwood, 1st bat.; Edmund Hix, 2d bat.; Chester O. Hulett, 1st bat.; John O.
Humphrey, co. H, 9th regt; Alson L. Kitchell, co. I, 7th regt.; William F.
Loomis, John McGrath, ist bat; Wyman C. Mcomber, co. L, nth regt; Joel
A. Mason, co. I, 17th regt; William McKelvey, John Pentony, co. I, 7th regt;
Herbert Perham, ist bat.: Keyes Potter, co. K, 7th regt.; Colba Reed, co. H,
7th regt; Elbridge I. Reed, nth regt.; Benjamin B. Royals, co. I, 7th regt.;
James Sheridan, ist bat; James H. Smith, co. C, nth regt.; John Smith, co.
G, 1 Ith regt.; William Town, co. K, 7th regt.; Henry Towslee, 1st bat; George
Williams, 3d regt.
Volunteers for one year. — John Conlin, co. B, 7th regt.; Baptiste Lassor,
CO. G, 2d regt.; Vetal Lassor, co. A, 2d regt; Mark S. Moore, cav.; Charles
Russell, nth regt; Henry H. Thompson, co. D, 7th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Michael Agan, co. D, 7th regt.; William H. Beld-
ing, CO. G, cav.; Hiram Blossom, co. C, 2d regt.; Noble C. Bostwick, co. E,
5th regt; Justus W. Harwood, co. C, 2d regt.; Charles M. Kingsley, Patrick
McGrath, Sylvanus McWain, Chauncey H. Robinson, Chester M. Vail, co. D,
7th regt.; John R. Wilkins, co. E, 5th regt Not credited by name. — Three
men.
Volunteers for nine months. — Charles Barrett, co. K, I2th regt; John H.
Black, Robert F. Black, Adoniram J. Blakeley, Andrew J. Blowers, Orlando
Bushee, James W. Guild, Alonzo V. Guilder, Walace S. Guilder, Albert E.
Hollister, Francis S. Hollister, Willis C. Hollister, co. B, 14th regt; Sewell F.
Howard, co. K, 14th regt; Warner E. Huelett, Eugene Little, Samuel W.
Nelson, Levi Patterson, Herbert Perham, George O. Simonds, Judson Smith,
Martin Smith, Charles P. Taylor, Charles W. Towsley, William C. Weeks,
Ahira E. Wood, William H. Wood, co. B, 14th regt
Furnished under draft. — Paid commutation, Seth E. Culver, Ogden Fisher,
Levi Hanks, F. M. Hollister, Levi Paris, Michael Ouinlan, Warren Rice, Joel
S. Wilcox. Procured substitute : J. McD. Andrus, Reuben Dillingham, Jesse
C. Gray, Jacob McFadden, Charles H. Russell.
Municipal History. — The largest village in this town is Pawlet (or "Algiers,"
as it is frequently called), which is situated on Pawlet River 'near the junction
of Flower Brook, a little south of the center of the town. We have already
spoken of the early settlers at this point and man_\- of the businessmen of past
years. The place was once of considerable commercial and manufacturing im-
portance and, it is said, did more business in 1830 than was done at Rutland ;
Town of Pawlet. 717
a state of aliairs that lias been greatly changed by the influence of railroads
on the latter village. Among the early merchants were William Fitch, Joel
Harmon, Ephraim Fitch, Dorastus and Silas Fitch, Phineasand Return Strong,
Hart & Judson, Reed Edgerton, George H. Purple, Horace Clark, Russel C.
Wheeler, Harvey Baker, William Wallace, T. J. Swallow, George Edgerton,
Martin D. Strong, David Whedon, jr., Hiram Wickham, William Sheldon,
John Allen, and perhaps a few others.
Theoldest merchants at present doing business in the village are D. H. & A.
L. Bromley. The former began trade here in 1S53, in the building now used
by Mr. Huelett as a tin shop. The junior member came in the firm in 1862.
W. Rice has kept a general store since 1870, and has occupied his present lo-
cation four years. M. V. B. Leach has been in trade as a general merchant
since March, 1879; and S. S. Snell since March, 1885, when he bought out
William Mason, who had traded about a year, Charles E. Taylor started in
general trade about two years ago. D. B. Whitcomb carries on the grocery
business and has for eleven years past ; has occupied his present location four
years. O. Bushee is one of the older merchants and has carried a stock of
drugs and groceries since about 1865. O.A.Pratt began the grocery and
hardware trade, which he continued about a year, and changed to drugs in
June, i88j. H. E. Damon has kept a jewelry store since October, 1884, suc-
ceeding D. A. Parker, who has been in business about six years. Fayette
Hulett and his brother Chester began in the tin and hardware business in 1866 ;
Fayette bought his brother's interest in the fall of 1885. William B. Miller
does the harness-making for the place.
We have mentioned the old hotel built by F.phraim Fitch early in the cen-
tury. This was the forerunner of the present Franklin House, and was next
kept by Lemuel Barden for many years ; he transferred it to Deacon Griswold.
Others who have kept the house were Ephraim F. Clark, Robert Clark, Har-
rison Vail, Chapin Andrus, D. B. Hulett, who was succeeded by the present
landlord, D. W. Bromley, in 1867. The Crescent Valley House was completed
in the spring of 1884, by Amos G. Leach and John R. Crapo ; it is chiefly for
the accommodation of summer guests.
There is not much manufacturing now existing in this town. F. Ham-
mond runs the grist-mill at this village, on the site where Ephraim Fitch built
the first mill in the town, as before related; and the saw-mill, which was an
old one when Silas Gregory ran it forty years ago, is now operated by S. P.
Andrus. J. Robinson established a carriage factory here in 1850, which he
still carries on. The fork handle and baby carriage stock factory, now con-
ducted by M. P. Damon & Co. (Lee Simonds), was established by Mr. Damon
in 1873; it is on the site of the old Lumbard woolen-mill, and turns out in the
neighborhood of 60,000 fork handles and stock for 30,000 baby carriages an-
nuall}'. The woolen-factorj' of E. Colvin (formerly operated by the Pawlet
7i8 HisioRY OF Rutland County.
Woolen Company) is located two miles south of the village. The first com-
pany was organized in 1846 by Asa Jones, and reorganized in 1877. About
25,000 pounds of wool are made into cloth annually. Other minor manufac-
tures of the town, which may as well receive attention here, are the grist-mill
of F. S. Weed, which is operated by Charles Clark. It was built in 1879 by
John Adams, who transferred it to Leach & Crapo, and they to Dwight Parker,
who sold to Mr. Weed. W. B. Woodard built a saw-mill in the west part of
the town in 1881, and still runs it. Blakely's cheese factory was built by
Frank Blakely about ten years ago and he has operated it since ; it uses the
milk of about 400 cows. The Pawlet cheese factory, at Pawlet, is now carried
on by Carlton Marks; it was established in 1865 by R. C. Wickham and has
been successfully conducted. The Leach cheese factory, now run by William
Leach, is in the south part of the town and is smaller than the others men-
tioned.
The slate interest of this town is of considerable importance. The Dilling-
ham quarry, at West Pawlet, was opened by Howell Dillingham in 1877-78;
employs about ten men and produces sea-green roofing slate of good quality.
The Brownell Slate and Flagging Company's quarry is in the west part of the
the town and employs about forty men, turning out 800 squares of roofing^
and 3,000 feet of flagging per month. Rising & Nelson's quarries at West
Pawlet, four in number, employ about eighty-five men. They began the busi-
ness about 1876, their product being sea-green roofing slats. The firm have
also a quarry of red slate in Granville. Hugh W. Hughes owns and operates
five quarries in the town, which he leased in 1878, succeeding Evan J. Jones &
Barnard, who had been engaged in the business about three years. George
Barnard had bought property of Howard Evans, who, after Griffith Lloyd, was
the pioneer in the business. Mr. Hughes employs from fifty to sixty men,
produces the green slate, but deals in all shades. All of the slate industry is
located at West Pawlet. (See Chapter XHI.)
The post-office at Pawlet was established early in the history of the town.
Dorastus Fitch was postmaster in 18 14, and George Purple probably succeeded
him. Horace Clark then had the office, and as late as 1828. Then followed
Daniel Taylor, Porter Fitch, Martin D. Strong, Charles Potter, James Rice and
Orlando Bushee, who kept the office from about 1876 to 1885. The present
official is C. E. Taylor.
West Pawlet. — This is a hamlet and station on the Rutland and Washington
railroad and situated in the extreme west part of the town, across a portion of
which the road passes. The post-office here was first kept by Orson F. Betts
about 1854 for a short time, and he was followed by M. V. B. Pratt for about
six years ; then J. A. Orr took the office for about three years ; F. Johnson six
or seven years; then G. W. Beecher until the advent of the present official, M.
V. B. Pratt, who began his second term October I, 1885.
Town of Pittsfield. 719
Rising & Nelson, mentioned in connection with the slate industry, have
kept a store here since March, 1874 ; they built the store they occupy. James
F. Braj'mer was a junior partner the first three years. Florace Johnson began
general trade here nearly ten years ago. A, P. Bull began grocery trade in
April, 1882, and built the block a part of which he occupies. M. V. B. Pratt,
the oldest merchant liere, began trade about 1854 and is still in business.
George R. Pratt deals in jewelry and fancy goods ; has been in business two
and a half years and occupied his present store in October, 1885. G. W.
Beecher and brother (D. O. Beecher) began the tin manufacturing business in
September, 1874, the first named being alone until 1883, when his brother
joined him.
David Woodard kept the hotel in the large building until about 1878 for
a number of years — about twenty-five. This house is not now kept. The
Nelson House is kept by F. J. Nelson, who opened it in April, 1885 ; he had
kept hotel in the large building mentioned about a year previous.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PITTSFIF-LD.
PITTSFIELD, situated in the extreme northeastern corner of the county, is
a triangular piece of land bounded on the north by Rochester in the county
of Windsor ; on the east by Stockbridge, also in Windsor county, and on the
west by Chittenden. It derived its name from the town of the same name in
Massachusetts, from which a number of the first settlers immigrated hither.
The history of its origin is peculiar in the e.xtreme. Governor Thomas Chit-
tenden chartered the town on the 29th of July, 1 78 I, to Josiah Wright, Daniel
Kinne, Samuel Wilcox and nearly 130 others. The original proprietors, who,
from representations made to them, supposed the territory of their infant town
to contain land equal in extent to the average township and a Iialf, held their
first meeting in Danb)' in December, 1781, and chose Daniel Kinne modera-
tor, and Solomon Stoddard clerk ; they then appointed a committee who, pur-
suant to the purpose of the appointment, laid out fifty-two and one-half acres
to each proprietor, and a like number of acres to each public reservation. In
1787, when another allotment of forty acres to each proprietor was made, it
was discovered that the towns of Stockbridge and Chittenden had, as they
charged, so over-reached their proper boundaries as to reduce Pittsfield to a
mere gore, equal in extent to less than an average township. The)' thereupon
called another meeting to be held on the 25th of September, 1787, at which
720 History of Rutland County.
they appointed Asa Whitcomb and Charles Goodrich their agents to obtain
redress from the Legislature for the unjust encroachments of their neighbors.
But their efforts were fruitless ; they were told that the land was there and they
must look it up, and after more than ten years of vexatious and expensive lit-
igation, they were defeated, and about 14,000 acres of their land was lost to
them.
The first town meeting was held at the house of Daniel Atkins, who then
lived at the mills, and operated them for Charles Goodrich. There on the
26th day of March, 1793, the town was formally organized by the election of
the following officers : George Martin, moderator of the meeting ; town clerk,
Thomas Hodgkins; selectmen, George Martin, Stephen Holt and Joseph
Adams ; treasurer, Daniel Bow ; first constable, Anthony Whitcomb ; sealer
of leather, Daniel Atkins ; grand jurors, Stephen Holt and William Davis ;
pound-keeper, Daniel Atkins ; tythingmen, Jonas Stone and Asa Call ; hay-
wards, David Daly, Jacob Jefferson and Ebb Durkee ; fence viewers, Danie
Bow ; highway surveyors, Ebb Durkee, Jacob Jefferson, Jacob Bow ; sealer of
weights and measures, Daniel Bow.
The first men to effect a settlement in Pittsfield were Daniel and Jacob
Bow, who, in about 1786, cleared farms in the southern part of the town, the
former beginning on the farm now occupied by Daniel Avery and the latter on
the present farm of Artemas Hunt. In the same year Thomas Hodgkins set-
tled in the northeast part of the town on the farm recently owned by Royal
Tupper. He was the first town clerk for thirteen years, and was also the first
town representative. George Martin came about this time to the Granville
Farewell farm, both farms being now a part of the town of Rochester. Stephen
Holt came soon after to the farm recently occupied by John Sawyer. Among
the other early inhabitants were Lucius Kibbe, John Gaius, Dr. Tucker, Ira
Holt and Woodward Tucker. David Waller lived^on the farm lately owned
by Alden Pinney ; Alba Durkee commenced on the farm where Douglas Long
now lives ; Amos Jones occupied the farm of late called the Joseph Durkee
farm. Timothy Durkee began on what is now known as the Gibbs farm. Zac-
cheus Blossom settled on the farm formerly owned by Arlow Lamb. David
Daly erected a house and small tannery near the end of the bridge, below the
mill, where Guilford Par'menter now lives. The farm now owned by H. O.
Gibbs was begun by Nathaniel Eddy. The first man to establish a residence
on the site of the village was Uzziah Green, who built a primitive log house
between the Congregational parsonage and school-house. Jonas Stone settled
on the site of Andrew Ellis's residence, and Ebb Durkee where Jonathan Ran-
ney now lives. David Durkee cleared the farm in later times occupied by R.
Guernsey.
On the 4th of March, 1796, Benjamin Blossom, father of the late William
R. Blossom, moved here with his family from Pittsfield, Mass., and occupied
Town of Pittsfield. 721
the house at the mills then owned by Charles Goodrich. He was a Revolu-
tionary soldier. For ten years he operated the grist-mill and saw-mill for Mr.
Goodrich, in the mean time purchasing thirty acres of land from him, embrac-
ing the present site of Dr. Brigham's house and barn. William R. Blossom,
who was intimately associated with the interests of the town for a period of
more than sixty-five years, was the youngest child of Benjamin Blossom. He
was born in Pittsfield, Mass., on the 28th of April, 1789. He obtained such
education as the district schools of his home in Vermont could afford. From
the time of his fourteenth year until about I S07 he passed his summers in the
emplo)'ment of the landholders of the neighborhood, and others who could give
him employment, notably, James Goodrich and Zebedee Sprout. In the sum-
mer of his eighteenth year he worked for Stone & Eddy for thirteen dollars a
month, constructing the turnpike across the mountain. He camped out the
whole of the time he was engaged in this work. He became by degrees the
owner of a farm of 1 50 acres, on which he erected a house. In 1866 he sold
the farm for $3,000, and moved on to the farm originally occupied by his
father. At the age of twent\^-five years he joined a Masonic lodge at Stock-
bridge and held various offices in it until the anti-Masonic excitement of 1828.
He was corporal of a company of militia men when he was eighteen years of
age; captain at twenty-five years. In 1817 he was elected town clerk, and
remained in that office until 1833. When he was twenty-seven years of age
he was appointed justice of the peace, and continued in that position for forty-five
consecutive years. He also held every otlier office in the gift of the town except
town treasurer. He was a delegate to a Constitutional Convention convoked by
the Council of Censors in 1828, and afterwards represented the town in General
Assembly five terms at two different periods. On the 6th day of June, 1822,
he married Czarina Cole, a native of Randolph, Vt., by whom he had three
sons and two daughters. He was a man of unusual capacity and integrity.
His death occurred on the 14th day of September, 1885, when he had attained
the age of ninety-six years, four months and sixteen days. He was buried
with Masonic honors. Orvis G. Blossom, his son, and Czarina Allen, his eldest
child, are now residents of the town.
Another early resident of Pittsfield was Erastus Holt, father of Rufus Holt.
He was born in Hampton, Conn., on the 8th of September, 1777. He came
to Pittsfield in 1798, and settled in the northeast part of the town on the farm
now occupied by William Swift. He cleared the farm, built a^^log house, and
the following year married Sallie Parmenter, of Pittsfield, b)' whom he had a
family of nine sons and three daughters. He achieved a wide reputation for
his ability in acting as attorney in law suits, although he was never admitted
by the courts to practice. He represented the town seven consecutive years at
one time, and eight at another ; attended three constitutional conventions and
was justice of the peace for thirty-two consecutive )-ears. When he tendered
722 History of Rutland County.
his resignation, Esquire Blossom observed that it would be accepted on condi-
tion that Rufus Holt would fill the vacancy. (For a sketch of Rufus Holt, see
biography in later pages.)
The writer was fortunate in securing an interview with William R. Blossom
a short time before his death, and while his memory seemed to have lost none
of its earlier vigor. When he came to town in 1796 with his father, the country
had not assumed the aspect of civilization ; the empire of nature had not been
strenuously disputed by man. The road over the mountain past Townsend's
had been recently opened, but was full of roots, stumps and almost insurmount-
able rocks. Another road which was seldom traveled had been constructed
between Pittsfield and Rutland, past the present residence of Mr. Chamberlain ;
it was called the Derby road. The village of Pittsfield was not yet. The large
and umbrageous elm tree which now casts its gratifying shadow on the village
common, was then a mere sapling. Mr. Blossom and his brother Zaccheus, then
boys, were working for James Goodrich clearing this tract. Goodrich directed
William to cut down the tree, but was persuaded by the latter to leave it stand-
ing because of its promise.
The industries were then exceedingly rude and primitive. Jonas Stone ran
a potato distillery on the site of Andrew Ellis's present residence, and con-
tinued it to about 1826. The product of this distillery has been called poor
whisky. Stone also made potash near the distillery and shipped it to Boston.
June & Hayden at one time ran an ashery back of the blacksmith shop of
Frederick Morrill.
The first store in town was kept about 1816, by John Gould, who came here
from Rutland, and traded across the stream from the residence of Lyman Par-
menter. He did not remain long. While there he was arrested and tried on a
charge of perjury, but was acquitted. The ne.xt store was kept by Drancis
June and Philotus Hayden, under the firm name of June & Hayden. Their
store, which was opened about 1830, was situated on the site of Mr. Lewis's
house in Mill Village. After two or three years they sold out to Spaulding &
Hodges ; Samuel Spaulding, of Brandon, attending to the business. Even as
late as this, the modes of life here and, indeed, throughout the State, were ru-
dimentary. Mr. Blossom related that while he was in the General Assembly,
the law-makers of Vermont were obliged to travel to Montpelier on horseback,
and the farmers thereabouts would vie with each other like Niagara hackmen
for the privilege of taking the horses of senators and representatives to pasture
on their farms for a pecuniary consideration. That was when the old State
house was in use.
About a dozen men, including William R. Blossom, started for Plattsburg
during the War of 1S12, but did not reach there soon enough to participate in
that celebrated battle.
The cold season of 18 16 caused considerable suftering in Pittsfield, as it did
Town of Pittsfield. 723
in all the towns which were cut off by natural barriers from the centers of busi-
ness activity. In the following season the suffering was increased. Seed of
any kind was scarcely procurable. Money was scarce, people took wagons,
articles of furniture, etc., out of town to barter for provisions.
The first mills built in town were erected about 1 780, by Charles Goodrich,
of Pittsfield, Mass., who derived his rights and privileges directly from the pro-
prietors. They also gave him the privilege of naming the town, which he did.
The crank for the saw-mill, weighing 200 pounds, was brought from Pittsfield
on the shoulders of two men. Goodrich also built the first framed house in
town, which was used at once for a dwelling, a school-house and town hall.
The first tavern in town was that of old Captain Daniel Bow, at the foot of
the mountain just off the old turnpike past Townsend's. The first one kept in
the village stood on the site of Mr. Dingman's present residence. Captain
Elislia Holt kept it for a short time. The oldest house now in town is the Vose
House, which was built about sixty years ago for a man by the name of Caleb
Sparks. Asa Gaines followed him for a number of years and until 1838 or
1839, when Penuel Child succeeded him, and remained in business there for
twelve or fifteen years, and was followed about a year by James Furman. The
next proprietor, Lyman Gibbs, it is said, remained here as many as fifteen
years. George Orcutt also kept the house for a short time. Albert Vose, the
present proprietor, has been here since December, 1876.^
The Green Mountain House was first kept in the fall of 1874, by Rufus
Holt, he having converted it from a private dwelling into a hotel. Justin
Spaulding kept it after Mr. Holt and was here nearly two years. James Fletcher
who remained six years followed Spaulding. Rufus Holt again kept the house
after April I, 1S84, until November 17th of the same year, when the present
proprietor, William Sherburne, commenced his term here.
The first postmaster of Pittsfield was Daniel Bow, jr., who could not have
received the appointment earlier than 1825. His office was on what is now
known as the Charles Avery place, formerly " the old Bow farm." Previous
to the establishment of this office the male residents of the town took turns
once a week and went to Rutland after their mail, often on foot, but more fre-
quently on horseback. Asa Gaines succeeded Bow about 1840 and kept the
office a long time. The present postmaster Amos Guernsey, received the ap-
pointment in August, 1885. C. B. George, his predecessor, had the oflice five
years. Ira Holt also kept it five years before that, and was preceded by T. C.
Hubbard.
This little town exerted herself nobly in behalf of the Union during the late
war, as the following list will abundantly testify : —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 voiun-
unteers of October 17, 1863. — Herman D. Bates, co. C, loth regt.; Frederick
eluding 1864, there was no hotel
724 History of Rutland County.
C. Bennett, co. G, 5th regt.; Truman O. Brown, co. E, 2d regt.; Martin B.
Davis, CO. B, nth regt.; Albert R. Freeman, co. G, 5th regt.; James C. Free-
man, CO. B, 9th regt.; Christopher C. George, Henry Miner, co. C, loth regt.;
James D. Parmenter, Stephen H. Preston, co. G, 5th regt.; Allen Rogers, John
L. Shannon, co. C, loth regt.; Melville C. Spaulding, 4th regt. band; Frank-
lin B. Swan, co. C, loth regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Oliver P. Blaisdell, co. E, Sth regt.;
Morton H. Davis, co. E, 2d s. s.; Roniain J. Eggleston, co. D, 5th regt.; Stan-
islaus Flanders, co. B, 9th regt.; Stephen Harrington, co. C, 5th regt.; Edric
D. Leonard, co. D, 17th regt.; Edward S. Lovell, co. B, iith regt.; William H.
Mitchell. CO. F, lOth regt; Austin S. Parkhurst, co. D, 17th regt.
Volunteers for one year. — Charles H. Chambers, co. A, Sth regt.; Charles
L. Doty, Lucius T. Grout, co. B, iith regt.; James W. Parmenter, 6th regt.;
Lorenzo T. Parmenter, co. H, 6th regt.; AUiston E. Shepard, co. A, Sth regt.;
John C. Thomas, co. A, 17th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — William H. Breed, co. A, 17th regt.
Not credited by name, one man.
Volunteers for nine months. — Lucian J. Archer, Lester L. Baird, co. H,
14th regt; Oliver P. Blaisdell, co. H, i6th regt.; Willard W. Blanchard, John
M. Brown, co. A, i6th regt; Charles L. Doty, Amos Ellis, co. H, 14th regt.;
Amos M. Hall, co. A, i6th regt; Albert Noyes, co. H, 14th regt.; Guilford
Parmenter, Darius Ranney, Robert C. West, Albert H. Whitney, co. A, i6th
regt.
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Silas R. Avery, Daniel
Brown, George L. Nichols, Alden Pinnc}-, Seth L. Warren.
ECCLESIASTICAL.
Congregational Church. — The first church formed in Pittsfield, the Con-
gregational, completed its organization on the 17th of September, 1 803. It
owes its origin toH:he efforts of the Rev. Martin Fuller, of Royalton. The first
membership numbered sixteen persons, viz., Nathaniel Stone, Nathan Stone,
Levi Partridge, Asa Gilbert, Isaac Eddy, Betsey Eddy, John Gains, Ruth Gaius,
Daniel Bow, Rhoda Stone, Molly Blossom, Hannah Gilbert, Molly Bow, Eliz-
abeth Durkee, Rebecca Stone and Lydia Hayden, some of whom were residents
of Stockbridge. Preaching was procured from various clergymen by various
means. Rev. Archibald Campbell and Elder Rich were among the most prom-
inent of the early preachers. In 1820 the church and society erected a neat
little house of worship at a cost of $1,000, and occupied it as it was until the
year 1859. Then, through the instrumentality of the Rev. Mr. Scott, pastor,
the house was repaired and substantially rebuilt Among the pastors of the
churcli ha\'e been Rev. Phineas Randall, who, in Ohio, initiated and conducted
Town of Pittsfield. 725
to a successful termination a spirited revival. Revs. John Suddard, Daniel O.
Morton, Daniel Rockwell, Asa Putney, Samuel Sparhawk, Benjamin Abbott,
J. B. Clark, Mr. Duncan, Abel Patten, A. W. Weld, A. S. Swift and J. B. Clark
the second time. There is no pastor in the church at present. The officers
arc, Arunah Allen, deacon ; Arunah Allen and John G. Allen, church com-
mittee; Sunday-school superintendent, John G. Allen. The church property
is valued at about $3,000.
Methodist Chnrcli. — About the year 1805 Joseph Crawford began preach-
ing the doctrines of Calvin in Pittsfield, and soon succeeded in organizing a
church. Meetings were held in private houses until Edward Rollins, of the
Christian denomination, came here and by his efforts virtually disbanded the
Methodist and organized therefrom a Christian church. In a few years, how-
ever, the excitement of the new faith abated, the Methodist organization re-
vived, and erected a church edifice, which they occupied until 1859, when the
old house was sold, removed, and converted into a town hall, its present use.
A new edifice was at once erected on the old site. In 1882, a spire was added
to the building, and in the summer of 1885 was thoroughly repaired and re-
furnished. Rev. Ira Beard was one of the most influential of their pastors. Of
late years the Conference has sent Revs. Moses Adams, C. Dingman, A. T.
Farley, W. S. Smithers. The present officers of the church are C. A. Brown,
class leader; Lyman Parmenter, J. A. Parmenter, and C. A. Brown, stewards.
George McCoUum, Sunday-school superintendent. The present membership
of the church numbers about eighty, and the averages attendance at Sunday-
school is about seventy. The church property is valued at about $3,500, in-
cluding the parsonage.
Mercantile Interests. — Frank Durkee has been dealer in dry goods and
groceries here since January, 1881. Before that for nearly two years he kept
a store in the Vose House. His predecessor in the present building, C. B.
George, had traded here about three years. Prior to his occupancy of the
house, Ira Holt, jr., had run a store in the same building for eight or ten years.
He bought of T. C. Hubbard, who had carried on the business four or five
years, as successors to Ira Beard. Beard was here many years. His prede-
cessors were J. O. A. Bass and " Perk " Flint, who traded under the name of
Bass & Flint.
The building occupied as a general store by C. B. George was built by him
in the summer of 1881.
John Rockwell has dealt in groceries, flour and meat since the fall of 1884.
The lumber business has been carried on extensively for a number of years, .
and several saw-mills, notably those of Dr. C. W. Brigham and his son-in-law,
George Chedell, Harris G. Ranney and A. C. Brown, still attest the relative im-
portance of this industry.
The Professions. — The legal profession is not represented in Pittsfield. The
726 History of Rutland County.
medical profession is represented by Dr. C. W. Brigham, who came here in
February, 1859, and whose biography appears in later pages of this book. His
associate, Dr. W. E. Chamberlain, was born on the 27th of January, i860, at
Stockbridge, Vt., was graduated from the medical department of the University
of Burlington in June, 1882, and after three years' experience in Winooski, Vt.,
came to Pittsfield in August, 1885.
The following figures show the fluctuation in the number of inhabitants be-
tween the years 1791 and 18S0. — 1791, 49; 1800, 164; 1810, 338; 1820,
453; 1830,505; 1840,615; 1850,512; 1860,493; 1870,482; 1880,555.
Following is a list of the officers of the town of Pittsfield elected in March,
1885. — Ira Holt, jr., town clerk; Josiah Babcock, A. J. Ellis, H. O. Hatch,
selectmen; Ira Holt, jr., treasurer ; J. H. Ranney, overseer of the poor ; Frank
Durkee, first constable ; L. C. Fuller, L. E. Taylor, Lyman Parmenter, listers ;
Dr. C. W. Brigham, G. D. Parmenter, L. E. Taylor, auditors ; L. Breed, trustee
of public money; Albert Vose, M. Ellis, O. G. Blossom, fence viewers; Moses
Ellis, inspector of leather; J. H. Ranney, pound keeper; H. G. Ranney, sur-
veyor of lumber, wood, etc, ; L. B. Houghton, A. J. Ellis, Seth Warren, George
Nichols, S. A. Howe, L. Parmenter, petit jurors ; G. D. Parmenter, D. W. Ran-
ney, county grand jurors; J. Babcock, town agent; George Nichols, sexton.
CHAPTER XXXV.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PITTSFORD.
THIS town lies a little north of the center of Rutland county and is bounded
north by by Brandon ; east by Chittenden ; south by Rutland, and west
by Hubbardton and Ira. It contains about thirty-six square miles of territory.
Its principal stream is Otter Creek which flows from south to north across
nearly the center of the town. Furnace and Stevens Brooks are considerable
streams which empty into Otter Creek, the former on the east and the latter
on the west. Numerous small streams are found in different localities. The
valley of Otter Creek, averaging nearly a mile in width, is level, rich in soil
and very productive, while the easterly and westerly portions of tlie town are
hilly or mountainous, less productive and better adapted to grazing.
The old military road, which has been described in an earlier chapter of
this work, built about 1759, and extending from Charlestown, N. H., to Crown
Point, passed through this town. The first or older branch, and doubtless the
one traveled prior to 1759, leading north from what is now Center Rutland,
entered the present limits of Pittsford a little west of Sutherland Falls, and
followed a generally northwest course across the town towards Crown Point.
Town of Pittsford. 727
The second branch entered the town farther east and near the line of the pres-
ent highway, crossed Otter Creek at a ford^ at the mouth of Stevens Brook
and united with the earher branch before alluded to. This was an important
military highway for the transportation of military stores from " Number Four "
(Charlestown) by the British provincials to Crown Point.
Pittsford was granted October 12, 1761, to Ephraim Doolittle and sixty-
three others, by Benning Wentworth, in the customary form. The names of
the grantees were as follows : —
Ephraim Doolittle, William Nutting, Samuel Bowers, Joshua Hutchins,
Abraham Norton, John Hubbard, Alexander Scott, Andred Powers, Nathaniel
More, jr., Robert Crowford, Edward Flint, Daniel McFarling, George Robins,
Phinias Hayward, Ezra Sanger, John Oaks, David Oaks, John Jenks, John
Benham, Daniel Thomas, Elisha Whittlesey, Ashbel Styles, Elish Hall, Samuel
Mansfield, John Hall the 5th, Lent Meriman, Daniel Lord, John Loomis,
Richard Wibert, esq., Daniel Boyden, Theodore Atkinson, jr., esq., Joshua
Johnson, Lucius Doolittle, Ebenezer Harvey, Joseph Burt, Aaron Burt, Aaron
Deniho, David Field, John Arms, Josiah Arms, Elisha Hall, jr., Charles Whittle-
sey, esq., Nathaniel Chancy, esq., Lucius Hail, Samuel Whittlesey, Chancy Whit-
tlesey, Jedediah Winslow, Timothy Patterson, David Purpaw, Nathan Jewett,
Benjamin Huntley, Daniel Dreggs, Amos Jones, Phineas Newton, Elisha F"uller,
Samuel Fuller, jr., Elkanah Fox, Elisha Harvey, William Steward, Daniel
Warner, esq., Peter Johnson, Samuel Brewer, Samuel Johnson, Jacob Hem-
mingway. None of these grantees ever had a permanent residence in the
town.
Town Records. — The proprietors' record of Pittsford for the first ten years
are lost, so that their organization and first officers are not known. The town-
ship being divided into seventy shares, it seems from the records that there
was for a time a good deal of traffic in these shares, and at one time Captain
Doolittle, who was undoubtedly foremost in advancing the settlement, owned
nearly one-fifth of the township. A few brief extracts from the early records
will be of interest and value.
The first existing records are of the year 1771, and under date of March
19, we find the following proceedings : —
" Warned by Gideon Warren Proprietors' Clerk. A Proprietors' meeting
Now Held at the House of Ebenezer Hopkins, P"irstly Voted and Chose Eben-
ezer Hopkins Proprietors' Moderator to be Moderator for Sd Meeting.
" Then voted and Chose Benjamin Cooley Proprietors Clerk. Then \^oted
to lay out the first Division of Lots and Number the Same. Then Voted and
Chose Isick Rood First Committy Man. Then Voted and Chose James Hop-
kins 2 Committy Man. Then Voted and Chose Moses Olmstead Committy
1 " This, the best ford on the creek, was named Pitt's Ford, in honor of William Pitt, the cele-
brated English statesman and friend of the colonies." — CAVpRLY's History of Pittsford.
728 History of Rutland County.
Man. Then Voted to ad Ten acres to every Loot in the first Division for
Highways. Then Voted that every Man should have his Hundred acres where
he has Don his Work. Then voted that all Lots be the same size. Then
Voted to give the Comniitty three shillings a Day. Then Voted to have the
same Committy lay out the Hiways."
This meeting was continued by adjournments from time to time, with such
intervals as were judged necessary by the proprietors for the transaction of
the public business.
On the gth of June, 1772, the proprietors " Voted to dis-annul a vote for-
merly passed concerning sizeing Land by Sd Meeting in March 19th 1771.
Then voted to lay out one hundred acres for a meeting house Lot."
On the 2 1 St of July, " Voted that every man that lives in the town, and
has land in the town, sliall pay the Committy for Laying out the Public Rites,
according to what Land they own in the town."
September ist, "Voted that Benjamin Cooley be a Committe man in the
room of Isaac Rood to lay out land and highways."
October 8th, " Voted to layout five acres to every Right amongst the pine
timber, where the Commitee shall think best for the public good."
December ist, " Voted to give the Proprietors of this Place to the fifteenth
day of May next, to come and make their first Pitches. Then voted that Will-
iam Ward should git it put in the Publick Prints."
Under date of October 14, 1773, it was voted "for the Second Division
Piches to be drawn and number the same."
January 3, 1774, the meeting voted "to have Ebenezer Lyman, P. Clerk
in said town." " Voted that Samuel Ellsworth, Stephen Mead and Benjamin
Cooley be sessors, Benjamin Cooley, Collector."
At an adjourned meeting December 19, 1774, the proprietors "voted Eb-
enezer Lyman Collector to collect the cost of laying out the township of Pitts-
ford. Voted 6 shillings on a Right to lay out town and Public lots and Pine
lots and town Plot."
The principal business transacted at the other meetings of 1774, 1775 and
1776, was the voting on men and plans for laying out the lands and their allot-
ments, and need not be followed in detail.
In the long controversy with New York, which has been described, the early
inhabitants of this town were forced to play a conspicuous part ; but previous
to 1 77 1 no direct effort was made to dispossess the proprietors and settlers of
Pittsford of their lands ; extensive improvements were already being made
and in January, 1771, they felt called upon to present the following petition,
although a previous one had been unfavorably received : —
" To his Excellency the Right Honorable John Earl of Dunmore, Captain
General and Governor in Chief of The Province of New York, &'^'"' &"■'* &"*
" In Councill.
Town of Pittsford. 729
" The Petition of the subscribers Inhabitants on a Tract of land commonly
called Pittsford, on Otter Creek, about Twenty Six miles South Easterly from
Crown Point.
" Humbly Sheweth,
" That there is a certain Tract of vacant land now within this
province, formerly Deemed and reputed to be within the province of New
Hampshire, lying to the Northward of the Great Falls on Otter creek, com-
monly called Rutland falls, and bounded as followeth : Beginning at a Maple
Tree Marked P. P. on the north line of Rutland, which line divides pitsford
from Rutland, as was granted by the Government of New Hampshire. Thence
runs West five degrees North, foure miles and ten Rods to a Beach Tree, from
thence runs North twelve degrees West, six miles to a Beach Tree, from
thence runs Elast five degrees South foure miles and ten Rods to a Beach Tree,
from thence runs South twelve degrees East six miles to the place where it
began, containing Fifteen Thousand acres, Which Tract of land was granted
by the Governor and Counsell of the Province of New Hampshire, in conse-
quence of which we your Excellencys petitioners have actually settled and
made considerable improvements thereon ; and are willing and desirous to com-
plect the same. Therefore most humbly pray your Exceelncy will be favour-
ably pleased to grant us the same under the usual restrictions &c, and your
Excelencys Petitioners shall ever pray.
" Benjamin Cooley, Isaac Roode, James Meade, Samuel Waters, Felix Powel,
Peleg Sunderling, Asa Johnson, Daniel Johnes, William Marshall, Samull Crip-
per, Isaac Buck, Jeams Hopkins, Gideon Warrin, Moses Umstead, Bless Will-
oughby."
According to Dr. Caverly's history, " the early settlers of Pittsford acted
with great unanimity in the struggle to maintain their titles against the estab-
lishment of any claim under the New York patent of Socialborough ; 1 though a
few of the non-resident proprietors were willing to relinquish their claims on
condition that they should have secured to them a tract of land of equal value
in some other part of the royal domain."
But all of these troubles were soon swallowed up in the tide of the Revolu-
tion and were eventually settled, as already described.
Settlements and the Revolution. — It was not until the year 1769 that a
single proprietor's right in Pittsford was disposed of to an actual settler. In
this year Gideon Cooley bought of Ephraim Doolittle one right in the south
part of the town, on which he had already made some improvements. He
was a son of Benjamin Cooley ; was a soldier in the French War, and had
passed through the valley of Otter Creek during his service. He came to
Pittsford in the spring of 1766 to more carefully examine the lands that he had
previously selected us a place for settlement,
I For details of this patent and other features of the controversy, see early chapters of this work,
the history of the town of Rutland and that of Clarendon.
730 History of Rutland County.
After closely inspecting the vicinity of Sutherland Falls, he discovered
about seventy acres on the east side of the creek, jutting in towards the falls
and covered with shallow water, retained there by an old beaver dam. He
believed he could cut this dam, drain the tract and have a fruitful field. He
accordingly applied to Captain Doolittle for a deed of it. The latter, anxious
to settle the town, promised him one right of land free if he would improve it
and become a bona fide settler. Gideon then returned to Greenwich, worked
one year for his father in order to secure the release of his brother Benjamin,
not yet of age, and in the summer of 1767 the two brothers packed up the few
necessary tools and provisions and started on horseback for the spot in the
wilderness which was to be their future home. Arriving safely, they began a
clearing and built a log house. It stood a little northeast of the residence of
Samuel B. Loveland, on the east side of the present highway. In the fall they
returned to spend the winter in Greenwich. Owing to the fact that Gideon
had the possession of the land and improvements secured to himself, some feel-
ing sprang up between the brothers, and Benjamin went into the township of
Addison and took up a lot of land on the border of the lake. Early in May
of the next year Gideon returned to his possession and with a hired man con-
tinued his improvements. Again in the fall he returned to Greenwich, intend-
ing to remove his family the following year. In the mean time Benjamin had
suffered from fever in liis new location and returned to Greenwich. Gideon,
perhaps actuated by sympathy, interceded with Captain Doolittle in Benja-
min's behalf and obtained from him a pledge of a deed of one hundred acres,
on condition that Benjamin should improve it. This arrangement was satis-
factor}' and earl)' in the spring of 1769 the two brothers, with Gideon's wife
and five children, set out for the Vermont wilderness. Thus began the settle-
ment of Pittsford. Benjamin's land included what has been known as the
Cooley farm ; here he built a log house in I 77 I, which stood about two rods
west of the dwelling now on the farm. He married Ruth Beach, then of Rut-
land, and a little later built his first frame house, which was burned in 1802,
when the second one was erected by him.
In 1770 seven families came into the town, as follows : Roger Stevens pur-
chased a large tract of Captain Doolittle and built a house a little west of the
present Gorham bridge, on the south side of the old Crown Point road. Eb-
enezer Hopkins came from Connecticut, where he was one of the original pro-
prietors of Harwinton. James Hopkins, who had made a tour of inspection to
Pittsford in the previous summer. He located two rights of land, the first one
being just south of the village, and the other on the west side of the creek.
His grandsons, Ebenezer and Martin Hopkins, came from Stockbridge to re-
side with him. No descendants of these Hopkins families are left in town.
Samuel Crippen came from Connecticut and purchased a right of James Mead,
and built his dwelling a little west of the house recently occupied by Austin
Town of Pittsford. 731
Chingreau. Felix Powell, who was the first settler in Dorset, Vt., and removed
thence to Pittsford ; he built on land now owned by George Wheaton. His
daughter was the first white child born in this town, but she lived only a few
weeks. Isaac Rood came from Windsor, Conn., and built a small house on
the north side of the brook opposite the residence of John Richardson. He
lived there until his death in 1775. Isaac Buck, from Connecticut, located on
land now occupied by Thomas D. Hall, bringing in his family the same fall.
In the next year but one family came into the town, that of Moses 01m-
stead. A part of the land he secured included the present farm of Charles
Hendee.
In 1772 Thomas Tuttle, Noah Waite and Samuel Waters settled in the
town ; it is not known just where Tuttle located ; Waite's first division included
land now owned by William E. Hall and others.
In 1773 three families came in, William Cox, Samuel Ellsworth and Stephen
Mead. Cox was in the F'rench War and served as lieutenant at Lake George
in 1758. He came from Waltham, Mass., and his tract included the farm now
owned by Julia Sargent ; he built a house on the east side of the creek. Samuel
Ellsworth was from Connecticut and purchased what is now the south part of
the farm owned by George Wheaton. He held some early ofifices and was a
surveyor. Stephen Mead was a brother of the first settler of Rutland, James
Mead, with whom he resided a short time before coming to Pittsford. His lot
was north of Samuel Crippen's and included the present farm of J. B. Douglas.
In the year 1774 a large number of families came into the town, among
whom were the following: Stephen Jenner, from Stevenstown, Mass., pur-
chased of James Mead land that included the site of Hitchcockville and east-
ward. The next year he built a house seventy rods east of the site of the pres-
ent academy. Jonathan Fassett came from Bennington, Vt., and originally
from Hardwick, Mass. His son Amos came to Pittsford and built a house a
little west of the village site. He was called "Dr. Fassett," but he was not,
probably, strictly entitled to the distinction. Ebenezer Lyman, bought land
and made a clearing where Dennis Smith resides. Caleb Hendee, from Cov-
entry, Conn., came into the town and purchased lands a part of which consti-
tuted the present farm owned by the Widow Thomas. He became one of the
leading farmers. His son, Caleb, jr., was a prominent citizen, born in October,
1768. He taught school in early life and afterward followed surveying. He
built the house in which he afterward lived in 1815. He held the office of sur-
vej'or of Rutland county many years, and in October, 18 17, was appointed
surveyor-general of the State, and held numerous minor offices ; was appointed
assistant judge. of the county in 1806 and judge of probate in 1809—10; was
town clerk and treasurer in 1800 and held the office about twenty-five years ;
he was appointed ensign in the third company of the third regiment, second
brigade and second division of the State militia in 1794, and in the following
732 History of Rutland County.
year was elected captain of the same company ; he was afterward promoted to
colonel and then to brigadier- general. He represented the town in the Gene-
ral Assembly eleven years beginning with 1 803, and in 1814 commanded the
company raised in this town for the defense of Plattsburg. He died on the 4th
of December, 1854, after a long, busy and honorable career. His sons were
German F., Charles J., and Caleb R.; the latter studied law in the office of
John Pierpoint, then of Pittsford, went to Zanesville, Ohio, but returned in
1836, and married Mary Ann Granger; they went again to Zanesville, but
after two years' practice there he returned and devoted his attention to farming.
He died in 1842. German Hendee, at present living in the town, is a great-
grandson of General Caleb. Samuel Hendee, son of Caleb, sr., located on the
home farm with his parents in 18 10, and died there a few years since after a
long life of great usefulness. Solomon Hendee was a son of Deacon Caleb.
He built the stone house on his farm in 1828 ; died in 1863. William Ward
came to Pittsford from Shaftesbury, Vt, and bought a farm on Otter Creek,
which included the farm now owned by George Wheaton ; he remained here
but a few years. William Ward, now living in town, is descended from this
family. David Ward came to the town in 1826 and located where he spent the
remainder of his life. He belonged to the same family. Joshua Woodward
came to Pittsford in 1774 from Massachusetts and bought lands which included
the farms of Joseph Noyes, F. B. Barnes, Edwin Leonard and James Buck-
man. His eldest son was John Woodward, who was in the Revolutionary War
and lived for a time in the house built by his father, and later where Joseph
Noyes lives. He removed to New York. Benjamin Stevens, brother of Roger
who has been mentioned, came into town in this year from Manchester, Vt.
He bought the land which forms the farm recently owned by Edward and
Richard Hendee, northwest of the village. His eldest son was Daniel, who
purchased in 1793 the farm then owned by Benjamin Stevens, jr. (his brother),
and lately owned by Benjamin 3d, now occupied by Edward Hinds. He died in
1829. James was another son of Benjamin, also lived in town, his land being
the westerly part of the farm just mentioned. He removed to Canada in 1794.
Simeon, another son, purchased one hundred acres adjoining his father's home-
stead ; he died in 1847 at the age of eighty-four. Jonathan, still another son,
came here in 1787 and bought fifty acres of land ; after some years he removed
to Canada. Others of this family will be mentioned further on. Gideon Shel-
don came from Duchess county, N. Y., and purchased lands including the farm
recently owned by Byron Morgan, in Whipple Hollow, where he built a house.
He had two sons, Gideon and Thomas, who were captured by Indians near the
close of the Revolutionary War, while returning to the barn with grain. The
Indians took them and proceeded to the house where they frightened away the
mother and ransacked the premises. The boys were carried to Canada where
Thomas died ; Gideon was returned home after a few months. Samuel Mon-
Town of Pittsford. 733
tague, originally from Massachusets, came to Pittsford in 1774 from Benning-
ton, and pitched fifty-five acres, including what is now the north part of the
farm of Frederick Woodcock. His sons Adonijah and Rufus came about the
same time; they were weavers, like their father, and served in the Revolution.
None of their descendants are in the town at present, as near as great-grand-
children.
The inhabitants of Pittsford were directly interested and concerned in the
Revolutionary War. When Ethan Allen was making his preparations for the
capture of Ticonderoga, he dispatched Major Beach through several towns of
Rutland county and others to collect men for the expedition. Beach passed
through Pittsford and called at the home of Captain Benjamin Cooley and de-
livered his message. Captain Cooley took his gun and with him started Isaac
Buck, jr., Jolin Deming, Hopkins Rowley and Ephraim Stevens for the place
of rendezvous. Thus citizens of Pittsford joined in that memorable event.
At that time there were thirty-eight families within the limits of the town, and
about one hundred and ninety-five persons. The details of the great struggle
for freedom need not be entered into here, and the events in which Pittsford
settlers were directly interested can only be briefly touched upon.
On the day of the battle of Hubbardton, great excitement prevailed in the
town. Most of the inhabitants left their houses on the night succeeding the
battle, expecting immediate attack upon their homes; and with the approach
of morning the women and children and a few of the more timid men fled away
southward. Some of the families returned to the towns from which they had
emigrated, but the majority came back to their homes as soon as it was deemed
safe. On returning after the alarm of the near approach of the army had sub-
sided, the male inhabitants set about preparing a place of refuge in case of an-
other invasion. This resulted in the building of " Fort Mott," of which the
following description is given by Dr. Caverly : " The place selected was the
residence of William Cox, on the east bank of Otter Creek. This was sur-
rounded by a high breastwork of hemlock logs set endwise in the ground, and
on the west side this work was carried down the bank into the channel of the
creek which supplied the inmates with an abundance of fresh water. In form
the enclosure was nearly square, and contained about three-fourths of an acre
of ground, in the center of which was the log dwelling which took the place of
a block-house. This work was accomplished ' by the combined voluntary
efforts of the neighboring inhabitants for their mutual security against the sud-
den attacks of roaming parties of Indians and British, piloted by the detestable
renegate Tories, familiar with every road, by-path, log-house and ambush in
the settlements.' This was afterwards named Fort Mott, from Mr. John Mott,
who often acted as commander of those collected within it."
The period from this time to the close of the war was one of constant peril
to the settlers of the town. We have mentioned the capture of Gideon and
734 History of Rutland County.
Thomas Sheldon. Two other boys, Joseph and John Rowle}-, were also carried
into captivity, but they were returned a few months later.
The battle of Bennington and its victory left the inhabitants of the north-
ern department a period of comparative security ; and the Committee of Safety
kept a careful ward over the interests of the people.
When the continental troops were withdrawn from this State, the frontier
towns were left at the mercy of an enemy that was always ready to take ad-
vantage of their defenseless situation. Rutland was the headquarters of the
State troops, and a small garrison was kept at Fort Mott. In May, 1779, the
commander of the fort was informed that a force was coming up Lake Cham-
plain to harass the settlers. A scouting party was thereupon sent out, consist-
ing of Ephraim Stevens (commander), Benjamin Stevens, jr., Ebenezer Hop-
kins and Jonathan Rowley, jr. Although ordered to not cross the lake, Stev-
ens did so at Ticonderoga, in a canoe. After visiting the fort they embarked
in their canoe and proceeded down as far as Basin Harbor and landed. After
reconnoitering the vicinity they again entered their canoe, convinced that no
Indians were about. They now foolishly discharged all of their pieces as a sort
of salute. In a few moments a party of Indians appeared and ordered them
to come ashore at the peril of their lives. This was refused and Stevens and
his men pushed out into the lake amid a shower of bullets, none of which took
effect. The Indians then jumped into another canoe and rapidly gave chase.
An Indian lay flat in the bow where he kept up a fire with deliberate aim.
Soon young Rowley was hit in the head and killed. Finding escape impossi-
ble, the party surrendered, and after scalping the young scout, the Indians took
the party ashore and started into the wilderness. After enduring many indig-
nities and cruelties at the hands of the savages, the story of which is filled with
interest, the party was taken to Quebec, whence they escaped in the follow-
ing fall while engaged in harvesting, under a guard. They were recaptured
near the head waters of the Connecticut by a party of Indians, taken again to
Quebec and thrown into prison. After one fruitless attempt to dig through
the walls of the prison, which was frustrated by an into.xicated prisoner, their
second attempt, made in the winter of 1781, was successful ; but after getting
within a day's journey of Vermont, amid much suffering from cold and hun-
ger, they fell in with a party of British and were again taken back to Quebec.
Their relatives had given them up for dead. In June, 1782, Benjamin Stev-
ens, sr., learning that some prisoners were to be exchanged at Whitehall, went
thither hoping to hear of his son. The first to disembark was his own son.
Ephraim and Ebenezer Hopkins were also exchanged on this occasion. There
are not many more heroic figures in the Revolution, as far as relates to Ver-
mont, than Ephraim Stevens. (See Caverly's History of Pittsford.)
" The inhabitants of the town were frequently alarmed by the reported ap-
proach of small parties of the enemy, and on all such occasions the women and
Town of Pittsford. 735
children repaired to the fort, where they remained till the alarm subsided. In
the month of November Deacon Caleb Hendee, Elder Elisha Rich, of Claren-
don, and Deacon Murray, late of Orwell, went in company to Neshobe to view
a lot of land near the house of George and Aaron Robbins. After an inspec-
tion of the land they called at the house of the Messrs. Robbins and then re-
turned to Pittsford. A few minutes after they left the house it was attacked
by the Indians and the two owners killed. Most of the other inhabitants of
Neshobe were made prisoners and their houses burned. About ten o'clock
that night the news of this attack reached Pittsford. The same hour Deacon
Hendee, with the assistance of Elder Rich, Deacon Murray and Richard Hen-
dee, the deacon's brother, who happened to be there at that time, placed his
whole family (including his aged mother) on horseback, and traveled all night
as far as the town of Clarendon, where they arrived at the house of Elder Rich
early the next morning. A company of Colonel Gideon Warren's regiment
was dispatched to the scene of distress, where it remained three days, but the
enemy having retreated the company was withdrawn. Captain Wright and
the lieutenant being absent. Ensign Blanchard had command of the force on
this occasion. We find the name of Stephen Mead, of Pittsford, on the roll of
this company.
" Fort Mott was illy adapted to shield the people from the protracted efforts
of a powerful foe. Accordingly, being roused by the startling acts of cruelty
and bloodshed which had been perpetrated, they resolved to have a fort built
that would accommodate a large garrison and afford them adequate protection."
The subject was laid before the board of war and the final result was the
erection of what was called Fort Vengeance. The following account of this
fort was furnished to Henry Hall, of Rutland, by General Caleb Hendee, and
is taken from Dr. Caverly's work : —
" The site selected for its location was on the upland about a mile north-
easterly from Fort Mott, and around the very spot then occupied by the dwell-
ing house of Caleb Hendee, sr. The stage road from Pittsford village to Bran-
don passes over the ground formerly occupied by this fort. Like all the other
forts in Vermont it was a picket fort ; a trench was dug five or six feet deep,
the trunks of trees, mostly hard maple and beech, a foot or a foot and a half
in diameter, were sunk into the trench as closely together as possible, extend-
ing sixteen or eighteen feet above ground and sharpened to a point at the top ;
between each log a stake was driven to fill the space left by the round unhewed
logs ; within the pickets a breastwork was thrown up about six feet broad at
the base, and composed entirely of dirt and logs. At a height convenient for
the garrison were loop-holes between the logs and large enough at the center
for the barrel of a musket to pass through, and radiating outside and inside so
that the soldiers within could move the muzzles of their guns in the loop-holes
and command a wide range without, while the loop-holes were so far from the
736 History of Rutland County.
ground on the out-side tliat the enemy's shots coming tlirough them would
pass over tlie heads of the garrison. Tiie form of the fort was square, enclos-
ing an acre or more of ground. On each corner jutting outside was a flanker,
with two stories, tiiat is, a floor was laid across each about eight feet from the
ground answering for a ceiling to the space below ; above this floor or ceiling
was the sentinel's box with loop-holes above and below, from which the mus-
keteers could rake the approach to the fort in every direction with a deadly fire.
On the east of the fort was a large double gate of oak plank, thickly studded
with large headed nails or spikes so as to be completely bullet proof, while on
the west side of the fort was a wicket-gate ; within the fort, extending along
the north side were the officers' barracks, and on the south side tlie soldiers'
barracks. In the northwest corner was the magazine for the munitions of war, a
framed building ; in the northeast and southwest corners were wells, which were
soon neglected and the garrison supplied themselves with water from a spring
thirty or forty rods east of the fort. The space between the officers' and sol-
diers' barracks was the parade ground. The fort was finished in June, 1 780.
After the w^ar the barracks were long used as dwelling houses, and one room
of them ma}- even now be seen, standing at the west end of Samuel Hendee's
barn yard."
The new fort was doubtless in a condition for occupancy early in June,
1780. After the fort was finished it was occupied by Major Ebenezer Allen, of
Tinmouth, and about one hundred and fifty men.
In 1780 the people of the State were again left largely to their own re-
sources for protection against the common enemy, and measures were taken
for strengthening the forts of the county. Two companies of rangers were also
raised and kept in constant service, in which were a number of Pittsford men.
No large body of the enemy appear to have visited Vermont during this sum-
mer ; but small parties of Indians and Tories made constant incursions, which
kept the inhabitants in a state of alarm.
In midsummer Samuel Crippen was captured and a little later Betsey Cox;
the latter was, however, permitted to escape to the fort. Mr. Crippen was per-
mitted to return from Canada in about a year, and died in Wallingford in 1783.
In June, 1781, the Indians laid their plans for a vigorous night assault on
Fort Vengeance; but they were discovered in the vicinity by some soldiers
during the day previous and a well-planned ambush, which fired on them dur-
ing their approach, frustrated the assault. Captain James Brookins was then
in command of the fort, with a company under him in which were a number
of Pittsford men.
But the end came, practically with the surrender of Cornwallis in October,
1 78 1, and peace soon settled over the distressed country. With the final set-
tlement of the difficulties with New York, the settlers again gave their atten-
tion to the improvement of their farms, and others rapidly took up the land
around them, as will be further narrated.
Town of Pittsford. 737
Settlements after the War. — During the last twenty ye.Trs of the last cen-
tury numerous settlements were made in town, the more prominent only of
which can be alluded to except in the briefest manner. Jonathan Warner, who
had been in the town in 1772 and boug-ht two rights of land, came in to settle
in 1780; a part of his land included the farms now occupied by his great-
grandson, John Warner and that of E. M. Bailey ; his first clearing was made
near where Mr. Bailey now lives.
In 1780 Eleazer Harwood made a clearing on land which he had pitched
in 1776, including a part of the present farm of John M. Goodnough.
Jonathan Dike settled in town in 1781, but removed to Chittenden three
years later. His son Jonathan was sheriff of the county and otherwise promi-
nent. Mrs. Capen Leonard is a granddaughter and Cyrus Dike a grandson of
the elder Jonathan.
Peter Rice settled here in 1781 and in 17S9 bought one hundred acres,
which included the farm now owned by Ransom Burditt. Phineas Ripley, a
Revolutionary soldier, came in the same year and made his first clearing on the
east side of the brook. He lived there till 1802, when he built the house now
owned by Carlos A. Hitchcock.
Several families settled in town in 1782. Eleazer Warner was one of the
more conspicuous of these; he came from Granb)', Mass., and located in the
south part of Sugar Hollow ; built the first frame house north of the bridge,
and in 1792 bought the lot known as the John Booth place ; he died in 1835.
His son Samuel located on the farm now owned by the widow of Douglas Bates,
where he resided until 1825, when he went to live with his children. Samuel's
son, Nathan Smith W^arner, lived in town and in company with his brother-in-
law, Marshall Wood, became the owner of the Kingsley tannery (elsewhere
mentioned); he removed to Rutland in 1852 ; Eleazer Chapin Warner, another
son of Samuel, was a farmer of the town, and in company with his father and
brother, purchased the David Crippen farm, and in 1841 bought their interests
in the place. He is still a respected resident of the town. .
Amasa Ladd came into the town in this year and two years later purchased
lands which included the farm now owned by Joseph Gagnon. He built the
present house there about 1790, which is now one of the oldest in town; he
afterwards removed to Malone, N. Y. • The Kellogg family settled in this year,
when Amos, son of Joseph, came in and located ; the latter came from Wey-
bridge, where he had lived with one of his sons. About the year 1805 h^
came to Pittsford to live with their son Amos. Amos was in the Revolution-
ary service and held a commission. He located on the farm afterward occu-
pied by his son, Samuel H., who was born in 1798. Amos Cushman Kellogg,
son of Amos, located on the home farm with his brother, Samuel H., where he
lived till 1837, when he purchased the place where he spent the remainder of
his life. Newton Kellogg, now a prominent citizen and connected with the
banks of Rutland, is a son of Samuel H. *''
738 History of Rutland County.
Elisha Rich, a native of Massachusetts, came here in 1783 and made the
first improvements on what has been known as " Furnace Flat." In that fall
he built a grist-mill on the brook above where the bridge now stands ; Samuel
Adams built a saw-mill a little below the bridge. The land he obtained em-
braced three pieces, making 440 acres, including "the flat; " he built a small
house near where the brick house was afterward erected. In 1784 he sold his
mill and one hundred acres of land to Thomas and Samuel Adams. In 1785
he was settled as pastor of the Baptist Church in Pittsford, where he continued
in acceptable service until 1803 ; he soon removed to Pennsylvania. Joshua
Morse settled in 1783 on a farm which embraced lands now owned by Capen
Leonard; he built a log house a little northeast of the present dwelling of Mr.
Leonard and a few }'ears later a frame house west of this and near the road.
Justus Brewster settled in 1783 where Edward Phalen now lives.
The Brown family came in this year and became prominent in the town.
Elijah Brown, jr., came to Rutland in 1780 and soon afterward to Pittsford ; it
is not known just where he settled. Their son, bearing the same name, was
born in Rutland. He became a tanner and currier and in 1805 bought of An-
drew Prindle a half interest in the Nelson tannery, and in 1808 purchased the
other half; the tannery place is now owned by John Hudson. In company with
his brother, Samuel A., he carried on business until 1827, when Elijah sold his
tannery interest to his brother and bought the Western Tavern, which he kept
until 1839. He was accidentally killed in Providence in i860. Samuel A. re-
sided on the tannery property until his death in 1867. Willard C, a son of
Samuel, enlisted in the Second Berdan Sharp Shooters and now lives in New
York State. Oliver Brown, son of Elijah, was a harness-maker and lived in the
village until 1842. Charles D., son of Elijah, jr., was connected for a few years
after 1847 with the furnace property, but removed from town not long after-
ward.
The Adams family located here in 1784. Elisha, the father, purchased the
grist-mill and also built a saw-mill, just above the furnace, which were both op-
erated a number of years by members of the family. The family first occupied
the house built by Elisha Rich, who sold them the property, but soon con-
structed another log house on the hill. Samuel Adams, one of the sons, after-
wards built the red house, owned some years ago by A. G. Allen. Thomas,
another son, located on the farm now occupied by his son, Elias T. Arbela,
another son of Thomas, removed west many years ago.
Elias Hall came to Pittsford in the spring of 1784 and purchased lands in-
cluding the place now occupied by George Bates; about 1795 he sold this and
lived a few years in a house which stood where the Baptist meeting-house is
located; he removed to Williston and died in 1 820.
Prominent among the settlers of 1785 was John Hitchcock, a native of Con-
necticut ; he located on lands covering the farm now occupied by Elijah Gid-
Town of Pittsford. 739
dings; this he soon deeded to his son John and purchased the lot forming the
farm now owned b\' his grandson, Captain Charles Hitchcock. His son, Re-
membrance Hitchcock, came here from Brandon and hved with his parents
about three years from 1797. He built the house which is now the residence
of Charles Hitchcock, and in 1800 the house occupied by Frank Bresee, mov-
ing into the latter as soon as it was finished. In later years he built the pres-
ent residence of his son, Allen Hitchcock, as well as that occupied by Mrs.
Obers. His son Lyman located on the farm now owned by George N. Eayres,
where his parents resided for a time. He removed to Chittenden. Carlos A.
Hitchcock, at present one of the wealthiest men of the town, is a son of Ly-
man ; has held several town offices and represented the town in the Assembly.
He now lives on what is known as the Sheldon place, in the village. Moses
Hitchcock was a son of John, jr. ; was a blacksmith, and moved to St. Law-
rence county about 1806. Chapman Hitchcock, son of John, was conspicuous
in early years as a singing school teacher and choir leader. Captain Charles
Hitchcock has occupied a prominent place in the town ; has held the numerous
offices and represented the town two terms.
Thomas Hammond was given one hundred acres of land in Pittsford by his
father-in-law, Ichabod Cross, and he built a small house which stood near the
Cox Fort (Fort Mott). After two or three changes of residence he bought in
1 8 14 the farm now owned by George Wheaton, and built the large house there,
in which he took up his residence. He became a very prominent citizen ; was
six years assistant judge of the count\', beginning in 1815, and four years from
1816 a member of the Executive Council ; was two j-ears assessor under the
general government. He was conspicuous in the organization of the State
militia and rose from captain to colonel. Morever, he was a devoted Christian.
His son, Thomas Denny Hammond, born in 1812, also has an honorable rec-
ord ; he was the first to respond to the call for troops in 18 12, and served as
orderly sergeant. In 1820 he removed to Orwell, where he was honored with
several high offices. He died in 1841. Augustus, son of Thomas Hammond,
married a daughter of Sturges Penfield and located on the home farm. In
1867 he purchased his father-in-law's farm, on which he died.
In 1786 Jacob Weed settled in town, coming from Massachusetts; his lot
included a part of the farm now owned by Cyrus Dike. Jeremiah Powers, sr.,
settled in Sugar Hollow, but not until 1792, locating on a lot including the
present farm of William Nicholas; he died in 1801. His son Jeremiah had
preceded him to this town in 1786, locating on lands including the place now
owned by E. M. Bailey; he died in 1845. Joab, son of the first Jeremiah,
came here in 1799, and located in Sugar Hollow, and died about 1830. Lot
Keeler settled in the town in 1786 and made a small purchase which included
the homestead now owned by Hills and Benjamin Taylor, where he built a log-
house. His son Lot, jr., spent his life in town and died in 1 87 1. Abraham
740 History of Rutland County.
Owen came in this year and located on lands embracing the easterly part of
the farm now owned by Orlin Smith ; he died in 1813. The name of Nathan
Webster appears first on the records in 1785, when he purchased twelve acres
of land, including the site of the present Otter Creek House in the village ; for
this he paid forty pounds. He cleared this spot and removed his family, prob-
ably in 1786. The site of the village was then covered by a heavy forest. The
house he built was the beginning of the village. The site was early known as
" Blackberry Hill," from the quantities of that fruit that grew thereabouts.
Amos Webster was probably a brother of Nathan, and purchased lands in 1785
which embraced all the territory on which the village was built, east of the
north and south road, between the town hall lot and the road leading to Hitch-
cockville, together with lands lying eastward of the village, now owned by va-
rious persons. He built a house the following spring about where Carlos A.
Hitchcock's residence now stands, which was afterwards known as the " Web-
ster House."
In 1787 Reuben Ives, a native of Massachusetts, came into the town and
bought land of Richard Hendee, including that now owned by Volney Baird,
Charles Smith and others. Simeon Parmelee also settled in this year ; he was
a Revolutionary soldier and purchased a farm on which he lived some years
and removed to Westford. His brother Hezekiah, son of Simeon, sr., located
on the paternal homestead ; after several changes of residence he died in the
town in 1853. Rev. Simeon Parmelee, Rev. Ashbel Parmelee and Rev. Moses
were of this family and became distinguished in the ministry. Simeon Parme-
lee, son of Hezekiah, located in the easterly part of the town on the farm of
his father, and formerly devoted a large share of his time to his trade, that of
mason. He is a respected citizen and deacon in the Congregational Church.
The Jackson family were numerous in the town in early years ; David, son of
David, settled in the south part of the town and died in the War of 1812.
Jonathan's purchase included the farm now owned by Hiram Bates ; he died
on that place. James removed to Pennsylvania. Samuel removed to Canada
before 181 2. Daniel settled in the west part of the town. Anthony Phillips
came to Pittsford in 1787 and purchased a lot including what is the farm now
owned by his great-grandson, Moses Phillips. His son Jacob located on the
home farm an died in 1848. Orin W. was a son of Jacob, and also settled on
the home farm, where he died and left it in possession of his son.
Asa Stevens came to the town in 1788 and bought a tract including the
present farm of W. P. Ward, and other lands ; here he resided until his death
in 1817. Dr. Abiathar Millard came in this year and located in the village,
building what was probably the fourth house on " Blackberry Hill." Nathaniel
Fairfield settled in 1788 in the west part of the town, where he and his son
Samuel lived for some years.
Ithiel Barnes came to Pittsford and purchased of his cousin, John Barnes,
Town of Pittsford. 741
in 179S, eighty acres of land in Whipple Hollow. The following spring he
built his house and went back to Connecticut for his family. His father was
James Barnes, and he followed his .son to this town in 1793, also locating in
Whipple Hollow; he died in 1809. Ithiel Barnes, jr., located in the town in
1830; he died in 1866. John R. was the son of John, jr., and was born in
1822 and located on the home farm with his parents. Nehemiah Barnes, son
of John, bought a farm in town in 1 8 19, and the next year exchanged with Na-
thaniel K. Andrews, for the farm now owned by Chauncey Thomas ; he lived
there until 1865, when he exchanged for the place where he afterwards lived.
His son Charles, now living in town, is one of the respected citizens. Franklin
B. Barnes, now a resident of Pittsford, is a son of Nehemiah. In 1855 he pur-
chased what was long known as the Abraham Drury farm and resided there
until his death. Jeffrey Barnes, son of John, located on the home farm with
his parents. He made several changes of residence and finally in 1832 ex-
changed places with David Hall and obtained the Mead farm, now owned by
B. J. Douglass. In 1855 he purchased the place where he afterward lived.
He was a leading citizen and held various political offices ; he died in 1861.
Stephen Powers, son of Peter, a captain in the Revolutionary army, had a
son named Peter, who served in the navy. In 1789 he came to Pittsford and
bought a farm; a part of this he sold and in 1792 he bought one hundred and
forty acres, which included most of the present farms owned by George N.
Eayres and Marshall Wood ; he lived in a small house near where Mr. Eayres's
house stands; he died in 1854. His son, also named Stephen, located on the
same farm ; he died in 1862.
The town-plot lots were surveyed in 1785, in conformity to tlie vote of the
proprietors, and these acre lots were laid out on either side of the north and
south road, thirty-four on the east side, and an equal number on the west, and
extending from a point forty rods and seven feet north of the north line of the
Baptist burying-ground, to the south line of the Congregational meeting-house
lot. In this plot four acres were laid out for the Congregational meeting-house
lot ; two acres and ten rods for the Baptist meeting-house lot, and two acres
for the North burying-ground. The whole town plot consisted of a little more
than eighty-six acres, but only about seventy-six acres were included in the
foregoing lots, consequently there remained in the easterly part of the plot ten
acres of common land which, according to the vote of the proprietors, was
reckoned a part of the second division of the school lot.
A few new settlements were made in town in 1790, among them being
Abraham and Calvin Drury, Phineas Hammond, who lived on the farm now
occupied by John Richardson, and Abraham Carpenter, who located in Whipple
Hollow and did faithful service in the ministry.
In 1791, besides those mentioned, came here Colonel Israel Keith, who was
a graduate of Harvard University ; he purchased three acres including the lot
742 History of Rutland County.
on which the old furnace buildnig now stands. In the fall of the same year he
built the furnace and began the manufacture of iron. He did not remove his fam-
ily hither until i8oo. There are no descendants of Mr. Keith now in the
town; but he was for many j'ears a prominent figure in the early manufactur-
ing interests. His brothers, Scotland, Daniel and Alfred, lived for longer or
shorter periods in town.
William Baxter came here in 1792, bought several acres of land on Furnace
Brook, including one-half of the Adams saw-mill, which has been described.
He removed to Massena, N. Y., about 1830. The Wicker family came here in
this year ; Luther, Frederick and James ; James and Luther were both Meth-
odist preachers. Marshall Wood is a grandson of Luther.
Jeremiah Needham came to Pittsford in 1792, and in 1797 bought the north
half of the farm first occupied by Gideon Cooley. He worked more or less at
shoemaking in connection with farming, and removed to Essex county, N. Y.,
in 1806.
Oliver Bogue came to town in 1792 and lived four years on the farm which
had been occupied by Joshua Morse and one year on the Jonathan Fassett
farm. He afterward made several purchases of real estate. He died on the
farm occupied in recent years by Charles Mussey, in 1828. Marcus Cook
Bogue, son of Alexander and grandson of Oliver, came to Pittsford from West
Rutland, where he had been a merchant, in 1859. He followed mercantile bus-
iness here until 1867, when he sold to Rollin S. Meacham and bought the old
Hopkins farm and followed that occupation; in 1870 he removed to Sioux
City, Iowa, where he now resides.
Abraham Walker settled in town in 1794, and shortly afterwards located in
the village, where his son Tilly afterward resided. James Hewitt came in
about this time and located in the west part of the town. After making his
clearing he built the house in which he lived until his death in 1858. His son
Seth also located on the homestead. Benjamin Chaffee came into the town in
1794 and located on the farm afterwards owned by his son Demas ; lie died
there in 1850.
Alfred Buck, son of Isaac, the pioneer, located in 1795 on the farm now
owned by German Hendee. He built the red house on the west side of the
road in 1803, and there lived until his death in 1842. His son Addison was
a merchant in the village many years and postmaster for a time. In 1795 Na-
than Gibbs came here and purchased a one-fourth interest in the furnace prop-
erty. This he carried on in company with his brother Cornelius, Edward
Kingman and Luke Reed ; in 1797 he bought the Kingman interest and soon
afterward purchased the other two interests and managed the whole for a period.
John Miller settled here in 1795 and bought land which is now owned by
George Leonard; he died about 1832.
Samuel Morgan bought a tract of land in town in 1793 and settled here in
Town of Pittsford. 743
1796; he removed to Rutland in 18 12 and died therein 1830. His son, of
the same name, located on the home farm and lived till about 1835. William,
a brother of Samuel, settled in the west part of the town in 1799 and lived there
until his death.
John Penfield, of Fairfield, Conn., after serving three years in the Revolu-
tionary War, came to Pittsford in 1795 and bought of Ebenezer Hopkins the
grist-mill built by Nehemiah Hopkins, which has been alluded to, and some
land in the vicinity. In the following February he brought in his family and
they lived in the house now owned by William B. Shaw. In the next Decem-
ber he opened a public house there, which he kept until 181 1. He died in
1829. The Penfield family has been prominently associated with the history of
the town. John, jr., son of John, came here in 1797, having previously learned
the saddler's trade. He opened a shop in what is now Meacham's store ; he
left the town in 1803 and died in Whitehall in 1848. Sturges Penfield, another
son of John, sr., came in with the family, having learned the hatter's trade in
Rutland. He married Laura Giddings and died in 1866. His daughter, El-
eanor B., is now the widow of the late H. F. Lothrop. (See biographic sketch
herein.) Mr. Penfield was a leading man in the community, a man of the
strictest integrity and great energy. Allen Penfield, also a son of John, mar-
ried a daughter of Thomas Hammond and took his father's place in the tavern,
and in the following year occupied the house built by his father and now owned
by Asher Burditt, where he lived until his death. He managed the hotel until
1828, when he sold it and removed to Crown Point, where he became conspic-
uous in the iron business. Abel Penfield, another son of John, came with the
rest of the family in 1796; he learned the clothier's trade with Eleazer Har-
wood and first located in Hartford, Vt., in company with Mr. Harwood, where
they continued from 181 2 to 1820 ; he then returned to Pittsford and occupied
his father's house (now the residence of Asher Burditt) until 1828, when he
built the house in which he afterward resided. About the same time he pur-
chased a third interest in the woolen factory, the grist-mill and ten acres of
land, the other two-thirds being owned by his brothers, Allen and Sturges.
In 1824 he sold his interest in all of this property except the grist-mill, which
he rebuilt, and the same is now owned by Mr. Burditt. He died in March,
1 87 1. Charles L. Penfield, a respected citizen of the town, was a son of Abel.
The place is now owned by the Rev. Mr. Foster.
Richard M. Powers, son of Jeremiah, in 1795 purchased and began improve-
ment of what was known as the Wright place, where he built a house the same
year. He soon afterward sold this to Robert Wright and bought the farm now
occupied by his son, Artemas C. Powers; he died in 1848.
Christopher Bresee came from Massachusetts and in 1797 purchased the
farm now owned by his grandson, Wallace E. Bresee; Jacob F., now living in
the town, is another son of Christopher. Peter, a brother of Christopher, also
lived in the town, but subsequently removed to Canada.
744 History of Rutland County.
Oliver and Timothy Morseman settled in the town about the year 1797,
their father having purchased land here several years earlier. Oliver located
on what was the Wait farm, and Timothy on land purchased by his father and
built a house about where George Horseman's barn now stands ; the latter had
a son Timothy, jr., who resided in town. Elisha Woodruff settled in 1797
about a mile north of the village, and in 1798 built a saw-mill; a few years
later he erected another mill a little below the first ; he operated both until
181 1 ; he was accidentally killed in 1820 by a log rolling on him.
Eli Hudson came here in 1798 and bought the farm recently owned by
Manuel Ackley ; in 1820 he purchased the Josiah Eddy farm, now owned by
Howard Leonard ; he died in 1 82 1. His son Seth was a carpenter and lived
in the town. John W., another son, is still living and the oldest living person
in the town who was born here. Stephen Avery bought in 1798 of Benjamin
Cooley the place in the village now occupied by Dr. Swift. His brother Elijah
purchased in the same year a place in the village ; they afterward carried on
mercantile business in the village in company a number of years. Elijah died
here in 1803, and Stephen, after removing to Brookfield, where he remained
about six years, returned and in company with others, erected a woolen mill,
which stood just below Mr. Burditt's grist-mill. Mr. Avery retired in 1821 and
removed to Brandon where he died. Robert Loveland, from Connecticut, lo-
cated here about 1798 and lived on the Cooley farm until his death; his son,
Bassett, now lives on the homestead. Aaron Nelson Loveland, also a son of
Robert, \\as born in town and lives on what is known as the Barnes farm,
which he has greatly improved. Robert E. is a son of Samuel Babbet Love-
land, and lives on his father's homestead.
Among those who located in the town in 1800 we may mention Luke Os-
good, who purchased land that included most of the present farm of William
Creed. He died here in 1853. Leonard Rawson purchased of Israel Keith
what was known as the Eleazer Harwood farm, now occupied by George Put-
nam ; he died here in 1816. Joshua Kingsley settled on the premises now
owned by John M. Goodnough ; He was a tanner and followed the business in
this town some years ; he removed to Troy about 1830 and died there in 1857.
Jirah Barlow purchased in 1799 land that formed a part of the estate of
the late H. F. Lothrop, lying east and northeast of Penfield's mill lot, includ-
ing the water privileges, " together with the fulling-mill, dye-house, two strings
of tender bars, dvvelling-house and shop, and one pair clothier's shears, one
iron screw and box, and one clothier's plait." This property be bought of
Chester Powers who had it from Noel William Avery in 1797; the latter had
built the mill the previous year ; the mill stood on the Ripley Brook, a little
way from its junction with Furnace Brook. Soon afterward Mr. Barlow bought
the water privilege below Penfield's mill and built what formed a part of the
straw-board mill; here he had a grist-mill, saw-mill, oil-mill, distillery, and
Town of Pittskord. 745
pot-ashery, and once owned the farm now owned by C. A. Hitchcock (tlie Ripley
farm) ; he removed to Illinois about 1820.
Isaac Wheaton bought of Stephen Mead in iSoiatract which included
part of the farm now owned by Ransom Burditt. In 1802, having sold tliis
place, he purchased what has since been known as the Wheaton farm ; he died
there in 185 I, and the place passed into possession of his son, Isaac C. He
made extensive improvements on the place and lived there until 1868, when
he sold it and bought the Hammond farm, which at his death passed into pos-
session of his son George, who now occupies it. Isaac C. Wheaton was a
worthy and respected citizen. Rufus Whedon (as he spelled the name) was a
Revolutionery soldier and brother of Isaac. In 1828 he purchased the farm
which had been improved by Ebenezer Hopkins. He died in 1840, and the
place is now occupied by Edwin Noyes, son-in-law of William Ward.
David Hall, son of David, was born in Brandon in 1795, and in 1803 the
family came to live in Pittsford, locating on the farm now occupied by Alex-
ander Parmelee ; he died in town in 1841.
Thomas Burditt, from Lynn, Mass., came to Pittsford about the 1804, and
located on land now owned by Ransom Burditt, on the easterly slope of West
Hill ; himself and wife both died in this town.
Jacob Leonard was from Easton, Mass. His children were Isaac, Jacob,
Capen and Militiah. In 1801 he purchased a tract of land a part of which lay
in the northeast part of Pittsford and a part in Chittenden. In 1805 the Pitts-
ford portion was deeded to his son Isaac, who built a house and made the first
improvements on it. In 1795 he (Isaac) had married Ruth Fuller and they
came in and located on this land, which is now owned by their grandson Isaac.
Mr. Leonard died in 1855. Capen Leonard was a son of Jacob and a brother
of Isaac ; he removed from Chittenden to Pittsford in 181 5 and settled on the
farm in the north part of the town now owned by Charles Hitchcock ; he died
there in 1 845. Martin Leonard was a son of Isaac ; he located on the paternal
homestead and died there ; his son Isaac now occupies the place. Hiram
Leonard, son of Capen, located on the Rawson farm, which he had purchased
of Timothy Lester in 1827. He was quite well educated and taught scliool
some years. He removed to Mill village about 1840, bought the saw- mill now
owned by George N. Eayres, and built his house. He died in 1885. Capen,
another son of Capen Leonard, was born in Chittenden, June 25, 1808, and
married Mary Ann Dike, granddaughter of Jonathan Dike, elsewhere mentioned.
He resided some years in Chittenden and removed to Pittsford in 1852. occu-
pying the farm on which he still lives. He represented Chittenden in the Leg-
islature from 183710 1841 inclusive, and in 1843; represented Andover in
i860, and was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1850. He was
elected senator from Rutland in 1868-69. Newell Leonard was a son of Isaac
and located on a part of the John Miller farm, where he died ; his son now
746 History of Rutland County.
occupies the place. Josiah, another son of Isaac, located on the farm now oc-
cupied by his son Edwin. Martin Leach, from Easton, Mass., was a black-
smith and worked at the trade with his brother in Pittsford as early as 1798,
and later in Middlebury. In 1808 he came here and occupied the place w^iere
the widow of the late Asa Nourse resides ; his shop stood a few rods west of
the house. In 1809 he gave up his trade and bought the farm now owned by
Moses P. Humphrey; he died in 1855. His , brother Andrew came herein
1795 and worked for a time in the shop formerly occupied by Elias Hopkins.
In 1805 he purchased what was long known as the Leach farm, and built a
shop near 'where Thomas Tennian's shop now stands; in 1806 he built the
house now owned by Edward Cotting ; he died in 1852. Rev. Cephas Au-
gustus Leach, who became a prominent minister in Illinois, a graduate of Mid-
dlebury College, was a son of Andrew Leach.
Joseph Tottingham came to Pittsford in 1805 and in the same year pur-
chased a lot in the village. In 1813 he bought a farm of Jonathan Kendall, of
which a part is now owned by German Hendee. He committed suicide in
1859. His son Joseph located on the same farm and died in 1853.
Daniel Sherman came here in 1806 and bought the place now owned by
his son Henry. He was a wheelwright and worked at his trade most of the
time until his death in 1854. His son is also a wheelwright, but has of late
years devoted most of his attention to farming.
Zachariah Rand, a son of Colonel John, who gained distinction in the Rev-
olutionary War, settled in Pittsford in 1809 ; he located in Sugar Hollow, and
died in 1826. His son, Ebenezer Blanchard Rand, located on the home farm.
In 1840 he bought the Ewings tavern and kept a public house until his death
in 185 I. His son Newton located on the home place. Egbert B. Rand, now
a resident of the village, is another son of Ebenezer B. Nathan Hawley settled
in Pittsford in 1809, having purchased the Dr. Abiathar Millard place ; he died
in the house now occupied b)' Miss Achsah Leach, at the age of eighty years,
in 1849.
Oliver Wolcott, a Revolutionary soldier, of Massachusetts, came here in
1 8 10 and leased what is now a part of the town farm ; he changed his place of
residence several times after that and died in 1845. His son Joseph has spent
his life in the town.
Ezra Spencer lived here two years from 181 i, removed to Pennsylvania,
but returned and was one of the volunteers in the Plattsburg defense. In
181 5 he again went to Pennsylvania but returned in 18 19, bought the Simeon
Clifford farm and occupied it until 1843. After that he resided near the mar-
ble quarry until 1865, then he removed to Hitchcockville and there died. Con-
sider Bowen settled in Pittsford in the same year. He was a Revolutionary
soldier and after the war worked at his trade as carriage-maker, in Hartford,
Conn., for a time, and then removed to Chittenden, and thence to this town.
He died in 1S34 on the farm a part of which is now owned by Joseph Noyes.
ToWiN OF PiTTSFORD. 747
John Hall, son of John, was a Revolutionary soldier, and came to Pittsford
about i8iO. He never owned real estate here and removed to Chittenden and
thence to Luzerne, N. Y., where he died about 1842. One of his sons was
Elias, who was father of Royal Hall, who located in Pittsford in 1 840 and lived
here until his death. His widow survives him. William E. Hall was the fifth
son of Elias and came here in 1856 ; he had been connected with the Troy and
Schenectady railroad as treasurer and superintendent, but gave up his position
on account of impaired health. In 1856 he bought what constituted a part of
the old Wait farm and gave his attention largely to farming ; he was justice of
the peace for some time.
Jacob Sheldon settled in town and located in the house now occupied by
the daughters of Mrs. Elizabeth Bogue. About 1848 he purchased the place
now owned by C. A. Hitchcock, where he died in 185 i. His son, Jacob Van-
hess Sheldon, located in town in 1850; was born in town in 1 823 ; he is a black-
smith and followed it some years. In later years he purchased the Webster
Hotel and kept it a number of years, selling it to Lewis F. Scofield ; he then
removed to Wisconsin.
Thomas Burditt, of Lynn, Mass., located here about 18 12, settling in the
west part of the town; he died in i860, after improving the farm on which he
spent the greater part of his life. His son Jonathan spent his early life on his
father's farm and finally bought the farm east of Marshall Thomas, near what
was called the "Four Corners." In 1852 he bought what was known as the
Mosher place, and died there in 1868. Bradley Burditt, another son of Thomas,
settled on the farm purchased of Orlin Smith. In 1862 he removed to the vil-
lage and lived there until his death. Richard Floyd and Charles Burditt, sons
of Jonathan, settled on the home farm, where the former died ; Charles now
occupies the place. Another branch of this family is descended from Asher
Burditt, son of Asher, a Revolutionary soldier. He came to Pittsford in 1815
and settled on the farm now owned by his son, Ransom Burditt. In 1826 he
purchased of Jason Harwood thirty-three acres on the east side of the road,
also now owned by Ransom; in the house on this tract he lived until 1846
when he bought the place now occupied b\- the widow of his son, Franklin
Burditt, and died there in 1855. Ransom was born in 1 82 1, and still resides
in the town. In 1864 he bought the Rice farm, where he now lives, as one of
the leading farmers of the town. He is an energetic and public-spirited man.
His brother, Franklin, also became before his death one of the most thrifty
farmers in the town.
Charles G. Boardman, a descendant of Timoth}-, located in 1 817 on the
Abraham Drury farm, now occupied by Frank B. Barnes. Mr. Boardman kept
a public house there in connection with his brother, Samuel W. In 1823 Tim-
othy Boardman deeded to Charles G. the tavern stand and sixteen acres of land,
and to Samuel eighty- four acres of the north part of the Drury farm. Charles
748 History of Rutland County.
G. removed to Rutland in 1837. Samuel W. removed to West Rutland in 1836,
and in the next year to Castleton, where he lived until i860, when he removed
to Middlebury. In 1869 he returned to Pittsford and died here in 1870. He
was a writer of ability and greatly respected. His son, Charles Boardman, en-
tered Middlebury College with the class of 1850 and died in his sophomore
year. His third son was Rev. Samuel Ward Boardman, graduated at Middle-
bury in 1851 and at Andover Theological Seminary in 1855. After preaching;
a number of years he resigned his pastorate and was appointed professor of
rhetoric, English literature and intellectual philosophy in Middlebury Col-
lege. This he resigned in 1862 and again entered the ministerial service. Rev.
Simeon Gilbert Boardman, the fourth son of Samuel W., graduated from Mid-
dlebury in 1855, and became scarcely less distinguished than his brother.
Junta Sargent, son of Timothy, who was a Revolutionary soldier, came to
Pittsford in 1819 and located where John Richardson now lives. After several
changes of residence he removed to Hubbardton, but returned after several
years and spent the remainder of his life with his son Leonard. He died in
1869. His son Junia located on the Barlow farm and later bought the place
where he now resides. Leonard Sargent, before mentioned, became a carriage-
maker and now lives in the west part of the town, where he carries on that
business.
Henry Simonds settled here in 1 8 19. He, with his brothers Josiah and
John, bought what was known as the Merriam store and traded under the name
of J. Simonds & Co. Shortly afterward Josiah sold his interest to his brothers
and the firm became Simonds & Co. In 1826 they bought the place now
owned by German Hendee ; they had a distillery at one period near the house.
In 1834 John sold out to Henry, who continued the mercantile business. Henry
died in 1865. John died in Brandon in 1869.
The War of 1 8 1 2 and other Matters. — We have now reached a period in
the town history where the record of settlements must be dropped for a time.
On the iith of Jul\-, 181 i, occurred the great flood. According to Dr. Cav-
erly, " Otter Creek rose to an unprecedented height, the waters overflowing
the intervale to a vast extent on either side. When at the highest pitch, they
washed the door-sills of the house of Stephen Mead on the west side, and boats
were propelled on the line of the highway from Milton Potter's to Mr. Mead's.
The bridge near Mrs. Cooky's, as well as the Walker and Hammond bridges
on Otter Creek, were swept away ; but the Mead bridge was, by great exer-
tions, saved, though its structure was greatly damaged. When it was per-
ceived that this was seriously endangered, the neighboring inhabitants turned
out, and having taken up the planks, piled heavy timbers upon the rails, so-
that the superincumbent weight was sufficient to resist the force and uplifting
power of the water."
At a special meeting called on the 3d of September, the town " voted to-
Town of Pittsford. 749
raise two cents on a Dollar on the list of 181 1, payable in Grain first of January,
181 2, and two cents on a Dollar on the list of 1812, payable in Grain first of
January, 1 8 13, to Rebuild and Repair the four large Bridges in sd Town car-
ried oft" b\' the late freshet and to defray other expenses. Voted that the Se-
lectmen, with the addition of Adget Lathrop, and Ashbel Lee, be a committee
to superintend the Building and Repairing the Bridges aforesaid."
In the War of 1812 it is known that residents of this town played a con-
spicuous part ; but the loss of records renders it impos.-^iblc to go very much into
detail of the contest as far as relates to this town. The following list of names
are of those who are known to have served in the regular army during that
period for longer or shorter terms: John Axtell, John Barnes, jr., Israel Bur-
ditt, Da\'id L. Beebe, Rufus Bur, Enos Bailey, jr., John Betts, Elisha Cox, Am-
herst Lee, John Lampson, Samuel Miller, Bildad Orcutt, Amasa Owen, R. M.
Powers, R. M. Powers, jr., Joab Powers, Gardner Powers, Zebulon Pond, Na-
thaniel Rand, William Spencer, Gideon Sheldon, Lucas Thomas, Abel Wheeler,
Samuel Wheeler, Arden Weller, Edward Wheeler, Robert Wright, Samuel
Cook, John Dean, Asa Durgee, Ezra Day, Justin Darling, Leonard Fargo, W.
D. Hitchcock, Samuel P. Hawes, Reuben Jackson, Graton Jackson, John H.
Lincoln.
When the northern invasion was made and Plattsburg threatened, Rutland
county furnished two hundred and sixty-four men to oppose the advance of
the enemy, of whom one hundred and six were from Pittsford. On the loth
of September the men who had assembled in response to the call met in the
village and unanimously chose General Caleb Hendee to command them. After
organizing, which occupied the forenoon, the company started for Burlington.
Arriving at Vergennes the next day (Sunda)-), they drew arms from the arsenal
for those who were not supplied and continued to Charlotte, which they reached
that night. Monday morning they advanced to Burlington, crossed the lake to
Plattsburg, but arrived too late to take part in the battle ; they soon afterward
returned to their homes.
Later Settlements. — David Hall, son of David, settled in the town in 1820,
and died on the farm which is now in possession of his heirs, in i860 — a farm
which he brought to a high state of cultivation and made one of the best in
town.
The name of German F. Hendee has before been mentioned ; he was a son
General Caleb, and located on the home farm, and in 1839 bought the place
which had been improved by^Benjamin Stevens, sr. He died in 1863, and
was a prominent and respected citizen. German, Elisha Rich, Edwin H., and
Charles J., are sons of his, and all have occupied prominent positions in the
community.
Thomas F. Bogue, second son of Jeffrey Amherst, who has been mentioned,
located in town about 1820, and became a leading citizen. He held various
750 History of Rutland County.
offices and died in 1864. Dan B. Bogue, now living in town and one of the
oldest men, is a brother of Thomas F.
John Cooley, son of Captain Caleb, settled on the north slope of the hill
and a little later where was situated the " Pocket Furnace," as it was called ;
he there built the two-story house occupied b\' Austin Hewitt, and afterward
built the house now occupied by his grandson. He carried on the manufacture
of iron ware in the furnace for a time, and died in 1856.
The Granger family have been quite conspicuous in the town. Simeon, of
Salisbury, Conn., purchased his real estate in Pittsford in 1823, and became the
head of the firm of Simeon Granger & Sons, in 1824. In 1826 he removed his
family to the town and occupied what was known as the Keith house. He
died in 1834. His son Lyman graduated at Union College and the Litchfield
Law School, and began practice with Moses Strong, of Rutland. He became
interested with his father and his younger brother, Chester, in purchasing lands
in Pittsford, and in 1823 he and his brother bought the furnace property of
Andrew Leach. He then located at the village and the firm was formed, as
before stated. He removed to Granville, N. Y., in 1837 and died in Utica in
1839. After the death of the father, Simeon, the furnace property claimed by
the heirs was purchased in 1835 by Chester and his brother, Edward L., and
the business continued by the firm of C. & E. L. Granger until 1846, when the
younger member died, and the propertj' was purchased by George Hodges, and
the firm of Granger, Hodges & Co., was formed ; the property was later trans-
ferred to the Pittsford Iron Company, and Mr. Granger went to Pennsylvania
and carried on the iron business. He finally returned and died in this town.
Edward L. died here in 1846, after a life of great activity and usefulness. His
son, Edward Myron, was attending the Military School in Norwich, Vt., when
the Rebellion broke out. He enlisted at the age of sixteen and was trans-
ferred to the Second New York Cavalry, where he was made orderly sergeant.
He was shot on the 19th of September, 1864, while acting as aid to General
Hatch.
Thomas H. Palmer, a native of Scotland, came from Philadelphia, where
he had worked at the printing business, to Rutland about 1826, and in 182S
bought the Phineas Ripley farm in Pittsford ; he occupied for some time the
Ripley house, now owned by C. A. Hitchcock, and in 1832 built the brick
house, where he resided until his death in 1861. Mr. Palmer became distin-
guished throughout the State for his interest and effectual labor for the im-
provement of the schools. He held the office of town superintendent, and find-
ing the condition of the schools anything but what it should have been, he set
vigorously to work for their improvement. In this work he was eminently suc-
cessful, and he was soon persuaded to e.xtend his labors and hold educational
meetings in other towns. In 1S44 l^e was invited b)- Governor Slade to visit
Middlebury to explain his views to the college faculty, and it was there deter-
Town of Pittsford. 751
mined that the school laws of the State should be remodeled. After this Mr.
Palmer canvassed the State in the school interest and started the scheme which
resulted in memorializing the Legislature and the passage of tlie necessary laws.
He published a series of books entitled the " Moral Instructor," for the use of
readers in the schools. In 1838 he was the successful contestant for a prize of
five hundred dollars oftered by the American Institute of Instruction for the
best essaj,- on a system of education, best adapted to the common schools, etc.
In 1854 he published an arithmetic; and this brief enumeration conveys but a
faint impression of the great educational labor performed by him in various di-
rections. His sons, James N. and William H Palmer, lived in this town and
were respected citizens.
Orlin Smith settled in Pittsford where, in 1835, he purchased the farm now
owned by David Holden ; in 1846 he bought the Owen farm of Asahel Wool-
cott, and still resides there. His son, Rollin C, lives with his parents and has
been honored by his fellow-citizens with numerous political offices and other
evidences of their confidence.
Levi Woolson came to Pittsford before 1820 and lived in the family of
Thomas Burditt until he was of age. In 1849 he bought the place where he
passed the remainder of his life, and where his widow still resides.
Eber Thomas was a settler in Chittenden, where he became the father of
fourteen children, twelve of whom were sons. One of these, Augustus, located
in the north part of the town, where he passed his life and died. His son now
occupies the place.
Charles Thomas Colburn became a resident of this town in 1S32. He was
a descendant of Moses Colburn, who was born in Massachusetts, and died in
Sheffield, N. B., in 1790. Charles Thomas was a blacksmith and settled in
Fairhaven, Vt., where he lived until 1832, in the fall of which year he removed
to Pittsford. The next year he purchased the property now occupied by his
son, Judge Charles S. Colburn. He died April 22, 1878. Charles Shepherd
Colburn is the only son of Charles T. He fitted for college at Burr Seminary
and graduated at Middlebury in the class of 1858. He studied law in the Har-
vard Law School and graduated in 1862, In the fall of that year he opened
an office in Rutland, but soon laid aside his duties to accept an appointment as
clerk in the pay department of the army. In February, 1866, he resumed
practice in New York city. In 1877 he came to Pittsford, chiefly on account
of his father's affairs, and was elected town clerk the same year, which office
he has held since that date. He was probate judge in 1877-78, and senator
in 1882-84.
John Stevens, son of Simon, a soldier in the French and Indian war, came
to Pittsford in 1836; he married a daughter of Asher Burditt and located in
the house now occupied by Asher Burditt, the younger. In 1837 '^^ purchased
of Abel Penfield one-third of the grist-mill and privilege, and soon afterward
752 History of Rutland County.
another third ; in November, 1838, he acquired the whole propert}-, whicli he
successfully operated. He died in the town. The Fenton family located in
town in this year. Samuel T. bought the farm now owned by Jeremiah Leon-
ard ; he sold that in 1859 and purchased the largest part of the farm now
owned by C. A. Hitchcock. He still lives near the village ; has held many
offices.
Asa Nourse came to Pittsford to reside with his brother Josiah in 1 8 19;
he taught school for several seasons. In 1824 he purchased an undivided one-
half of the saw-mill north of the Colburn bridge, and in 1830 he bought of
Andrew Leach some land and buildings just east of Leach's blacksmith shop.
In 183s he purchased the other half of the saw-mill, which had passed to the
possession of his brother William. In later years he gave most of his atten-
tion to farming. His widow survives him. Several others of this name have
been well known citizens of the town.
Amos Hitchcock located in town in 183S and was a son of Chapman Hitch-
cock ; he settled on the farm a part of which is owned by Frank Bresee, and
died in 1852, in the resjiect of the communit)-. Charles Hitchcock is an-
other son of Chapman and was born here in 1822. Tlie\' located on the pa-
ternal homestead, where he still resides, as one of the respected citizens of the
town. Elisha Pike Hitchcock is a son of Amos, and located on the home
farm in this town. He was active during the War of the Rebellion in drilling
recruits, for which he was fitted by education. He kept a store in Middlebury
a few years, but returned to Pittsford and gave his attention to farming.
John M. Goodnough settled here in 1838; he was the j'oungest son of
Willis, son of Timothy. He has occupied a station among the leading citizens
and still lives to enjo}' it.
Bishop P. Booth located on the farm now owned by his widow in 1840, and
died in 1866. Jeffrey A. Randall located in 1840 in the village, where he is
still engaged as a shoemaker with his son Julius. Seba F. Smith settled in
town in 1840 and two years later bought a part of what was the Parmelee farm ;
he is still living. Forbes Manley became a resident of this town in 1841. He
bought the Fenn farm in I 84 1, which he, in connection with his son Benjamin
F., improved in the character of its buildings and otherwise.
Warren Chaffee, son of Simeon, located in Pittsford in 1S42 on the farm
formerly owned by Josiah Parsons, in the southeasterly part of the town, where
he still resides. Robert R. Drake, son of Alvan B., born in Castleton, located
in the village about 1842, where he engaged in the mercantile business; he
died in 1885, and his son now carries on the same line of business and is post-
master.
Samuel Dana Winslow settled here in 1844; he is son of Dr. Kenelm Wins-
low, and was born in the town. His father was one of the early merchants here
and in 1841 transferred his business to the son, who continued it until 1852, after
which he gave his attention to farming and breeding of fine stock.
> W 4 1. -<
m'"iiH<inii nuadmiiSuM^
Town of Pittsford. 753
Henry W. Merrill settled here in 1844, coming from West Rutland, where
he had carried on mercantile trade. In Pittsford he purchased what is now the
academy ; he represented the town one year and finally in his later years lived
a retired life.
Marshall J. Wood bought in I S44 an undivided half of the Kingsley place,
consisting of the tannery and twenty-five acres of land. He carried on tan-
ning and shoemaking in company with N. S. Warner. In 1855 he purchased
the south part of the Doolittle farm, where he still resides.
Joseph Holt Peabody located here in 1845. He is a son of Daniel Peabody
and located on the farm now owned by Frank B. Barnes, where he lived until
1858, when he purchased the place in Hitchcockville where he now lives. He
carried on mercantile business a number of years.
Thomas Dennj- Hall, son of David, resided some years on the place after-
ward occupied by his brother Dan K. Hall, at which time his father lived on
the John Barnes farm west of Otter Creek. By arrangement, Thomas D. and
his brother Norman P. took that farm and their father removed to the place
east of the creek. In i860 he erected liis new dwelling on the north part, his
brother having located on the south part.
William Mitchell, now deceased, located in 1848 on the farm which his
father had lived on ; the latter died in September of that year. Mr. Mitchell
erected all of the buildings there and enlarged the farm by purchase ; his widow
now resides on the place.
Howard Lothrop, of Easton, Mass., invested while he was a young man in
the property known as the Keith furnace, and afterward became the sole owner.
In superintending the operation of this establishment he passed about twelve
years here, though he kept his former residence. He sold the property to
Gibbs & Co. about 1809 and was here but little after that. His son Henry F.
came to Pittsford in 1844, to take charge of property belonging to his father.
In 1848 he married the daughter of Sturges Penfield, and built the homestead
where he resided until his death in 1885. His widow survives him. (See
biography in later pages of this work.)
We need not go farther into the feature of settlements in this town, except
to mention a few of those who are still living; Pascal Whitaker settled here in
1848, and carries on the carriage-making business. James Bucknam located
here in 1849 and now resides on a farm he purchased in 1858. William B.
Shaw, eldest son of William R., came to Pittsford in 1848 and bought the brick
store property at Mill Village. Here he carried on a successful mercantile bus-
iness. Artemas C. Powers, son of Richard Montgomery, located on the home
farm and became one of the prominent citizens of the town and held many
offices. Willard Humphrey, son of Joseph, moved into Pittsford in 1853 and
bought the farm now partly owned by Frank Bresee ; resided there until 1863,
when he purchased the place where his son lives ; he died a few years since.
754 History of Rutland County.
Abner T. Reynolds bought the Ladd farm in 1853, and resided there since ;
he has been bhnd a number of years. Daniel P. Peabody, now sheriff of the
county, located here in 1853 ; he was in business for a few years with his uncle,
Joseph Holt Peabody, but has held the office of sheriff several years. (See civil
list). Nathaniel Willis bought the Richard Hendee farm on the west side of
the creek, where he now resides, and which he has greatly improved. James
T. Gorham, son of James, purchased about 1855 the place now occupied by
Rollin S. Meacham, after trading here about four years, he bought of Robert R.
Drake a house and store in the village, and later built a new store ; he soon
afterward removed to Ludlow, went into the army and died in St. Louis.
George N. Eayres, now and for a number of years superintendent of the House
of Correction in Rutland, located in this town in 1855 ; h^ still owns real estate
here. Rollin S. Meacham, a descendant of Isaac Meacham, who was born in
Williamstown, Mass., and son of Alanson, has resided in this town most of the
time since 1859. In 1864 he entered the army as commissary clerk, but re-
turned in 1864 and settled in the village. (See mercantile interests.). Moses
P. Humphrey, son of Joseph, purchased in 1801 the Leach farm of Stella Hum-
phrey, which she inherited from Ashbel Humphrey. Oliver T. Bates settled
in the west part of the town in 1862 ; he is a son of Hiram and now lives on
the home farm with his parents. Dr. A. M. Caverly (the town historian) lo-
cated here in the spring of 1863. He was descended from an English family
which is traced back to 1389. Later members of the family were conspicuous
in the old French and Revolutionary Wars. Dr. Caverly was a son of Moses
3d, and born in 18 1 7. He studied with Dr. R. J. P. Tenney, of Loudon (later
of Pittsfield), and with William W. Brown, M. D., of Manchester ; attended
lectures at Dartmouth College and the Philadelphia College of Medicine, which
institution afterward conferred on him the degree of M. D. He also attended
lectures in the medical department of Harvard College ; was elected principal
of the South Grammar School in Manchester in 1846; resigned in 1852 and
began practice with Dr. Brown, his former preceptor. In 1853 he located in
Troy, N. H., where he practiced until 1863, and then removed to Pittsford,
where he resided until his death, his widow survives him and lives in the village.
His daughter is the wife of Dr. Swtft, and he has a son in practice of medicine
in Rutland. Judson J. Smith settled permanently in the town in 1867, and in
1870 bought of the town the farm first owned by Frederick Wicker, where he
still lives. Jacob Franklin Bresee, son of Jacob, married in 1863 and lived on
the home farm with his brother Wallace until the spring of 1863, when he re-
moved to the Amos Hitchcock farm, where he still lives. Samuel Butler, son
of James E., came from Rutland in 1863 and settled in Whipple Hollow, where
he has since resided. Willard S. Humphrey enlisted in the Second Vermont
Regiment and was discharged for disability in the fall of 1862 ; he settled on the
home place and still resides there.
Town of Pittsford. 755
While the foregouig extended account may not include all of those who
have located in Pittsford, it is believed that it names the greater part of those
who have been chiefly instrumental in building up the town. Those who have
been and are connected with the business interests and who have not been re-
ferred to, will be mentioned in later pages.
In addition to what we have already written relative to the growth of the
town and its progress in material interests, there is little which calls for atten-
tion. The railroad was constructed through the town in .1849 ^"d a train of
cars came into the town for the first time on the 19th of October. The depot
was built in 1850, and it appeared necessary to open a road from there across
the creek to the north and south road on the west side, and another from the
depot to the stage road on the east side of the creek. These roads and the
necessary bridge were not then constructed, on account of a determined oppo-
sition. In 1853 a new board of selectmen laid out a road from the depot in a
northwesterly direction, then across the track and westerly, crossing the creek
a little north of the mouth of the Stevens Brook. In June of the same year
they laid out another road from the depot in a southwesterly direction to the
foot of " Town Hill," so-called. But a large portion of the citizens were not in
favor of these roads and applied to the court for an injunction staying further
work. The court appointed a committee, consisting of Harvey Shaw, Silas W.
Hodges and John Buckmaster, to examine into the subject and decide the mat-
ter. They went over the different routes and finally decided that the public
good would be best subserved by opening the road first laid out by the select-
men in 185 I. The proposed roads of 1853 were discontinued.
In the Rebellion. — The record of this town in support of the government
during the period of the great Southern Rebellion is one of which its inhabit-
ants may always be proud. Dr. Caverly wrote on this subject as follows : " The
great unanimity with which the people of the town supported every effort to
raise troops, pay bounties and aid the families of the soldiers, was as gratifying
as it was remarkable. It is believed that the town fully met every obligation
imposed upon her; and the ladies, true to their noble instincts, did very much,
through their Soldiers' Aid Society, for the comfort of the soldiers. The peo-
ple of the town contributed about two thousand dollars to the Sanitary and
Christian Commissions."
The following list shows the names of the men who enlisted from this town
in Vermont organizations, as compiled by the adjutant-general of the State.
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17th, 1863. — Thomas Alchin, co. G, Sth regt; Henry H.
Alexander, co. C, 7th regt.; Marcus Atwood, George N. Badger, co. C, loth
regt.; Elliott Bean, co. M, nth regt; James Blair, co. C, loth regt.; James
W. Blair, co. C, 2d regt; Elisha C. Blodgett, co. G, 5th regt.; Charles H. Bow-
ers, CO. I, 7th regt; Peter H. Bowline, co. G, 5th regt.; William H. Brackett,
7s6 History of Rutland County.
CO. C, loth regt.; William H. Breed, George Brown, co. G, 5th regt.; Willard
C. Brown, co. E, 2d s. s.; Charles H. Burr, co. C, loth regt; Henry A. Burr,
CO. H, cav.; John Bushee, co. G, 5th regt; James D. Butler, co. B, 9th regt;
Willard A. Child, 4th as.; Willard A. Child, 10th su.; Dunham Clark, co. H,
5th regt.; Sandy Cook, co. C, 4th regt.; James Connell, co. G, 7th regt.; Will-
iam Connell, Benjamin S. Cooley, Eugene A. Cooley, co. B, 7th regt.; Patrick
Corney, co. A, 7th regt.; Thomas Cunningham, co. C, loth regt.; Peter De-
Forge, Edward Din, co. B, 7th regt.; John W. Dike, co. C, loth regt. ; James
P. Elmer, co. H, 5th regt; James Fallon, Jeremiah Fallon, co. B, 7th regt;
Loomis C. Fay, Jesse Gerard, co. B, 9th regt.; David Greenough, co. H, cav.;
John C. Hart, co. F, 1st s. s.; Charles Heminway, co. C, 5th regt.; David C.
Hennisy, co. G, 7th regt; Erwin V. M. Hitchcock, co. C, 7th regt; Edwin S.
Hudson. CO. C, loth regt; Willard S. Humphrey, George M. Johnson, co. B, 2d
regt; William Johnson, co. B, 2d regt.; Willis F. Keeler, co. H, 2d s. s.; Milton
Kemp, CO. E, 2d s. s.; Curtis Kimberly, co. F, 1st s. s.; Francis Latterbush, 2d
bat.; Charles Leonard, co. C, loth regt; George H. Lincoln, Michael Maloney,
CO. B, 7th regt.; Henry A. Mitchell, co. G, 5th regt; Willard H. Mitchell, co.
I, 7th regt.; Byron D. Morgan, co. C, i6th regt; Charles Myatt, co. G, 5th
rcCTt.; Thomas O'Brien, co. B, 9th regt; William Peabody, co. C, loth regt.;
Edward Pelkey, Jeremiah Pelkey, co. G, 5th regt.; William Pelkey, co. B, 7th
regt; William Pelkey, co. A, 3d regt; Joseph N. Perry, co. L, nth regt.; Ed-
ward Phalon, CO. B, 7th regt.; Rollin Phillips, co. K, 2d regt; Amos Potter,
Francis A. Prevost, co. B, 7th regt; Julius J. Prevost, co. M, nth regt; Peter
Prevost, CO. C, 7th regt.; Charles Prevost, William H. Rowe, co. G, 5th regt.;
Jerome Smith, 2d bat.; William D. Smith, co. E, 2d s. s.; Joseph Soulia, co. B,
7th regt.; Charles K. Spencer, co. K, cav.; Daniel W. Taft, co. G, cav.; Henrj-
Trumbull, CO. H, 5th regt; Nelson Vever, co. I, 7th regt; William S. Walker,
CO. B, 7th regt.; Arnold F. Wallace, 2d bat.; Nathan N. Wescott, co. E, loth
regt.; Seneca E. Wheeler, co. I, 7th regt.
Credits under call of October 17th 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Augustus L. Breed, co. B, 9th regt;
Charles F. Church, co. C, nth regt; Martin Duffy, co. I, 17th regt; Nathan
B. Dutton, CO. C, nth regt.; Harvey Green, co. C, lOth regt.; Samuel H.
Green co. E, 2d s. s.; Daniel Hale)', James Hammersley, co. I, 17th regt.;
Darwin Johnson, co. C, nth regt.; Frank King, Morris Murphy, Edward Pel-
key, CO. G, 5th regt; Orville H. Prouty, Samuel Senical, co. H, 17th regt;
Edmund R. Stiles, co. C, loth regt.; George H. Swift, co. H, 2d s. s.; Joseph
White, CO. C, loth regt; John R. Wightman, co. G, 17th regt.; Henry E.
Wood, CO. 1, 17th regt
Volunteers for one year. — Albert Fredette, John Fredette,' co. B, 7th regt;
Isaac Root, co. A, 7th regt; Peter Thomas, co. B, 7th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — George Brown, co. G, Sth regt.; Willard C.
I
Town of Pittsford. 757
Brown, co. E, 2d s. s.; John Bushey, co. G, 5th regt.; Benjamin S. Cooky,
Eugene A. Cooley, co. B, 7th regt.; Willia F. Keeler, co. H, 2d s. s.; James
Mansfield, co. F, 4th regt; Charles A. Nichols, Francis A. Prevost, co. B, /th
regt.; Peter Prevost, co. C, 7th regt.; Joseph Soulia, co. B, 7th regt.; Charles
K. Spencer, co. K. cav.; Nelson Vever, co. I, 7th regt.
Naval credits. — Joseph C. Blain, Lyman C. Granger.
Veteran Reserve Corps. — Henry A. Burr.
Not credited by name, three men.
Volunteers for nine months. — Stephen A. Allen, George Barnard, Albert
Bassett, Alexander Bean, Cornelius Bradley, Thomas Clark, Henry S. Dike,
Robert Elliott, co. G, 12th regt.; Edward F. Farmer, Albert W. Fletcher, co.
H, 14th regt; John Fredette, Daniel S. Gould, Hannibal L. Gould, co. K,
1 2th regt; Isaac Gates, co. H, 14th regt; George Granger, Dan R. Hall, Caleb
R. Hendee, Charles Hudson, Rufus C. Jones, Alvin S. Kemp, Milton V. Kemp,
John Keough, George H. Morsman, William H. Morsman, William H. Palmer,
Chig Poro, Felis Poro, Jock Poro, Amos J. Powers, Dennis Smith, Ithiel B.
Worden, co. G, 12th regt
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Wallace E. Bressee, Charles
Burdett, John Chamberlin, James F. Fisk, William S. Granger, Charles J. Hen-
dee, Isaac M. Leonard, Luther Leonard, John Richardson, George R. Shaw,
M. C. Spaulding, W. H. H. Stevens, Chester G. Thomas, Amos D. Tiftan)'.
Procured substitute. — William W. Gates, Sardius Manly.
Entered service. — Joseph C. Blair, 2d regt, George F. Dodge, co. C, 6th
rf^^.; Nelson B. Rugg, co. I, 3d regt
The population of the town has fluctuated less than in most other towns of
the county. The following figures reveal the number of inhabitants at the dif-
ferent dates given : 1791,850; 1800,1,413; 1810,1,936; 1820,1,916; 1830,
2,005; 1840, 1,927; 1850,2,026; 1860,1,839; 1870,2,127; 1880,1,983.
The present officers of the town are as follows: Town clerk and treasurer
Charles S. Colburn ; selectmen, T. J. Ketchum, E. R. Hendee, E. C. Giddings;
constable and collector, W. T. Denison ; listers, H, G. Peabody, Junia Sargent,
E. D. Hinds; town agent, R. S. Meacham.
Ecclesiastical. — For several years after the first settlement of this town the
inhabitants were so few and scattered that no effort was made to establish a
church. Several of the early settlers went to Rutland to worship, the names
of Ebenezer Hopkins, sr., and Samuel Crippen appearing among the organ-
izers of the first church at that place. On the 14th of April, 1784, the Con-
gregationalists organized the first church in the town, with fifteen members as
follows : Thankful Drury, Tryphena Hopkins, Abigail Morse, Molly Fassett,
Sarah Adams, Nehemiah Hopkins, Simeon Tupper, Joshua Morse, Elisha
Adams, Eleazer Harwood, Ebenezer Drury, Ebenezer Hopkins, Elias Hall,
Jonathan Warner, Jonathan Fassett. Deacon Eleazer Harwood conducted
7S8 History of Rutland County.
services by reading sermons and otherwise for about two years, when he felt
impelled to devote himself to the niinistr}', which he did, and served the church
most acceptably until near his death in 1807. Rev. Holland Weeks was the next
pastor and was installed in December of the same year. The succeeding pas-
tors of the church have been Revs. Asa Messer, John Ingersoll, 1823 ; Willard
Child, 1826; A. G. Pease, 1842 ; Charles Walker, 1846; Myron A. Munson,
1865 ; Russell T. Hall, 1780. Rev. C. C. Mclntire is the present pastor of
the church, which has a membership of 218. The deacons of the church
are Simeon Gilbert, Simeon Parmelee. Moses P. Humphrey, Charles L. Pen-
field, Thomas D. Hall, Amos D. Tiffany. The Congregational society was
organized in 1827. The present church edifice was begun in T835 and dedi-
cated July 18, 1837. In 1879-80 a commodious lecture room was built and a
fine organ put in the church, at an outlay of $4,500.
Baptist Church. — The Baptist Church was organized December 2, 1784.
The record is as follows: " On December 2, 1784, a number of the Baptists
met at the house of Moses Olmstead to inquire into the state of each other's
mind in a spiritual sense considered ; likewise to know each other's thoughts
concerning coming into church order, and so have the privilege of watching
over each other.
" Consequently Elisha Rich, Caleb Hendee, Abel Stevens, Moses Olmstead,
Mary Stevens and Esther Rowley made declaration of their faith in Christ, and
came into covenant relation to watch over each other as God's word directs.
Then agreed to ha\e Elder Rich serve us at present as a preacher. Agreed to
take the Scriptures as the only rule of faith and practice as well as govern-
ment and discipline."
On the 3d of January, 1785, the church met at the house of Moses Olm-
stead, and William Sutherland, Colburn Preston and Joseph Rowley were re-
ceived into fellowship. Others were soon added. Elder Elisha Rich was the
first pastor, beginning in 1785, and during his ministry nearly one hundred
were added to the church. In January, 1 80S, the church, after having settled
some serious dissensions which had arisen in it, voted to request Elder William
Harrington to come and improve his ministerial gifts at this place. He came
and continued until 18 17. Soon after 18 19 the church became so weakened
by deaths, removals, etc., that it became difficult to sustain preaching and in
October, 1824, it disbanded. The present church was organized in' 1841.
Rev. L. B. Steele is the present pastor. The deacons are Allen Mills and Will-
iam Ward. Sunday-school superintendent, Clarence Sargent. The church
building erected in 1802 became very much impaired during the period when
the church was disbanded ; but after the reorganizing it was remodeled and im-
proved into substantially its present shape.
Methodist Church. — The first preaching by a Methodist in this town was
in 1798-99, by Rev. Joseph Mitchell, and as a result of his labors the society
Town of Pittsford. 759
was organized in 1799, under tlie labors of Elder McLain. The class at first
consisted of only four-members — Israel Lake, Mrs. Colonel Cooley, her daugh-
ter Mary, and a fourth whose name is not known. The early meetings were
held at Colonel Cooley's house. The church building was erected in 18 16, and
at the present time the Rev. Marcus M. Curry preaches one sermon here every
Sabbath. The membership is about 175. Following are the names of the
stewards : A. A. Hewitt, F. W. Alexander, J. C. Howe, Charles A. Hitch-
cock, G. A. Tarble, Charles Hitchcock, James E. Leonard, J. H. Peabody,
Henry Walker, B. W. Ingalis, S. K. Burbank. The Sunday-school superin-
tendent is Charles Hitchcock.
The East Pittsford Methodist Church, which is situated just over the line
in Chittenden, was organized in 1 85 I, by Aruna L\on, the first pastor. Dur-
ing the same year a small church was built. The society is not large and a
pastor is sent there from other churches.
Catholic Churches. — St. Alphonso's Catholic Church, located at the Mills,
was organized by their first pastor, Rev. Charles Boylan, in 1870, and the
church was erected soon afterward. Rev. J. M. Gelot, of Rutland, now serves
the church, which is in a prosperous condition. A society is also in existence
at Sutherland's Falls, of which Father McLaughlin, of Brandon, has the charge.
Municipal History. — The hamlet, or village, of Pittsford,^ dating from the
from the early establishment of mills and the other necessary shops for the
accommodation of the inhabitants, is nearly as old as the town itself Allusion
has been made in our account of the early settlements to most of the early in-
terests of a business or manufacturing character, in connection with the men
who established them. The post-office was established at Pittsford in January,
1808, with Oliver Keith as postmaster. Since then the following have served
in the office: Joshua Brooks, October, 1808; Ozem Strong, October i, 1809:
John Barnes, jr., January 18, 1815; Thomas Tiffany, February 20, 1819;
Asher Southworth, November 22, 1821 ; Isaac Hayden, January 2, 1823 ;
German F. Hendee, June 21, 1824; Whipple Spooner, January 6, 1827 ; Eli-
jah Brown, jr., March 4, 1828; Addison Buck, May 19, 1837; Samuel D.
Winslow, May 28, 1841; Sidney P. Griswold, September 25, 1845; Samuel
D Winslow, May 4, 1849 ; Robert R. Drake, May 20, 1853 ; Henry Simonds,
April 13, 1861 ; George H. Simonds, December 6, 1865; Dan K. Hall, Jan-
uary 10, 1870; L. F. Scofield, July i, 1872. Frank C. Dennison and the pres-
ent official, R. H. Drake, recently appointed.
Mercantile. — The first merchant in the town is supposed to have been Au-
gustine Hibbard, his store being kept in the east room of the house built by
Nathan Webster on the site of the present Otter Creek House. Many of the
other early merchants we have alluded to. In 1 819 J. Simonds & Co. bought
1 This village comprises three partially separated hamlets, called respectively Pittsford, Hilchcock-
ville and Mill Village, or " The Mills." For the purposes of this work they may be treated as one
village.
76o History of Rutland County.
what was known as the Merriam store and business was continued there by
some member of the family until I 870, the last one being George H. Simonds.
He was followed by P. Bristol & Co., who were succeeded by the Denison
Brothers (W. T. and F. C. Denison) in 1878. They are in business there at
the present time. Addison Buck purchased the place now owned by Mrs.
John Stevens in 1827, built a store and began trade ; his store was burned in
the next winter and he rebuilt on the site and continued business until 1S53.
C. A. Hitchcock began trade here in 1876 and two years later took as a part-
ner S. K. Burbank, and they are now in business. Dr. Winslow's mercantile
business has been alluded to. In 1838 Seneca D. Townsend and Ira Button
built the store afterward occupied by Lyman Rockwood, Thomas F. Palmer,
James T. Gorham, Marcus C. Bogue and Rollin S. Meacham. This store
burned in 1879 and Mr. Meacham resumed trade in the old Penfield store, the
first one at the mills, which has been described, and is one of the most success-
ful residents of the town. George A. Eayres began trade in 18S0 in the brick
store built in 1849 by William F. Manley and German Hammond ; others also
occupied the store at different periods. Mr. Eayres also carries on in addi-
tion to his store, a saw-mill, planing-mill, makes cider-presses, shingles, etc.,
in a large factory built by him in 1883. In 1842 Robert R. Drake opened a
store in town and in 1 86 1 bought the present store occupied by his son, which
had been erected the preceding year by James T. Gorham. Mr. Drake con-
tinued in trade until 1871, when he was succeeded by Denison & Rice, who
were followed by the Denison Brothers, before mentioned. After they removed
to their present location Mr. Drake again took the store and carried on busi-
ness until his death in May, 1885. His son succeeds to the business and is
postmaster. Joseph Peabody opened a store in Hitchcockville in 1858, which
he still continues. He also manufactures moccasins, mittens and gloves for
shipment, in which he does a large business.
Maiinfacturcs. — Saw and grist-mills are the first necessity of pioneers in
the way of manufactures, and it was one of the first acts of the settlers in Pitts-
ford to secure a grist-mill. At a proprietors' meeting September 3, 1 771, it
was " voted to give Samuel Crippen fifty acres of land upon his getting a good
mill first, to grind b\' the first of December ne.xt." It appears that he did not
fulfill this requirement, as the proprietors, at a meeting in April, 1772, voted
to give him until the following September to build the mill, " upon the condi-
tion that he builds a good mill." Prior to the fall of 1772 the nearest mills
were at Bennington and Charlestown, some sixty miles distant. Mr. Crippen
doubtless completed his mill in the fall of 1772, and in December of that year
the proprierors voted to give him the land, " upon condition that he keeps said
grist-mill in good repair ten years from this time fit for grinding." This mill
stood on " Mill Brook," or " Sucker Brook " about where William C. Cotting's
turning-shop afterwards stood.
Town of Pittsford. 761
The proprietors afterwards voted lands to Roger Stevens, jr., and to Felix
Powell for encouragement in building saw and grist-mills. Powell did not
build his saw-mill, and the privilege was voted to Jonathan Fassett. There
have been in all six grist-mills and numerous saw-mills built in this town, to
which more or less allusion has already been made. The fourth one was built
in 1795, by Nehemiah Hopkins, on the east branch on about the site after-
wards occupied by the John Stevens mill ; it has been mentioned as passing
into the possession of John Penfield. The John Stevens mill was bought of
him by Franklin Burditt, and passed into possession of Asher Burditt, who now
runs it.
The first fulling-mill and cloth-dressing factory was built by Noel William
Avery in 1796; it stood on Ripley Brook a little above its entrance into East
Branch. This is the factory we have described as having been sold in 1797 to
Chester Powers and by him to Jirah Barlow ; he continued the business until
1826. About 181 1 Captain Caleb Cooley built a similar establishment on Rip-
ley Brook. His son-in-law, Justin Darling, had the management of these works
for some years. Daniel Sherman bought the factory in 1823 and continued
business until 1S52, when it was abandoned. In October, 1812, the Pittsford
Manufacturing Company was organized by Stephen Avery, John Penfield,
Sturges Penfield, Allen Penfield, Thomas Hammond, Caleb Hendee, jr., and
others, for the establishment of a manufactory of woolen cloths. The company
carried on the business until 1820, when Hendee, Avery, Hammond and John
Penfield retired and Sturges, Allen and Abel Penfield continued. Finally, in
1827 Sturges Penfield became the sole owner and continued the business until
about i860, when he retired and John Stevens purchased the factory property
and converted it to other uses. About 1822 clothier's works were built on
East Creek, in the southeasterly part of the town (East Pittsford). They
changed hands several times and were abandoned after a few years' operation.
The first tannery in town was that built by Nathaniel Kingsley near the
school-house site in district number 2 ; lie was also a shoemaker, the two
trades being often associated in early times. After Mr. Kingsley's death his
son Joshua carried on the business until about 1835, when it passed to posses-
sion of Samuel Warner & Son. The last owner was Abraham Butterfield, but
he soon gave up the business and the tannery went to ruin. Isaac and Ken-
drick Bresee began tanning in 1804, continuing until 1 820, when Kendrick re-
moved from town. The brother continued the business until 1852, when he
also removed a«ay and the work was abandoned. Frederick Freeman con-
structed a tanning and currj'ing works about 1805, which passed through sev-
eral hands to Joseph Tottingham in 18 12; they were soon afterward aban-
doned.
The iron furnace, which for many \-ears constituted one of the most import-
ant industries of the town, has been sufficiently described in foregoing pages.
762 History of Rutland County.
The stock company called the Pittsford Iron Company, which succeeded Gran-
ger, Hodges & Co., did a large business for a few years; but owing to compe-
tition in more favored localities, the profits were small and the business was
suspended. In 1865 a new company took the works, repaired the furnace and
again began operations, but the business was not sufficiently remunerative to
warrant its continuance.
Two iron foundries have existed in town, the first having been built in 1827
by Cyrus Gibbs and John Cooley, near the mouth of Ripley Brook ; it was
connected with a trip-hammer shop which had been previously occupied by
Amos Crippen, and which has been alluded to as the " Pocket furnace." The
other foundry was built in 1829 by Simeon Granger & Sons, near the blast fur-
nace. This was where tlie manufacture of stoves, etc. was carried on, as before
described.
Three distilleries have been operated in this town, all of which were long
ago abandoned. The first was that built in 181 1 by George Wilson and Will-
iam House. After several changes of ownership it was bought by John and
Henry Simonds and for a number of years did a large business in making
whisky. The second one was built by Allen Penfield in 1819; this stood on
the East Branch a little soutli of the residence of Sturges Penfield ; the building
was finally converted into a dwelling by Sturges Penfield. The third one was
built by Robert Wright in 1820 and stood on the west side of the creek; Mr.
Wright ran it several years when it was abandoned.
Marble Interests. — It is probable that the first marble quarrying in this
county was done in the town of Pittsford, before the beginning of the present
century ; since that early date the industry has possessed considerable impor-
tance, as it does to-day. In 1795 Jeremiah Sheldon opened a quarry in this
town, and four years later Eli Hudson opened one a few rods north of the
" Pittsford Quarry Company's" opening. The third quarry in the town, as it
was also the third in the county, was opened by Charles Lamb about the year
1806. The Pittsford Quarry Company was incorporated in October, 1865, by
William Fox Richardson, Francis Gardener N. H. Hand, Thomas A. Dexter,
H. L. Hazelton, George W. Messenger and R. S. Wade. The company built a
mill and operated a few years, until about 1872 or 1873 and suspended. The
property is now owned by F. W. Smith & Co.
The Central Vermont Marble Company's quarry was opened by H. F. Lo-
throp, German Hendee, La Fayette Hendee and Oliver Ames in 1869. They
operated about a year and leased the property to George Hall, who organized
the above company in 1870. The company worked it about three years; but
it is at present idle, although measures are soon to be taken to resume the
business.
The Florence & Wakefield Marble Company are successors to the Black &
White Marble Company ; the latter succeeded the Wheaton Marble Company,
Town of Pittsford. 763
which worked a quarry in this town from 1 870 to 1873. It was then idle until
1882 and after that year until 1884. In the present year (1885) it has passed
to the possession of the Florence & Wakefield Marble Company, recently
organized.
F. W. Smith & Co. have been for several j^ears interested in the marble in-
dustry in this town. They have a valuable quarry in the western jsart of the
town, about three-quarters of a mile from the Central Vermont Railroad, with
which it is connected by a switch. The first year of this quarry was 1880, and
the product has since that time been large. In 1883 the North Pittsford Mar-
ble Company was formed, in which Mr. Smith is a leading spirit. This com-
pany opened its quarry and worked it until quite recently ; but it is at pres-
ent idle.
The other manufacturing interests of this town are at the present time of a
minor character. J. C. Leonard carries on carriage-making, in which he has
been engaged in the town since 1852, when he worked for Whitaker & Fish;
he began for himself in 1854. F. Whitaker is engaged in carriage-making,
also. In the old sash and blind factory of Charles T. Colburn is a wagon re-
pairing and manufacturing shop now carried on by N. S. Williams & Son, who
succeeded Williams & Hathaway. Martin Smith and Edward Randall began
the manufacture of butter tubs in town quite recently, in which business Mr.
Smith has been interested several years. Leonard Sargent & Sons carry on
wagon- making in Whipple Hollow.
Schools. — Caleb Hendee, jr., taught school in Pittsford as early as 1786-
87, and was the first teacher in the town as far as there is an existing account.
In March, 1791, the town voted to appoint a committee to divide the town
into school districts; the committee were Aniasa Ladd, Thomas Hammond,
Amos Kellogg, David Gitchell, John Barnes, John Hitchcock and James Ew-
ings. The division was made and the town laid out into six districts. In three of
these school-houses were built within a short time, and others followed later.
Almost innumerable changes and subdivisions have been made since, which
need not be followed here. The town now comprises fourteen districts and the
schools are liberally maintained.
In 1882 the Pittsford School Association was organized and chartered. Its
object was the establishment and maintenance of a high school, or academj', in
the town. This school was first opened in March, 1882, and before the char-
ter was secured, the sessions being held in district school-house No. 3 ; E. P.
Hitchcock and his wife were at the head of it. In September, 1882, the school
occupied its present location in a building which had been a private residence,
and the building was subsequently bought. In December, 1885, the school
was placed under the direction of Mrs. Professor Commette, a teacher of ability
and experience.
Cemeteries. — There are four cemeteries in this town, the first of which was
764 History of Rutland County.
laid out in 1785, near the Baptist meeting-house. There was a burial ground
at an early day on the west side of the creek, on lands formerly owned by
James Hopkins, which were given to the town by him for that purpose. This
has been transformed into farming lands and passed to private ownership. The
third burial ground was laid out in 1793, when the town "voted to la)' out a
burying place northeast of the meeting-house plot, on the town plot." This
ground was laid out by a committee and in 1794 the town instructed the select-
men to fence the ground. The first headstone put up here was in memory of
Sally Hammond, daughter of Captain Thomas Hammond, and Mrs. Hannah,
his wife. In March, 1857, an association comprising a large number of the
citizens of the town was formed and given the name of the Cemetery Associa-
tion. The hill lot a little east of the village, containing si.K acres, was purchased
and in the following autumn the association was incorporated by the General
Assembly under the title of the Pittsford Cemetery Association. This ground
has since been beautifully laid out in walks, drives and lots, trees and shrubbery
planted, fences built, and made into a spot around which the tenderest memo-
ries may willingly center, as the resting place of the beloved dead.
In the latter part of 1865, the Catholics of the town purchased two acres
of land between the village and the mills, which has been fenced and greatly
improved for a burial ground.
The Professions. — In the spring of 1788 Dr. Abiathar Millard, from Reho-
both, Mass., setded in Pittsford, relieving the inhabitants of the town from the
necessity of sending a long distance when sickness entered their households.
Dr. Millard removed from the town about the year 1808. Dr. Alexander Evv-
ings settled here about 1792 and remained until 1805 when he removed to Can-
ada. Dr. William Frisbie came here from Middletown about the \-ear 1803,
and removed to Ontario county, N. Y., about 1820. He was eminent in his
profession and an honorable and upright citizen. Dr. Kenelm Winslow, who
has already been mentioned, located here about 181 1 and died in 1861, after a
professional and private life of great usefulness. Dr. Freeman H. Mott settled
in Pittsford in 18 19, but removed to Ohio in a few years. Dr. Aaron Baker,
a native of Rutland, came to Pittsford in 18 19 and bought the house which had
been built by Gordon Newell in the village; he was a man of superior quali-
ties and died here in 1825. Dr. Peleg C. Barlow, graduated at Castleton in
1822, practiced here most of the time until 1838, when he removed to Illinois.
Dr. Anderson G. Dana studied his profession with his brother-in-law. Dr.
Kenelm Winslow, with Dr. Selah Gridley, of Castleton, and Dr. Joel Green, of
Brandon ; graduated from the Philadelphia Medical College ; came to Pittsford
in 1824. In 1843 he removed to Brandon, where he died in 1861. (See his-
tory of Brandon.) Dr. George B. Armington located in Pittsford in 1 83 I and
practiced until his death in May, 1863. He was a well educated physician and
had a large practice. Dr. James S. Ewings practiced here next and removed
Town of Pittsford. 765
to Wisconsin in 1847. Dr. George Page graduated from Middlebury College
in 1840 and soon afterward located here. In 185 I he removed to Crown Point.
Dr. Ebenezer H. Drury graduated at the Castleton Medical College in 1842
and began practice here in 1843, where he continued until 1863, since which he
has retired, with little exception. He is one of the oldest men in the profes-
sion in Rutland county. Dr. Edson Gibbs located here about 1855 and prac-
ticed until 1864, when he removed to Brandon. Dr. A. M. Caverly has already
been alluded to in connection with other members of the family. He located
here in the spring of 1863 and continued in practice until near the time of his
death. He was a thoroughly educated man both in and out of his profession.
Dr. Thomas J. Ketcham began practice here in 1868 and still continues it.
He was born in Sudbury in 1822; graduated at Castleton College in 1847;
practiced in Sudbury until 1S49, when he spent three years in California; he
then practiced one year in Sudbury and two in Brandon, coming here after-
ward.
Dr. Henry H. Swift was born in Hadley Mass., in 1854; studied medicine
at the University of Vermont and graduated in 1880. He came directly to
Pittsford and has remained here since. Dr. Caverh' was his preceptor.
Dr. Charles Orson Brigham was born in Ogdensburg, N. Y., in 1848. He
studied medicine at the University of Vermont and is now practicing under a
license ; will graduate the coming year.
Dr. C. A. Flanders (homeopathist) was born in Chelsea, in 1847; studied
his profession in Waterbury and attended lectures at the Hahnemann College
in Philadelphia; he practiced one year in Richmond, Vt., one year in Under-
bill Vt., and six years in Cornwall ; for the past six years he has practiced in
Pittsford.
Attorneys. — There have been comparatively few lawyers in Pittsford. The
first was Nathan B. Graham, brother of John A., of whom notice has been
sufficiently made in the chapter on the bar of the county ; he removed to Rut-
land in 1796. Gordon Newell began practice here in 1804, having been admit-
ted to the bar in 1801. He represented the town in 1818-19 and was assist-
ant judge of the county court in 1847-48; died in 1865. Ebenezer N. Briggs
located here in 1823 and two years later removed to Salisbury and thence in
1839 to Brandon. (See history of that town.) Lyman Granger began prac-
tice here in 1824, but two years later gave up the profession for other business.
John Pierpoint began practice here in 1827, in which year he was admitted to
the bar. About three years later he removed to Vergennes and became chief
justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont ; he died recentl}'. John G. Newell
eldest son of Gordon, practiced here from about 1831, in which year he was
admitted, until his health forced him to cease ; he resides in Boston. James R.
Newell, his younger brother, practiced in company with his father from 1832,
but gave it up in a few years. Charles S. Colburn, of whom we have given a
brief sketch, is now the only practicing attorney in the town.
^66 History of Rutland County.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
history of the town of poultney.
THE town of Poultney is situated on the western border of Rutland county,
and is bounded on the north by Castleton ; on the east by Ira and Mid-
dletown ; on the south by Wells and on the west by Hampton, N. Y., and a
portion of Fairhaven. It was chartered by Benning Wentworth September 2i,
1761, and contained an area of 23,040 acres. On the 28th of October, 1784,
2,388 acres were taken from Poultney towards the formation of Middletown,
and on the 31st of October, 1798, 5,543 acres were added to Poultney from the
north part of Wells.
The surface presents a pleasing variety of hill and valley, the highest eleva-
tion being Spruce Knob in the east, and Mount St. Catharine in the south.
Poultney River, the largest stream, rises in Tinmouth, enters Poultney from
Middletown, flows wester!)' through the town, and, forming the boundary be-
tween Fairhaven and Hampton, and Westhaven and Whitehall, enters Lake
Champlain. Lake St. Catharine, or Lake Austin, is a beautiful body of water
extending from the center of Wells to near the center of Poultney. The soil
along Poultney River is generally warm and productive. The timber is prin-
cipally deciduous, though the site of East Poultney was originally covered with
a dense growth of pine and hemlock. The origin of the name Poultney is not
certainly traced, though it has been suggested that it was derived from an Eng-
lish lord of that name, who was a friend of Benning Wentworth. The town was
organized on the 8th of March, 1775, by the election of the following officers:
Zebulon Richards, moderator; Heber Allen, town clerk; Nehemiah Howe,
Zebulon Richards and Cotton Fletcher, selectmen ; Isaac Ashley, constable ;
John Ashley, tithingman ; Josiah Lewis, Thomas Ashley and Ebenezer Hyde,
surveyors of highways, and the selectmen, with Thomas Ashley and Ebenezer
Hyde, committee for laying out highways.
The early settlement of Poultney did not differ widely in manner from that
of all the Vermont towns, excepting that the wealth and j^romise of its thickly
wooded hills and valleys were a tempting bait which the cupidity of the New
York land jobbers could not resist.
Owing to this land controversy the early settlers came in more slowly here
than elsewhere and were " men of bold, fearless spirit, athletic and firm consti-
tutions," and were, without exception, poor. Ebenezer Allen and Thomas
Ashley, the first who settled in town, reached here on the 15th of April, 1771,
and erected their shanties about twenty rods south of where the turnpike
bridge now is in the west village, "Allen a little west and Ashley a little east."
Town of Poultney. jQ"]
Allen brought his family with him, and had a son born the same year, the first
white child born in Poultney. Ashley did not return for his family until he
had finished his shanty and planted corn sufficient for the support of his family
of seven. He remained on the same farm until the time of his death in 1810.
Allen removed in a few years to Grand Isle.
These two families were followed the same season by Elijah and John Owen,
Isaac Ashley and Nehemiah Howe, and soon after by the following persons,
nearly in the order named : Ichabod and Joseph Marshall, Silas Howe, Heber
Allen (brother to Ethan Allen), John Grant, Thomas Goodwin, Robert Green,
Zebediah Dewey, Cotton Fletcher, John, Elkana, Elisha, Enoch and William
Ashley (brothers of Thomas and Isaac), John Tilden, Zebediah, Dan and John
Richards, William Ward, Timothy, Ebenezer, James and Lemuel Hyde, Sam-
uel Church, Joel Grannis, Isaac Craw, Nathaniel and James Smith, Mordecai
and Gilbert Sloper, James and Nathaniel Brookins, Josiah Lewis and a few
others before the arrival of Burgoyne's army and his Indian allies in July,
1777, when all the inhabitants were forced to flee. As has been truly said,
these men were all " the Ethan Allen stamp of men." Some of them were
related by blood and marriage to the redoubtable leader of the Green Moun-
tain Bo)'S, and all of them were certainly his personal acquaintances. Several
of them were present at the capture of Ticonderoga.
When Burgoyne came up Lake Champlain the domestic occupations of the
inhabitants throughout this part of the State were for a time rudely interrupted.
The men were called upon to fight and the women to attend to those charita-
ble duties which are given to them alone, in such crises, to perform. The battle
of Hubbardton was fought on the 7th of July, 1777, and on the following day
the women and children of Poultney, being apprized of the repulse of the pa-
triots, hastily collected their portable effects and retreated to Bennington, thence
to Pownal, and after the battle of Bennington, to their former homes in Mas-
sachusetts and Connecticut. The following are the names of the thirteen heroic
women who took part in this retreat : The wives of William Ward, Thomas
Ashley, Ichabod Marshall, Joseph Marshall, Dan Richards (afterward Mrs.
Lindsey Joslin), John Richards, Timothy Hyde (afterwards Mrs. Abner Adams),
Zebediah Dewey, Silas Howe, Nathaniel Smith, the widow of Isaac Ashley
(afterwards Mrs. Joseph Rann, grandmother of Charles A. Rann, now residing
in Poultney), Nehemiah Howe and Josiah Lewis. Most or all these women
returned with their children within the following year, and were not, so far as
can be learned, again molested by foreign foes.
Among others who came here in the year 1 77 I, P'benezer Allen, who has
already been mentioned, was one of the most prominent. He was an officer in
the Revolutionary War, and a member of one, at least, of the early conventions.
He was a man of advanced humanity and sympathies, and showed his fidelity
to his convictions by liberating two slaves on the ground that he was " con-
scientious that it is not right in the sight of God to keep slaves."
768 History of Rutland County.
Thomas Ashley, already mentioned, was followed the same year of his ar-
rival, by his six brothers, Isaac, John, Elkana, Elisha, Enoch and William, all
of whom were prominent in the early councils of the town. Isaac Ashley died
in April, 1777. His son, Elisha Ashley, was for many years after his attaining
maturity a prominent man in Poultney.
Josiah Lewis, of Connecticut, came herein 1 771, and settled on the east
part of what is now the farm of his great-grandson, Mark Lewis. He was a
soldier of the Revolution and participated in the battle of Hubbardton, and the
capture of Ticonderoga. His wife, nee Molly Cole, rendered valuable ser\'ice
for the Americans in carrying general news, and received therefor one hundred
and sixty acres of land, situated near the present farm of Franklin Thompson,
He died before the year 1800. The farm has always remained in the family.
" Heber Allen was one of the seven Allen brothers, of whom the most distin-
guished was Colonel Ethan Allen." He must have been here as early as 1772.
He built his dwelling-house near the site now occupied by the " Pine Tree
House," between the two villages. Some traces of his cellar are still faintly
perceptible there. He was a major in the Revolution, was the first town clerk
of Poultne)-, and, until his death in April, 1782, and was a judge of the County
Court (1778) when Rutland was only a shire of Cumberland county.
Nehemiah Howe came to Poultney from New Marlborough, Mass., in 1772,
and died in April, 1777. He owned the land about where the Congregational
Church and cemetery now are in the east village. His paternal ancestor four gen-
erations back was the first white settler in Marlborough, Mass. He was said to
be descended from a relative of Lord Howe, of Warwickshire, England. De-
scendants of Nehemiah Howe are still numerous in the town and vicinity.
Zebediah Dewe}- came to Poultney from Tyringham, Mass., in about 1772,
and located on the site now covered by Beaman's Hotel, but afterwards re-
moved to the head of Hampshire Hollow, on a tract of land now comprising
the farms of Timoth)' Haley and Dwight Smith. He was a great sportsman
and hunter. He is said to have been the first captain of militia in Poultney,
and obtained his title of major from the efficient service which he rendered at
the battle of Hubbardton. His youngest son. Dr. David Dewey, was after-
wards a man of prominence in Poultney, and the inventor, it is claimed, of the
first sheep-shearing machine ever patented in the country.
About this period Timothy Hyde and his brothers, James, Lemuel and
Ebenezer, came from Connecticut and settled in the vicinity of the Pomeroy
Wells estate. N. C. Hyde, a descendant of Ebenezer, now owns a part of the
old homestead. Ebenezer Hyde was the progenitor of the Hydes now in town.
Samuel Hyde, a son of Ebenezer, kept a public house for many years on the
farm now forming a part of the Pomeroy Wells estate.
Ichabod Marshall arrived in town in December, 1772, from Massachusetts.
He was born in New Marlboro, Mass., in 1741, was married in 1760, and
^William, a
'■:M,aii(lik
Town of Poultney. 769
brought six children with him to Poultney, coming through the unbroken for-
est for over sixty miles, with only one horse to carry Mrs. Marshall, " a feather
bed, two infant children, and all the furniture the family had for keeping house."
The rest of the family walked and drove one cow before them. They settled
on the tract of land now occupied by Mrs. Martha Marshall, which has ever
remained in the possession of the famih". Ichabod Marshall was killed by the
wheel of his own wagon while returning from a trip to Troy. Joseph Marshall,
his brother, came to Poultney in 1772, and located about a mile north of the
Hopson Place, on a road now discontinued, that led from the main road be-
tween the two villages.
Zebulon Richards came to Poultney in 1 773, and located on the farm now
occupied by Michael Lynch. One of his two sons, John, settled on the place now
occupied by Mrs. Stevens, and the other, Daniel, on the Joslin farm, so called.
Salmon Richards, grandson of John Richards, lives in Poultney now, at the
ripe old age of eighty-six years. The widow of Daniel Richards afterwards
became the wife of Lindsey Joslin, and suffered terrible privations when driven
from Poultney with her twelve associates in 1777.
James and Nathaniel Smith, brothers, must have arrived in Poultney about
the year 1773 or 1774, and lived in the north part of the town.
Thomas Hooker, a worth)' descendant of the Thomas Hooker who was one
of the original proprietors of the town of Cambridge, Mass., came to Poultney
about the year 1775, and settled on the Hooker farm in the north part of the
town. He soon removed to Finel Hollow, and after a residence there of six-
teen years, returned to the place of his original settlement. His father, James
Hooker, came here about 1779, and settled in Finel Hollow. Besides Thomas
five other children of James, viz. : James, Samuel, Sarah, David and Josiah,
resided in town a short time. Their descendants, scattered over a wide area,
have achieved prominence in many places and callings.
William Ward came from New Marlboro, Mass., to Poultney in November,
1775, and located in Finel Hollow on the farm still occupied by Mrs. C. P.
Ward, it having never left the family. He was a member of the convention
that framed the State Constitution, was for six years one of the judges of the
Rutland County Court, was the first judge of probate for the district of p-air-
haven, and retained the office twenty- two years ; was forty years justice of the
peace, and was tlie first town representative for a number of years.
The Revolutionary struggle, being at this time full upon the country, pre-
vented active settlement, especially on a frontier so exposed as Western Ver-
mont. No settlement, therefore, dating in 1776, has been discovered. Soon
after Burgoyne's surrender, however, in 1777, Phineas Pierce established him-
self in a gambrel- roofed house of his own building, a few rods east of the site
of the brick house now occupied by James Hopper, on the bank of Finel Hol-
low Brook. He worked in the forge built by the Joslins.
770 History of Rutland County.
In 1778 Joseph Rami, wlio was born in Salisbury, N. H., in 1752, arrived
in Poultney, and settled on the farm now owned and occupied by R. R. Thrall.
He was followed at different periods by others from his native State, who gave
the name of Hampshire Hollow to the vicinity of their settlement. He served
in the Revolutionary War, was wounded in the battle of Bunker Hill by a ball
which he carried in his ankle to his grave ; was afterwards taken prisoner, and
confined in a prison ship near New York for several months. He effected his
escape by jumping overboard and swimming some distance ashore. He at-
tended the Congregational Church here and was chorister while Rev. Ithamer
Hibbard was pastor. He married Olive, daughter of Nehemiah Howe, and
widow of Isaac Ashley, by whom he had six children, Anta, Silbey, Salvator,
Alpha, Arithusa, and Lavina. Of the daughters Ansa married John Page ;
Silbey married Leonard Doughty ; Arithusa married John Ransford, and La-
vina married Erastus Bigelow, all of whom resided in Essex county, N. Y., and
left a numerous posterity. Alpha, or Alfred, went to Western New Ycjrk,
married a Minerva Trask, and had two sons, one of whom now publishes a
paper in Manchester, la., and the other died in Whitewater, Wis., in 1870,
where he was publishing the Whitewater Register. Salvator remained in Poult-
ney, married Chloe, daughter of Elisha Scott, and had four sons and four
daughters. Charles A. Rann, of Poultney, Mrs. Joseph Fuller, of Clarendon,
and Horace Rann, of Spencerport, N. Y., are the only children left. Charles
A. Rann was a commissioned officer in the Rebellion, was representative of
Poultney in 1863 and 1864, and senator in 1878. He was born May 23, 1823,
was married to Sarah Brown, January 2, 1849. His only living child, H. C.
Rann, was born January 15, i860.
Joel Frisbie, the first of the name in Poultney, came, it is thought, with Rev.
Ithamer Hibbard, in 1780. He went to Middletown in 1786.
Three brothers, Reuben, Aaron and Isaac Hosford, came to Poultney about
1780, the first named settling on the farm now owned by Hiel Angevine, and
the other on the tract now comprising the farm of Peter Laundry. Descend-
ants of Reuben are still living here and elsewhere. Joseph Morse also came in
1780 from Litchfield, Conn., and located in the east part of the town, in the
place since called Morse Hollow. Joseph F. Morse, of East Poultney, is his
crrandson. A brother of Joseph, sr., named Solomon, came in 1780 and went
to Pennsylvania about the )'ear 1800.
William Preston, already an old man, came to Poultne)' from Litchfield,
Conn., as early as 1781, and died here in April, 1815, at the age of one hun-
dred years lacking twenty days. John Preston, a son of William, came here
about the same time.
John Ransom came from Canaan, Conn., the same year (1781) and located
on the farm now owned by E. D. Andrus: married Sarah Roberts Whitney,
and died in August, 181 i, leaving three children, Lemuel, John and David.
Caroline, a daughter of David, still resides in Poultney.
Town of Poultney. 771
Stephen de Maranville, youngest son of Louis de Maranville, of noble lin-
eage, came to Poultney from Dartmouth, Mass., via Pawlet, in 1782 and set-
tled on the farm now occupied by Frank Gates, then called " Maranville Hill."
He was a " minute man " in the Revolution. He died September 26, 1828.
Dan Pond, the "patriarch," was born in 1726 at Branford, Conn., came
from Stockbridge, Mass., to Poultney in 1782, settling, with a portion of his
family, on " Pond Hill." He had fifteen children, thirteen sons and two daugh-
ters, all but one of whom lived to luu'e families. Most of the sons were Rev-
olutionary soldiers, and came to Poultney with their father. Abel Pond, a few
years after he came, settled on " Poultney Flats." He took an active part in
the Revolutionary struggle. Of sixty members of this once prominent and
numerous family, not one is left in Poultney bearing the name.
The year 1783, being the closing year of the Revolution, witnessed the
immigration of a number of families, many of whom have descendants in town
now. Some of the following may not have reached here until 1784 : —
Elijah Ames settled in what has since been entitled " Ames Hollow," near
Bird Mountain. His brother Zebulon came about the same time and resided
near him, but in Ira. Jeremiah Armstrong, of Connecticut, settled near Elijah
Ames about this time, and became one of the most influential men of the town.
He died about 1842. William Buckland, a Revolutionary soldier from Hart-
ford, Conn., came in 1783 and purchased his farm of Elkanah Ashley, it being
the same land now occupied by his grandson, Augustus Buckland. They were
an ancient family in Connecticut. The grandfather of Augustus Buckland's
mother, John Barrett, was a tried soldier in the French and Indian War. Some
years before 1796 he came from his home in Connecticut, and passed the re-
mainder of his days, until his ninety-fourth year, with his daughter. He died
June 9, 1796. Solomon Cleveland settled on the Cleveland farm, now owned
and occupied by William Quinn. He afterwards removed to Hydeville. It is
not known that any of his descendants are living.
About this period came from Massachusetts Seymour and Timothy Crit-
tenden, and settled, the former on the farm now occupied by Frank French,
and the latter on the present Troy Conference Academy grounds, his house
standing near the sidewalk in front of the academy. Seymour was a promi-
nent member of the Congregational Church, and a Democrat. Among his
descendants may be named his grandson, Henry H. Crittenden, a resident of
Poultney. Timothy Crittenden sold his farm to Dr. James Witherell in 18 10
and went west. He represented the town in 1802-03.
Joshua Dye, a native of Kent, Conn., moved to Poultney soon after the
close of the Revolutionary War, and located in Ames Hollow, on the farm
now occupied by Patrick Kennedy. He was drowned in Poultney River in
1826. Some of his descendants now live in town.
Edward Fine!, a sergeant-major of the Revolution, settled soon after its
772
History of Rutland County.
close in the " Hollow " that now bears his name, and on the farm now occu-
pied by Nathaniel Carlton. He had five sons and five daughters. Although
he has descendants residing in town, there are none that bear the family name.
James and Ebenezer Frisbie, two of four brothers, were in town as early as
1783, the former settling in the cast part of the town on the road to Middle-
town, and the latter on the tract of land occupied ten )'ears ago by Abner
Lewis.
James, Seth and Jared Gorham came from Kent, Conn., about 17S3, and
settled (in the order of their naming) at Gorhamtown, Pond Hill and south
of Ames Hollow. They were three of seven brothers, four of whom, John,
James, Seth and Wakeman, with their father, served in the Revolutionary War.
Descendants of James are in Poultney \^et.
Thaddeus Hickok, of Washington, Litchfield county, Conn., came to Poult-
ney soon after the close of the Revolutionary War, and settled on the tract of
land now owned and occupied by L. C. Spaulding. He was a soldier of the
Revolutionary War. Simeon Hickok, his brother, came at the same time and
located on the place where Rodney Rowell now lives. His son. Colonel Rus-
sel Hickok, was formerly engaged in the foundry business here.
Lindsey Josselyn, or, according to modern spelling, Joslin, born August 12,
1749, in eastern Massachusetts, moved early to Sheffield, Mass., and soon after
the close of the War of the Revolution, in company with his brother Samuel,
came to Poultney ; they erected a forge half a mile east of Poultney, on the
"Todd place." Jabez and Joseph, brothers also, the former a tailor and the
latter a blacksmith, came soon after. Lindsey Joslin assisted in the capture of
Burgoyne. He died August 12, 1826. John Jay Joslin, a descendant, was
formerly a merchant here and erected the stone block now occupied by John
Deane and others. Descendants of Lindsey Joslin still live in town.
Captain Daniel Manning, a cooper, and a soldier who fought in the battles
of Bunker Hill, on Long Island, Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth and York-
town, came here in 1783 and settled on a farm about a mile northeast of Poult-
ney, which he bought of James Smith. He afterwards lived on the farm now
occupied by Noah Fenton, which he bought of Deacon Silas Howe.
Joel Smith settled at this time in the east part of the town. He died at the
time of the epidemic in 18 13. Descendants still reside in East Poultney.
Enos Wells settled soon after the Revolutionary War on what now forms a
part of Asahel Smith's estate. He died early in the century.
Ebenezer Canfield, soon after the Revolutionary War, built a gambrel-
roofed house south of the highway on the knoll east of the old cemetery in
East Poultney, and for some years operated a grist-mill there, some traces of
which are still visible. He went to Ohio and died there.
In the spring of 1784 Bazaleel Farnum, a soldier of the first war with Great
Britain, came here from Salisbury, Conn., and settled upon si.xty acres of land
Town of Poultney. 773
wliich he had purchased nine years before, being tlie same place now occupied
by his great-grandson, William L. Farnum, jr. He died April 9, 1831, at the
age of seventy-two years. His eldest son, William Lee Farnum, became a
prominent man in the councils of the town. Besides the various town offices
to which he was elected, he represented Poultney in the Legislature in the
years 1832-33, 1837 ''"'^ '854. He died March 10, 1873.
Michael Broughton, and his brothers Samuel and John, settled in 1786 on
tracts of land included in the strip which was annexed to Poultney in October,
1798. They were extensive land owners, and their descendants, especially
the descendants of John Broughton, became leading members of the Baptist
Church in Poultney. Many of their descendants live now within a short dis-
tance from town.
Edmund Lamson, a blacksmith, came from Suffield, Conn., in 1786, worked
a short time for Deacon Silas Howe, and in 1787 bought a lot opposite the
cemetery in the east village, and erected a house there which is still standing.
The farm is now in the hands of two of his grandsons, W. B. and H. G. Prindle.
Calvin Mallary, a brother of Daniel Mallary, sen., hereafter mentioned, set-
tled in 1786 on a farm about two miles south of East Poultney, now owned by
his grandson, Elisha Mallar)'. He was a prominent member of the Baptist
Church. His son, Calvin, jr., passed his life on the homestead.
Elias and Ichabod Babcock came from Canaan, Conn., in 1788. The for-
mer located in Finel Hollow. He did the stone work on the present Congre-
gational house of worship. He died in 1836. Descendants of his are still liv-
ing in the county. Ichabod pursued his calling, that of a hatter, in the west
village. He died in 1846.
Jonas Mears settled in Poultney not far trom 1790, and raised quite a family,
tlescendants of whom are still residents of the town. Simeon Mears, jr.. grand-
son of John Mears, and a man of ability, was for some time a merchant here
and associated with Colonel Hickok in the foundry.
Samuel Fifield immigrated to Poultney about 1 791 or '92, and located on
Pond Hill. He was the father of eight children, of whom the first two died in
infancy. Descendants of the others are now living in town.
Hon. John Stanley, with his parents and three children, came to Poultney
from Canaan, Conn., in 1791, and settled in a house on the site now covered
by the dwelling-house of Mrs. John Clark. He kept store in one part of this
building. About 1794 he purchased and resided in a house which occupied
the present site of Beaman's Hotel, and erected a building for a store on the
opposite side of the street. In 1816 he erected the brick house now occupied
by Mrs. Jonas Clark. He was judge of probate for the district of Fairhaven
from 1824 to 1829 inclusive. He was a man of energy and business enterprise,
and of public spirit. Of his seven children, Henry Stanley was the most inti-
mately associated with Poultney interests. He erected the Ruggles foundry,
774 History of Rutland County.
the Poultney House, and the dwelHng house so long occupied by Deacon Jos-
lin. He was in tiie State Senate in 1847-48, and contributed to the inaugura-
tion of some of the most important interests of the town. He removed some
years ago to Brooklyn, N. Y.
Amos Frisbie, born in Bethlehem, Conn., December 9, 1769, came to Poult-
ney on the last da\- of November, 1792, purchased the farm now occupied by
Joseph W. Clark, and remained there until he died on the 13th of March, 1826.
He was a man of good influence and reputation, held several important offices
in town, and was sincerely devoted to the welfare of the Congregational society.
He married twice, his second wife, daughter of William Lockett and widow of
Dr. William Copman, bearing him three children, viz., Mary, who is the wife
of James P. Harris, James S., now the partner of H. Clarence Rann in the
clothing business, and Emma, wife of Chauncey Edgerton. Calvin Frisbie
came to Poultney with his brother Amos, and some time after his brothers,
James and Ebenezer, already mentioned, arrived. He died young, and although
he left descendants, they have all gone from Vermont.
Daniel Mallary, born in 1758, removed from Cheshire, Conn., to Poultney
in 1794. He settled fir.st on the place now occupied by Mrs. Mary Hosford,
daughter of Deacon Webster ("Webster place"), and afterwards he resided in
the house now occupied by the widow of John Gibson, and later still, for twenty
years, on the farm now owned by A. M. Knapp. He passed his later years in
the house now occupied by Andrew Clark in the village. He had seven chil-
dren, of whom the eldest, Rollin C. Mallary, rose to distinction as a lawyer and
member of Congress (see Chapter XXVH). He owned and occupied the place
where Charles W. Potter now lives.
Jonathan Morgan, born in Simsbury, Conn., February 15, 1779, came to
Poultney with his father, Jonathan, in 1795, and settled on the farm now owned
and occupied by his sons Isaac H. and J. Allen Morgan. He built three saw-
mills on Poultney River, which intersected his farm, and operated two of them
as long as he lived. He died March 22, 1859. His descendants are nu-
merous.
Thomas Todd, the pioneer of the woolen manufacture in Poultne\% came as
early as 1705. He owned the house and farm now owned by James Hopper.
The old mill is now used by Henry Shaw in the manufacture of cider. Thomas
Todd passed the last few years of his life on the farm of his second wife in
Hampton.
Noah Wells came about 1795 from Colchester, Conn., and lived for a time
with his uncle, Enos Wells. In 1805 he bought the farm on which are the
Gibson and Schenectady slate quarries, now owned by George Gibson. In
1822 he moved on to the " Sam Hyde " farm where, on the 27th of May, 1828,
he died.
Elijah D. Webster settled about 1795 on the farm now occupied by his
Town of Poultnev. 775
daughter, Mrs. Mary Hosford, two miles south of East Poultney. He was one
of the first members of the Baptist Church and acted as deacon for years. He
died July 17, 1823.
Anthony Angevine, who came to Poultney in 1797, settled on the farm
now occupied by Henry W. Crittenden. After a few years he removed to
Mendon, N. Y., where he died. Some of his descendants, however, still reside
in Poultney.
Peter Scribner, a substantial, well-to-do farmer, located as early as 1797 on
what is now the town farm in Hampshire Hollow. His mother was a sister of
Joseph Rann. He died July 28, 1856, aged eighty-seven years ; some of his
descendants still survive.
Daniel Sprague, a blacksmith, came to Poultne}' from Salisbury, Conn., in
1798 and settled in the west village at the place now owned by the widow of
John Lewis. He was one of the early postmasters here, and held other im-
portant offices of trust. He died June 2, 1853.
Samuel Wood came to this town from Connecticut about 1798, when he
was about forty j^ears of age, and located in the north part of the town on the
farm now owned by Mr. Carpenter.
Benjamin Farwell, born in Groton, Mass., on the 2d day of July, 1756. He
took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, under Colonel Prescott, and came to
Poultney in 1799, locating on Pond Hill. Some of his descendants now re-
side in Poultney, and trace their lineage back to Henry Farwell, who lived in
the seventeenth century at Concord, Mass.
Hiram Kilburn was born July 7, 1799, in Poultney, his father, Abraham
Kilburn having come here from Litchfield, Conn., some years before. Abra-
ham Kilburn died in 1806. Hiram was killed by the cars October 21, 1867,
while on duty as agent at the station at Poultney. He held for years the office
of deacon of the Congregational Church, and left descendants who still survive,
among them being Mrs. William Farnum and Albert Kilburn.
Among other arrivals at about this period were Ebenezer Smith, who lived
and died in the house now occupied by Joseph Wade, on Beaman street ; Da-
vid Thompson of Goshen, Conn., who lived where M. W. Bliss now resides,
and whose eldest son, Amos, represented Poultney in the State Legislature
from 1804 to 1807 inclusive, and in 1813, '14 and '16 ; was one of the assistant
judges of the Rutland County Court from 1809 to 1820 inclusive, and chief judge
from 1 82 1 to 1824; Board well Watkins, who settled on the farm now owned
and occupied by John Driscoll ; Roswell Andrus, from Shaftsbury, who located
on the farm now occupied by W. W. Martin ; Benjamin Giddings, who settled
on the farm now occupied by Calvin Inman, and Solomon Giddings, his neph-
ew, both of whom have left a numerous posterity ; Daniel Parsons, who kept
tavern several years in the house now owned by Stephen Scott, afterwards
known as the Neal House, in the rear part of which he and Salvator Rann for
•j-jS History of Rutland County.
some time kept store ; Captain Royal Pease, faint traces of whose house are
still visible near the cemetery in Finel Hollow on land of C. P. Austin. Albert
Pease, his son, still lives in town.
Captain William Watson, a soldier of the Revolution and a man of brilliant
parts, but during the later years of his life, intemperate, was the author of the
familiar witicism in the form of a toast given at a 4th of July celebration in
Poultney about 1810: "The enemies of our country, may they have cobweb
breeches, porcupine saddle, a hard trotting horse, and an eternal journey."
Abel Parker, an early settler, succeeded Nehemiah Howe in the grist-mill
at East Poultney, and was a large land owner in his day. Carlos Parker and
Mrs. Charles W. Potter are his descendants.
Seth Ruggles, a non-commissioned officer of the Revolution, and a minute
man, who served about three years in all, was born in Hardvvick, Worcester
county, Mass., on the 7th of January, 1757. He came to Poultney with his
wife and five children, in 1804, and located on the place now owned by J. A.
Benedict, about one mile north from East Poultney. He died March 28, 1846.
He was thrice married, and all the descendants now living are from his third
wife, Susannah Jenks. His eldest son, Seth, succeeded Mr. Stanley in the own-
ership and management of the foundry now owned by Henry J. Ruggles, his
son. (A further account of this interest appears in a subsequent page.)
Elisha Scott came from Tolman, Conn., in 1804, under contract to build
the Baptist Church in the east village, which he did in the following year. He
lived on the farm now owned by D. A. Smith ; one of his three daughters mar-
riek Salvator Rann, and another Calvin Mallary. The only one of his children
now in Poultney is Stephen, who was in earlier years a tanner and currier.
Hon. Merritt Clark, whose son Henry Clark is the editor of this work, was
born in Middletown, Vt., February 11, 1803. His father was General James
Clark, well known throughout the State as a lawyer of great ability. Merritt
Clark was graduated from the Rutland County Grammar School, and, in 1823,
from Middlebury College. He and his brother Horace then engaged until
1841 in the mercantile business in Middletown. In 1841, when the Poultney
Bank was established he was made its cashier, and was connected with it dur-
ing its entire history. He was president of the Rutland and Washington rail-
road from its incorporation in 1847, until it was completed to Albany. He
was chiefly instrumental in the restoration of the Troy Conference Academy
in 1848. Henry Clark, of Rutland, and Edward Clark, of Poultney, are his
only children.
The industries of Poultney prior to 1 800 were few in number, and for the
most part of little importance beyond the limits of the town. Saw-mills and
grist-mills abounded, for people demanded lumber for their dwellings and flour
for their daily sustenance. There were at one time six saw-mills in town on
Poultney River. One was erected and operated by Jonathan Morgan, near
Town of Poultney. ■]']^
where his sons, Isaac H. and J. Allen Morgan now reside. Another further
down stream, near the former residence of the late Harlow Hosford ; a third at
the falls in the east village, operated by Abel Parker, and later by Joseph
Morse ; a fourth, operated by Deacon Silas Howe, at what has since been
called the candlestick- factory premises, between the two villages ; one by Fay
H)-de (in 1813) across the river from the site of the Ruggles foundry, and one
at Hampton Bridge, formerly known as Norton's mills. There were, quite early,
two saw-mills in the southeast part of the town on Endless Brook, which flows
into Lake St. Catharine, and two in the southwest part of the town, on Had-
away Brook. There were also two on Lewis Brook in the north part of the
town, one built by John Lewis and the other by Colonel John Ransom, the
mill of Harrison Smith being a continuation of the latter.
Five grist-mills had been built in town prior to 1800. Jonathan Morgan op-
erated one near his saw-mill ; there was one at the Todd place a half mile east
of the east village ; one at East Poultney, built about 1773, by Nehemiah Howe,
and the first one in town; one near the saw-mill at the candlestick-factory
place, and one at Hampton Bridge. As early as 1785 Samuel Joslin and Abel
Darling erected a forge at the Todd place.
An early industry which attained considerable importance in Puultne\' was
the distilling of whiskey. At one time ten distilleries were in operation here,
viz., one in Morse Hollow, operated by Joseph Morse, sr.; one the Lewis farm,
by John Lewis ; one near Pond Hill, by Royal Pease ; one south of the river
by Dr. David Dewey ; one by Thomas Todd a little way up Finel Hollow,
where the tobacco-box factory afterwards stood ; one about a mile east of the
east village near the red school-house, by Harlow Hosford ; one by Alonzo
Howe, near where the East Poultney cheese factory was afterwards built ; one
by Colonel Ransom on his farm two miles north of Poultnej' village; one by
Horace Mallary, about a mile north from Ransom ; and one near Hampton
Bridge. The business began to decline by 1830, and in a few years was known
only as a thing of the past.
As early as 1800 the two villages had already begun their growth, and
East Poultney was the larger. This relation was practically sustained until the
opening of the railroad, which brought tlie business nearer the station, /. c, to
the west village. It was about this period that some enterprising men in and
about Poultney conceived the plan of converting the main road running north
and south through the villages, and which was used as a thoroughfare from Lan-
singburgh, Troy and Albany, to Middlebury, Burlington and St. Albans, from
the rough, uneven road it then was, into a turnpike. Accordingly the " Poult-
ney Turnpike Company" was incorporated in the fall of 1805 and organized
in 1806. Benjamin Carver was the first secretary. The road was designed as
part of a through line from Albany to Burlington, and was finally so estab-
lished. The road was surveyed in 1808, and completed, it is supposed, in
778 History of Rutland County.
1811. Being the line of stage travel north and south, the turnpike prospered
until the New York canals connecting Lake Champlain with the Hudson River,
were opened, and traffic north and south was shifted to the new and less ex-
pensive channel. It caused the final surrender of the turnpike to the towns
through which it passed.
On the 22d day of July, iSi i, a great amount of damage was done to the
property in town by a terrible freshet, which carried away dwelling-houses, and
other buildings, and rendered some fields along the banks of the Poultney River
for years unfit for cultivation. All the mills on Poultney River in town, with
one exception, were carried away. Ithamar Smith's dwelling was swept into
the flood. One, George Morgan, lost his life while attempting to cross the
stream on horseback when it had begun to swell.
War of 1812. — After the close of the Revolutionary War, and the settle-
ment of the land controversy with New York, the inhabitants of Poultney, in
common with other towns on the western border of Vermont, were permitted
to pursue for a number of years the vocations whose progress had been pre-
vented by those memorable struggles. The industries and inventions of men,
now that the rude invasion of a foreign foe was no longer feared, were pros-
ecuted with the diligence of which those times alone furnish examples, but the
towns that border on Lake Champlain, and their neighbor towns, were destined
to suffer again the fears and privations of war.
No record exists containing the names of all those from Poultney who took
part in the War of 181 2, but it is reasonably certain that the toVvn furnished
her proportion. William Miller, afterwards prominent as a Baptist clergyman,
and later more prominent as an Advent preacher, then a resident of Poultney,
received a captain's commission from Governor Jonas Galusha, and was or-
dered to Burlington with his company, which he raised in Poultney. The fol-
lowing, among others, left Poultney to serve in this war: Thomas Shepard,
Horace Thompson, Russell Pitkin, Charles Obraham, John Brown, Stephen
Angevine, Philip Angevine, Roswell Calender, Jonathan Pierce and Amasa
Thatcher. It is not known, however, that all of the above named were in
Captain Miller's company, though the presumption is that most of them were.
" Nothing can so encourage those who believe in the stability of our govern-
ment, as the fact that notwithstanding the extreme bitterness before the War of
18 12, or party spirit, and the refusal of adherents of either party to mingle in
any way with those of the other party, they lay aside the hatred that sepa-
rated them in peace, and yielded to the love that united them in war." Then
succeeded the long peace that prevailed with onl\' one brief and insignificant
interruption until the Civil War roused the warlike energies of another gener-
ation. But Poultney seems to have degenerated so much that she could not
do her duty promptly and efficiently in all the emergencies of the war. The
following is a list of soldiers credited to the town of Poultney, with the time of
enlistment of each, the lime of service, etc.
Town of Poultney. 779
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 of Octo-
ber 17, 1863 : —
George C. Babcock, co. F, 6th regt.; George W. Ballard, Alanson Barber
and Charles S. Barber, co. B, 2d regt.; Horace E. Barber, co. I, 7th regt.; Lu-
ther S. Barnes, ca\^, co. H ; David B. Bateman, John S. Bateman and Lewis
L. Bateman, co. B, 2d regt.; Frederick Beals, co. G, nth regt.; John Bodfish,
CO. I, 5th regt.; Chauncey W. Brown and Ebcn Butler, co. B, 2d regt.; James
A. Butler, co. B, 9th regt; John Butler, co. I, 5th regt.; William O. Butler,
CO, B, 9th regt.; Robert Caldwell, Frank H. Carrigan and James B. Carrigan,
CO. B, 2d regt.; Henry B. Cassavant, co. C, iith regt.; Charles Clark, co. I,
7th regt.; Obadiah Cole, co. B, 2d regt.; Albert F. Culver, co. E, 2d s. s.;
Alanson Draper and David Draper, co I, 7th regt.; Oscar Draper, co. I, 5th
regt.; F. M. Edgerton and Edson H. Fifield, co. B, 2d regt.; Joseph Geroy,
CO. I, 5th regt; Rollin M. Green, co. L 7th regt.; Timothy Haley, zo. I, Sth
regt.; Charles Hammond, co. B, 2d regt.; John W. Harrison, co. I, 7th regt.;
Henry H. Hart, co. C, iith regt.; Matthew Hennessey, co. G, 2d regt.; Ed-
gar J. Herrick, co. H, 5th regt; David R. Hosford, co. I, 5th regt.; Adin E.
Howard, co. B, 2d regt; David B. Hunter, co. I, 7th regt.; Henry G. Hunter,
CO. B, 2d regt.; Robert Hunter, co. I, 7th regt; William H. Hyde, co. B, 2d
regt.; Oliver Jones, co. B, 9th regt; Frank Kilborn, co. C, iith regt.; Samuel
Kilborn, co. I, 5th regt.; William Lamb, co. C, iith regt.; Charles E. Lan-
caster and Henry F. Lewis, co. I, 5th regt.; Judson A. Lewis, co. C, iith
regt.; Julius Lewis, co. I, 5th regt.; William G. Lewis, co. B, 2d regt.; Lucius
Lincoln, co. E, 5th regt.; Thomas Mahar, Albert E. Maranville, Merritt P.
Maranville, co. B, 2d regt; Marcus Marshall, co. H, cav.; William V. Meeker,
CO. C, nth regt.; Joseph Mcars, co. H, 2d regt.; Charles Mehrling, co. I, 7th
regt.; William Miller, co. B, 2d regt.; Lester E. Monroe, co. B, 9th regt.;
Charles A. Moulton Martin A. Munroe, co. C, nth regt.; Jonas H. Munson,
Levi L. Munson, co. B, 2d regt.; James Oatman, jr., co. I, 7th regt.; Michael
O'Brien, co. B, 2d regt.; Charles H. Packard, co. B, 7th regt.; Isaac E . Par-
ker, Andrew Perry, 5th regt.; Joshua Potter co. L 7tli regt.; P"rank J. Pray,
John J. Preston, co. C, nth regt; Gilbert H. Prindle, co. H, 2d regt. s. s.;
Edwin C. Richardson, co. 1, 7th regt.; James W. Ripley, co. C, nth regt;
James G. Roe, rec. 2d regt.; Charles C. Ruggles, co. I, 7th regt ; Grove S.
Scribner, co. H, 2d s. s.; Amander A. Shaw, William S. Shaw, George W.
Shaw, CO. C, nth regt; Silas H. Shumway, John Smith, William P. Spauld-
ing, CO. I, 5th regt; William P. Smith, co. B, 9th regt.; James F. Stoddard,
CO. I, 7th regt.; Charles H. Stovve, co. B, 2d regt; Proctor Swallow, co. I, 7th
regt; Allen Thompson, co. F, 6th regt.; Charles E. Thompson, John E. Thorn-
ton, CO. L 5th regt.; David H. Whalen, co. C, nth regt.; James Wilson, rec.
5th regt.; Joseph C. Woodward, co. B, 2d regt.
Credits under under call of October 17th, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and
78o History of Rutland County.
subsequent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Horace E. Barber, co. I, 17th
regt; Justus P. Barker, co. I, 5th regt; John Butler, co. H, cav.; William S.
Cook, CO. I, 7th regt.; Robert Cornish, Walter Douglass, Henry Gorham, co.
I, 5th regt; Dewitt C. Falkenburg, co. H, cav.; Merritt D. Griswold, co. I,
17th regt; Henry M. Guilder, James F. Guilder, Morgan B. Guilder, co. G,
cav.; Nathan Loveland, co. B. cav.; Jeremiah Manning, co. I, 5th regt.; Eg-
bert L. Maranville, co. B, 2d regt.; Franklin McLeod, co. M, cav.; Edmond
Monroe co. G, cav.; Joel P. Montgomery, co. I, 5th regt; Jay D. Morse, 2d
bat; Edwin A. Porter, co. G, cav.; James F. Preston, John B. Shaw, John M.
Shaw, CO. I, 5th regt.; Ephraim Sheldrick, 2d bat.; Jenks B. Stevens, co. I, 5th
regt; Henry A. Taylor, co. I, 7th regt; Francis H. Whalan, co. H. cav.
Volunteers for one year. — Leonard G. Buffum, co. B, 9th regt.; George
W. Davis, CO. B, 9th regt; Daniel A. Ensign, 2d bat.; William C. Field, co.
F, 2d regt.; William B. Giddings, 7th regt; William L. Howard, co. C,
7th regt; John R. Johnson, cav.; Patrick Kennedy, co. D, 7th regt.; Frank
Ladderbush, cav.; William Miller, 2d bat.; William B. O'Here, 6th regt;
George Olney, 9th regt; Chandler P. Rawson, co. H, 9th regt; Horace E.
Smith, CO. K, 7th regt; Antoine Willet, co. B, 4th regt.; John M. Young,
CO. B, 9th regt
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Oscar Babbitt, co. I, 5th regt.; Lewis L. Bate-
man, cu. B, 2d regt.; Prosper E. Fales, 2d bat.; Edson H. Fifield, q. m. s., 2d
regt; Joseph Geroy, David R. Hosford, co. I, 5th regt.; Albert E. Maranville,
CO. H, 2d regt; Edson McKenzie, Charles Mehrling, Joshua Potter, co. I, 7th
regt.; Grove S. Scribner, co. H, 2d regt s. s.; Proctor Swallow, co. I, 7th
regt.; Charles E. Thompson, co. I, 5th regt.
Enrolled men who furnished substitutes. — Heman R. Clark, Henry Clark,
Ed. H. Gibson, Nelson C. Hyde, A. K. Rider, Henry Ruggles, L. E. Thomp-
son, Schuyler C. Wells.
Miscellaneous. — Not credited by name, four men.
Volunteers for nine months. — Stephen S. Beach, Cyrus M. Bliss, Isaac C.
Bosworth, CO. F. 14th regt; William H. Boyce, co. K, 14th regt; Edwin D.
Davis, Solomon Dewey, Stephen A. Douglass, J. P. Eddy, Joseph B. Ensign,
Sylvanus F. Hook, Robert Hunter, co. F, 14th regt.; Clark Lamb, co. K, 14th
regt; Roswell R. Lewis, Charles S. Lamb, co. F, 14th regt.; Adin K. Mar-
shall, CO. R, 14th regt.; George Merling, Ashbel H. Pepper, Charles R. Pom-
eroy, Charles A. Rann, co. F, 14th regt; Benjamin Rice, co. K, 14th regt.;
Hiram T. Smith, John H. Thompson, Charles E. Vaughan, co. F, 14th regt
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Lucius Ames, Hiram G.
Barber, Charles F". Boomer, Charles R. Bull, Henry W. Crittenden, Asahel P.
Dewey, George W. Fitch, Solomon E. Hooker, Henry Howe, Cliarles W.
Knapp, Joseph M. Lewis, Mark Lewis, Charles Ripley, jr., Edwin C. Spauld-
ing, John S. Wells. Entered service, James M. Huckins.
Town of Poultney. 781
The following figures indicate the population of Poultney as shown every
decade of years by the United States census: 1791, 1, 121; 1800,1,694; 1810,
1,950; 1820, 1,955; 1830, 1,909; 1840, 1,880; 1850, 2,329; i860, 2,278;
1870, 2,836; 1880, 2,717.
Ecclesiastical. — The first church in town was the Congregational Church,
which was organized in 1780 by Rev. Ithamer Hibbard, of Bennington, and a
chaplain in the army of the Revolution. It is not known who the original
members were, but the following were probably among the members in 1795 :
Samuel Lee, Silas Howe, Calvin Mallary, Bazaleel Farnum, Joel Frisbie, Bar-
nabus Richmond, Timothy Crittenden and Oliver Strong. There was a divi-
sion of the church about 1785, owing to some unfavorable opinion of the or-
thodoxy of the pastor, and a part of the congregation withdrew and held sep-
arate worship thereafter, under, the ministration of Mr. Thompson, until 1796,
when a union was effected. This was the last year of Mr. Hibbard's pastorate.
The church was then supplied for a time by Rev. David Smith, Prince Jenney
and a Mr. Hawley, but had no settled pastor until December, 1802, when Rev.
Samuel Leonard accepted a call, and on the following May 18, was duly in-
stalled. His pastorate of eighteen years was successful, and witnessed the
completion of the new and present house of worship, while the old one built
by the Congregational and Baptist societies in unison was destroyed by de-
grees until 1812, when every timber had disappeared. On November 21,
1 82 1, Rev. Ethan Smith was installed Mr. Leonard's successor. He was dis-
missed on the third of November, 1826. Since his dismission -the following
pastors have been installed over the church: October 24, 1827, to the fall of
1834, Rev. Sylvester Cochran. During his pastorate (1829-30), large numbers
were added to all the churches here in consequence of an earnest revival. Rev.
Solomon Lyman, February 26, 1835, to November 16, 1842. March 25,
1843, to January 30, 1846, Rev. Joseph Myres ; summer of 1847 to July 6,
1848, Rev. Daniel C. Frost. Rev. Cephas H. Kent, stated supply,'about two
years and a half. March 9, 1853, to May 6, 1854, Rev. Jacob E. Blakely.
January 10, 1856, to January 6, 1859, Rev. Calvin N. Ransom. April 18,
i860, to February 23, 1869, Rev. John G. Hale. Rev. Ovid Miner, stated
supply for about two years. Rev. Calvin Granger, the present pastor, came
to East Poultney from Hubbardton in 1872, and began his labors in June
of that year. The Sabbath-school was established in connection with this
church as early as 1825 ; the present superintendent is A. B. Ripley. The
average attendance is about thirty. The present deacons of the church are A.
B. Ripley, William Farnum and J. H. Mears. The church membership num-
bers about eighty, and the estimated value of all the church property is $5,000.
The Baptist Church of Poultney was organized in 1782, and united for
some }'ears in worship and communion with the Congregational Church.
Among the early Baptists in Poultney were Isaac Ashley, William Ward, Mrs.
782 History of Rutland County.
Thomas Ashley, John Ashley, Ichabod Marshall, Mrs. Ichabod Marshall and
Elijah D. Webster. On the 19th of May, 1802, the two societies having now
been separated, Rev. Clark Kendrick was ordained pastor. The present church
edifice in East Poultney was erected in 1805 at an expense of $6,000, the audi-
ence-room being papered in 1839, at an additional expense of $2,000. On the
19th of February, 1824, Mr. Kendrick died. Mr. Pharcellus Church was or-
dained June 23, 1825, and resigned on the 21st of October, 1828. Rev. Eli
B. Smith, his successor, entered upon his labors with the church on the 23d of
August, 1829. Samuel C. Dilloway came January 6, 1834, and continued
until April I, 1838. On the 20th of December, 1838, Velony R. Hotchkiss
was ordained pastor. Rev. Joseph M. Driver entered upon his pastoral office
here November 5, 1842, and remained until April 5, 1845. The next pastor,
Rev. Joseph Cannon, who commenced in February, 1846, dissolved the rela-
tion May 28, 1848. Rev. John Gaodby, D. D., became pastor on the 2ist of
January, 1849. His successor, Rev. William L. Palmer, was pastor from Sep-
tember, 1859, until August 5, 1865. Dr. Gaodby returned as supply on the
1 2th of November following, and accepted a call in April, 1867. He remained
this time until the close of the year 1872. In May, 1867, the church was di-
vided, and services were held thereafter in the west village under the pastorate
of Dr. Gaodby, and in the east village under the preaching of Warren Mason.
This division occasioned a great feeling of bitterness between the two sections
which it took years to abate, the matter even reaching the secular courts in liti-
gation. A settlement was effected in September, 1871. After the termination
of Dr. Gaodby's pastoral relations, the pulpit in the west village was supplied
by various ministers. James A. Pierce, a Hamilton student, was ordained
pastor July 29, 1873, and remained several years. The present pastor is Rev.
H. H. Parry, since July 19, 1885. The new church edifice in this village was
dedicated January 24, 1872. The present membership is 170. Average at-
tendance at Sabbath-school is ninety. Albert Kilborn is superintendent. As
before stated. Rev. Warren Mason supplied the pulpit at the East Poultney
Baptist Church for several months, and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Tobin,
who, after supplying the desk for four months, became pastor in April, 1868.
He closed his labors here on the 4th of February, 1 87 1. The church was then
for two years without a pastor. A. T. Dunn then accepted a call and was pas-
tor from April 6, 1873, to April i, 1874, meanwhile receiving ordination. Rev.
David Beecher was pastor for some years after the middle of May, 1874. There
is at present no pastor here. A Sabbath-school was connected with the church
in about 1829, during the pastorate of E. B. Smith. The present Sabbath-
school superintendent is Frederick Carlton. The church membership now
numbers about sixty persons ; J. R. Dewey and H. Howe are the present
deacons.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Poultney was formally organized in
Town of Poultney. 783
1826. Among tlie first members of the society, which was organized in April
of the same year, were Daniel Mallary, Welcome Phillips, Anthony Austin,
Newton Sanford, Samuel Cleveland, William Wells, Isaac Taylor, John Allen,
Alanson Rice, Rufus Maynard, Henry Stanley, Joel Beaman, John W. Austin,
Noah Wells, and others. Poultne\-, however, was a subject of more or less
frequent visitations from the circuit preachers. Lorenzo Dow's first arrival was
in 1797. Rev. Tobias Spicer received an appointment to preach in East
Poultney in 18 10. The first house of worship was the old stone church erected
in 1822. This was used until the winter of 1841-42, when the present edifice
was dedicated. It will seat six hundred persons and cost originally about $12,-
000. It has undergone extensive repairs and improvements several times since
it was built. The Sabbath-school was organized almost contemporaneously
with the church, the average attendance whereof is about 140, while the church
membership numbers about 160. The present value of the church property is
$12,500, including the parsonage. The present pastor. Rev. C. A. S. Heath,
came in the spring of 1885. The Sabbath-school superintendent is F"rederick
Cook. The present stewards and trustees are, A. E. Knapp, John Richards,
T. Stanley, H. P. Prouty, D. F. Southworth, C. F. Harris, C. C. Loomis, H.
Rowe, J. VV. Ripley; class leaders, H. P. Prouty and H. Clark The treasurer
is H. P. Prouty and the secretary, J. W. Ripley.
St. John's Church (Episcopal). — This church was not properly organized
until the period intervening between 1 820 and 1825, although there were prob-
ably a few adherents of this faith in town from about 1792
In the year 1800 Rev. Amos Pardee, rector of the Hampton (N. Y.) par-
ish, took up his residence in East Poultney, and accepted an invitation from
friends to " preach in town as special occasions should call for and convenience
would permit." Notwithstanding the incomplete organization of the society,
it was represented in the convention of the diocese, in 1809, by Ebenezer Can-
field, and in 181 1 by Lerial Lewis. In 1824, probably the year when the
church organization was finally effected, the new parish was represented in the
annual convention by Philo Hosford. In July, 1828, Rev. Moore Bingham
assumed charge of the parish. At this time the following persons constituted
the number of communicants: Abijah Williams and wife, Mrs. Persis Bailey,
Mrs. P'anny Mallary, Mrs. Prindle, Lerial Lewis and wife, Mrs. Lucy Gifford,
Aaron Lewis, Sarah Young, and Mrs. Hosford. Services were held in the
scliool-house at East Poultney. The corner-stone of the church edifice was
laid May 27, 1 83 I, and the building was first used in exactly one year after-
ward. Mr. Bingham's rectorship continued until Easter, 1837. Rev. Luman
Foot followed him for about one year; after Easter, 1840, Rev. Lucias M. Per-
dy officiated as rector for over two years and was followed in Januar\', 1843,
by Rev. Norman W. Camp; he remained for but one year. During the holi-
days of 1844-45 Rev. Benjamin Daniels took charge of the parish, to which
784 History of Rutland County.
he ministered until liis death in the foUowing'September. For the six months
following the end of July, 1845, Rev. James Stephenson was rector. The rec-
torship of Rev. Oliver Hopson began the Sunday after Easter, 1847, ^'^d f^on-
tinued to Easter, 1865. He was succeeded in 1866 by Rev. Nathaniel F. Put-
nam, who began also to hold services in Joslin Hall for the west village. These
services were so well attended as to justify the erection of the church edifice in
the west village, which was consecrated in the fall of 1868. The present rector
E. H. Randall, began his labor here in the fall of 1869. The present officers
of the church are as follows: Seth B. Woodworth, senior warden ; William B-
Prindle, junior warden; George Ward. Reuben R. Thrall, John Knowlson, M.
D., vestrymen. There are now about 1 15 communicants in the parish, and at
the Sabbath-school, of v\'hich the rector is ex-officio superintendent, there is an
average attendance of about forty pupils. The church propert}' is valued at
$10,000.
The Christian Advent Church was organized in February, 1858, with a
membership of about 120 members. Asa J. Rogers, Asa B. Cook and Justus
L. Knapp were the first deacons. The first pastor was Rev. John Howell,
who remained about two years. Meetings were held in the old stone church
until November, I S69, since which time their services have been held in the
Odd P'ellows Hall. No regular services, however, have been held for years,
although Rev. J. A. Libby, of Castleton, preaches here occasionally. There
are about fifty regular attendants.
The Roman Catholic Church edifice was erected in 1864, under the direc-
tion of Rev. Thomas P. Lynch, then resident at West Rutland. Services had
previously been held at irregular intervals for a number of j-ears. Rev. J. C.
O'Dwyer, resident at Fairhaven, was the second priest, and succeeded by the
present priest. Rev. P. J. O'Carroll. The church is a Fairhaven charge. The
cost of erecting the edifice in 1864 was about $3,000. The property is now
valued at $3,500.
Educational. — The Troy Conference Academy was founded in 1S33, the
" beaut)-, healthfulness, temperance, good order, and freedom from influences
baneful to a school, of Poultney," determining its founders to build it up in this
place. The people of Poultney, among whom, it is said, Henry Stanley was
the most generous, were very liberal in their donations. The charter granted
by the Vermont Legislature in 1834 contained the names of the following cor-
porators, John Stanley, Benjamin Barnet, Samuel P. Hooker, Tobias Spicer,
Samuel D. Ferguson, Noah Levings, Sherman Miner, Peter C. Oakley and
Timothy Benedict. The building was completed in September, 1837. The
academy was opened, however, in 1836, in a select-school building. Sabin S.
Stocking was the first principal. The new building cost more than $40,000,
and embarrassed the conference with a heavy debt. In 1855 the property was,
therefore, given by perpetual lease to Rev. Joshua Poor, who conducted what
"^■.</< A ^ -"^.-^J''
Town of Poultney. 785
was, in reality, a private school in it until 1863. Rev. John Newman and Prof.
Seaman A. Knapp then purcha.sed it, and kept what they denominated the
" Ripley Female College " until 1865. when Mr. Newman became .sole proprie-
tor, and continued until August 26, 1873. In 1 87 I he published a proposition
looking to the re-establishment of the conference academy, which resultctl in
the resolution b\- the conference to adopt it as a conference school, if it should
be presented to them free of incumbrances. A number of the citizens of Poult-
ney offered contributions sufficient to effectuate this object, and the property
accordingly passed to the conference trustees. In 1873-74 Rev. N. S. Cramer
carried on a day school under the direction of the trustees, and on the 27th of
August, 1S74, the academy began its second career under favorable circum-
stances, with a complete faculty and boarding department. The principals,
after the retirement of Rev. S. S. Stocking in 1837, have been the following:
Rev. Daniel Curry, D. D., 1837-38; Rev. James Covel, A. M , 1838-40; Rev.
Jesse T. Peck, D. D., 1840-48; Rev. John Newman, A. M., 1848-51 ; Rev.
Oran Fayville, A. M., 1851-52 ; Rev. Jason F. Walker, A. M., 1852-55 ; Rev.
William H. Poor, A. B., 1855-56; Lewis Collins, A. M., 1856-58; Rev. R.
M. Manley, A. M., 1858-60; Revs. William H. Poor, A. B., and George S.
Chadbourn, A. M., i860. The first principal after the restoration was Rev. M.
E. Cady, A. M., who remained a number of years. His successor, the [iresent
principal, Rev. C. H. Dunton, came here in 1877, and conducts a most admi-
rable school.
The graded school of Poultney is excellent in all its appointments. The
building was erected in 1884 at a cost, including furniture, of $12,000. It is
divided into four departments.
The Slate Interest. — The general history of the slate business in the county
has received attention in Chapter XIII. We will theref(M-e confine our state-
ments to the history of the Poultney interests. The first quarry was opened
in 1851 by Daniel and S. E. Hooker on the farm then owned by Daniel Hooker,
about three miles north of Poultney village, and a little more than a mile south
of the old "Eagle" quarry in Castleton. This firm. Hooker & Son, it has been
said, were the third to engage in the slate business in Vermont. In 1854 they
enlarged their business. A. W. Hyde at one time had a controlling interest
in the quarries. Daniel Hooker is now deceased, and S. E. Hooker is con-
ducting the drug business in the west village. Some time before 1875 Hu"h
G. Hughes obtained possession of the quarries, and still further increased the
business.
The Eureka Slate Company was organized in 187S. The present owner,
Captain Reginald Roberts, went in with Hugh G. Hughes that year, and suc-
ceeded to the entire interest, when the latter was killed in the quarry a little
more than two years ago. The average production of these three openings is
1,200 square feet of unfading green slate per month; 600 feet of purple, and
786 History of Rutland County.
300 feet of sea-green. The mill for sawing this slate was built in 1834, and is
the only mill in the world in which slate is sawn for roofing purposes. About
sixty-five men are employed. The plot of land on which the quarries are sit-
uated is thirty-two acres in extent.
The " Farnum Quarry," so called, was opened in 1853 and worked until
1 868 by William E. Farnum & Son, on the farm now owned by Merritt
Clark, but is not worked now. The quarries on the present farm of William L.
Farnum are leased, but not at present working. George B. Boyce has one
quarry in operation, the farm l\-ing next south of Mr. Farnum.
The Evergreen Quarry, north of the Hooker farm, was first opened by
Griffith Hughes in about i860. The Evergreen Slate Company, originally
comprised of James Wiswell, W. A. Clark, Andrew Clark and Griffith Hughes,
was incorporated November 19, 1S6S. In the summer of 1875 work was sus-
pended for a time. The present company of Ainsworth & Cole, composed of H.
Ainsworth, and M. D. Cole, was formed in May, 1884. The color of the slate
is a purple and a permanent green ; a stratum twenty feet deep of the former,
resting on one of a much greater depth of green, which is worked chiefly into
billiard beds and mantel stock. About fifty men are employed.
Nearly three fourths of a mile south of the Hooker farm above mentioned
are seven openings on the farm of L. C. Spaulding, the first opening having
been made in the fall of 1865. Onh' four of these are at present worked, and
are leased to William Lloyd, Richard E. Llo}'d, and Lloyd & Jones, all of
Fairhaven.
The new Empire Slate Company, formed in 1879. succeeded then to the
interest of Evan E. Lloyd, who began in 1853 ; Captain William H. Jones, his
partner, came in 1879. They have an interest in three quarries, one of which
they now work, about one and a half miles south of Poultney village. This
quarry was opened in i860 by George W. Gibson. It produces about 2,000
squares per annum. This company also contract largeh' for the purchase and
sale of slate.
We take from the history of Poultney several facts which we are informed
are true to- da}- as they were in 1875. The Gibson quarr\', about two miles
south of the village was discovered and opened in 1864 by Owen Williams, and
was afterwards purchased by a Schenectady company, and worked in connec-
tion with another quarry in the immediate vicinity, called the Schenectady
quarry. A short distance north of these openings is the Horton quarry,
opened in 1 87 1 and for some years worked by Cyrus E. Horton. It produces
green roofing slate.
The Green Mountain slate vein, disco\'ered b}- the late William R. Williams
in 1866, and opened by himself and his brother, John R, Williams, the same
year, is about one hundred rods east of the railroad track on land then owned
by Aaron Lewis.
Town of Poultney. 787
G. J. Davis opened the Olive Branch quarry in 1867, '" tl''e same vicinity.
The slate about liere is a mottled green color.
Just east of the Green Mountain quarry, on the farm of Asa J. Rollers, is a
vein of sea green slate, discovered and opened in July, 1 87 I, by William Griffith
and William Nathaniel, who now work five quarries there under the firm .style
of Griffith & Nathaniel. In 1S79 they built their office near the depot and
carry on the business with great regularity. The protluction of their quarries
amounts to 1,500 or 2,ooo squares per month, the slate being shipped even
to Australia and different parts of Europe. It is usetl entirely for roofing
purposes.
The firm of Auld & Conger have quarries in the south part of the town,
which have been worked for seven or eight years past with good success. The
product of the quarries is a fine quality of sea green roofing slate. Messrs.
Auld & Conger have been together since the quarries were opened.
Ripley & Stanley, hereafter mentioned at greater length, added a slate mill
to their other factory, in November, 1883.
Richard L. Jones, Seth Roberts and Thomas Edwards, under the firm name
of Jones, Roberts & Edwards, work a quarry of sea green slate in the south part
of the town, which was discovered by Mr. Edwaids in 1882, just before the
present partnership was formed. The production ranges from 2,500 to 5,000
squares a year. Mr. Edwards has also three quarries on his farm south of the
above, which he leases respectively to Auld & Conger, of Cleveland, Ohio;
Parry & Jones, of Poultney, and Owen Davis, of Poultney. Mr. Edwards
worked these quarries himself until 1884. The\- pr(jducc from 10,000 to 15,-
000 squares a year, in all.
S. Coombe, manufacturer of marbelized slate mantels, lamp bases, etc.,
started here in August, 1884, and already does about a $50,000 business.
The Poultney Slate Works have three openings on the farm before men-
tioned, formerly belonging to Hooker & Son, and a large mill within ten rods
of the quarry. It is a stock company, incorporated in August, 1884, under the
laws of the State of New York, with F. T. Sargent for president; H. C. Deri-
vera, treasurer and general manager, and Salvador Ros, vice-president and sec-
retar}'. M. B. Ma\4iar is the general superintendent of the works. They have
warerooms at 5 i 3 and 515 Sixth Avenue, New York, at 916 Gates Avenue,
Brooklyn, and 178 Tremont street, Boston, The New York office is at 117
Pearl Street. They employ on an average seventy men and finish about four
hundred marbelized mantels monthly, the mills having a capacity for about
16,000 feet of stock per month. The quarry was opened for the gentlemen
now composing the company in May, 1 88 1, by M. D. Mayhar. The largest
opening is about 200 feet long, 100 wide and 100 deep, and contains an under-
ground cavity tunneled about one hundred by eighty feet.
Besides the quarries and companies mentioned, a number of skillfiil slate
788 History of Rutland County.
men contract with the companies dealing in slate, and furnish it at their own
expense. Robert O. Roberts contracts now with Ripley & Stanley and
formerly contracted with Griffith & Nathaniel. He began here in the summer
of 1884.
Since 1875, it is said, the slate business of Poultney has more than doubled
in volume, and has also greatly increased in profits. It is comparativeU' in its
infancy yet, however, and if properly developed, will be a source of great wealth
to the town.
Tlie Poultney Industrial Society. — This society was organized on the 3d of
September, 1881, by the election of the following officers: Honorable Ralph
Richards, president: R. J. Humphrey, secretary; and Edward Clark, treasurer.
It was reorganized on the 4th of August, 1882, and incorporated under the
laws of Vermont. The officers for 1885 are N. C. Hyar, president; M. O.
Stoddard, vice-president: R. J. Humphrey, secretary; M. J. Horton, treasurer;
R. H. Clark, general superintendent ; directors, T. B. Clark, R. T. Ray, E. R.
Pember, R. R. Thrall, H. C. Rann, J. A. Benedict. The society enjoys the
peculiar advantage of freedom from the control of horse-jockeys, no trotting
being exhibited during the season of its fairs. Fine, commodious buildings
have been erected on the grounds of the society at an expense of about $2,000.
The last report of the treasurer shows the sum on hand to be $1,300, with no
outstanding liabilities.
Town Officers. — The officers of the town of Poultney, elected in March,
1885, are as follows: William H. Rowland, town clerk; Charles Ripley, L. C.
Spaulding, Joseph F. Morse, selectmen; J. W. D. Deane, treasurer; Alonzo
Herrick, constable and collector; Charles A. Rann, Edward S. Miller, Walter
Metcalf, listers; F. S. Piatt, M. Costello, G. D. Belden, auditors; Charles A.
Rann, overseer of the poor ; Rev. Calvin Granger, superintendent of schools ;
Charles S. Lewis, J. H. Tay, Charles Beals, fence viewers; William Rowland,
representative.
Municipal History. — Little concerning the history of the villages, in addi-
tion to what is contained in foregoing pages, can now be said. Prior to the
building of the Rutland and Washington railroad through the west village in
1852, East Poultney had from the beginning been deemed the business and
social center of the town. Ail the churches were located there, town meetings
and freemen's meetings, military trainings, holiday celebrations, and public
gatherings of every sort were all held there. But the opening of railroads in-
variably shifts the channels of trade. The west village soon after 1852 began
to increase in population and business importance, and the east village suffered
a corresponding diminution in enterprise. In 1868, after years of zealous effort
and the enkindling of many bitter animosities, a vote to have the town meet-
ings held in the \\-eBt village was passed and the change was complete. The
bulk (.f the business of the town is now in the west village.
Town of Poultney. 789
Hotels. — One of the two hotels now open in town, viz., Beaman's Hotel,
was the stage station before stage lines were superseded by canals and rail-
roads. It is not the first hotel in town, that distinction belonging to the tav-
ern of Thomas Ashley, on the site of the school- house on the main road ; but
it is very old and historic. The site, then partly covered by a single storied
house, was purchased by John Stanley in 1794. Subsequently he erected a
two storied house, which now comprises a part of the hotel, and in 1 805 or
1S06 opened a tavern there. Joel Beaman bought him out in 1809 and there-
after kept public house until his death in 1846. His son, J. D. Beaman, suc-
ceeded him then until 1849, when the present proprietor, C. C. Beaman, also
son to Joel Beaman, took possession and has remained owner and proprietor
ever since. The house has been rebuilt several times, the most complete trans-
formation being effected by Joel Beaman in 1824. About thirty guests can
be comfortably accommodated.
The Poultney House was erected b\' Henry Stanley about 1834 and oc-
cupies the site covered by the store of John Stanley about the opening of the
present century. A. H. Brown kept the hotel longer than any other landlord
and preceded the present proprietor, Mr. Joselyn.
Mercantile hitcrests. — The oldest store in town is the one kept by Deweys
& Co., of East Poultney, which was built before 18 16, and first kept by Bryan
Ransom and Harvey D. Smith. Amos Bliss ran the store for several years
following about 1820. David Potiwin followed Bliss and in two or three years
was succeeded by William P. Noyes, who remained until about 1850. His
successors were Zebediah Dewey and Peter Farnam. T. D. and E. S. Dewey
also kept there for some years. The present firm formed August 31, 1874, by
the addition of I. G. Bliss to the Deweys.
W. W. Hibbard, dealer in books and stationery, drugs and medicines, es-
tablished the last named department in the summer of i860, and afterwards
added the stationery stand. He is the better qualified as a druggist from hav-
ing graduated from the Castleton Medical College in about 1 850.
L. E. Thompson bought out the grocery and crockery store of Charles
Ripley about twenty years ago, and until within two years kept store in the
eastern part of the village.
The dry goods store of Charles Leffingwell was started by him in May,
1870.
The business now carried on by George H. Ripley, dealer in boots and
shoes, trunks, bags, etc., was established about 1873 by J. C. Derby. Mr.
Ripley bought him out May 5, 1885.
In the fall of 1876 S. E. Hooker bought the stock of drugs and medicines
belonging to Dr. Hiram Meeker, and has since carried on the business him-
self He was formerly a member of the firm of Daniel Hooker & Son, slaters.
P. Brennan, grocer and general merchant, succeeded P. H. Hill in the fall
of 1877. Hill had been in the business here about a year previous.
790 History of Rutland County.
M. J. Horton, dealer in hardware and stoves, groceries, paints, house fur-
nishing goods, etc., started liere in June, 1877, as successor to E. C. Rich-
ardson.
E. M. Bixby, dealer in coal, wood, lime, cement, etc., bought out the coal
business of Henry Ruggles in the spring of 1877.
The store of Rann & Frisbie, comprising a stock of gentlemen's furnishing
goods, clothing, trunks, bags, robes and horse clothing, was started by H. C.
Rann and J. S. Frisbie, the present proprietors. May l, 1878. Mr. Rann had
had considerable mercantile experience before that, both here and in Rutland.
F. P. Allen purchased the stock of L. A. Hawes, dealer in jewelry and
gents' furnishing goods in September, 1878, and now carries on business.
J. W. D. Deane and D. F. Southworth, dealers in clothing and men's fur-
nishing goods, formed the partnership of Deane & Southworth, September i,
1885. Mr. Southworth had before that carried on a general mercantile busi-
ness here since 1880. Mr. Deane has, separately, a general store, which he
started in November, 1880.
The firm of Chapin & Smith (M. D. Chapin and Pratt G. Smith) was
formed in the spring of 1882 ; they now run a hardware store and are exten-
sively engaged in the manufacture of creameries and churns. About two hun-
dred creameries are annually sold in New York alone, and 400 to 500 churns.
Mr. Chapin began to manufacture them in the spring of 1879.
M. A. Howard, jr., druggist and general merchant, on the 22d of July,
1885, bought out C. W. Potter, who had been in the business for about two
years.
The dry goods and general store of M. M. & M. Myers was started by them
in the fall of 1883.
Isaac Cane, who deals in clothing and fancy dry goods, began his mercan-
tile career here in 1856, and from 1868 to 1879 ran a store in the village. His
present business he founded in September, 1885.
The restaurant and grocery of E. A. Clayton was started by Jerry Lewis
in 1868. Mr. Clayton bought him out in March, 1885.
The restaurant and grocery of D. J. Benedict was started by A. C. Camp-
bell in 1883. Mr. Benedict purchased his stock and good will in February,
1885.
MaJitifacturing Interests. — The manufacturing business of greatest antiquity
in Poultney is the widely known " Ruggles foundry." The land on which the
foundry building now stands was purchased by John Stanley from Jeremiah
Adams soon after the flood of 181 1, which bared the rocks in the river in this
place, and developed the water-power here. Suitable buildings being soon
erected on this site, Mr. Stanley commenced manufacturing shearing-machines,
and operated also a carding and cloth-dressing factory here. After a few
years he relinquished the manufacture of shearing-machines to his sons Henry
Town of Poultney. 791
and Myron N. Henry Stanley afterwards, succeeded the firm, and in 1828
added the foundry business. In 1829 a fire destroyed everything but the
foundry, which thereupon received the entire attention of Mr. Stanley. It be-
came in a short time a stove manufactory of wide reputation. Henry J. Rug-
gles purchased the property in 1844, and continued the business until the time
of his death in May. 1869. From that time to 1878 his sons, Horace M. and
Henry, owned and managed the concern. Since the latter date Henry Rug-
gles has been sole proprietor. No stoves are made here now, the principal
product of the foundry being machinery of all kinds. Slate-sawing and plan-
ing-machines, which were made here soon after 1850, are still a specialty. Mr.
Ruggles has recently added steam power to the foundry. He employs from
twenty- five to thirty men.
The business of manufacturing furniture here was established by George
Peppier in 1S52, who still continues the business.
Harvey Rowe began the manufacture of granite and marble monuments as
early as 1865.
The origin of the business of the Moseley & Stoddard Manufacturing Com-
pany dates back to about 1866, when F. W, Moseley, the inventor of Mose-
ley's cabinet creamery, had a shop near Hampton Bridge, in which he manu-
factured agricultural implements, etc. The firm of Moseley & Stoddard was
formed in 1872 for the purpose of manufacturing agricultural implements and
dealing in stoves and tinware, and occupied the building now used by Rann &
Frisbie as a clothing store. In 1874 they erected their present building and
began to manufacture dairy apparatus. The present stock company of the
Moseley & Stoddard Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1881 with
a capital stock of $40,000. The first officers were : F". W. Mosely, president ;
M. O. Stoddard, treasurer ; Cyrus Gates, secretary ; F. W. Moseley, M. O.
Stoddard, Charles Ripley, T. B. Clark and Henry Ruggles, directors. The
present officers are Henry Ruggles, president; M. O. Stoddard, treasurer;
Cyrus Gates, secretary ; Henry Ruggles, M. G. Stoddard, Charles Ripley, T.
B. Clark and J. H. Tay, directors. A full line of dairy apparatus, including
the Moseley cabinet creamery and the Stoddard churn are made here. From
twenty-five to forty men are employed. The company has survived a suit for
infringement which lasted from 1879 to 1882, and in which this company, as
defendant, was successful.
The grist-mill of James Bullock, at East Poultney, he erected in 1876.
He grinds about a car load and a half per month, in addition to his custom
work.
J. W. Ripley commenced making harnesses here in the spring of 1878.
The steam sawing and planing-mills of Ripley & Stanley were originally
erected in 1854 by Bosworth, Colvin & Beals, and were used in making doors,
sashes, blinds, mouldings, etc. William Bosworth died in i860; M. Colvin
792 History of Rutland County.
left in 1866, and the concern was sold to Copeland & Co. After numerous
changes in ownership Charles Ripley and Theodore Stanley acquired the
property and have since carried on the business under the firm name of Ripley
& Stanley. On July 2, 1878, and again on April 25, 1879, the mills were de-
stroyed by fire, and at once rebuilt. The slate-mill was added in 18S3. They
have two quarries, emplo)' in all about fifty men, and receive from sales about
$60,000 annually.
The grist-mill of Solon Sherman came into his hands in February, 18S2,
when he purchased it of E. J. Williams. E. R. and R. McGrath, Bullock &
Beach, and James Bullock have operated it in former times. It has a capacity
for grinding about five hundred bushels of corn daily.
In the spring of 1883 James B. Carrigan succeeded J. C. Wilson in the
undertaking business, and in 1 884 began manufacturing furniture. He has had
nearly twenty years e.xperience in both branches of his present business.
Attorneys. — The more prominent of the attorneys who have practiced in
Poultney in the past have received mention in Chapter XVII. Of those still
in practice here, the one of longest standing is John B. Beaman, who was born
in Poultney on the 13th day of September, 1819; was graduated from Union
College in 1 840, studied law with Zimri Howe, of Castleton, and E. L. Ornis-
bee, of Rutland ; was admitted to the bar of Rutland county in the spring term
of 1843, 'I'ld opened an office at once in Poultney. He has been associated
with F. S. Piatt since May 7, 1877.
Hon. Barnes Frisbie was born on the 23d of January, 1815, in Middletown,
Vt.; he studied law in the office of Caleb B. Harrington, of Middletown, and
was admitted to practice in Rutland county in 1842. He practiced in Mid-
dletown until 1S63, when he came to Poultney. For further particulars con-
cerning his life, see the biographical sketch which appears in a subsequent
page.
lilijah Ross was born in Shrewsbury, Vt., in 1819. He studied law with
C. B. Harrington in Middletown, and was admitted in September, 1845. He
practiced nirie years in Middletown and one in Wells. In 1867 he came to Poult-
ney and has engaged in the practice of law and in the nursery business since
that time.
V. S. Piatt was born September 9, 1853, at Enosburg, Vt. He studied law
in the office of Ormsbce & Briggs, of Brandon, and was admitted at the March
term of the County Court in 1S77. O" the 7th of May of the same year he
entered into partnership with John B. Beaman, of Poultney.
William H. Rowland was born in Fairhaven, Vt., December 5, 1854 ; stud-
ied law with George M. Fuller, of Fairhaven, and John B. Beaman, of Poult-
ney. Since his admission in the fall of 1878, he has practiced in Poultney.
E. S. Miller was born on the iith of May, 1854, in Hampton, N. Y.; stud-
ied law with John B. Beaman at first and concluded with C. B. & C. Y. Eddy,
Town of Poultxey. 793
of Bellows Falls, Vt. ; he was admitted to practice in Windsor county in Sep-
tember, 1878, and came to Poultney in March, 1878, as partner of the firm of
Frisbie & Miller.
Physicians. — The early physicians of Poultney and the rest of the county
having received sketches in a former chapter, we will here confine ourselves to
brief notices of those now in practice. Dr. George L. Bliss was born on the 23d
of December, 1818, at Castleton, Vt., and was graduated from the Castleton
Medical College in the fall of 1844. He came to Poultney on January 14,
1848, the intervening period being passed in practice in Hydeville, and in at-
tending lectures in the northern part of the State.
Dr. L. D. Ross was born in Poultney on the 4th of July, 1828. He was
graduated from Castleton Medical College in 1857 ; practiced in East Poultney
until I 861 ; was surgeon in the Rebellion two years; practiced the next three
and a half )'ears in Benson, Vt., and resumed his practice in this town (west
village) in the spring of 1869. He was graduated from Middlebury College
in 1851.
Dr. A. E. Horton, East Poultney, was born in Mount Holly, Vt., June 9,
1835. He was graduated in the spring of 1S58, from the medical department
of the University of Verm -yni. He practiced six years in Shrewsbury and came
here in the fall of 1864.
Dr. J. Knowlson was born in Troy, N. Y., on the 31st of March, 1836.
He received his medical education in the New York City College of Physicians
and Surgeons, and at the Castleton Medical College, being graduated from the
latter in 1S57. He also became a graduate of Williams College in 1855. He
practiced two years in Troy ; in Omaha, Neb., as surgeon of tlie Union Pacific
railroad three years, and was also in United States service as a surgeon ; in
1871-75, in Granville, N. Y., whence he came to Poultney in 1875.
Dr. E. D. Ellis was born in P'airhaven, Vt., August 3. 1850, was graduated
from the medical department of Harvard University in June, 1877, and came
in 1878 to Poultnej' to practice.
Dr. A. B Bixby was born in Mount Holly, Vt., on the 26th of June, 1834 ;
received his medical education at Castleton and at the Bellevue Hospital, New
York; graduating from the former college in 1858. He practiced in London-
derry, Vt., until 1883 (except two years when he was surgeon in the army),
when he came to Poultney.
Dentists.— V)x. S. L. Ward was born October 6, 1828, in Hampton, N. Y.;
he commenced the practice of dentistry here in 1867.
The Press. — Poultney has been singularly gifted with material for an in-
teresting paragraph in the history of its press. East Poultney, as is well known,
was the early home and workshop of Horace Greeley. The Northern Spectator,
with which he was connected, started in East Poultney in i822'(in November)
under the name o{ Poultney Gazette. Sanford Smith and John R. Shute were
794 History of Rutland County.
editors and proprietors. The first issue of the paper under its new name was
in January, 1825. On December 28, 1825, Smith & Shute published their
valedictory and sold their interest to a company for which D. Dewey and A.
Bliss were agents. E. G. Stone soon succeeded them in the agency. In Jan-
uary, 1830, the paper was discontinued. The first publications of the Gazette
were in the building now owned by Stephen Scott, but early in 1823 it was
removed into the building now occupied by Zebediah Dewey, which had been
erected by Stephen W. Dana.
Horace Greeley, though born in New Hampshire, moved with his father to
Westhaven in 181 1. He secured a position in the Spectator office in 1826,
and remained there four years and two months, when the paper was discontin-
ued, and Horace took his remarkable journey to Erie, Pennsylvania.
Tlic 6'ie'/, was the name of a paper published a few months in 1867 by
James H. Lansley.
The next paper published here was the Poitltncy Bulletin, the first number
of which was issued March the 12th, 1868, with John Newman, D. D., editor,
George C. Newman, assistant editor, and J. A. Norris, publisher. In Septem-
ber, 1870, H. L. Stillson and William Haswell purchased this property; in
August, 1 87 1, Haswell succeeded Stillson and continued the publication until
November, 1873. In December, 1873, R. J. Humphrey bought the Bulletin
office and on the 19th of that month the first number of the Poultney Journal
was issued by Frisbie & Humphre}', publishers, and B. Frisbie, editor. Three
years later Humphrey sold out to Barnes Frisbie and J. H. Hayles. In 1879
E. V. Ross succeeded Hayles. In the spring of 1881 C. W. Potter succeeded
to Frisbie's interest and in a few weeks acquired the entire property. In about
eleven months he sold to R. J. Humphrey, the present publisher and editor.
The Poultney Journal is a four paged, 26.\'40 paper with eight columns in a
page ; is independent in politics, with a leaning towards the Democratic party.
An extensive job department has been developed and steam power added to
the old fashioned hand-press used in the beginning.
Bankijig Interests. — The First National Bank of Poultney was organized
in July, 1 88 1, with a capital of $50,000. The first and present officers are, J.
B. Beaman, president; Leonidas Gray, of Middletown, vice-president; M. D.
Cole, cashier. There are now thirt\'--three stockholders in the concern.
Post-Office. — Post routes were established in Vermont soon after the close
of the Revolutionary War, and in 1783 Anthony Haswell, of Bennington, was
appointed postmaster of Vermont. In 1791, when Vermont was admitted to
the Union, the general government^ appointed David Russell postmaster of
Vermont. It seems probable that a post-office was established in Poultney in
January, 1799, with John Stanley postmaster. Timothy Crittenden succeeded
Stanley, and was followed, February 10, 1809, by Daniel Sprague. Daniel
Mallary was ai^pointed in 1 81 5. Henry Stanle\' resigned the position in
Town of Sherburne. 795
August, 1S24, aiul in tlie following month the office was changed to West
Poultne}'. 'The following postmasters have officiated since 1836: Samuel P.
Hooker from 1836 to 1841; Isaac Leffingwell from 1841 to 1842; James
Richardson from 1 842 to 1845; Samuel P. Hooker from 1845 to 1849; ]o\m
B Reaman from 1849 t" l8S3 ; Henry Clark from 1853 to i860, and Merritt
Clark from 1 860 to 1877, when Henry T. Hull was ai^pointed. The present
postmaster, R. J. Humphrey, was appointed December 21, 1885. The name
of the office at the west village was changed back to Poullney September 28,
1857.
The post-office was established at East Poultney under the name of Poult-
ney, on the 4th of August, 1824, and Stephen W. Dana was appointed post-
master. The following have been postmasters since his retirement in 1827:
Daniel Mallary from 1827 to 1829; Harris Hosford from 1829 to 1832; Will-
iam Wheeler from 1832 to 1834; Simeon Mears from 183410 [840; William
M Bosworth from 1840 to 1841 ; James P. Harris from 1841 to 1846; Will-
iam McLeod from 1846 to 1849; Paul M. Ross from 1849 to 1*553; J- C.
Derby from 1853 to 1861 ; and Edwin S. Dewey since then. The name of the
office was changed to East Poultney in 1857.
CHAPTER XXXVn.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHICRUURNE.
SHERBURNE lies in the eastern part of the county, and is bounded on the
north by Stockbridge, on the east by Bridgewater, on the south bj'
Shrewsbury, and on the west by Mendon. It is twenty-two miles distant
from Windsor, and nine from Rutland. It was chartered by the name of Kill-
ington on the 7th of July, 1761, to Ezra Stiles and Benjamin EUery, of New-
port, R. I., and originally contained 23,040 acres. On the 4th of November,
1822, a tract of land called Parker's Gore, lying east of the old town of Kill-
ington, was annexed to it. The first proprietors' clerk was Archibald Camp-
bell, who took the oath of office May 20, 1762, before Martin Steward, justice
of the peace in Newport, R. I. In the proprietors' records for April 16,
1774, the town of Killington is mentioned as lying within the province of New
York.
The first recorded attempt at settlement was probably in the summer of
1774, when a majority of the proprietors made overtures to Gideon Walker, of
Rutland, offering a gift of 100 acres of land on about thirty- six or forty rights
within Killington, to such as should immediately settle thereon, and urging
796 History of Rutland County.
him to procure pioneers to begin that fall. A grist-mill was also to be pro-
vided them. In answer, Mr. Walker writes from Rutland, November lo,
1774, that he had seen a number of men there who had readily fallen in with
the idea, and apparently offering his assistance. He advised that no grist-mill
be erected until grain should be raised in town, but that a saw-mill should be
started immediately in order that the settlers might be provided with lumber
sufficient to build themselves comfortable habitations.
The town had already, in 1774, been surveyed and lotted by Simeon
Stevens. The town, however, was settled with great difficulty, owing to its
natural isolation, and mountainous surface. Quechee River rises in the northr
west corner of the town, and after running a northwesterly course for seven
miles, enters Bridgewater. Several of the tributaries of this stream furnish
power for mills. The town contains three natural ponds, each containing an
area of about ten acres. One of these is the source of Thundering Brook, in
which is a considerable fall of great beauty. The surface is very mountainous
and the greater part is not susceptible of cultivation, though there is a rich in-
tervale along the Quechee River. In a series of letters written in 1796 or
1797 by J. A. Graham, descriptive of Vermont, the author thus speaks of this
town : " In the quality of these lands there is but little difference, except Kill-
ington, which is principally mountain, and designed by nature more for the hab-
itation of beasts of prey, than for the abode of man. Killington Peak is said
to be highest land of any in the Green Mountains ; the top resembles a sugar
loaf, and altogether it has an appearance of elegance and grandeur, beyond
any power I am master of, to describe ; nor do I conceive it possible for any
description to convey any adequate idea of its beauty, grandeur and magnifi-
cence."
The moose, bear, fo.x and porcupine, are, more or less, found by the
hunter in these districts. The title of Killington Peak to the credit of having
the greatest altitude in the State is now disputed, but Killington stands 4,380
feet above the level of the sea, and affords from its summit a view of the Green
Mountains, White Mountains and the Adirondacks, with the intervening val-
leys and lakes and streams, which baffles all attempts at description.
The settlement of the town was undoubtedly begun by Isaiah Wash-
burne in 17S5. In 1 791 there were thirty-two inhabitants in town. John
Anthony came soon afterwards from Newport, R. I., and settled on land em-
bracing the present farm of C. W. Adams. He was the father of John An-
thony, jr., Albro, Joseph, Samuel, and several daughters, and was a very prom-
inent man in town.
Joseph Wood, sr., anothei' early settler, was a soldier in both the French
War and the War of the Re\-olution. The family came to Killington from
Hartland, Vt., and began farming on land which is now marked by their last
resting place, a small cemetery in the south part of the town, enclosed by a
Town of Sherburne. 797
stone wall, marble posts and an iron gate, with a monument of marble, all the
work of Charles Clement, esq., of Center Rutland, wiiose wife is the sole sur-
viving member of the family in Vermont. She is the daughter of Josiah
Wood, jr., and Judith (Woodbury) Wood. Josiah "Wood, jr., was, more than
an\' other one man, instrumental in promoting the success of the building of
turnpike road through Sherburne from Bridgewater to Rutland. He took an
active part in the War of 1812.
Asa Briggs was also an earh' inhabitant of Sherburne. He lived in Sher-
burne Hollow.
The town was organized in 1794. The first meeting was held at the house
of Nathan Eddy, inn-keeper, and resulted in the election of the following offi-
cers: Town clerk, Albro Anthony; selectmen, John Anthony, Nathan Eddy,
sr., and Seth Euller; listers, Samuel Anthony, Amasa Euller and Richard Es-
tabrook ; grand juror, Nathan Eddy; pound-keeper, Asa Briggs; hayward,
Samuel Anthony; tything-man, Asa Briggs. Israel Church Anthony vvas the
first town treasurer; Nathan Eddy, jr., first constable; Simeon Rosson, first
fence viewer, and Israel C. Anthony, Nathan Eddy, and Benjamin Mason, first
sruveyors of highways. The first marriage recorded is that of Nathan Eddy, jr.,
and Rebecca SafTord, October 28, 1794. The first birth recorded is that of
Luther, son of Asa Briggs, in 1790. There being no further records concern-
ing the early history of Sherburne, recourse is had to the trustworthy e.xpedi-
ent of interviews with living witnesses whose remembrance includes all the im-
portant events of the town history for the past seventy or eighty years. Un-
doubtedly the oldest man living who has been an inhabitant of this town from
early times is Richard Estabrook, now of Boston. The writer called upon Mr.
Estabrook, and gained some valuable information from him. He was born
November 10, 179S, in Sherburne, two miles south from the Coffee-house.
His father was Richard Estabrook, who came to Killington in about 1791 ; and
his mother was, in maidenhood, Hannah Fuller. They came from Freetown,
Mass. The subject of this sketch married Dorcas, daughter of Silas Colton,
May 6, 1823. Silas Colton came to Sherburne, from Row, Mass., in 18 19.
Mr. and Mrs. Estabrook have had twelve children (nine sons and three daugh-
ters), ten of whom are now living, viz., Dudley E. and Danford M., aged re-
spectively fifty-nine and fifty-four years, still live in Sherburne ; Douglass S.,
in Nebraska; Dennis, in Kansas; Dalston, in Mass.; Luther, in Texas; Han-
nah More, South Lowell, Vt., Harriet, wife of John S. Smith, Boston, Mass.;
M. M. Estabrook, Boston, and Merritt Gay Estabrook, Boston.
Mr. Estabrook's memory dates back to about 1805. At that time there
were about fourteen families in town ; and there was little or no increase as late
as 18 I 2 or 18 I 3. According to his recollection the first grist-mill in town was
built by Jabez Bennett of Woodstock, as early as 1S05. It stood on Roaring
Brook, a little north of the present school-house site in Sherburne Hollow. A
798 History of Rutland County.
heavy freshet in 1812 washed out the stones of this mill, and it was never
afterwards used. There was no saw- mill in town until about 1808 or 18 10, when
Stephen L. Dain built one on Ouechee River, just below the present site of the
hotel. Ichabod Johnson used to keep tavern before the turnpike from Stock-
bridge to Rutland was opened in 1808, on the farm now occupied by George
Frink. This old tavern was built of logs. Sometimes five or six guests with
teams would stay over night with Mr. Johnson. Tlie roads were at that early
day little more than cow paths, and naturally the houses were some distance
apart. The first house north of Ichabod Johnson's tavern was that of Zebedee
Sprout, who lived about two miles north of the Coffee-house site. Nathaniel
Fuller in those days made potash near where the Coffee-house now stands.
Mr. Estabrook also distinctly remembers the cold season of 18 16. Not an
ear of good corn, he says, was raised in New England. In the middle of June
snow was half- leg deep in Sherburne. His father used then to buy provisions
of Mr. Slason, of Rutland, paying him $3.50 per bushel for corn. Money be-
ing scarce, was obtained in small amounts by making salts out of lye, and sell-
ing tlie product for $5 per hundred.
In iSoo the population of the town numbered ninet\' , in 1810, it had in-
creased to 116; in 1820, to 154; and in 1830, to 422. It was about this time
that Hon. Daniel W. Taylor came to town. He was born in Plj-mouth, Vt.,
June 18, 1823, and removed to Sherburne March I, 1831, with his father,
Nathan Taylor. The family have ever since occupied the farm now owned by
Daniel W. Taylor. D. W. Ta\lor married Elmira A. Tyrrell, of Ludlow, Vt,
on the 1st day of November, 1848. They have had se\'en children, five of
whom are living. Mr. Taylor has been senator from Rutland county two terms,
i860 and 1861, has represented the town three times, 1865, 1866, and 1876,
and has held for years all the important offices within the gift of the town.
Benjamin Maxham came to Sherburne in March, 1834. He was born January
27, 1 8 10, at Carver, Mass. In 1834 there were two hotels in town, both of which
were built the same year, about 1832. Rufus Richardson, of Mendon, built
the lower one, just below the present residence of Mr. Collins. It was known as
Richardson's Hotel. Rufus Richardson, jr., kept it a good many )-ears. M. A.
Ballard owned it in 1862, when it was destroyed by fire. The other hotel was
built by William Lewis, and was the same buildmg now occupied by Frank
Spaulding as a store. Lewis kept tavern there about two years and discon-
tinued it. Since then it has been used almost e.xclusiveh' for mercantile pur-
poses.
The Coffee-house was built more than thirt\' years ago by Mr. Thrall, of Rut-
land, and was used as a tavern untill about 1883, the present occupant, Dud-
ley Estabrook, having kept it last.
The hotel now kept by Jerome Taj'lor, in the Hollow, was built about the
year 1840, for a private dwelling house, by Albert Wilson. Mr. Wilson used
Town oi- Sherburne. 799
occasionally to accommodate wayfaring people for a consideration. About
1863, however, Bradford Chase enlarged the old structure and converted it
into a tavern. After a short time he was followed by A. D. Estabrook, who
remained in the house only three months, and was succeeded by Benjamin
Maxham, in April, 1865. Mr. Maxham, who then became the owner of the
house, kept it eighteen years, meantime establishing an imperishable reputation
for jocularity, In August, 1884, he sold out- to Jerome Ta\'lor, the present
proprietor.
In the War of the Rebellion Sherburne furnished lier full quota promptly,
and with men who performed the perilous duties of a soldier's life unflinchingly
and faithfully. When the war closed the town was accredited with two men
above the number required by all the calls combined. This praiseworthy re-
cord should be credited largely to the patriotic eftbrts of Hon. Daniel W. Tay-
fro, who at one time pledged and paid $780 in addition to the sum given by
the town, to seven men needed to fill the quota.
The following letter from the provost- marshal is self-explanatory: —
"RUTL.-\ND, April 19, I S64.
"Daniel W. Taylor, Esq., Sherburne, Vt.,
" Sir : Your communication respecting quota of Sherburne is received. The
credits, as they appear in our announcement of quotas, under date of April 14th,
include all reported up to the 12th inst. Those mustered on or since that dat*"
have not yet been reported, but will be passed to your credit as soon as proper
returns are received. Allow me to congratulate you upon your escape from
the draft, under this last call. Sherburne has done her work well, and com-
pletely.
" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
"C. R. Crane, Captain, Provost-Marshal,"
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — John R. Barnes, Davidson M. Barr, co. H, nth
regt.; George R. Breck, co. C, 6th regt; Warren S. Clark, co. G, 8th regt.;
Darius G. Demary, co. D, 4th regt.; Alonzo Evans, 7th regt.; Royal Y. Frink,
CO. G, 5th regt,; Daniel P. Hadley, co. F, 3d regt; Henry H. Holt, co, H, nth
regt.; George G. Hutchins, co. E, 8th regt.; Alonzo Madden, co. H, 7th regt.;
Azro J. Maxham, co. F, 3d regt.; Cyrus H. Mead, co. C, loth regt.; Edgar S.
Newton, CO. H, 7th regt: George A. Parker, co. C, 6th regt.; Albert L. Spauld-
ing, Amasa Stevens, 7th regt.; John W. Spofford, co. B, 7th regt.; John Taylor,
9th regt.; William Town, 2d s. s.; Lorenzo O. West ist bat.; Henry Willard,
Oliver Willard, co. D, 7th regt; Charles H. Wilson, Hiram H, Wilson, co. C,
6th regt ; Lucius W. Wilson, 7th regt.; Richard W. Wilson, co. F, 3d regt.;
Arzell W)-man, co. G, 5th regt.; George W. York, 2d s. s.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Leonard B. Adams, co. H, nth
History ok Rutland County.
regt.; Edward J. Baird, 3d bat.; John Brown, 17th regt.; Frank L. Casavan,
John M. Casavan 3d bat.; Daniel Conway, 17th regt.; Alson S. Goodrich, 3d
bat.; Albert S. Hastings, Myron L. Ordway, co. H, iith regt.; Moses White-
hill, John H. Withington, 17th regt.
Volunteers for one year. — George S. Cumniings, Joel S. Frink, Oscar S.
Newton, Charles D. Shedd.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Daniel P. Hadley, George G. Hutchins, Charles H.
Wilson, Lucius W. Wilson.
Veteran Reserve Corps. — Warren S. Clark.
Volunteers for nine months. — Oren W. Bates, Walker Bates, Henry F. Col-
ton, William O. Doubleda)-, John F. Hadley, Lawriston E. Manley, Simon F.
Sawyer, Horace P. Stone, Josiah C. Tailor, John P. Turner, Enoch E. White,
Company H, Fourteenth Regiment.
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Nathan C. Adams, R. D.
Esterbrooks, Edwin R. Gates, Milo J. Moore.
Post-Officc. — The Sherburne post-office was established some time before
1830 by the appointment of Josiah Wood. He did not keep it long, and was
followed by Thomas P~ish. Then a man named Barker, from Brandon, filled
the position for a year and retired. About the year 1836 Benjamin Maxham
was appointed, and after five or six years was nominally succeeded by Solo-
mon Adams, though for a year after Mr. Adams's appointment Mr. Maxham
performed the duties of the office, and under President Taylor was re-appoint-
ed, and was again nominally succeeded by a member of the Adams family.
He did not suspend the performance of the postmaster's duties, however, and
in 1 86 1 was again re-appointed. During President Grant's second term he
resigned, and Frank Derby became, for two years, his successor. Mr. Max-
ham came into the position again and kept it until August, 1884, when he
again resigned. Maxham ran a store in conn^tion with his office. His suc-
cessor, Jerome Taylor, is the present incumbent.
The office at North Sherburne was established more than twenty years ago.
I. A. Moss now officiates as postmaster there.
McrcantHc. — There is but one store in town, that kept by Frank Spaul-
ding. He began trading here in 1883, having succeeded Clayton Woodbury,
now of Rutland. Woodbury's predecessor was Frank Derby, and Derby's
was Augustus Slack. A. D. Estabrook and Mr. Macomber were successors
to the old Union store. This American Protective Union, Division 719, was
an unusual success. It continued nearly eleven years, until about i860. Its
success has been happily attributed largely to the honesty and integrity of its
agent, Otis Walker, and the uniform and harmonious management of the
officers. The same board of directors officiated from the beginning to the
close, excepting the substitution of Silas Colton in the place of Anson Wheeler,
who removed from town. The directors were: John Johnson, president;
Town of Sherburne.
Warner Bates, vice-president; L. H. Hodgman, recording-financial secretar\' ;
Daniel W. Taylor, treasurer ; Richard Estabrook and Silas Colton. The
twenty-four members each received $140 for three dollars initiation fee, no
dividends being made, nor assessments levied, until the business was closed.
Manufacturing Interests. — Milo J. Moore's saw-mill, and stretcher and
bowl lathe, situated on Ouechee River, in the extreme south part of the town,
was built in 1858 by J. P. and B. Wood. They subsequently sold to Mr.
Moore. Hamilton Spafford made clothes-pins in part of the mill for several
years until 1865. Thomas P. Haywood also made buckets there at one time.
Owen W. Bates's saw-mill on Roaring Brook was erected about twenty-five
years ago. It is not running at the present writing. -Charles C. Willard's saw
and grist-mill on Roaring Brook was built about 1865. It is not now running.
A. D. Estabrooks's saw and shingle-mill was erected in 1873. The stone dam
which furnishes it with water-power was severely damaged by a freshet in the
summer of 1885. Isaac A. Morse's saw and planing-mill, at North Sherburne,
was built in the year 1874, and was enlarged and furnished with steam power
in 1880. Frank Durkee, of Pittsfield, has been operating the mill for the past
three years. Levi A. Willard's saw-mill on Roaring Brook was built by him
in 1872. It is now operated by Frank Robinson. Russell Madden's chair-
stock factory, so called from its builder, was erected in 1S76. Silas A. Colton
purchased it from him in 18S4. D. M. White & Co's. steam saw- mill, owing
to a scarcity of timber, is now operated but a little. It is the property of F.
Chaffee & Son, of Rutland. Levi A. Willard also owns and operates a steam
saw-mill which he b.uilt in the spring of 1S82. Charles P. Harris, of Rutland,
owns a steam saw-mill in the west part of the town, near the stage road,
which was built several years ago, and is now operated by Mr. Steinburg.
The Killinglon mill, run by steam and owned by F. Chaffee & Son, of Rut-
land, was built in 1884 for them by Frank Plumley, who operates it. There is
no grist-mill in town, the grinding being done by Pittsfield and Bridgewater
mills. John H. Button, shoemaker, harness-maker, tailor, stone and brick-
mason, carpenter and joiner, wheelwright and wagon- maker, was born at
Cavendish, Vt, July 13, 1834. He came to Sherburne March 12, 1847. He
has never been married. He is a natural mechanic. He built the house he
lives in and the one occupied by Frank Robinson. He is now engaged in
piecing a bed-quilt which will contain 127,000 pieces. It is about half done at
this writing, and is a marvel of patient and ingenious workmanship.
Ecclesiastical. — The Union Church was organized in 1840, by Rev. Noah
Johnson, who was the first settled minister in town. The original member-
ship numbered about twenty-five. The number has increased to about fifty.
The church edifice was built in 1840 at a cost of about $1,000. Preaching in
the summer of 1885 was by a Congregational student, Harvey P. Powers.
There is no regular pastor here at present.
History of Rutland County.
The present officers of the town of Sherburne are as follows : Moderator of
meeting, E. S. Colton ; town clerk, C. W. Adams ; selectmen, E. W. Prior, P.
E. Lewis, Jehial Webb ; overseer of the poor, A. W. Estabrooks ; constable
and collector of taxes, J. E. Davis ; listers, E. S. Colton, Levi D. Wilson, O.
L. Webb ; auditors, John Johnson, H. O. Neil, E. Z. Button ; trustee of pub-
lic money, A. T. Estabrooks; town grand jurors, E. Z. Button, A. F. Esta-
brooks; inspector of leather, J. H. Button; pound-keepers, A. F. Estabrooks,
J. E. Bavis ; surveyor of wood and inspector of lumber and shingles, L. A.
Willard ; town agent, A. F. Estabrooks ; county grand jurors, A. T. Esta-
brooks, H. H. Spaulding, Benjamin Maxham ; petit jurors, R. L. Madden, H.
R. Merrill, James A. Bates, G. L. Estabrooks, L. A. Willard, Leonard Cum-
min gs.
The following are figures indicating the changes in population: 1791,
32; 1800, 90; 1810, 116; 1820, 154; 1830, 452; 1840, 498; 1850,578;
1860,523; 1870,462; 1880,450.
CHAPTER XXXVHI.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SHREWSBURY.
SHREWSBURY is situated in the eastern part of Rutland county, and is
bounded on the north by Mendon and Sherburne, on the east by Plym-
outh, on the south by Mount Holly and VVallingford, and on the west by Clar-
endon. It lies on the Green Mountains, the eastern part of the town being
especially elevated. Shrewsbury Peak, one of the highest of the Green Moun-
tains, pushes its verdant head some 4,000 feet above sea level. The soil is
fertile, and is well adapted to wheat, oats and potatoes. It has attained well-
earned fame for the excellence of its dairy products, Shrewsbury butter bring-
ing as good a price as that of any town in Vermont. The natural drainage
and water privileges of the town are unusually good. Mill River flows through
the southwestern part, and Cold River through the northern part of the town.
Roaring Brook, one of the largest tributaries of Black River, rises on the moun-
tain near the farm of John Russell, flows easterly through a deep gorge in the
mountain to the Black River at Plymouth. Sargent Brook and Gould Brook
are tributaries of Cold River. Near the mouth of the latter tributary is a min-
eral spring, called Sulphur Spring, which has been used for medical purposes.
The timber is chiefly beech, birch, maple, hemlock and spruce, with a little
balsam and black ash.
The old Crown Point road ran through the south part of the town, over
the hill by the present residence of Lyman Beverstock, and out by Willard
Smith's.
Town of Shrewsbury. 803
Shrewsbury was chartered on the 4th of September, 1 76 1, by Henning
Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire, under George III, to Samuel Ashley
and sixty- three others, only one of whom ever settled in town. Its organiza-
tion was not effected until March 20. 1 78 1. The town still retains its original
limits except one square mile taken from Plymouth, Windsor county, and an-
nexed to Shrewsbury, October 21, 1823.
The first man that moved into town was the illiterate and eccentric but
intelligent Captain Lemuel White, who came from Rockingham, Vt., in 1777,
and cleared the farm now owned and occupied by Willard Smith. Here he
built the first house in town. He was captain of the first militia, kept the first
tavern, was the first representative, and yet could neither read nor write. His
reply to a Mr. Aldrich, who had sent to borrow his harrow, was that if Mr.
Aldrich would bring his land where the harrow was he might use it. The British
at one time, while on a foraging expedition, turned their horses in his wheat
field. It was in his house that the charter meeting of the town was held, when
he was chosen moderator. He was one of the principal parties to the first
wedding that occurred in town, July 23, 1778, when Zilpha Bowdish became
his wife. The first birth that occurred in town was that of his daughter Anna,
on the 15th day of August, 1779. He died in March, 1813, of the epidemic
whicli prevailed at that time.
Nehemiah Smith and his sons, Nathan, William and Job, came from Smith-
field, R. I., in 1780, and settled on land embracing the present farm of Solon
Smith. Their advent here, like that of nearly all the early settlers, was at-
tended with perils and hardships which can with difficulty be appreciated now.
This family were glad of the shelter afforded by a great rock until they had
erected tneir log house. Then while they were clearing a space for cultivation
and waiting for the grain to ripen, they subsisted solely by making potash and
burning charcoal, which they carried to Troy, seventy- five miles distant, on
horseback, and exchanged for grain.
Ziba Aldrich settled in Shrewsbury also in 1780, beginning near the farm
now owned by Amos Pratt, on Mill River. This was the fourth family that
came to town. In 1780, too, Jeffrey A. Barney came from Richmond, N. H.,
and settled on Mill River, on a tract embracing the present farm of David
Waterman. Mrs. Barney traveled this distance on horseback, and her hus-
band on foot, driving two cows.
Benedict Webber and his family began a settlement in Shrewsbury, in
1780. His mother, Mrs. William Webber, died on the 9th of April, 1782, from
falling into a fire-place and being burned.
Uriah Cook, a Revolutionary soldier, came here from Richmond, Mass., in
1780, and cleared the farm now occupied by Jerome Atwood. His son, Hiram
Cook, occupied the farm until his death, September 19, 1884. He left three
children, still residents of Shrewsbury, Daniel Cook, Harriet, wife of Jonah
8o4 History of Rutland County.
S. Aldrich, and Elvira S., wife of Jerome Atwood. David Holden, another
early settler, came at an early date on to the farm now owned by S. F. Smith.
John Kilburn, a surveyor, migrated to Shrewsbury in 1785, from Walpole,
N. H. In 1789 he was elected town clerk and remained in the office for forty
consecutive years. It is said that during the Revolutionary War, he, with his
wife, son and daughter, successfully resisted an attack of nearly four hundred
Indians on their New Hampshire home. In 1836 he removed to Canton, St.
Lawrence county, N. Y., where he died at an advanced age. So highly was
he esteemed in Shrewsbury that at the March meeting held in Shrewsbury in
1878, it was voted that a set of marble head stones be erected above his grave
in Canton, at the expense of the town of Shrewsbury. The vote was carried
out to the letter.
Philip Billings came to Shrewsbury in October, 1783, from Sunderlin,
Mass., and settled on the farm recently owned by Enoch Smith, of Clarendon.
He was a Revolutionary soldier, and resided in town until his death in Octo-
ber, 1808. The house which he built in 1794 is still standing.
Willard Colburn came from Dedham, Mass., in 1790, and cleared and oc-
cupied the farm now owned by David C. Colburn, his great-grandson. Nathan
Russell moved from Barry, Mass., in 1786, to the farm now owned by William
Russell. He died in 1856, at the age of .ninety-two years, eighteen children
surviving him.
Phileman Adams, in 1792, came from Medway, Mass., upon the farm now
owned by Perrin Johnson.
Benjamin Needham came very early from Billerica, Mass. He and his de-
scendants have shown themselves to be a familj' of soldiers. He was a soldier
in the Revolution ; his sons, Benjamin and Joseph, and a grandson, Benjamin,
took active part in the war of 1812; another grandson, Horace, died while
in service in the Mexican War; while his three great-grandsons, Benjamin,
Joseph and Horace, were all engaged in the Civil War, Horace meeting his
death in action at Richmond, Va.
Jacob Guild, of Walpole, N. H., and a Mr. Morse, of Medway, Mass., in
the year of 1795, came on foot from their respective homes, and cleared land
embracing the present possessions of N. J. Aldrich & Co. in the northeast part
of the town. Captain Anderson came from Lunenburgh, Mass., in 1785 ;
Samuel Dennis came from Hardwick, Mass., about the same time. James Rob-
inson kept the first store in town on the premises now occupied by Alvin Aid-
rich. Job Buckmaster, Martin Dawson, Abram Gibson, Ephraim Pierce and
Moses Colburn were also among the pioneer inhabitants of Shrewsbury.
Four Kingsley brothers came to America in the eighteenth century and set-
tled in Hartford, Conn. Salmon Kingsley came to Rutland county about 1775
or 1780 and took up his residence in Ira. He afterwards removed to Michigan,
where he died in 1828. His sons were William, Joseph, Chester, Salmon,
Town of Shrewsbury. 805
Dennis, Orrin and Hiram. Chester lived for a time in Burlington, but came
to Shrewsbury in 1 812. He was a clothier and wool-carder, and had a shop
near the Clarendon line. He had nine sons, two of whom, Horace and Har-
rison, live in Clarendon, one, Henry, lives in Middlebury, Chester lives in Salis-
bury, Amos lives at Long Lake, Wis., Harvey lives in Rutland, at the age of
seventy-eight years, and three are dead. He also had seven daughters, two
of whom now live in Brandon. (See biographical sketch of L. G. Kingsley,
of Rutland, in later pages.)
The first school-house was built of logs, and stood in the woods near the
site of Willard Smith's residence. The first saw-mill and grist-mill were on
the farm now owned by Webb Sinclair and were carried away by a freshet in
July, 181 I.
Perhaps the most prominent of all the early settlers, and certainly the one
most clearly remembered, was Nathan Finney. He was born on the 28th of
June, 1858, probably in Massachusetts, and was the fifth man who made
Shrewsbury his home. For a good many years he kept tavern on the farm
now owned by Amos Pratt. He built the first framed house in town. His
death occurred in 18 13. Neighbors of his were Doctor Asahel Holton, a son-
in-law, who resided, however, in the middle of the town ; Captain Calvin
Robinson and Martin Robinson, who lived about half a mile above Finney's,
and Captain Lemuel White, already mentioned.
Levi Finney, son of Nathan Finney, born August 20, 1787, married Orpha
Clark May 28, 18 13, and succeeded his father in the old tavern in the same
year. This was a famous place in its day, as the following well-written ex-
tract from the Vermont Tribune will testify. The author is Mr. L. Dawley, a
resident of Cuttingsville : —
" There is probably no place in town where so much convivial enjoyment
has been indulged in as at what was once known as the old Finnej' Tavern.
We remember over half a century ago the sign with the square and compass
and other emblamatical designs glittering in the sunshine of this ancient hos-
telry. The place was known from the Canadian provinces to Boston, and was
a home for the weary traveler, and a resort for pleasure seekers and invalids in
search of health. Colonel Finney, the proprietor, was far above the medioc-
rity of men, affable, jovial, of fine physique, a man of full habits and liberal
indulgences, which called around him a large circle of friends. Two or three
four-house coaches called daily at the door, the stables afiforded room for at
least one hundred horses, ai\d were often filled. Immense droves of cattle
were driven over the road from Northern New York and the lake towns to Bos-
ton markets, and, stopping over night at this old stand, would Utterly cover the
meadows and hill sides with lowing herds. But those ' good old times ' are
gone. Mails, passengers, freights and live-stock are now rushed by like the
wind by steam. The old inn has been demolished (at least portions of it) and
8o6 History of Rutland County.
a commodious farm-house stands in its place. The worshipers of Bacchus no
longer assemble there, the jovial song and the merry raps of the toddy-stick
are heard no more. This valuable old farm is now owned by Amos Pratt,
esq., was purchased by him at $14,000, the highest price ever paid for a farm
in town. It is one mile below the village."
The first town meeting was held on the 20th of March, 1781, and the fol-
lowing persons chosen first officers : Lemuel White, moderator ; Aaron Esty,
town clerk ; Lemual White, Samuel Benton, and Nehemiah Smith, selectmen ;
Benedict Webber, treasurer; Zebediah Green, constable; Samuel Benton,
Joseph Randall, William Smith, listers ; Samuel Benton, grand juror.
From this time on the town began to increase in population, so that by
1791 it numbered 383, and by 1800 had grown to the number of 748. One
of the most prominent of the immigrants was Stephen Gleason, who was born
in Worcester, Mass., January g, 1783, and came here from Petersham, Mass.,
in 1807. He settled in the middle of the town on the farm still owned by his
son, H. C. Gleason. Stephen Gleason was undoubtedly the first postmaster in
town, receiving the appointment as early as 181 1. He remained in this office
until as late as 1846. He died on the 19th of September, 1853.
In 1 8 10 the population of the town had still further increased to 990, in
1830 to 1,149, in 1830 to 1,289, and in 1840 it decreased to 1,218.
This town suffered severely from the epidemic which raged with such fury
in 1813. Nathan Finney, Esquire Marsh, Doctor Asahel Holton and others,
all died of it.
Mrs. Lydia Meech, daughter of Nathan Finney, in an article contributed
to the Vermont Historical Gazetteer, thus describes its works : " I was married
at this time and lived in Glens Falls, N. Y. Father died of the epidemic
March 29, 18 13. It was the time of the breaking up of the ice. We went,
my husband and I, in a gig, and men came out at Castleton to help us ford the
stream. When we arrived it was_ a terrible time in Shrewsbury ; many heads
of families had died, all of the town was in sorrow. How we sat down and
talked about it and wept ; the frightful disease smote not only in Vermont but
in New York State also. The heads of a family just below us at Glens Falls
both died of it. . . . Dr. Holton, who had married my sister, for six
weeks slept only in his arm chair. He kept several horses and always one har-
nessed. He at length took it. His wife wanted to send to Wallingford for
Dr. Fox. ' No,' said he, 'I know all about the disease; it will do no good.' She
sent, however, for Dr. Porter, of Rutland, but l^e lived but a day and a half
after he was taken."
In the dark days of 1861-65, when treason threw ofT its disguise and en-
deavored openly to dismember the Union, Vermont, in common with other
Northern States, and Shrewsbury in common with the other towns in Vermont,
poured fourth her best blood and money with a lavish patriotism. The names
of the following men who were soldiers from this town have been preserved : —
Town of Shrewsbury. 807
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — Orlando E. Adams, Duane C. Barney, 7th regt.;
Oliver Barrett, Joseph Beliiey, 9th regt.; George P. Bixby, Peter Brady, 5th
regt.; Nathan L. Brown, Edward R. Caswell, co. C, 4th regt; William E. Cas-
well, CO. G, 7th regt.; Nathan Deforge, William A. Dodge, co. B, 9th regt;
William Fisher, John Flanagan, 5th regt.; Dwight C. Gould, co. C, 4th regt.;
Nathan W. Hewitt, co. I, 5th regt.; Hollis K. Holden, 7th regt; Squire H. Hol-
den, CO. C, lOth regt.; George M. Huntoon, co. C, 4th regt.; John Huntoon,
CO. C, loth regt; Hiram J. Huntoon, co. I, 5th regt; Newton R. Johnson, co-
C, 4th regt.; John Leonard, George H. Lewis, co. H, 2d regt; William H.
Lord, Charles S. Monroe, co. G, 5th regt.; Peter Madeline, gth regt.; Elijah
Needham, Joseph Needham, co. C, 4th regt; Archibald M. Persons, co. I, 5th
regt; George P. Phalon, co. I, 7th regt.; Eli J. Pierce, co. C, 4th regt.; Peter
Poacher, co. B, 9th regt.; George Puffer, Robert P. Ripley, James B. Royce,
CO. L 7th regt.; Thomas Ripley, gth regt.; John Smalley, James R. Wilson, co.
B, 2d regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Edward Armstrong, Benjamin E.
Crapo, John Crapo, iith regt.; Josiah W. Crapo, co. H, cav.; Alfred Desan-
tells, Florence Driscoll, nth regt.; David Headle, Levi Headle, co. E, 2d s. s.;
John Johnson, William Mandigo, John McClay, nth regt.; William Rix, co. I,
17th regt.; Curren A. Shippee, Henry A. Starkey, co. H, cav.; John Thomas,
loth regt.; Rufus M. White, co. E, 2d s. s.
Volunteers for one year. — Francis Belony, Orrin B. Cook, co. B, 9th regt.;
William H. H. Cummings, co. K, gth regt.; Albert Knight, co. I, 7th regt.;
Daniel Patch, co. K, gth regt.; Converse T. Trask, co. B, gth regt.; James R.
Wilson, CO. B, 2d regt.; Henry S. York, co. B, gth regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — George P. Bixby, William Caswell, William
Fisher, Mortimer K. Headle, James R. Martin, George P. Phalon, John Pratt
Not credited by name, two men.
Volunteers for nine months. — N\-e J. Allen, Francis Bellamy, Thomas Cal-
lahan, Oren P. Cook, Benjamin E. Crapo, Luther R. Dyke, Francis P'ish,
George W. Foster, John Gilman, jr., Archibald Hanley, Calvin B. Jewett, John
B. Johnson, George W. Kinsman, Richard Marshall, Benjamin B. Needham,
Isaac Needham, Edwin Pierce, George D. Pierce, Newton Pratt, William L.
Pratt, Walter G. Sawyer, William D. Sherman, Almore E. Walker, Henr\- L.
York, 14th regt
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Bradford B. Aldrich, Jasper
Aldrich, Truman Aldrich, Franklin M. Plumley, Ira A. Russell, Lyman A.
Russell, Harvey Saunders, Nathaniel Spafford, jr., Bensley Twining, Volne\' W.
Waterman.
Procured substitutes. — Simon Gould, James Rodgers, Croman A. Shippee,
Ephraim S. Smith, Henry A. Waterman.
8o8 History of Rutland County.
The population of Shrewsbury has varied as shown by the follovving fig-
ures : 1791, 383; 1800, 748; 1810, 990; 1820, 1,149; 1830, 1,289; 1840,
1,218; 1850,1,268; 1860,1,175; 1870,1,145; 1880,1,235.
Ecclesiastical. — The first minister of the gospel who resided in Shrewsbury
was Rev. Moses Winchester, who was born in Westmoreland, N. H., March i,
1798, and came here when he was eighteen years of age. Although not pos-
sessed of a theological education, he was an earnest Christian, and a fervent
preacher. Being the first resident clergyman in town he drew the ministerial
land. He won the affections of the people here, notwithstanding his many pe-
culiarities. At one time while visiting at the house of a neighbor, the hostess,
as they sat down to tea, apologetically remarked that she had nothing fit to
eat, whereupon Mr. Winchester, to her consternation, replied that if she had
nothing fit to eat, he would eat nothing, and left the table. He died March
6, 1 868.
The first church edifice erected in town was the Universalist Church at the
middle of the town, which was built in I 805, on the site of the present meet-
ing-house. The Universalist society was organized there in 1807 by John Kil-
burn, jr. The membership numbers about twenty-five.
A Christian church was organized at North Shrewsbury, November 9,
1822, by a council of forty- two, of which Pearl Parker and Jonah Aldrich were
members. Rev. Noah Johnson was the first pastor. They erected a meeting-
house in 1840 at a cost, including grounds and all, not exceeding $i,000. It
will comfortably seat 300 persons. They were aided in the building of this
edifice by the Universalists in town. The church building is now occupied by
the second Advent Church which was organized April 19, 1877, by Rev. W.
I. Blanchard, the first pastor. The present membership of this organization is
just thirty, and the average attendance at Sunday-school is twenty-five. Rev.
George F. Earle, of North Springfield, Vt., preaches every other Sunday. The
present church officers are W. Guild, clerk; L. E. Lord, treasurer; Daniel
Balch and L. E. Lord, committee to secure preaching.
The Union Church of Cuttingsville was organized in 1842 b)' the Baptist
and Congregational members of the community, who at once, under the pasto-
rate of Rev. M. A. Wicker, erected the house of worship still in use. They
were barely able to sustain themselves until 1859, when the trustees gave the
Methodists permission to occupy the church premises, and the Methodist Church
was consequently organized. The present pastor is the Rev. W. W. Gillis, and
the Sabbath-school superintendent is Miss H. M. Crowley. The average at-
tendance at Sabbath-school is about twenty.
Following are the town officers of Shrewsbury, elected in March, 1885:
Town clerk and treasurer, E. O. Aldrich ; selectmen, C. C. Holden, E. W. Al-
drich, L. W. Beverstock ; constable, D. E. Aldrich; superintendent of schools,
Mrs. G. J. Crowley; listers, W. L. Bucklin, A. W. Aldrich, Amos Pratt; over-
Town of Shrewsbury.
seer of the poor, W. L. Bucklin ; agent to prosecute and defend suits in which
the town is interested, C. C. Holden.
.MUNICIPAL HISTORY.
There is in town but one village of importance, viz., Cuttingsville, although
tliere is a settlement called Northani, or North Shrewsbury, four miles north-
east from Cuttingsville, which contains one store, a saw-mill and a church, and
another at the middle of the town, so called, or Shrewsbury post-office.
Formerly, too, there was something like a settlement around the old Fin-
ney tavern, called Finney ville. The post-office was established there as early
as 1825, and remained until about 1848.
Cuttingsville. — This village owes its importance largely to the influence of
the railroad, which makes it the principal market for the town and surround-
ing countr)-. It could not be said to have had an existence as a village before
1835 or 1840. It derived its name from Charles Cutting who lived here before
1825, and became proprietor of the mills. He has since given the same name to a
village in Indiana, and another in Iowa. J. B. Story, still a resident of this village,
came here in about 1 83 i . According to his remembrance, which is very clear,
tliere was but one dwelling-house on the site of the present village. It was a
small single storied house, which stood where the hotel now is, and was occu-
pied by Mr. Billings, a hatter. The first house built here after that stood in
the northwest part of the village on the lot now owned by James Royce. It
is not now in existence. In 1 83 1 Charles Cutting was running the saw and
grist-mill which occupied the site of the mill now owned and operated by Dana
G. Jones. Ithel Smead was running the tannery now in the hands of James
Huntoon. In 1833 the house now occupied by William L. Bucklin was built
by William Marsh, who kept store in it. It was thus used as a store and dwell-
ing-house combined until about 1862, when Mr. Bucklin bought it. The first
liouse on the east side of Main street was the one now occupied by A. S.
Adams.
Among the historical anecdotes concerning the early residents of this
neighborhood, Mr. Story tells one which ought to be placed on record. A Mr.
Bartholomew owned hereabouts in the early part of the century a pocket or
potato distillery, which he found it difficult to manage profitably under an ex-
cessive whisk)- ta.x. He accordingly applied to Benjamin Needham, who was
an army officer, and lived then in a house now occupied by E. O. Aldrich,
about a mile east of the middle of the town, to have him induce Judge Robert
Pierpoint, of Rutland, then assessor, to remove the tax. Needham, who was
a powerful man with an imposing physique and a florid complexioYi, called on
Judge Pierpoint in Rutland, and took his hand, but ha\'ing once obtained a
grip on those judicial fingers, Needham positively refused to release them or
diminish his painful pressure upon them until the " ta.x was taken off from Bar-
tholomew's distillery." He carried the da\'.
8io History of Rutland County.
The village had only a gradual growth after 1830 until the railroad was
opened thirty- five years ago. Then as might be expected the impetus created
in business was very marked. Business centers were transferred, neighbor-
hoods that had promised to be villages of importance became merely subjects
of history. In Shrewsbur\', Cuttingsville sprang at once into the relative prom-
inence it could not help attaining, and has retained its superiority without
dispute.
Mercantile Interests. — The building now used as a store by C. E. Adams
was built about 1835 by John Buckmaster and D. B. Jones, who sold general
merchandise there for several years, and were followed by Jones & Dow, the
members being D. B. Jones and Lucius Dow. They remained in the store a
number of years and sold out to P. H. Robbins and C. C. Holden, who traded
there until the union store was opened about 1854 or 1855. In i860 A. S.
Adams began his occupancy of the building, and remained until April, 1870,
when he rented the store to George P. Phalen, and removed to Arlington. In
April, 1881, Mr. Adams returned from Arlington and in company with his son,
C. E. Adams, succeeded Phalen. C. E. Adams became sole proprietor of the
business in April, 1883.
The general mercantile trade carried on by George Foster may be said to
have originated soon after 1 830, in the present dwelling house of William L.
Bucklin. That building was erected by William Marsh, who sold goods there
for a time and sold out to A. B. BuUard. In 1863 William L. Bucklin, who
had been dealing in general merchandise near the depot since about 1853,
purchased the stock and good will of Mr. Bullard and moved into the brick
store now occupied by Mr. Foster. Here he remained until June 22, 1865,
when George Foster bought him out. Henr}' Eitapence opened his tin-shop
liere in 1869. He is successor to Henry Barlow, who had been dealing in tin-
ware for years before.
Manufacturing Interests. — The tannery of James Huntoon, one of the old-
est manufacturing establishments in this section, was built in the early part of
the century. Ithel Smead ran it as late as 1 830; Elnathan Matto.x, his suc-
cessor, ran it for about fifteen years. Hiram W. Lincoln and John Matto.x then
operated it for a time. The present proprietor has had control of it for more
than twenty j'ears.
The saw and grist-mill of Dana G. Jones stands on the site of mills which
were originally erected in about 1 82 1 by Mr. Blanchard. In 1830 Charles
Cutting had taken possession of them and ran them a few years. His successor
was William Marsh. Then followed William Barnes, and William Royce, and
John Webb, and B. B. Aldrich, and H. J. Waterman. These mills were de-
stroyed by fire in September, 1844, and rebuilt by the owners. B. B. Aldrich
and Dana G. Jones came into possession in 1867, and in May, 1876, Mr. Jones
became sole proprietor. The saw-mill will turnout about 5,000 feet of lumber
?;^ (/T^A
a^ c^^^-x.^-C'
Town of Shrewsbury.
per da_\-, and the grist-mill about ten to fifteen bushels of feed per hour. The
carriage shop of J. B. Story was preceded by a shop built by Mr. Baldwin in
1838 or 1839. It was destroyed by fire in September, 1844, and the present
building erected the following spring by J. B. Story and T. G. Foster. Mr.
Foster died in 1S73, since which time the surviving partner has carried on the
business.
Attorney and Counselor at Latv. — Judge E. Fisher is the only lawyer in
town. He was born in Clarendon, N. H., on the 20th of July, 1814. He be-
gan to study law with C. H. Crosby, then of Cuttingsville, in 1848, and in the
September term of the Rutland County Court was admitted to practice. He
has long enjoyed an excellent reputation for ability and integrity, and has been
State's attorne}- and side judge.
Hotel. — The hotel, of which D. K. Butterfield is the present proprietor, was
built about 1833 by Charles Cutting, the founder of the village. Mr. Cutting
kept the house five or six years, and sold out to Mr. Barnes. After the lapse
of another period of about five years Captain Jeremiah Dow purchased the
property and conducted the business. He rented it a part of the time. In 1865
he sold out to H. Todd. D. K. Butterfield bought him out in the spring of
1877, fitted up the house in many ways and has already won a good name
among the traveling public. He has succeeded also in attracting a number of
summer boarders, who find Cuttingsville a delightful retreat, and this hotel a
pleasant summer home. Mr. L. Dawley, who kindly furnished the facts above
stated, ran the house from i860 to 1865, while Captain Dow owned it.
Post-office.; — The post-office was transferred from Finney's tavern to Cut-
tingsville not far from 1 830. The first postmaster here was Erastus Guernsey.
David B. Jones succeeded him in about five years, and was in turn succeeded
by H. C. Pleason. C. C. Holden next received the appointment and remained
postmaster for some years. Henry Barlow followed him ; A. S. Adams fol-
lowed Barlow, and in 1 86 1 William L. Bucklin was appointed. He retained
the office until August I, 1885, when the present incumbent, C. E. Adams
succeeded him.
Laurel Glen Mausoleum. — This splendid tribute to the memory of the de-
parted was begun in July, 18S0, by order of John P. Bowman, of Creek Center,
N. Y., to perpetuate the memorj' of his deceased wife and two daughters. For
more than a year 125 men, sculptors, marble- cutters and granite-cutters, masons
and laborers were employed in its construction. Its dimensions externally at
the base are seventeen feet, six inches, by twenty-four feet, and twenty feet
high from grade line to the apex of the roof. Seven hundred and fifty tons of
granite, fifty tons of marble and 20,000 bricks have been used in its construc-
tion. The total cost of the structure, together with improvements in tlie sur-
roundings, cost about $75,000.
Aliscellaneous. — The first postmaster appointed at the middle of the town,
History of Rutland County.
Shrewsbury post-office, was Stephen Gleason, who was appointed about iSii,
and retained the office until as late as 1846. Dr. L. W. Guernsey, Dana Buck-
master and G. J. Crowley were respectively his successors. The present post-
master, William F. Morse was appointed in the fall of 1870.
The post-office at North Shrewsbury was established in 1871 by the ap-
pointment of N. J. Aldrich. William Guild succeeded him in 1876, and still
remains in the position. Mr. Guild opened his general store at the same time
that he began the performance of his duties as postmaster. Mr. Aldrich ran
the store before him.
Willard Guild is the only descendant now living in town of the early settler,
Jacob Guild, his grandfather, alread}' mentioned; a brother and sister of Will-
ard Guild, Prudence M. (wife of Henry Lord) and Charles F. Guild, are resi-
dents of Mount Holly.
Dr. George Rustedt, the only physician in town, was born in Thorne, Eng-
land, in September, 185 I. He was admitted to the practice of medicine by
the medical department of the University of \''ermont, at Burlington, in 1S76.
He first practiced nearly a year in Ludlow, Vt., and then removed to Shrews-
bury.
Sazv-inills. — The saw-mill of Lyman Russell, in the south part of the town,
was built before 1S15 by Joel Low, who used the building for a foundry and
plow factory, the product being the old wooden plow of those days. The iron
for the foundry came from Troy. Paris Russell, father to the present pro-
prietor, bought the property of Mr. Trull about 1832. Lyman Russell has
operated the mill since i860. The capacity of the mill is about 300,000 feet
annually. The steam saw-mill of N. J. Aldrich & Co., with its predecessor,
the old " up and down " mill, is of equal antiquity with the foregoing. It was
built about seventy-five years ago by Elisha Johnson and Moses Colburn.
Fifteen years ago it was supplied with steam and the circular saw replaced the
old machinery. N. J, Aldrich and D. G. Jones bought the mill of Roswell
Wright.
D. I\L White & Co.'s steam mill, in the north part of the town, engaged in
the manufacture of nail-keg staves, is under the management of Pomeroy &
Sipple.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
IIISTORV OF THE TOWN OF SUDBURY.
SUDBURY lies in the northeastern corner of the county, and is bounded
on the north by Whiting in Addison county ; on the east by Brandon; on
the south by Hubbardton, and on the west by Orwell in Addison count}', and
a part of Benson.
Town of Sudbury. 813
It was chartered by Benning Weiitwortli, governor of New Hampshire,
on the 6th of August, 1761, and contained 13,426 acres. Tlie surface is
mountainous and broken and is made a watershed by a range of hills which
e.xtend north and south through the town, sending the waters on the eastern
slope into Otter Creek, and on the western side into Lake Champlain. The
soil is general!}' a rich loam, well adapted to the production of wheat, oats,
rye, buckwheat, Indian corn, potatoes and hay. The numerous valleys of the
streams abound in excellent farming lands, and the more hilly regions afford
the best of pasturage for sheep and cattle. Many smaller streams, and a por-
tion of Otter Creek which enters the northeastern corner of the town and flows
for some distance along the eastern boundary, constitute the drainage. The
scenery is diversified by the hills and forests not only, but by numerous hand-
some ponds, notably High, Burr and Huff Ponds, and Lake Hortonia. The
last named sheet of water is in the southwest part of the town, extending into
Hubbardton, and is about two miles in length by half a mile in width.
Immediately after the granting of the town in 1761, the host of land spec-
ulators commenced the purchase and sale of land in Sudbury in the hope of
creating an interest that would increase the price of real property in town. As
early as 1763, land situated within the present limits of the town was trans-
ferred by deed from Benjamin Fox, of Nottingham, in the province of New
Hampshire, " Yoeman," to Thomas Tosh, of New Market, in the same prov-
ince. The name Benoni Farrand appears at this early date in many of the
land records as " town clerk," and continues at various intervals to appear thus
until 1791 — over a period of twenty-eight years. No complete explanation
of this seems to be obtainable, though it is naturally conjectured that in his
signatures he persisted in stating his official title as clerk of some town which
was his ante-revolutionary residence. He was certainlj' one of the earliest set-
tlers in town, and a man of considerable prominence.
Among the other names of persons appearing to have settled in town by
1789 are those of Piatt Ketcham, Aaron Jackson, Simon Goodward, Joshua
Tracy, Jeremiah Gates and John Hall. The earliest record extant of a regular
meeting for the conduct of town business is dated January 15, 1789. The
earlier leaves of this book of records are missing, and thus we are unable to
state even the date of the organization of the town.
Sudbury was represented in the Dorset convention of July 24, 1776, by
John Gage. At this meeting, however, John Hall was chosen moderator. The
other officers are not mentioned. Some of the earliest officers of the town
were as follows: Shaler Towner, John Gage, Zebina Sanders, fence viewers;
John Ricke, William Buck, Jeremiah Stone, Joseph Warner, William Palmer,
Timothy Miller, surveyors of highways ; John Hale, esq., sealer of weights and
measures ; at a meeting held on the 2d of May, 1793, Benoni Farrand, Timothy
Miller and Joseph Warner were chosen a committee to hire preaching. Far-
rand at this time was town clerk.
History of Rutland County.
One of the earliest settlers in Sudbur\' was Noah Merritt. He came to
Brandon immediately after the close of the War of the Revolution. He was
in the battle of Bunker Hill, and was one of the nine last men to leave the
fort. He there received a ball in the instep which knocked off the buckle from
his shoe. He was in many of the principal battles of the Revolution, and was
one of the guards over Major Andre on the night before the execution. He
married Eunice Metcalf, of Templeton, Mass., and, as soon as the war was
over, he and his wife and child (Noah D.) made the journey from Templeton
to Brandon, Vt., in winter. A single ox drew them and their effects all the
way in six weeks. They lived in Brandon for four years and then moved to
Sudbury. He died in 1842, and his wife survived him until 1845, when she
died at the age of ninety-four years. The farm which he occupied was in the
east part of the town, called "Spunkhole."
Thomas Ketcham, born February 8, 1748, immigrated from Duchess
county, N. Y., to Sudburj- at a very early date. Major Barnard Ketcham, one
of his sons, married a daughter of Aaron Jackson, another early settler.
Thomas Ketcham died on the 19th of May, 1834.
Benoni Griffin, from Simsbury, Conn., came to Castleton, whence in 1799
he removed to Sudbury and settled on the farm now owned by his son, Benoni,
jr. The house still stands which he built more than eighty years ago. There
was a house on the place when Mr. Griffin came, built some time before by
Andrew Gates, who owned several hundred acres of land in this vicinity.
The old military road, elsewhere described, traverses this town in a north-
westerly direction, from the southeast to the northwest corners. Near this road
on the farm of Mr. Griffin is a famous spring of clear cold water, called "Cold
Spring." It is related that one occasion a party of Indians passed through the
town with two prisoners, one of whom was very large and the other very small.
The larger one was afflicted with a sore foot, upon which his red captives, out
of pure malice, would jump and stamp. This so exasperated his small com-
panion that he warned them in no very choice language that it would not be
well for them to attempt the same experiment with him ; at this one of them,
stung by his taunts, attempted it, and was immediately knocked down by the
plucky little fellow. This act was loudly applauded by the discomfited Indian's
companions, and the prisoner was molested no more. They soon after arrived
at Cold Spring, and while several of them were stooped down to drink, the
small man suddenly picked up a dog belonging to the Indians, and from an
eminence of several feet, hurled it upon their heads. For these acts of bravery
he was much petted by the Indians and finally allowed his liberty. A little
south of the spring there was once an Indian camp, where many Indian relics
have since been found — arrow heads, finished and unfinished, stone pestles
for pounding corn, many of them decorated with antique designs, stone images,
etc. Cold Spring is also the site of an encampment of the Continental army,
Town of Sudbury. 815
many relics having been plowed up, consisting of bayonets, ramrods, knives,
and upon one occasion a large copper camp kettle. It is also related that many
years ago, an old Revolutionary soldier named Enos, journeyed hither from a
distant part of the State just for the purpose of once more drinking from the
old spring.
Peter Reynolds also came here in early times, by the way of Otter Creek,
traveling on the ice. He erected a tent on the line between Sudbury and
Brandon, subsequently settling in the latter place. The high water in Brandon
drove him out the next spring, and he crossed the creek on a raft and made
Sudbury his home. He was justice of the peace here for a number of years.
David Layton came here before 1800 and settled on the farm originally
cleared by David Smith, in the north part of the town. He operated a tan-
nery, manufactured potash and carried on the trade of hatter for a number of
years. In 1804 he adopted John C. Sawyer, who was born in Brandon in
1800, and on his death, no issue surviving, the property came into Mr. Saw-
yer's hands. Layton's business was carried on a little south of the famous
"Saw)'er Stand," in the early part of the century a place of wide and pleasing
notoriety. It was the " half-way house " between Brandon and Orwell, and a
station on the old stage road from Vergennes to Whitehall, and from Rutland
to Lake Champlain. All the products of the iron works of Brandon and Pitts-
ford passed through here on their way to the lake.
Aaron Jackson's name appears in the records of 1789 and he certainly
resided in town at that time. Evidence seems to establish as a fact the claim
that he built the first framed house in town, rafting the lumber from Suther-
land Falls to Miller's Bridge, and thence conveying it through the wilderness
by "blazed" trees. He is also accredited with having been the owner of the
first oven in town, wherein was baked bread from the first \\iieat grown in
Sudbury, and of having made the first cheese made in town. He entered the
Continental army at the age of sixteen years in company with his father and a
still younger brother. They took part in the battle of Bunker Hill.
Captain Pearse settled in early days on the farm now owned by M. H.
Landon. His old log-house stood just back of the present site <>( the barn.
Charles Young immigrated to Sudbury about the year 1805, from Athol,
Mass., and settled on the farm now owned by his son. Timothy Miller was
from Massachusetts and settled, in 1 77 I, on the farm now owned by Andrew
Steele. He afterwards located at the west end of what is now known as Mil-
ler's Bridge, where he built a log house, in which he resided three years.
During the Revolution the Indians became so troublesome that he, in common
with the then few inhabitants of the town, retreated to some more thickl}- set-
tled part of the country and did not return until after the Revolution. He
was justice of the peace for many years; he died in 1825 at the age of seventy-
five years.
8i6 History of Rutland County^
Isaac Huff came to Sudbury from Nine Partners, N. Y., in 1790, being
then in his forty-sixth year. The first year he resided on land covered in later
days bj' Steele's cider-mill; meanwhile he cleared land or premises now occu-
pied by his grandsons, and erected a log house there in which he dwelt until
1812, when he built a framed house near the old one. He died in I 82 I.
Gideon Morton was born in Orwell, Addison county, in 1789, and died. on
the 2d of April, 1870, in Sudbury. He came here in the early part of the
present century and settled on the farm now occupied by Solon Bresee. Here
he resided until 1843, when he removed to the farm now occupied by his son,
Benjamin L. Morton. Gideon Morton was probabh' the first physician in
Sudbury.
Reuben Allen came to Sudbur}- also at an earh' date, and started for Platts-
burg during the war of 1812, although he was much too old for military service.
Deacon Eli Roys cleared the farm now occupied by C. C. Selleck in 1790.
He was a famous trapper and hunter, and it is related he once caught a wolf
on the site of the present meeting-house.
Joseph Warner came here as early as 1789, and attained at once a promi-
nence which he never afterwards relinquished. He and his sons, John L.,
Jason, Fordyce, Joseph, Hiram, Warren and Almon, manufactured potash in
the middle of the town and ran a store near the ashery. Judge Warner also
kept a tavern in the northeast part of the town, on Sudbury Hill ; he was one
of the most prominent men in the town. He represented Sudbury in the Con-
stitutional Convention of 1791 and 1792, and in the General Assembly from
1805 until 1822. He was assistant county judge of the Rutland County Court
in 1821-24, and councilor in 1 82 I and 1822. Joseph Warner, jr., was a mer-
chant in town after his father until 1832, when he became cashier of the bank
in Middlebury, which position he retained until his death.
Roger Burr was born November I, 1755, in Athol, Mass., whence he came
to Sudbury about the year 1773, and settled on the farm now occupied by his
grandson, Mason Burr. He built a log house on the ground now used on the
old homestead as a garden. His wife, Jennie Rich, was born July 20, 1762.
They came from Athol on horseback. They had seven children, of whom
Asahel, father to Mason, was the third. Asahel Burr was born on the- 8th of
July, 1793, and died here at the age of ninety years and ten months.
Roger Burr built the first mill in town in 1784. Its work was done, of
course, with the old-fashioned " up-and-down " saw. The building is still
standing on the farm, although it has been once rebuilt. There was then no
grist-mill in town and the family flour consisted of pounded corn. Before
1810 Mr. Burr erected a cider-mill, and from the accounts taken from an old
journal which he kept, and which contains, among others, the names of John
Hurlbert, Asa Smith, Elisha Smith, Noah Merritt, Thomas White, John Ran-
som, Nahum Clark, Alvin Griswold and Walker Rumsey, it can be seen that
Town of Sudbury.
it was customary to buy apples at six cents per bushel and make cider for ten
cents per barrel.
Mason Burr was born on the 23d of October, 1822, in the house he now
occupies. He has a curious relic in his possession, in the shape of two human
skeletons found buried on the Burr farm, which, from the mode of burial and
structural evidences, have been pronounced the remains of an Indian and
squaw. In view of the fact that there have been no Indians in Sudbury since
the Revolutionary War, it is easy to conjecture them the victims either of a
white man's wrath or of disease of more than a hundred years ago. When
first exhumed the skeletons were in a perfect state of preservation, every bone
and joint being still in its proper place, and every tooth complete and perfect.
E.xposure to the air, however, has softened and displaced them so that they are
no longer anything but a mass of almost indistinguishable bones.
The first tavern in town was kept by a Mr. Mills in the latter part of the
last century, and sold in 1801 to Pitt W. Hyde. He was born in Norwich,
Conn., December 29, 1776, and was the fifth son of Captain Jedediah Hyde by
his first wife, Mary Waterman. The family originally came from England.
Before 1801 Pitt William Hyde was an inn-keeper in Hyde Park, Vt., and
gave that place its name. On the 19th of October, 1796, he married Mary
Kilbourne, of Litchfield, Conn. He died May 29, 1823. James Kilbourne
Hyde, father of the present proprietor of Hyde Manor, was born on the 19th
of November, 1801, at Mornstown, Conn., and was brought to Sudbury in the
same year. On the 15th of February, 1824, he married Lavinia Gage, and
continued the hotel until he died, September 21, 1870. This house, both under
Pitt W. Hyde and the Hon. James K. Hyde, was one of the most celebrated
hostelries in New England, situated as it was at a convenient resting-place on
the old stage route between Canada and Northern Vermont, and Whitehall
and Rutland. Hyde's hotel became widely known, not only for the excellence
of the fare and the comfort which the very rafters of the house seemed to shed
upon all guests, but also for the genial welcome extended to all alike, the rich
and the well-dressed, and the poor and humble. James K. Hyde was also
town clerk for thirty years, and justice of the peace thirty-four years. He
represented the town in the General Assembly in 1833, 1834, 1835 and 1840^
and was senator from Rutland county in 1S50 and 1851. He was elected
assistant judge of the Rutland County Court in 1869.
Arunah Waterman Hyde, the present proprietor of the hotel, son of James
K. Hyde, was born May 14th, 1842 ; married on the 3d of January, 1866, to
Miss Elizabeth Eddy, of Whitehall, N. Y. In 1862 the old hotel was destroyed
by fire, and the present house erected by James K. Hyde in 1865. ^- W.
H)'de has had the entire management of the business in his hands since that
time. The hotel has capacity to accommodate two hundred guests. The
Hyde Manor fame as a perfect resort for families with children has long been
52
;i8 History of Rutland County.
established. Mr. Hyde well sustains the reputation of the family name for
genialty and heartiness, and will undoubtedly educate his only son, James K.
Hyde (born March 14, 1874), to carry on the business for the fourth gener-
ation.
With reference to the early condition of the town. Colonel H. H. Merritt,
now of Brandon, briefly gives the following information: In 1820 there was a
grist-mill in the north part of the town, with one run of stone ; there was no
distillery here, the nearest one being operated by Mr. Bresee, of Hubbardton.
Judge Warner's ashery, store and tavern have already been mentioned. David
Layton had an ashery in the north part of the town. Isaac Huff and Roger
Burr ran the only saw-mills in town, the one at the outlet of Huff's Pond, and
the other at the outlet of Burr's Pond.
To prove that Sudbury did her share in the war of the Rebellion, the fol-
lowing names alone will suffice : —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — Peter Baker, Schuyler Baker, 2d bat; Tuffel Brother,
CO. L, iith regt.; Nathaniel Bucklin, co. H, 5th regt; John M. Chase, co. L,
iith regt; Charles V. Cool, co. H, 5th regt.; Lewis Gonyaw, Erskine S.
Graves, nth regt.; Mason K. Goodell, 2d bat.; Anthony Jacobs, Milton Lan-
den, James F. Lillie, co. H, 5th regt.; Alonzo Martin, co. B, 7th regt; Frank-
lin Merchant, co. H, 5th regt.; Julius K. Morgan, co. K, 2d regt.; Henry J.
Nichols, CO. C, nth regt.; Julius Reivers, 2d bat.; Charles M. Shaw, 5th regt;
James L. Slason, John C. Slason, co. B, 9th regt.; Alphonzo F. Smith, co. C,
Iith regt.; Edward H. Smith, co. H, 5th regt; James Sullivan, co. M, iith
regt.; Julius M. Walace, John N. Welch, co. H, 5th regt
Credits under call of October 17, 1862, for 300,000 volunteers and sub-
sequent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Augustus P. Chase, co. E, iith
regt.; Luther Grover, co. K, 2d regt; Moses C. Hunt, Frank J. Mayhew,
Clarence McArthur, 2d bat.; Julius S. Morgan, co. K, 2d regt.; Daniel W.
Smith, Erasmus D. Thompson, 2d bat.; Charles C. Ward, co. H, 5th regt.
Volunteers for one year. — Alva M. Allen, Rial F. Carr, i ith regt; Will-
iam R. Derby, co. B, 8th regt.; Volney W. Jenks, co. F, ist s. s.; Wallace
Sawyer, Harrison M. Williams, co. H, 5th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Nathaniel Bucklin, Charles V. Cool, Jonathan
Larrabee, James F. Lillie, co. H, 5th regt.; Peter May, George Oakland, Julius
Rivers, 2d bat; Charles M. Shaw, co. H, 5th regt; Morrill Sheppard, 2d bat;
John N. Welch, co. H, 5th regt.
Volunteers for nine months. — Abram C. Ackerman, Lorenzo G. Barrett,
Albert F. Burr, David W. Clark, William Goodrow, Martin Ketchum, German
Landen, Charles P. Morton, co. G, 12th regt.; Harrison T. Pettee, Sherrard
Sawyer, Charles C. Ward, Juhn L. Wood, co. G, 12th regt
P"uniished under draft and paid commutations. — Franklin T. Landen.
Procured substitute. — Edward J. Johnson.
Town of Tinmouth.
Ecclesiastical. — The first Congregational Church of Sudbury was organ-
ized in 1803, with Silas Persons for its first pastor. Land was soon afterwards
donated by Apollos Rollo, and the church edifice was erected in 1807. The
church property is valued at about $1,500. A great many deaths have de-
pleted the membership of the church in later years, so that the present mem-
bership is very light. The present pastor. Rev. Mr. Grout, has passed fifteen
years of his ministerial life in Africa. He came to Sudbury in June, 1S85.
Post-office. — The first postmaster within the memory of living men was
Joseph Warner, who kept the office near the asherj'. The present postmaster,
N. A. Bucklin, was appointed in 1879, as successor to R. W. Pitts, who had
held the office for fifteen or twenty years. Jefferson Goodrich preceded him.
Mr. Bucklin has had a general store here since the year 1878.
The follow^ing table shows the variation in population which has fallen to
the lot of Sudbury since the year 1791 : 1791, 258; 1800, 521 ; 1810, 754;
1820,809; 1830,812; 1840,766; 1850,794; 1860,696; 1870,601; 1 880,
562.
CHAPTER XL.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF TINMOl'TH.
THIS town as originally chartered was si.v miles square ; but its area was re-
duced about one-third by taking off a part in the formation of Middle-
town and a part in forming Wallingford. (See history of Middletown.) The
town lies in the southern part of the county and is bounded north by Clarendon
and Ira ; east by Wallingford ; south by Danby, and west by Wells and Mid-
dletown. Its charter is dated September 15, 1761, and was granted to Joseph
Hooker and others, in seventy shares, with the following customary five shares
reserved : " One tract to contain 500 acres, marked on the map B. W., for His
E.xcellency. Benning Wentworth, esq." One share for the incorporated society
for the " propagation of the gospel in foreign parts;" one share for a glebe for
the Church of England ; one share for the first settled minister, and one share
for the benefit of schools in the town. Although the charter ordered that the
first town meeting should be held in 1762, it was not obeyed, and the town
was not organized until March 8, 1774, at which time Charles Brewster was
chosen clerk.
The surface of this town is broken and somewhat mountainous. A range
of considerable elevation extends the length of the town from north to south,
dividing it into what are locally known as " East Town " and " West Town."
820 History of Rutland County.
West of this range is a fertile valley which affords excellent farming and graz-
ing lands ; eastward of the range lies the rich and fertile valley of Tinmouth
River. This is the principal stream and flows northerly across the town into
Clarendon. Poultney River rise.s in the west part of the town, and numerous
small streams have their sources among the highlands and join the larger streams
mentioned. Tinmouth Pond is in the extreme southeast part and is the source
of Tinmouth River. The soil of the town is varied between wide extremes
and gives it prominence as an agricultural and dairying district. There are rich
deposits of iron, the ore being of excellent quality, and large quantities of it
were used in early years in the Tinmouth furnaces, or transported to Plymouth
and other points. There are also marble and black lead deposits in the town.
Records. — Following is a list of the original grantees of the town : Joseph
Hooker, Jared Lee, Elijah Cowles, Eleazer Root, Jehiel Parmelee, Ebenezer
Orvis, Joseph Porter, Samuel Whitman, John Porter, Captain Eph. Treadwell,
Lieutenant John Hart, Daniel Curtis, Gideon Beldan, Stephen Dorchester,
James Hitchcock, Abraham Crittinton, James Naughton, jr., Thomas Newell,
Josiah Lewis, John Horsford, Elias Roberts, Amos Barnes, Levi Porter, Abel
Hawley, John Camp, Stephen Hart, jr., Samuel Pike, John Wiard, Ebenezer
Hawley, Samuel Cogswell, Isaac Newell, Jonathan Andrus, Thomas Bell, Abel
Carter, David Smith, Ebenezer Fish, Ephraim Hough, Stephen Grannis, Cap-
tain Isaac Hurlburt, Admiah Parks, Simeon Hart, Joel Parks, Ephraim Tuttle,
John Street, John Hart, of Wallingford, John Carter, Jacob Carter, jr., Asahel
Cogswell, Isaiah Moss, Daniel Lankton, Jonathan Blacklee, Joseph Star, Cap-
tain Edward Gaylord, Andrew Gridley, Reynold Beckwith, Ebenezer Hubbard,
Aaron Howe, Joseph Bunnill, Richard Wiband, Daniel Warner, Eliakim Hall,
Zachariah Gillet, Timothy Hall, John Carrington.
The town organization took place, as stated, on the Sth of March, 1774,
and Charles Brewster was made the first town clerk. John McNaile (McNeal)
was made moderator of the meeting and James Adams, Charles Brewster and
John McNaile were -elected selectmen. It did not require a very important
man in those days to secure two or more town offices.
There was little for the first town authorities to do, except to lay out roads
and, as was the universal custom, make arrangements for religious services and
schools. Hence, we find among the resolutions passed at the early town meet-
ings the following : —
March 12, 1776. "Voted, That vs'c will build a log house to meet in on the
Sabbath."
November 24, 177S. " \'oted, That the inhabitants of this town will hire
preaching 3 months or until our annual meeting in March next.
" Voted, That this town doth make choice of Rev. Obadiah Noble to preach
for us the above 3 months."
April 6, 1779. "Voted, That this town will hire preaching this j'ear, and
that we will get a candidate to preach, if we can.
Town of Tinmouth. 821
" Voted, That we choose Thomas Porter, Obadiah Noble and Solomon
Bingham as a committee to provide preaching.
" Voted, That Mr. Noble shall supply the pulpit till we can get a can-
didate."
July 6, 1779. "Voted, That we will hire preaching four months.
" Voted, That we, the inhabitants of the town of Tinmouth, direct our
committee to hire Mr. Benjamin Osborn to preach with us the 4 months above
mentioned.
" Voted, That we will raise ;^400 to build a meeting-house."
April 6, 1780. "Voted, To give Mr. Benjamin Osborn a call to settle in
the work of the ministry in this town.
" Voted, That if Mr. Osborn shall settle in the work of the ministry in this
town, that, in addition to the ministerial right of land in this town, we shall
give him as a salary for the first year after his settlement, /^3S, for the second
year, ^'40, and so on, in the same progression, until his salary shall amount to
£/0 per year, during the continuation of the said Mr. Osborn in the work of
the ministry in this town ; said salary to be paid, one-half in wheat, rye and
Indian corn. Wheat at 5s. per bushel, rye at 3s. 6d. per bushel, corn at 2s. 6d.
per bushel, the remaining one-half to be paid in lawful money, equivalent to
the price of grain above mentioned."
If the foregoing measures mean anything, it is that the early settlers of Tin-
mouth were determined to have the gospel preached among them, and that
they were imbued with a spirit of religion and morality. This town has fur-
nished many eminent men ; and no one can say that this spirit of veneration
for religion and the teachings that followed it did not contribute largely to the
production of those men.
Upon other matters we find the following votes: —
April 6, 1779. "Voted, That this town do accept the report of the com-
mittee sent to Poultney to assist in building the fort at Castleton.
"Voted, That we will raise the men, that is, 30, in order to build the above
fort.
" Voted, That Captain John Spaftbrd shall choose the men, with Gideon
Warren and Major Royce to assist as a committee to choose the men."
The patriotic spirit of the Revolution was evidently not wanting in Tin-
mouth. The following names indicate those who took active part in the Rev-
olutionary struggle from this town, though it is probable there were others;
Nathaniel Chipman, Neri Cramton, Phillips, Major Stephen Royce,
Samuel Noble, Elisha Clark, John Train, Benjamin Chandler.
Tinmouth was chosen as the shire town when the county was organized in
1 78 I, and the courts and public business were conducted here until 1784, the
courts being held in Solomon Bingham's inn, one room serving as a bar-room
and court-room and the other as the family living-room. When the jury retired
822 History of Rutland County.
to consult upon a verdict, it is said they repaired to a log barn eight or ten rods
away from the log tavern. The county jail, also constructed of logs and, as
tradition has it, with a blanket hung up for a door, was situated about a mile
from the court-room. There was then no way of going to court except on
horseback or on foot. There were a few sleds in the town, which served very
well when there was snow ; but there were no wheel vehicles except rough ox-
carts or heavy lumber wagons.
Early Settlements. — We have named the men who were elected to town
offices at the first meeting ; they were the first comers to the town. About the
time of the organization of the town Ebenezer Allen and Stephen Royce
came in. They were appointed delegates from Tinmouth to the first conven-
tion that was assembled to declare the New Hampshire grants an independent
state. They met at Cephas Kent's in Dorset in July, 1774. Ebenezer Allen
and Charles Brewster (the first town clerk) were delegates to the convention
that assembled at Windsor in July, 1777, and adopted the constitution of Ver-
mont. Before this time, or within a year or two after, Elihu Clark, Jonathan
Bell, Thomas Porter, Obadiah Noble, Samuel Mattocks and Ebenezer Martin
moved into the town. Charles Brewster was the first representative of the
town in the Legislature and was also appointed a judge of the court which was
created for the Rutland shire of Bennington county, before Rutland county was
organized.
Solomon Bingham was a blacksmith and lived on the place now occupied
by Samantha Eddy. He did not work much at his trade in this town. He
had a large family and his oldest son, Solomon, was educated at Dartmouth,
studied law and practiced several years in Tinmouth ; he removed to Franklin
county. The elder So'omon was the second representative of the town.
Colonel John Spafford was one of the first settlers and located at the south
end of the "Tinmouth flats." He was a man of prominence, the third repre-
sentative of the town and prosperous in business. Heman Spafford, of Clar-
endon, is a son of Colonel John.
John McNeal (whose name is " McNaile " in the records) was one of the
most active and energetic of the early settlers. He lived where Linus Valen-
tine's brick house stands, and kept the first inn in town. When the Revolu-
tionary War broke out, he espoused the wrong cause and his property was con-
fiscated. The sale of his farm, he being free from debt, put more mone\- into
the Vermont treasury than an)' other similar sale.
John Train came in with the early settlers, bringing with him his son Orange.
He died in 1777. Orange Train was the first constable of the town and rep-
resented it in the Legislature nine years. Dexter Gilbert, one of the oldest
men now living in the town, is a grandson of Orange Train.
Benjamin Chandler, one of the first immigrants to the town, had a numer-
ous family, and was killed at the battle of Bennington. His son, also named
Benjamin, was a physician and li\ed and died at St. Albans.
Town of Tinmouth. 823
Samuel Chipman was another of the very early blacksmiths of the town.
He had six sons, Nathaniel, Lemuel, Darius, Cyrus, Samuel and Daniel. Sev-
eral of these sons became eminent in the State, particularly the oldest, for a
sketch of whose career the reader is referred to the foregoing chapter on the
legal profession of the county. Lemuel Chipman studied medicine, as did also
his brother Cyrus ; the former practiced for a time in Pawlet ; represented that
town in the Legislature and was six years a judge of the county court ; he re-
moved to the western part of the State with his brother Cyrus, and there be-
came distinguished in politics. Darius Chipman was a lawj'er and after occu-
pying for several years the farm in Tinmouth which he had bought of Na-
thaniel, removed to Rutland and was for fourteen years State's attorney. The
three younger sons of Samuel Chipman left the town when they were licensed
to practice their profession. ^
The old farm which was occupied by Nathaniel Chipman is now in posses-
sion of Bartlett Stafford. When Mr. Chipman took possession of his father's
farm in 1781, he built a forge for the manufacture of bar iron; for .several
years he divided his attention between his profession (having been admitted to
the bar in 1779), the farm and the forge. He finally sold all his real estate to
his brother Darius, removed to Rutland and entered upon his long and emi-
nent public career, as elsewhere detailed.
Cephas Smith was an early settler and an industrious farmer. He removed
to Hanover that he might educate his sons, Cephas and Cyrus, in Dartmouth ;
1 A monument was erected to Nathaniel Chipman which was dedicated October 3, 1873. It stands
on an eminence about one-half mile east of the hamlet in Tinmouth ; it is twenty-two feet high, the
base being white and the shaft clouded marble from the Sutherland Falls quarries ; it bears the follow-
ing inscription : —
" Slate of Vermont,
Natii.iniel Chipman,
Born in Salisbury, Conn.,
November 15, 1752.
Died in Tinmouth, Vt.,
February 15, 1843.
A principal founder of the civil institutions of
this State, and framer of its fundamental laws.
Eminent as a Lawyer, Judge, Legislator and
Statesman, for his ability, learning and fidelitj
and as a citizen for his purity of life.
Graduated at Yale College, 1777.
An officer in the War of the Revolution.
Came to Tinmouth, .\pril 10, 1779.
A member of the Rutland County Bar.
Chief Justice of Vermont for five years.
U. S. District Judge two years.
U. S. Senator si.\ years.
One of the commissioners who negotiated
the admission of Vermont into the
Union, 1791."
824 History of Rutland County.
they studied for tlie law, Cephas locating in Rutland and Cj'rus in Vergennes.
When the education of his sons was finished, the elder Cephas removed back
to his log house in Tinmouth.
Bethuel Chittenden, an Episcopal clergyman and brother of the first gov-
ernor of Vermont, preached in the town for many years. He cleared a farm,
and in company with Major Royce built the first saw- mill in the town. He
removed to Chittenden county in 1790.
There were four brothers named Cramton who settled early in this town,
of whom Neri was, perhaps, the most conspicuous. He was one of Ethan Al-
len's men at the capture of Ticonderoga. He was subsequently captured by
Burgoyne's men with a scouting party. He could not escape except by accept-
ing protection under Burgoyne. He returned home, and the day before the
battle at Bennington had proceeded on his way with his family as far as Arling-
ton, on their wa}' to Litchfield. Becoming convinced there was to be a battle,
he left his family and went to Bennington to take part in the engagement.
He was told that if he should be captured he would be hung. He replied that
he would never be taken again alive, and he fought bravely in the battle with
his heroic compatriots. He lived about one and one-half miles north of the
center of the town, and has descendants now living here.
Stephen Rice was one of the earliest and most successful farmers in the
community. One of his grandsons, Levi Rice, now lives in the town.
Elisha Clark, who has been named as one of the Revolutionary soldiers
from this town, was a man of unusual mental and physical vigor. At the close
of the war he returned to Tinmouth. In 1786 he was appointed probate judge
for the Rutland district and held the ofifice nineteen years in succession. He
had a numerous and respected family. Dr. Philetus Clark was a son and spent
most of his life in Tinmouth, becoming eminent in his profession. He has pos-
terity in Tinmouth and elsewhere, some of whom have also become conspicu-
ous. He lived to be about ninety- five }'ears of age.
Obadiah Noble, mentioned among the early settlers, was a graduate of
New Jersey College, and a Congregational minister in New Hampshire before
he came to Tinmouth. When Rutland county was organized he was appoint-
ed clerk of the court, which office he held ten years. He was the first justice
of the peace of Tinmouth after the county organization and held the office
nineteen years. Himself and his wife both reached the age of ninety )'ears.
One of his sons was Hon. Obadiah Noble, who died in 1864 at the age of
eighty-seven. He was justice of the peace in this town thirty-eight years ;
register of probate in 1799; judge of probate from 1814 to 1828; assistant
judge of the county court from 1839 to 1842 inclusive; represented the town
six years, and was senator in 1838-39. He was a man of eminent good sense
and practical judgment and of spotless character.
Samuel Mattocks came to the town earlv from VVestford, Conn. He was
Town of Tinmoutii. 825
a captain in the Revolutionary army, but resigned when he came to Tinmouth.
He represented the town in the Legislature four years from about 1780; was
two years a councilor and seven years a Rutland county judge. In 1787 he
was appointed treasurer of the State, continuing in that office thirteen years.
His youngest son was made governor of the State.
Ebenezer Marvin, the pioneer, was a physician and represented the town
five >'ears ; he was judge of the Rutland county court six years; was chief
judge when he removed into Chittenden county, becoming chief judge there,
and later in Franklin county he held the same office.
Thomas Porter (called Captain Porter when he first came to Tinmouth)
represented the town three years about the beginning of the century and was
a member of the council eleven years; judge of the count\- two years and
judge of the Supreme Court three years. He was an eminent and successful
man, and lived to the age of ninetj'-nine years. Dr. Porter, who so long pre-
sided over the theological institution at Andover, was his son.
Major Stephen Royce, whose name has been mentioned among the earliest
settlers, was a prominent man in the community; had a large family, some of
whom became conspicuous in the State.
John Irish and his tragic fate merit some attention from the historian. He
and his brother William lived in the north part of the town on adjoining farms,
and built their houses but a little distance apart and near the road which ran
parallel to the line fence between their farms. When the news of the surren-
der of Ticonderoga reached Tinmouth on the 1st of July, 1777, a great part of
the inhabitants started southward into Arlington, Shaftsbury and Bennington.
Those who did remain on their farms sought protection, as a rule, from Bur-
goyne. Among these were the two brothers Irish. A little later the council
of safety sent a scouting party consisting of Captain Ebenezer Allen, Lieuten-
ant Isaac Clark, and John Train and Phineas Clough, private soldiers, into Tin-
mouth to learn what was going on among the " Protectioners " and to recon-
noitre a Tory camp in East Clarendon. These men were personal acquaint-
ances of the Irish brothers. When the party arrived in the west part of
Tinmouth they were informed that it was suspected the two brothers were
about joining the Tories and that the shortest route to the Clarendon camp
would pass their dwellings. They accordingly took that road. As they
approached Irish's clearing, Allen directed Clough to give his gun to Train, go
on and ask William Irish the nearest road to the Tory camp, at the same time
telling him that he (Clough) had decided to go and join the Tories. When
Clough arrived at the house he found both brothers and made the statement
according to his orders. Clough was told that he must consider himself a pris-
oner; that they would sec about his joining the Tories. William then directed
John to take Clough home with him, and he would soon follow and help take
care of him. John had an Indian tomahawk in his hand and told Clough to
826 History of Rutland County.
walk along with him ; they walked on toward John's house, he with the up-
lifted tomahawk in his hand. When Allen saw this from his place of conceal-
ment, he said to Train: "We must get as near as we can to John's house with-
out being discovered." He and Train started by one path and Clark crawled
along behind the brush fence, the three meeting near the house undiscovered.
Here Allen gave directions that under no circumstances was either of them to
fire until he did. He then stationed himself about two rods north of the path;
Clark about the same distance south of it, and Train fifteen or twenty rods far-
ther east, all being hidden behind trees. They had not waited long before
Clough stepped from the door and, after looking about, started for the woods.
He had got partly over the fence when Irish came out, partly dressed, with a
gun in one hand and powder-horn in the other. He called out to Clough to
stop or he would shoot him. While in the act of raising his gun, apparently
to carry out the threat, Allen shot him through his left hand, knocking his gun
from him. Irish then turned around so as to face Clark, who shot him through
the heart. The party, after killing Irish, went on to Clarendon, and after
reconnoitering the Tory camp, returned to Arlington.
It is, perhaps, proper to state that different versions of this affair have been
given, one of which is to the effect that Allen went to the dwelling-place of
Irish for the express purpose of killing him ; but the details as given above
come down to us upon the authority of Judge Obadiah Noble, and probably
should be given credence.
With the mention of a few other settlers in this town, at little later dates,
we will conclude this feature of the history. Samuel L. Valentine came in
1 8 14 and located in the south part, on the place now owned by two of his
daughters, Rebecca and Hannah Valentine. He died there in 1856.
John Woods came in from Rhode Island in 1805 and settled in the south
part of the town, where his son, John C, still lives. George Capron settled in
the town in 1798, near the center, and died there in 1861. He was town clerk
about forty years. John Cobb came to Tinmouth in 18 14 and located where
LiiTus Valentine lives; he built that house in 18 14. His son, Lyman Cobb,
located on the farm where he now lives in 1835. Payne Gilbert came in from
Brookfield, Mass., early in the century and lived and died in the large gam-
brel-roofed building erected by Joseph Newell, about three-fourths of a mile
south of where his son, Dexter Gilbert, now lives. Another son, Leonard,
also spent a long life in the town. Alvin Hoadley came to the town in 1S05
from New Haven, Conn., and settled at the center of the town. He was a
noted blacksmith; honest and industrious, and blunt in his manner. Judge
Nicholson, of Rutland, relates the following: Mr. Hoadley started, in company
with Deacon Nicholson, for New Haven, on business. They stopped the first
night at Pownal, which was a good day's walk. At the hotel they found, as
is sometimes the case, some local bullies, who took it upon themselves to abuse
Town of Tinmouth. 827
another traveler whose appearance indicated that he was poor and unfortunate.
The roughs carried on their impositions until Deacon Nicholson became indig-
nant, and at first offered a gentle remonstrance against such proceedings. But
Hoadley, with characteristic bluntness, exclaimed : " Boys, what in li-ll do you
want with this traveler?" This was a signal for the head bully to answer, in
an overbearing manner: "D — n you, are \-ou goin' to take it up?" Quick as
a flash Hoadley struck him between the eyes, and as the fellow turned a back
somersault, Hoadley said : " No, but you have got to take yourself up ! "
It used to be said that the "word of a Hoadley was good in the dark!" Three
of Alvin's sons live in the county, two in Tinmouth and one in Middletown.
Jared Ives came into this town in 1789 with his father and settled where Or-
son Ives now lives. Archibald Norton settled in the west part of the town
about the year 1800.
The following information concerning a few of the early residents of the
town was furnished us by Judge D. E. Nicholson, of Rutland ; Erastus Barker
came to the town several years before the beginning of the century, and be-
came wealthy and prominent. He occupied for a time the house in which
Dexter Gilbert lives. Fred Barrett and Mrs. E. VV. Gray, of Middletown, are
his grandchildren, and there are others in the county.
Elias Salisbury lived two houses south of Mr. Barker, on the opposite side
of the road ; at an earlier day he lived in the south part of the town where Ira
Phillips lived and died. He was justice of the peace and represented the town.
He and Mr. Barker were political rivals and although at first strong friends,
allowed their feelings to prejudice them. On one occasion Salisbury's cart
broke down at a critical time in his farm labor ; he went over to borrow Mr.
Barker's ; the latter told the messenger, " Say to 'Squire Salisbury to get his
cart of his political friends." A few daj's later Barker's fanning-mill refused to
do its duty and he was forced to ask a loan of Mr. Salisbury's. The answer
sent back was, " Tell 'Squire Barker to fan up his grain in his d d old cart!"
Mr. Salisbury had a large family of sons and daughters. One of the sons,
John, was major in the loth Vermont Regiment and is now an invalid in Wash-
ington, from the effects of his service in tlie field.
Henry Nicholson came from Lanesborough, Mass., about 1780, bringing
with him his boy, Spencer Nicholson, then about three years old, father of
Judge D. E. Nicholson. Spencer Nicholson became a prominent citizen, both of
Tinmouth and Middletown. In Tinmouth he built the liouse on the east street,
on what is known as the Ballard place. He later built a house on " the Hoad-
ley place," on the west road. In Middletown he purchased and lived on the
place now owned by James Richardson. Of his sons, Hon. D. E. Nicholson
has been a prominent lawyer and is now one of the judges of the County
Court. Anson A. Nicholson, his youngest son, was also an eminent attorney
and a writer of some ability. (See history of the bench and bar of the county.)
History of Rutland County.
Perhaps with the names that must appear as we proceed with the history
of the town, we have traced the early inhabitants, and through them their de-
scendants, as far we are justified. The reader cannot but have noticed that
very many men who have occupied stations of prominence in Ufe, were brought
up in Tinmouth.
Pliysicians. — Dr. Ebenezer Marvin was, doubtless, the first practicing phy-
sician in the town ; and Dr. Hamilton was in practice here in early )-ears, but
moved away soon. Dr. Theophilus Clark was an honor to his profession in
the town for many years, and lived to be more than ninety-five }'ears of age ;
he was in practice about seventy years. Other physicians who were born in
Tinmouth were Dr. A. S. Clark, Dr. Ebenezer Porter, Dr. M. O. Porter and
Dr. George M. Noble. There is no resident physician in the town at the pres-
ent time.
Attorneys. — We have already mentioned two or three lawyers who prac-
ticed in Tinmouth. Nathaniel Chipman, David E. Nicholson and his brother,
Anson A., were among them. John Mattocks was one of the first lawyers
born in town. Marcus P. Norton, A. B. Waldo, now of Port Henry, N. Y.,
H. Ballard and Alfred Ballard, and the Hon. Stephen Royce, were natives of
this town. But the peaceable character of the population in this agricultural
district is such that little litigation arises demanding the presence of an attorney.
Anson Nicholson practiced his profession many years in the town of Bran-
don and subsequently removed to Rutland. He was a man of exceptional in-
tellect, a writer of great brilliancy and a man of fine sensibilities ; but his health
was never rugged and he died while still a young man.
Alfred Cowles Ballard was born in Tinmouth in 1834 and graduated from
the University of Vermont in 1859 ; after serving honorably in the war in the
9th Vermont Regiment, he entered the Albany Law School and graduated in
1865. He died in 1S74, at the age of forty years.
Henrv Ballard was born in Tinmouth in 1836; graduated from the Ver-
mont University in 1861 ; served one year in the 5th Vermont Volunteers and
graduated from the Albany Law School in May, 1863. He was admitted to
the Chittenden county bar at Burlington in September, 1864.
Ecclesiastical. — The early measures towards providing the inhabitants with
religious services have been described. The St. Stephen's Church was organ-
ized in this town in 1S37 ■ but there had been Episcopal services for man}' )-ears
previous. Tinmouth was the first place of residence in Vermont of Rev. Beth-
uel Chittenden, and he formed the little parish some years before the beginning
of the century. In 1790 the church was represented in the convention at Ar-
lington by Elisha Hamilton, and in 1793 it was represented at Pawlet by Eb-
enezer Marvin. In 1803 Abraham Gillett and Elisha Andrews were delegates
to the annual convention. Mr. Chittenden served the parish more or less
until his death in 1809. The parish had subsequent occasional services by
Town of Tinmouth. 829
various pastors from Pawlet, Wells and Poultney. Upon the reorganization in
1837 ^Qv. Darwin B. Mason officiated for a year, one half of the time. The
number of communicants was then twelve. In 1838 he was succeeded by Rev.
Luman Foote. Since that year the church has had no regular services and is
now practically abandoned.
The church building has passed into control of a Methodist Episcopal so-
ciety, in which Rev. Mr. Hitchcock is the pastor, being engaged on his second
j-ear. Previous to this there was occasional Congregational preaching in the
church.
The peace and prosperity of the inhabitants of this town was undisturbed
from the time when the echoes of the War of 1813-15 died away, until the
breaking out of the great ci\il war. The forests were during that period cleared
away, the farms brought to a high state of cultivation and all of the material
interests of the people advanced ; but when the call came for volunteers this
town, in common with all the others of the county, was not backward in its
support of the government. The following list gives the names of the volun-
teers from Tinmouth, as nearly as they are known : —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 vol-
unteers of October 17, 1863. — Alfred C. Ballard, George W. Batise, 9th regt.;
Henr_\- Ballard, co. I, 5th regt.; James Burns, co. C, loth regt.; Stephen L.
Buxton, cav.; Elias E. Clark, co I, 5th regt.; Job Corey, Stephen Corey, co.
H, cav.; Dwight W. Eddy, Nathaniel Gillett, co. I, Sth regt; William H. Grace,
CO. C, lOth regt.; Arthur W. Hathaway, co. B, 9th regt.; John G. Housey,
loth regt.; Alonzo Levins, co. H, 6th regt.; Henry Mattocks, co. F, ist s. s.;
Charles McCarty, co. I, 7th regt; Charles T. Minor, co. G, 5th regt.; James
Minor, CO. C, lOth regt; Aden Munson, cav.; Ira A. Nicholson, Nathan B.
Nicholson, CO. B, 5th regt; Rufus Nicholson, co. B, 9th regt.; Charles M.
Noble, Charles Packard, co. C, lOth regt; Edwin Phillips, co. G, 6th regt;
Ephraim Phillips, co. B, 6th regt.; George Phillips, co. I, 7th regt.; John A.
Salisbury, co, C, loth regt.; Moses W. Shippey, co. L, loth regt; Nathan
Spaulding, co. B, 9th regt; Edwin A. Taylor, co. B, 2d regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1862, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Deforest F. Doty, Medad Hubbard,
CO. B, 9th regt.; Stephen M. Packard, co. C, lOth regt.; Martin V. Williams,
Sth regt.
Volunteers for one year. — Edwin Dutcher, Lucius Grover, 9th regt.;
George H. Hall, co. I, 2d regt; Judah D. Hall, co. C, lOth regt; Julius Hart,
CO. C, 9th legt; Charles L. Stimpson, cav.; Frederick B. W'ilkins, co. C, iilli
regt.; Hiram S. Utley, co. C, 9th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Nathaniel Gillett, Alonzo Levins.
Volunteers for nine months. — Orange M. Hart, Henry E. Huntingtlon, Joel
M. Rogers, John C. Thomas, co. B, 14th regt.
830 History of Rutland County.
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — RoUin Cook, Edward Crosby,
Lucius Grover, George A. Jackson, Cephas A. Young. Entered service, Alvin
Stafford.
The following statistics show the population of Tinmouth at the different
dates given, and illustrate the influence upon the community of lack of railroad
communications and other promoters of growth : 1791, 935; 1800, 973; 1810,
1,001; 1820, 1,009; 1830,1,049; 1840,781; 1850, 717; i860, 620; 1870,
589; 1880. 532.
Following are the names of the town officers in 1865 : Henry D. Noble,
moderator ; Isaac D. Tubbs, town clerk ; Clark Norton, Bartlett Stafford and
Cyrus Cramton, selectmen ; Levi Rice, treasurer ; Isaac D. Tubbs, overseer of
the poor ; Elias E. Clark, constable ; Isaac D. Tubbs, Dwight Young and Dex-
ter Hathaway, listers ; John T. Ballard, Cephas Young and John Pickett,
auditors ; Cyrus Cramton, trustee ; Don Stevens, William Riordan and Will-
iam Pickett, fence viewers ; Allen Gillcrease, Cephas Young and Henry D. No-
ble, grand jurors ; Nathan Leonard, inspector of leather ; A. N. Cramton,
Edmond Valentine, and William Grover, pound-keepers ; Levi Rice, town
agent.
Municipal, Manufacturing, Etc. — Tinmouth has no village history of any
especial importance. The hamlet bearing the same name as the town is sit-
uated near the center, but its business interests have never been large. Fol-
lowing the saw-mills of early times — those necessary establishments which
enabled the settlers to build houses and barns — came a few tanneries, asher-
ies and grist-mills ; but many of these have passed away. On the site of
Hoadley's saw and grist-mill, Thomas Rogers had similar mills in the early
part of the century. Hoadley's mills are located about a mile south of the
central part of the town, and are now owned by Evander Hoadley.
A furnace and forge were built in the north part of the town previous to
the year 1800, and were carried on by Major Willard and Abner Perry. Wait
Rathbone operated it later and then William Bond. It was burned many years
ago. Rathbone also built another forge on Tinmouth River near the center of
the town and and took William Vaughan in as a partner. Under the firm name
of Rathbone & Vaughan they did a large business for a number of years, in
the manufacture of stoves, hollow ware, etc. These furnaces were supplied with
ore from the Tinmouth bed, and considerable of the ore was sent out of town
to other manufactories. Packard's saw and grist-mills are situated nearly on
the site of this last named furnace, and do a line of custom work ; they were
formerly run by William and Alpheus Packard, and now by William Packard.
J. P. Maranville had a saw-mill in the northwest part of the town, but it ceased
operation a few years since. Nelson Stinehour has a saw and grist-mill near
the center of the town ; the grist-mill has one run of stones and the saw-mill
a capacity for cutting from 2,000 to 3,000 feet per da}^
Town of Wallingford. 831
The manufacture of cheese has assumed paramount importance in the in-
dustries of this town, and a number of successful factories are and liave been
in operation. The Union Cheese Factory, built nearly ten years ago, is lo-
cated in West Tinmouth and operated by a stock company, comprising Orson
and Enoch Ives, Cephas Young, Clark Norton and others. It is now in suc-
cessful operation.
The Cold Spring Cheese Factory was first built about 1867 ; was burned
and rebuilt in 1873. It is located about one-half mile east of the center of the
town. A stock company was organized in 1873, with a capital of $2,450.
Dexter Gilbert, Levi Rice and Lyman Cobb have been most prominent in the
company. This factory has been very successful and manufactures in the
neighborhood of 100,000 pounds of cheese annual!)-. The directors are Levi
Rice, Bartlett Staftbrd and Samuel Noble.
The Eureka Cheese Factory is in the northeast part of the town and was
built in 1875 by a stock company, and substantially the same company operates
it now, under direction of John Ballard.
The Valentine Cheese Factory was built in 1875 by Linus E. and Edmund
Valentine ; it is not now in operation. The same may be said of H. Clark's
factory, which was built in 1867.
The post-office in Tinmouth was, of course, established in the very early
history of the town. William Bond was one of the early postmasters, since
which there have been numerous changes. Mrs. Tabitha Sawyer, widow of
Noah W. Sawyer, now fills the office and has for a number of years.
Tinmouth is isolated from railroad communication with other points; its
trade and manfacturing interests have suffered on 'his account, as well as its
other material interests. This is all shown in vivid colors in the population
statistics given on another page. The school in W^est Tinmouth, which once
had an average attendance of one hundred and twenty-five scholars, has now
but about an average of thirteen.
CHAPTER XLI.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF W.-VLUNGFORD.
"IT lALLINGFORD is situated in the southeastern part of Rutland county
\\ and bounded on the north by Clarendon and Shrewsbury ; on the east
b\' Mount Holly; on the south by Mount Tabor and Danby, and on the west
by Tinmouth. It contains about 23,000 acres of land. The amount of land
embraced in the original charter was 23,040 acres, but in 1792 3,388 were taken
832 History of Rutland County.
off to help form the town of Mount Holly; and in 1793, in compensation, a
portion of tlie town of Tinniouth was annexed to Wallingford, restoring it to
about the original extent.
The surface of this town presents a diversified and picturesque character ;
the eastern part lies on the Green Mountains, the highest part of which is
here known as "The White Rocks," which has been described in a previous
chapter. Another conspicuous elevation is called " Green Hill," which co\'ers
a large area.
The principal stream is Otter Creek, which flows through the western part
from south to north. Mill River crosses the northeastern corner; and Roaring
Brook runs through the village, near which it empties into Otter Creek. There
are three ponds in the town, the largest of which is in the southeastern part
and called Hiram, or Spectacle, Pond. The others are Little Pond and Fox
Pond, the latter near the village.
The soil of the lower lands, and particularly along the Otter Creek, is rich
and productive and there are man\' valuable farms. The higher lands are not
so well adapted for tillage, but afford excellent grazing.
Wallingford was chartered by New Hampshire November 27, 1761, and a
subsequent charter was obtained from the New York government. The first
proprietors' meeting was held at Wallingford, Conn, (from which place this
town was named), September 12, 1772, with Eliakim Hall as moderator. A
vote was passed at this meeting to laj- out one hundred acres to each proprie-
tor, and they chose Isaac Hall, 2d, to superintend, and Captain Eliakim Hall
and Miles Johnson as a committee to draft the allotments.
The town was organized March 10, 1778, with the following officers:
Abraham Ives, moderator; Abraham Jackson, jr., clerk; Joseph Jackson,
Abraham Ives and Jonah Ives, committee.
Tcnvn Records. — The early records of the public transactions of the pio-
neers, meagre though they were, always bear a deep interest. From those of
Wallingford we make the following extracts : —
At a meeting in March, 1780, it was "Voted to erect a sine post and
stocks." These posts (which were in reality whipping-posts) and stocks were
in existence in early days in most of the towns of the county and were used as
late as during the first decade of the present century.
Under date of November 14, 1782, it was "Voted, That a rate of seven
pence on the list of 1782 be raised to defray town charges and to pay soldiers,
said rate to be paid in grain or hard mone\-." Nathaniel Ives was appointed
the collector of this rate.
February 13, 1783. "Voted, That the men that have paid rates in other
towns for the last summer campaign have their rates abated."
March 3, 1783. "Voted, That the inhabitants of this town shall not fall
in Timber into Otter Creek."
Town of Wallingford. 833
March 10, 1783. "Voted, To build a bridge across Otter Creek and ap-
pointed Abraham Ives, Wilham Crary and Eliakim Richman, committee."
One of the most amtising items it has been our fortune to discover any-
where, and indicating that the inhabitants of WalHngford took very Httle stock
in the new-fangled notion of vaccination is the following: —
October 17, 1785. "Voted, To Not have the small-pox set up By a
nockelation."
At a meeting " Legally warned and held in the meeting-house in Walling-
ford October 3, 1787 —
" I, Abraham Jackson, moderator.
" 2, Conversed on the matter inr egard to the minister's right. Committee
consisting of Abraham Jackson, Eliakim Richmond, hidward Rumpus, Na-
thaniel Ives, David Sperry and Joseph Randall, reported that the right of land
for the first settled minister in town be equally divided in quantity and quality
between the Presbyterian and Baptist Churches." (It is belie\x'd that this is the
only example of such a division in the county.)
March 4, 1788. "Voted, To make the main street through this town four
rods wide."
At a meeting held April 9, 1778, the following officers were chosen : Abra-
ham Jackson, moderator ; Abraham Ives, Abraham Jackson and Joseph Jack-
son, selectmen ; Abraham Jackson, jr., treasurer; Stephen Clark, constable;
Benjamin Bradley, Joseph Jackson, grand jurymen ; Abraham Jackson, tyth-
ingman ; Edward Bumpus and Timothy Nichols, surveyors; Abraham Ives
and Abraham Jackson, jr., listers; Abraham Jackson, jr., brander.
At another meeting held April 20, 1778, it was "Voted, To receive the
inhabitants on the east side of the Connecticut Riv€r into Union with the State
of Vermont a cording to their partition."
Early Settlements. — The first person to occupy land in Wallingford with
the intention of taking up a residence here was George Scott, a squatter. His
rude shanty stood just east of where the road now runs, nearly opposite the
school-house in what has been known as the Gurley Marsh district. He was
very lazy and shiftless, and his cross-eyed wife, Lois, and his daughters, Grace
and Achsah, were worthy of him. He was supported by the town the last
years of his life.
Another early inhabitant was Ephraim Seeley, who, before 1770, erected a
log dwelling near the line of Tinmouth, supposing himself to be in that town.
In 1774 he removed to Danby where he resided until the time of his death.
Abraham Jackson, from Cornwall, Ct., came here with his family in the
summer of 1773. He was the first who possessed legal title to the lands he
occupied. He was an estimable man, accustomed to discharge all liis duties
promptly and faithfully. He had eleven children. His eldest son, Abraham,
was the first town clerk and the first representative, and held many other posi-
834 History of Rutland County.
tions of trust in this town. The youngest son, Wilham, was educated in Dart-
mouth College, was largely instrumental in tlie establishment of Middlebury
College and was pastor of the Congregational Church in Dorset from 1796
until the year of his death, 1842. He was also a tavern-keeper.
John Hopkins came from Salem, N. Y., in the spring of 1770, and made
the first clearing in town. He was then but eighteen years of age, and while
clearing his land he had his bread baked in Danby, and kept himself supplied
with meat with his rifle. In the fall he sowed his land with wheat, which, on
his return from Danby (with his young wife, nee Charity Bromley), had grown
so tall that he could tie the stalks together over his head. He resided on West
Hill until his death at an advanced age. Many of his descendants reside there
still.
Abraham Ives, from Wallingford, Ct., followed closely upon the arrival of
Abraham Jackson. He was a member of the convention which met at Dorset,
July 24, 1776. He was captain of militia, justice of the peace, and was the first
high sheriff of Rutland county, holding the office from 1781 to 1785. He kept
the first store and tavern that were opened in town. Owing, it is said, to an
irregular sale of lands in Mendon, while acting in his capacity of high sheriff,
he was obliged to sell his property and leave the State. His settlement was
on the old Meacham place, on the west side of the street, a few rods below
Mill lane.
Lent Ives in the early part of the Revolution li\'ed in a log house on the
place which the late Rebecca Hull occupied at the time of her death. Ives
afterwards went into the Revolution. He at one time owned land embracing
nearly all of the present village of Wallingford. Ives afterwards kept hotel in
the house which Dr. John E. Hitt formerly occupied, and entertained several
times so distinguished a guest as Ethan Allen. He died June 30, 1838, in his
eightieth year.
Daniel Bradley came here very early and settled in the north part of the
town, on the farm until recently occupied by Olivia Ballou. He afterwards
occupied the place about midway between the two villages, afterwards for years
in the possession of Deacon Moseley Hall. Benjamin Bradley, his brother,
came to Wallingford the same year. He settled on the Thomas Hulett place,
more recently occupied by Hon. D. E. Nicholson and Dr. Crary.
The town was not very thickly settled so late as 1778, if the town records
of December of that year may be believed. The following list of freemen res-
ident in Wallingford is there given : Abraham Jackson, Ephraim Andrews
(Andrus), Joseph Jackson, Timothy Nichols, Williamson Bool, Benjamin Brad-
ley, Daniel Bradley, Stephen Clark, Goodyear Clark, Reuben Ives, Jonah Ives,
Jotham Ives, Amos Ives, John Nichols, George Nichols, Abraham Jackson, jr.
Hon. Joseph Randall moved to Wallingford from Stonington, Ct., in 1779.
He was deacon of the Baptist Church fifty-six years and for more than a third
Town of Wallingford. 835
of that time supplied the place of pastor; he was church clerk fifty-four years,
leader of the singing thirty-six years, justice of the peace fifty years, represent-
ative four years, and judge of probate four years. He was also a member of
the Constitutional Convention of 1773, and an active soldier of the Revolution
and of the War of 18 I 2.
Joseph Jackson, a distant relative of Deacon Abraham Jackson, lived in
very early times on the old Gurley Marsh place in the village. He erected the
first grist-mill in the village on the site of the present fork factory. Abraham
Jackson had previously built one in South Wallingford. The first grist-mill in
town, however, was erected by Crispin Bull, who purchased the water-power
from Isaac Hall. Ephraim Andrus, another early settler, was a man of consid-
erable native ability, but unstable in character. He was of a poetical turn of
mind, and could turn a witty verse to the discomfiture of those who dared rail
at him.
Among other early inhabitants who attained prominence may be mentioned
William Fox, who was born on the 2Sth of June, 1776, in Woodstock, Conn.
He left there when quite young and came to Vermont. He married and set-
tled in Wallingford, probably about the year 1790. He represented the town
in the Legislature fifteen years, and held for a series of }'ears other important
town offices. He was a prominent Mason. He died on the 17th of February,
1822. His son, John Fox, was born in Wallingford, August 24, 1782. Being
of slender frame and delicate health, he concluded to leave his father's farm,
and devote himself to the study and practice of medicine. These studies he
pursued with Dr. Hamilton, of Wallingford, and Dr. Zac. Porter, of Rutland.
After completing the course prescribed he received a license to practice from
the Vermont council of medical censors. Afterwards, in 1829, tlie degree of
M. D. was conferred upon him by Castleton Medical College and in the fol-
lowing year his son, William C. Fox, was graduated from the same institution.
Dr. John Fox continued the practice of medicine in Wallingford for a period of
nearly fifty years. He was much interested in politics and affairs of the town,
which he represented for several years in the State Legislature. He was also
senator from Rutland county for three years. He was held in high esteem by
his medical brethren who often called him for advice and counsel. He died
June 17, 1853. His son, George H. Fox, who was born in Wallingford on
the 22d of March, 1 830, is now in practice in Rutland.
Lyman Batcheller was born in Stratton, V^t., March 30, 1795, and came to
Wallingford in April, 1835. I" 1846 he went into the business of manufac-
turing forks, in company with Isaac G., John C, and Lyman Batcheller, jr.,
and continued in this relation until the time of his death.
Solomon Miller, who was born in 173 i, came to Wallingford and erected
the first framed house in town, which he occupied until he died in 1807. His
son Alexander, who was born in 1776, built a forge and blacksmith's shop on
836 History of Rutland County.
the site of the present stone shop of Batcheller & Sons, on Main street, and
engaged quite extensively in the manufacture of hoes, axes, nails, etc. Sam-
uel Townsend moved from Hancock, Mass., to Wallingford in 1809, and died
in 1859, aged ninety-two and one- half years. Deacon Moseley Hall was born
in Wallingford, Conn., March 15, 1772. His father, Isaac Hall, was one of the
original proprietors. Moseley came to this town in 1792 and located about
half way between what are now the villages of Wallingford and South Walling-
ford. He was a man of decided opinions and of religious mind, with a deter-
mined character. He died in 1861. His son. General Robinson Hall, was
born in November, 1797, and died in March, 1861. He was one of the pro-
jectors of the Western Vermont Railroad. Other early settlers were Asa
Anderson, Luther Holden, who recently died at the age of one hundred and
two years, Stanley Stafford, Goodyear Clark, Zephaniah Hull, Hosea Eddy,
William Kent, Amasa, Ebenezer and Joel Hart, and James H. Congdon.
Some of the Revolutionary soldiers from Wallingford have already been
mentioned. Wallingford contributed generously to the cause of liberty, and
aided well also in the War of 181 2. The record of this town in the past justi-
fies the expectation that in the first wars in the luture she will deal many blows
and hard ones for the righteous cause. Following is a list of the inhabitants
of Wallingford who either in person or vicariously served the Union during
the late Rebellion: —
Volunteers for three years, credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — Charles A. Adams, co. H, cav.; Henry H. Adams,
CO. C, loth regt.; Anderson Allen, 7th regt.; George C. Allen, co. M, iith
regt; Henry C. Allen, co. I, 5th regt.; Leverett Allen, co. A, 7th regt.; Noel
Allen, CO. B, 7th regt; Otis J. Allen, co. E, 5th regt; Otis J. Allen, co. B, 9th
regt; Rudolphus Allen, co. H, 2d regt.; George P. Barber, Samuel P. Barber,
5th regt.; Carlos A. Barrows, co. H, cav.; Eliot Bourn, William Bourn, co. A,
4th regt.; David Bryant, George D. Bryant, cav.; William F. Bryant, co. E,
5th regt.; Albert A. Carpenter, James T. Carpenter, co. B, 7th regt.; Joseph
M. Carpenter, cav.; Eugene W. Clark, co. E, 5th regt.; Jacob L. Cook, 4th
regt.; Summervill Crother, co. I, Sth regt.; Daniel L. Culver, Harry Culver,
2d s. s.; Eliphalet Culver, co. B, 9th regt.; George W. Cummings, William
Cummings, co. F, 6th regt.; George A. Dawson, co. C, nth regt.; John M.
Dorett, lOth regt.; Larkin S. Flarl, co. I, 5th regt.; Charles M. Edgerton, loth
regt; Rufus A. Edgerton, cav.; William P'arr, jr., co. I, 5th regt; Levi E. P'os-
ter, William Foster, 6th regt.; David H. Fuller, Francis A. Fuller, co. D, 7th
regt.; William M. Gibson, co. C, 6th regt.; George M. Gorton, cav.; Edwin
Green, Lewis Gregory, co. C, loth regt; Joel Grover, 9th regt; Joel Grover,
Jeffrey Hart, cav.; Willis Hart, 2d s. s.; John Hawkins, co. B, 7th regt; Ed-
win M. Haines, loth, chaplain ; Mason B. Hebbard, cav.; Daniel G. Hill, loth
re"t., c. s.; Charles L. Hilliard, loth regt.; Elizur Hopkins, co. B, 7th regt;
Town of Wallingford. 837
Lorenzo T. Hoitoii, Abraham Lapard, Joseph Lassard, co. E, 5th regt.; Har-
rison Law. Mathew Maginnis, co. E, 5th regt.; John Maker, co. F, 6th regt.;
Thomas Mann, co. C, loth regt.; John G. Palmer, co. F, 6th regt; Alfred H.
Patch, CO. A, 3d regt. ; Benjamin A. Patch, 4th regt. ; Daniel P. Patch, cav. ;
Daniel B. Peisue, co. D, 7th regt; Henry G. Post, co. C, loth regt.; Henry W.
Pratt, cav.; Jonathan Remington, 5th regt; Charles W. H. Sabin, c. v. q. m. s.;
William H. H. Sabin, loth regt.; Dexter C. Shepard, co. D, 7th regt.; Thomas
E. Smith, CO. E, 5th regt; Harvey C. Stewart, co. H, 2d regt; William E.
Stewart, 2d s. s.; George R. Streeter, lOth regt.; Lewis Taft, 7th regt.; Ezra
W. Titus, Harvey Titus, cav.; William Townsend, Adin G. Wellman, co. C,
lOth regt; Austin B. Wellman, cav.; Oscar E. Wells, co. C, iith regt.; Hor-
ace H. Wheeler, co. A, 4th regt.; IVLison L. White, Daniel Wilder, 9th regt.;
Joseph H.Winn, loth regt.; Julius D. Wylie, co. I, 5th regt.; P~,dward Yarton,
CO. C, loth regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1S63, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Amos L. Bontell, co. F, 4th regt.;
Alvin J. Cook, 3d bat; Francis M. Farwell, nth regt; Levi E. Foster, Willis
Hart 3d bat; Joseph Hastings, iith regt; Ezekiel Hill, co. E, 5th regt.; An-
thony Kent, nth regt.; William H. Keyes, 2d bat.; Robert Niel, co. C, nth
regt.; Walter Southworth, 3d bat.; Sylvester Strong, co. C, nth regt.; Ezra
W. Titus, CO. A, 7th regt; William W. White, Horace J. Wilder, nth regt.
Volunteers for one year. — Henry J. Earle, cav.; Alfred L. Hazelton, nth
regt.; Israel W. Lewis, Robert J. Overing, 9th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Leverett Allen, Noel Allen, Albert A. Carpenter,
James T. Carpenter, William V. Chase, Eugene W. Clark, Charles B. Crowley,
Harr\' Cuh'er, Francis A. Fuller, John F. Martin, Benjamin A. Patch, Jonathan
Remington, Lewis Taft.
Veteran Reserve Corps. — Allen S. Dawson, Mathew Maginnis, Thomas E.
Smith.
Not credited by name. — Three men.
Volunteers for nine months. — Loyal Allen, Richard C. Archer, Jerome A.
Brown, David Bryant, Edwin M. Crayery, Allen S. Dawson, Henry Eddy,
William Frost, 14th regt.; Timothy Gleason, co. A, 13th regt.; Jewett P. Haw-
kins, Joseph C. Hawkins, George Ladd, Michael Mackinlear, Patrick Mackin-
lear, William H. Munson, George R. Remington, Lyman A. Rondo, co. B,
14th regt.; William B. Shaw, 12th regt; Patrick H. Smith, Thomas E. Smith,
Isaac O. Titus, Edward B. Wells, 14th regt.
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Rufus D. Bucklin, Seneca
L. Clemens, William C. Croft, Gilbert Hart. Luke A. Hewlett, Watson Kent,
M. V. B. Phillips, Russell G. Sherman, A. H. Stafford, Charles A. Stafford,
George Sweetland, Marshall Thompson, Otis D. Wilder.
Procured substitutes. — William Davenport, Samuel E. Rodgers.
838 History of Rutland County.
Scarcely any town in the county has suffered so frequent and considerable
changes in population since the first census of 1791 as Wallingford, as the fol-
lowing figures, giving the year and population will testify: 1791,536; 1800,
912; 1810, 1,386; 1820, 1,570; 1830, 1,740; 1840, 1,608; 1850, 1,688;
1860,1,747; 1870,2,023; 1880,1,865.
The present officers of the town elected in March, 1885, are as follows : Town
clerk, Norman Townsend ; treasurer, Edwin Martindale ; selectmen, Joseph
Doty, Harvey C. Stewart, Joseph E. Edgerton ; listers, Stephen M. Sherman,
John R. Priest, Harvey D. Congdon ; overseer of the poor, John Priest ; first
constable, Harvey D. Congdon ; auditors, William H. Congdon, Stephen M.
Sherman, Charles H. Congdon ; trustee of public moneys. Dyer Townsend ;
fence viewers, Elias Stewart, John M. Aldrich, Boardman Stafford ; town grand
jurors, F. O. Stafford, C. L. Higgins, E. A. Fuller; inspector of leather, Henry
Johnson ; inspector of wood, lumber and shingles, Andrew J. Bartholomew ;
town agent and superintendent of schools, Charles H. Congdon.
Ecclesiastical. — The first Baptist Church of Wallingford was organized at
Wallingford village by Elisha Rich on the loth of February, 1780. The first
meeting was held at the house of Titus Andrews. The original membership
numbered only twenty-two persons, inhabitants of both Wallingford and Clar-
endon. Ebenezer Murray was at this meeting elected deacon, and in the fol-
lowing April Joseph Randall was chosen his associate, and remained deacon
until the time of his death in 1836. Rev. Elisha Rich was the first pastor, and
Rev. Henry Green, who came in 1787, was the second.
This body and the Congregational Church united and erected a house of
worship, which was not ready for occupancy until the summer of 1800. Elder
Green was dismissed in 1807, at his own request, and the church was without
a pastor for ten years. During the pastorate of Rev. Gibbon Williams, in
1S27, the present edifice was erected at an expense of $870. It was enlarged
and repaired in 1846, and again in 1869. The present pastor, Rev. S. Henry
Archibold, came here in April, 1876. The church now has a membership of
about eighty, of whom sixty are resident members. The average attendance
at Sabbath-school is about fifty, the pastor being the superintendent. The
church property is valued at about $4,000. The present officers of the church
are as follows : Committee, C. M. Townsend, F. L. Crary, D. R. Marsh ; trust-
ees, H. D. Congdon, C. M. Townsend, F. W. Johnson ; collector, A. R. Marsh.
The hundredth anniversary of the organization of this church was celebrated
on February 10, 1880.
Congregational Church. — .Although the original records of this church are
lost, the date of its organization has been fixed upon as the year 1792. The
first members and the earliest preachers are unknown. Deacon Mosely Hall
united with it in 1798. The first regular pastor. Rev. Benjamin Osborn, was
installed November 10, I 802, and remained si.xteen years. This church occu-
Town of Wallingford. 839
pied the union house of worship, before mentioned, from 1 800 to 1828, when
the present edifice was erected at a cost of $2,560. The present pastor, Rev.
S. Frankhn French, succeeded Rev. Charles N. Brainard on the first of July,
1883. The present church officers are: Deacons, Samuel E. Rogers, Willis
Benson ; clerk and treasurer, Willis Benson ; society officers, committee, John
Miller, Samuel E. Rogers, A. Jay Newton ; treasurer, William C. Mason ;
Sabbath-school superintendent, A. Jay Fenton ; assistant, John R. Adair ;
secretary and treasurer, H. R. Strong. The Sabbath-school was organized
about the year 1825. Before that each school district had some kind of sep-
arate Sabbath-school, and all these were finally transferred to the respective
churches. The present membership is about one hundred and eighty-three ;
while the average attendance at Sabbath-school is about ninety.
The Union Church edifice at South Wallingford was built by subscription
in 1840, the land being donated by Holden Stafford. The first pastor, and the
only one ever really settled here, was a Universalist clergyman by the name of
Rev. Dennis Chapin. He remained a number of years. Since his departure
the Wallingford village churches have supplied preaching. There are from
twenty to thirty regular attendents at services now. There is no Sabbath-
school. This part of the town is rich in religious feeling.
The East Wallingford Baptist Church was organized on the 3d day of
March, 1861, by Rev. Joseph Freeman, with a membership of twenty-nine.
The house of worship was erected in i860 at a cost of about $2,000, which is
the estimated value of the church property at the present time. The present
pastor, Rev. W. G. Patterson, came here May i, 1884. The present church
deacon is A. H. Jackson, and the Sabbath-school superintendent is Mrs. W. G.
Patterson.
St. Patrick's Church (Roman Catholic), at Wallingford, was organized by
Rev. C. Boylan in 1865. At its organization its membership was three hun-
dred which has since more than doubled. The house of worship was erected
in 1866 at a cost of $8,000. Rev. T. J. Gaffney, of Dorset, is the pastor.
Municipal History. — Wallingford is the oldest village in the town, although
more or less business has been carried on at South Wallingford since the
earliest settlement of the town.
The oldest man in town, Dyer Townsend, lives but a short distance south
of the village, and notwithstanding his great age has a clear and active memory
with reference to the early condition of the village and vicinity. He was born
in Hancock, Mass., on the 23d of November, 1789. In 1796 he came from
Ballston, N. Y., to Clarendon, and in 1807 removed to the farm in Walling-
ford now occupied by Eliakim B. Townsend, and in I 8 14 came on to the farm
he now owns and works. In the spring of 18 14 he married Lucinda, sister to
Judge Harvey Button. He has ne\'er been sick a da\' in his life. He has a
distinct recollection of Lent Ives and of Joseph Randall, whose school he at-
840 History of Rutland County.
tended when a boy. Joseph Randall, the present blacksmith in the village, is
grandson to the above named. Mr. Townsend also remembers Philip White,
who lived on West Hill, where Eli M. Ward now lives. In 18 13 John Reed
was operating the grist-mill in South Wallingford. Mr. Townsend was clerk
in a store at that village as early as that for Moseley Hall and Ebenezer
Towner.
Before the year 1 8 14 Ebenezer Towner had made potash in an ashery on
the farm now owned by Dyer Townsend. There were numbers of distilleries
in Wallingford village in these early days. Joel Hill and Dr. Fox used to make
rye whisky. Moseley Hall kept tavern about a mile north of South Walling-
ford, on the farm now occupied by Lewis Stafford. Jonathan Thompson kept
one also about two miles east of the north village on land now occupied by
Samuel Rogers. Martin Cavanaugh ran a store in the village, not far from the
present hotel. Eliakim Johnson kept store and tavern there as early as 18 14.
Edmund Douglass had a tannery on the farm now owned by Dyer Townsend
which he afterwards sold to Simeon Leonard. Mr. Townsend continued it
fifteen or twenty years after he purchased his farni. George Vaughn also op-
erated for some time a tannery which stood on the bank of the brook on Main
street in the village, on land now embraced in Judge Ainsworth's yard. He
subsequently started a tannery on the site of Johnson's grist-mill, which he
finally sold to Elliot Bradford. Bradford continued it until about 1873 or '74,
and failed.
Further information was obtained from Mr. and Mrs. Howard Harris. The
former was born in Brattleboro, Vt., August 15, 1799. He came to Walling-
ford village in 1824, and began to keep a general store on the site of his present
residence. He married Pamela Rustin, his present wife, October 16, 1826.1 She
was born in Wallingford on the 24th of February, 1 8 10. Her father, James
Rustin, was a hatter, and lived on the corner (now a burnt district) opposite the
Hulett store. He owned the land now intersected by Depot street as a garden.
His shop stood just north of his house, at the present junction of Depot and
Main streets, and is the same building now used by Sherman Pratt in the man-
ufacture of coffins and caskets. When Mr. Harris came here in 1824, he had
to compete with other merchants here. Eliakim Johnson and William Marsh,
under the firm name Johnson & Marsh, had a general store at the south end
of the village, on the east side of Main street on the corner next to the Con-
gregational Church, in a corner of a tavern kept by William Marsh. Button
& Townsend had a store also on the corner just south of Norman Townsend's
present residence.
William Hall and Abiel Child practiced law in this village, the office of the
latter being on the site of E. Martindale's residence. Dr. John F"ox practiced
medicine then in the same building.
1 Their daughter, Pamela Harris, became the wife of Dr. George H. Fox, of Rutland.
f^
IB-HaU-s Sjr.s.Ny-
iu^nA:^
U^^-a^J 'i^j-pi-tyii^t^<-^'i
Town ok Wallingford. 841
At this time " Potash Seminary " was in existence, being a select-school
which derived its name from the fact that the building, which stood about on
the site of Sabin's tin-shop, had formerly been used in the manufacture of pot-
ash ; Johnson & Marsh being at one time manufacturers. The distillery of Dr.
Fox stood on ground now covered by the house of Mrs. Wood. At a much
earlier day James Sabin ran a distillery, which was owned by William Fc)X>
near the site of Arnold Hill's present residence. It was burned about 1816.
The school, in 18 15, was held in the Congregational Chapel, which was
erected as a school-house by Lent Ives and James Rustin, and used as such for
years, until after the new school- house was built, about 1865, and then sold to
the Congregational Society.
As late as 1820 there was scarcly a large enough collection of dwellings at
Wallingford to excuse its being called village. There were only fifteen or twenty
houses scattered along on either side of Main street. The road between here
and South Wallingford was so rough and rudimentary in construction that
nearly all travel was necessarily on horseback.
When Mr. Harris began to trade here in 1824, Button & Townsend and
Johnson & Marsh formed a union and erected a building on the site ot the
block now occupied by Messrs. Crapo & Townsend, intending to drive the new
merchant from the field. Daniel Roberts called them " the holy alliance."
Mr. Harris remained in business, however, until his store was destrov'ed by fire
in 185 I.
Wallingford has ever been aspiring in educational matters. In 1814a com-
pany was incorporated under the name of the Wallingford Academy, and con-
sisted of William and John Fox, Moseley Hall, Alexander Miller, Joseph Ran-
dall, Nathaniel Ives, Samuel Townsend, Lent Ives and Ebenezcr Towner. Un-
fortunately, nothing came of it. The Wallingford graded school was estab-
lished on the first of September, 1871. The present principal (there being
three departments), H. L. Allen, came in the spring of 1885. There is an
average attendance at the school of about one hundred and twenty.
Postmasters. — It is not known when the post-office was established here
nor who received the first appointment. Lent Ives was postmaster for a long
time prior to 1815. John Ives, Seth Leonard, Rufus Bucklin, Lewis Bucklin,
Mrs. Lewis Bucklin (1861), William Ballou, M. C. Rogers, C. M. Townsend,
and W. D. Hulett have successively been appointed, the last named being es-
tablished in office in August, 1885.
Mercantile Interests. — The oldest mercantile business still carried on in
Wallingford village is the grocery of Norman Townsend, which is a direct de-
scendant of the old establishment already mentioned of Button & Townsend.
This partnership was created in 1 8 19 between Charles Button and Samuel
Townsend, and lasted until 1833. From that time until 1866 Samuel Town-
send carried on the business. At that time his son, the present proprietor,
842 History of Rutland County.
became his successor, and has continued it almost without interruption to the
present time.
E. O. Eddy, M. D., lias had a jewelry store here since i860. He prac-
ticed dentistry from 1855 to 1884; practiced medicine in the south part of the
town after his admission in about 1844, and relinquished it only from loss of
health. He has been photographer since about i860. E. D. Sabin opened
his tin-shop in the spring of i860. During one year after 1866 his brother,
C. V. H. Sabin, was his partner.
Sherman Pratt has dealt in coffins and caskets in Wallingford since 1S60,
and has also been engaged in the manufacture of them on demand. G. H.
Edgerton established his present trade in drugs and medicines in the same
building which he now occupies, in 1865. C. A. Claghorn bought out the dry
goods and grocery business of John Hodgson in 1868, and has continued the
trade to the present. William D. Hulett entered into partnership with B. E.
Crapo in 1872 and with him for five years carried on a general mercantile bus-
iness. Since then he has remained sole proprietor of the establishment.
George W. Tower, formerly a house builder, opened his grocery and feed
store in October, 1877. C. M. Townsend, dealer in drugs and general mer-
chandise, succeeded Crapo, Batcheller & Co. in 1882.
B. E. Crapo, dealer in dry goods, boots and shoes, was clerk for E. Martin-
dale from 1867 to 1 87 1. In 1872 he entered into the partnership before men-
tioned with W. D. Hulett. In 1878 Mr. Crapo went to Texas and on his re-
turn entered into the firm of Crapo, Batcheller & Co. Since 1882 he has
conducted the business alone. H. Ensign opened a grocery here in May,
1885.
Hotel. — The onh- hotel in the village of Wallingford was erected about the
year 1824, completed in 1826, by John Ives, who designed it as a tavern. But
it was soon converted to other uses. Sabin & Johnson had a store in the south
end; Mary Atwood kept milliner}' in one room; John B. Warner occupied
another part as a cabinet-shop ; Judge Button had two rooms in the north end
for his office. In 1835 Chester Spencer opened it as the "first temperance
hotel in the world " and remained two or three years. Almeron Hyde kept it
a while and owned it. Since then Arnold Hill, J. H. Earle, Elmer C. Barrows,
L. J. Vance and others have owned and kept it successively. In 1877 W. D.
Hulett became half owner with B. E. Crapo, and in 1877 he purchased the en-
tire property. E. H. Shaw and A. J. Gardiner kept the house from about
1879 to September, 1885, when the present landlord, J. K. Ford, came into
possession. He has put in a new livery and improved in many ways upon the
indifferent hospitality of his predecessors.
Manufacturing Interests. — The most important manufacturing concern in
Wallingford is the fork manufactory of the Batcheller & Sons Company. In
1834 Lyman Batcheller commenced manufacturing forks in Arlington, Vt.,
Town of Wallingford. 843
and in 1835 established the business in Wallingford. In 1846 he took his
sons I. G., J. C. and Lyman, jr., into partnership, and began to employ men
and work under the firm name of L. Batchelier & Sons. On the 3d day of
August, 1848, the works which stood on the same foundation now covered by
the stone building on the east side of Main street below the Congregational
Church, were destroyed by fire. They rebuilt the factory at once, which still
stands and is used as the polishing shop. A new company was formed under
the style of Batchelier & Sons. Subsequently, however, they removed their
factory and offices across the railroad to their present location. In the summer
of 1885 a new (stock) company was formed, and the name was changed to its
present form. This company manufactures one of the best forks in the world,
and finds a market for its products in every country which has need of such
an article.
The grist-mill of F. W. Johnson was started by its present owner and ope-
rator in November, 1876. The mill has a capacity for about 150 bushels of
grain per day. Mr. Johnson also sells flour, feed, grain, phosphates, plaster,
lime, etc.
The Wallingford monumental works were established in the spring of 1877,
by John R. Adair the present operator. He employs three or four men.
The Press. — Although Wallingford has no newspaper at present, several
have been published here at different periods. A paper called the Local Spy
was published from time to time from 1855 to i860, by Philip H. Emerson and
Amasa W. Bishop. Both of these gentlemen were studying law at the time in
the office of Hon. David E. Nicholson. Philip H. Emerson is now the United
States District Judge of Utah, and Mr. Bishop is a leading lawyer, residing at
Oakland, Cal. In 1877 Addison G. Stone established the Wallingford Stand-
ard, which was continued until 1 880, when it was merged in the Rutland
Times. The printing was done at Bennington and Brandon.
Attorneys. — Among the lawyers who have practiced in Wallingford in the
past may be mentioned Jonathan Houghton, Abiel Childs, A. L. Miner, F"red-
erick Hall and Hon. David E. Nicholson, now of Rutland. The oldest attor-
ney remaining in practice here is Judge Harvey Button, who was born in Clar-
endon on the 17th of January, 1 800. He has been continuously in practice
here since June I, 1826. In February, 1832, he married Irene IMiller, who
died in April, 1844; in October, 1848, he married Sarah Miller, cousin to his
first wife. Judge Button, whose career is no less honorable than long, still re-
tains the faculties which brought him into prominence.
J. W. Ainsworth was born in Athol, Mass., April 27, 1808. He began to
practice in the east part of the town about 1 845, and came to this village
about 185S.
Charles H. Congdon, who has his office with Judge Button, was born in
Wallingford on the 6th of October, 1 820. From 1 83 1 to 1881 he lived in
Danbv.
844 History of Rutland County.
Physicians. — The following physicians have practiced in Wallingford, but
are now deceased : Drs. Samuel L. McClure, John Fox, Augustus Mulford,
Nathaniel Ives, Samuel Griswold, Herman Shaw. Dr. David Holden studied
in the office of Dr. Fox, and married his preceptor's sister, Mary Fox. He
practiced here before 1820. Dr. Joseph Randall, who was in practice here at
about the same time, also studied with Dr. Fox. Dr. Silas Hamilton is said to
have been in practice here earlier even than Dr. Fo.x, and to have relinquished
his practice as early as 1813.
The present practice here is divided between Drs. W. E. Stewart and J.
Avery. The former was born in Castleton, December 3, 1843 ! received his
medical education at the medical department of the University of Vermont at
Burlington, from which he was graduated June 20, 1867. He first practiced
about six months in the east part of this town, and from 1868 to 1880, was in
Dorset. In June, 1880, he came to this village.
Dr. Avery was born in Brandon on the 14th of July, 1S45; was gradu-
ated from Long Island College Hospital in the class of 1876, and practiced
until July, 1880, in Starksboro, Vt., when he began to practice in Wallingford.
He is a member of the Rutland County and also of the Vermont State Medical
Societies.
South Wallingford. — The information concerning the earlier days of this
village was obtained largely from Mrs. Oscar Eddy, whose maiden name was
Mercy Stafford. Her father was John Stafford, the youngest of four brothers,
Palmer, Holden, Ormond and himself. Her great-grandfather, Thomas Staf-
ford, with his brother John, were sons of Lord Stafford of Staffordshire, Eng-
land, and emigrated to this country in a vessel of their own. Her grandfather,
Stutely Stafford, married Rebecca, widow of John Irish, of Tinmouth.
John Stafford, Mrs. Eddy's father, was born September 4, 1798, in South
Wallingford, in a building a few rods northeast from the site of the present
railroad station. He li\'ed and died within a mile of his birth-place. He died
August 13, 1846. His wife, Rebecca A. Wood, was a native of Watertown,
Mass. The}' had seven children, of whom Mrs. Eddy and Lewis Stafford are
alone left in Wallingford.
Mrs. Eddy's memory is distinct as far back as 1830, when the village of
South Wallingford was much smaller than it is now.
John Ormond and Holden Stafford owned and operated then the saw- mill
and grist-mill, which were combined in the same building now constituting W.
W. Kelley's marble-mill. About 1835, or later, Jesse Lapham, John H. Vail
and Aaron R. Vail, all from Danby, bought the Stafford mills, and erected a
forge on the site of an old cotton factory which had burned. This cotton fac-
tory was erected as early as 18 1 5, on the site of Mr. Ely's pulp-mill, by Jonas
Wood. South Wallingford in 1 830 was a stage station between Rutland and
Bennington. There were, consequently, more transient guests here then than
Town of Wallingfokd. 845
since the railroad displaced the stage. Calvin Bunce then kept a store on the
site of Mrs. Eunice Wade's pi'esent residence. When Jesse Lapham came he
built a store four stories in height. The building, which is owned now by W.
\V. Kelle\', is a tenant house across the creek from the depot. George S.
Allen, the only lawyer then here, lived in the house now occupied by Cornelius
Hall. There were no physicians here. North Wallingford monopolizing the med-
ical practice. Joshua Johnson kept a blacksmith shop, which still stands in the
south part of the village. Gideon Corey, who died only five or six years ago,
then had a shoe shop nearly opposite the church. The school building, which
in winter held as much as sixty pupils, stood on the site of the present building,
but was smaller. The present school-house was erected in 1836. Judge Joel
Ainsworth was teacher here about that time. Jarvis Andrus operated a tan-
nery and had run it for years, on the site afterwards covered by the hotel. He
also kept hotel right across from the site of the church and frequently accom-
modated men who used to train here. The tannery went down in 1850. The
hotel was kept after that by different landlords, the last one being Joseph Ed-
gerton, who left about 1875. The building is now occupied by George Smith.
The first marble was quarried here about 1835 or 1840, twenty rods north
of Oscar Eddy's residence, by Orange Carpenter. He was soon followed by
Mr. Hurd, of New York; then came Mr. Lippitt, of New York, for a number
of years. They both had a marble- mill on the dam south from the quarry,
which Oscar Eddy, as the carpenter, built. W. W. Kelley then followed Lip-
pitt, and at first quarried and shipped his product in the rough. He now saws
it here. He has operated the mill for about fifteen years. He also owns a
saw and grist-mill here.
The building formerly used as a pulp-mill was built about 1864 by John
Adair, who intended it for a marble-mill, but did not succeed here. Edward
P. Ely and Julius T. Remington bought it in May, 1880, and established the
Pioneer Pulp-Mill. The partnership was dissolved in June of the same year.
In the fall of 1881 Mr. Ely, who still owns the property, built the saw- mill
portion of the building, and now has both steam and water-power.
The cheese factory of A. R. Ames was started by him in 1873.
Post/nasters. — The present postmaster, E. O. Fuller, was appointed about
1876, and has kept the only store in the village since 1873. His predecessors,
respectively, in the post-ofiice, have been George Smith, Ancil Eddy and John
H. Vail.
East Wallingford. — I. R. Fuller was born in Tro_\-, N. H., August 13,
1820, and came to East Wallingford in March, 1834. There was no village
then, only two dwellings, one a little southwest from Mr. Fuller's present resi-
dence, occupied by John Jackson, and the other just above the present post-
office, occupied by Joel Constantine. The old landmarks are standing yet.
East Wallingford is, therefore, the youngest, as well as the most vigorous, of
History of Rutland County.
the villages in Wallingford township. Joel Constantine was about the earliest
man around here. In 1834 he operated a saw- mill, on the site of the Aldrich
mill, which was erected about 1812. Some of the remains of this old mill are
still visible.
Another of the earl)' inhabitants of the village, William H. Congdon, was
born on the 26th of May, 1826, about two miles southwest from the village,
on the place now owned by James C. Patch. There was quite a large church
edifice within a stone's throw of his birthplace at the time of his birth and
which stood there until about 1865. There is none there now. It was built
as many as sixty years ago. As early as 1820, he says, an old distillery was
running about half a mile west of East Wallingford, on the farm now owned by
Henry Wardwell, of Arlington.
Todd's Hotel. — This neat little house was erected about the year 1863 by
E. A. Cutler, who kept it two or three years and has been followed successively
by H. E. Sawyer, Daniel Ensign, Charles Allen, H. L. Warner, Alson Ahite,
J. B. Powell, and the present proprietor, Joel Todd, who began here on the
27th of March, 1879. The house has sleeping-room for twenty or twenty- five
guests. Mr. Todd is a hotelman of experience who entertains a number of
Boston and New York sojourners every summer, and who is acquiring an ex-
cellent reputation for the elegant balls and game-suppers which he gives with
increasing frequency. His dancing-hall, it is claimed, is the largest one con-
nected with a hotel in the State.
The tannery of Huntoon & Son, though not strictly an East Wallingford
enterprise, is as fitly inserted here as in either of the other villages in Walling-
ford. This tannery was built in 18 1 5 by Mathial Smead. Nathan Mattocks
succeeded Smead and was followed by John P. Bowman. Hiram W. Lincoln
then operated it for some time. James Huntoon & Son bought it in 1865.
It was burned in 1S69 and rebuilt the same year.
The grist and saw-mill of E. H. & B. W. Aldrich was built in 1861 by
William H. Corydon and I. R. Fuller, who operated it four or five years under
the firm name of Corydon & Fuller. Various persons, including Eben Bailey,
William Kent, O. Dodge and D. G. Jones were individually and as partners
interested in the concern until February, 1878, when the present proprietors
succeeded the firm of Aldrich & Jones. E. H. & B. W. Aldrich started the
manufacture of chair stock in the fall of 1880, and now ship about fifty car-
loads of rough stock annually. The grist-mill has a capacit)- for about forty-
eight carloads of corn per year, while the saw-mill cuts from 400,000 to 500,-
000 feet of lumber in the same space of time.
Mercantile. — The oldest store in the village is the dry goods and general store
of W. R. Spaulding & Co. (the firm of E. H. & B. W. Aldrich being the " com-
pany.") The building was erected and the business started in 1 866 by Henry
White and R. D. Bucklin, under the firm style of White & Bucklin. Bucklin
Town of Wallingford. 847
succeeded the firm and ran tlie store for a number of years, being followed by
Jerome Converse. W. D. Hulett ran the store during the winter of 1884-85
and was succeeded in April by the present company.
J. Smead estabhshed his present trade in stoves and hardware, and began
his work in the tin-shop in 1866. F. O. Stafford started his clothing and gen-
eral store in April, 1883.
The general store of John R. Priest was started in June, 1884, as successor
to the one formerly kept by S. H. Stevens. E. R. Allen established the trade
in the opposite store years ago.
The carriage factory of Dennis Sird was started in the spring of 1883, and
in the following fall the blacksmithing department of George Spooner was
added.
Attonicj'. — There is but one practicing attorney in East Wallingford, viz. :
Henry B. Hawkins, who was born about two miles west of his present resi-
dence on the 14th of December, 1846. He was admitted to practice in the
Rutland County Court in March, 1874, and in the Supreme Court of the State
in 1880.
Physicians. — Dr. S. D. Hazen was born May 24, 1842, at Athens, Vt.
He studied medicine in Natick, Mass., and was graduated from a medical in-
stitution in 1866. He came here immediately after being admitted. Dr. R. E.
Chase was born in Chester, Vt., on the 13th of April, 1847. He was grad-
uated from the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, 0.,on the nth of May,
1875 ; practiced about a year in Lawrence, N. Y., and then came here. He
served four years and two months in the 7th Vermont Regiment during the
Rebellion.
The town farm of Wallingford, whicli contains about 140 acres, is situated
about a mile west of East Wallingford. There are now about fifteen poor on
the farm. It was purchased of Solomon Woodward about thirty years ago.
Water Works. — The East Wallingford water- works system is a private en-
terprise, started about 1873 by R. D. Bucklin, H. L. Warner, Abel Ray, James
Starkey and Edward Chilson. The water is taken from a source about a mile
southwest from the village. The present owners are Joel Todd, Elias Stewart,
Abel Ray, Ed. Chilson and the Bucklin estate.
Postmasters. — The first postmaster here was Joel Constantine, who received
the appointment about the year 1850, or very soon after the railroad had be-
gun business. He was followed by Henry White, and he respectively by Will-
iam H. Congdon, H. P. Hawkins, J. P. Powell, Jerome Converse and the pres-
ent incumbent, John C. Priest, who was appointed in May, 1885.
History of Rutland County.
CHAPTER XLH.
history of the town of wells.
TT TELLS is situated in the southwestern part of the county, and bounded on
\\ the north by Poultney and Middletown ; on the east by Tinmouth and
Middletown ; on the south by Pawlet, and on the west by Washington county,
N. Y. The township was originally laid out si.x miles square, with 23,040
acres, an allowance being made for " highways and unimprovable land by rocks,
ponds, mountains and rivers." On the 28th of October, 1784, 6,118 acres
were taken from the northeast corner of the town as a part of Middletown, and
on the 31st of October, 1798, nearly 4,000 acres more were taken from the
northeast part and annexed to Poultney, leaving only about 13,000 acres in
the tov\n. The town was chartered by Benning Wentworth under date of
September 15, 1761, to Captain Eliakim Hall and sixty-three others ; very few,
if an\', of tliese ever resided here.
The western part of Wells is moderately rolling in its surface, while the east-
ern part is mountainous ; Pine Hill, Moose, Horn and Northeast Mountains in
that part, and St. Catherine Mountain, lying between Poultney and Wells, and
Pond Mountain in the center of the town, are all considerable elevations.
There are many good farms in the eastern part and in the valleys between the
mountains. The soil is fertile, well adapted to grazing and grain raising; dai-
rying now forms the principal pursuit, and lumbering is still carried on quite
extensively.
Lake St. Catherine, already described in the history of Poultney, lies partly
in this town and is a beautiful sheet of water. The principal stream is the out-
let of this lake, which flows southwesterly and empties into Pawlet River.
The town was organized March 9, 1773, with Ogden Mallory, moderator,
and John Ward, clerk. At the second meeting, held November i, 1773, Og-
den Mallory, Daniel Culver, Joseph Lawrence, Abner Howe and John Ward
were chosen selectmen. Ogden Mallory, Timothy Moss and Reuben Searls
were the first listers, elected March 11, 1777. In 1780 there were twenty-
three freemen in the town as follows : Ogden Mallory, Gideon Searls, Abel
Merriman, Reuben Searls, Increase Rudd, Zacheus Mallory, Silas Mallory,
Caleb Smith, Timothy Moss, Barnabas Moss, John Moss, Richard Crouch,
Samuel Culver, Gill Mallory, Benjamin Richardson, Abner Howe, Jonathan
Webb, Alexander Gordon, Ebenezer Sumner, jr., Joshua Culver, Ebenezer
Welton, Daniel Culver, Daniel Mcintosh.
Early Scttletnciits. — Of the pioneers of the town the following brief mem-
oranda must suffice: Davis Amidon settled early on the turnpike road in the
west part and kept a tavern on the site now occupied by David J. Morris.
Town of Wells. 849
Joseph Andrews, from Granville, N. Y., in 1801, settled in the west part of the
town, and died in 1821. Isaac Andrews was one of the earliest settlers and
was town clerk sonic years prior to 1790. Simeon Atwater came into the town
in 1800 and settled in the west part, where John Porter now lives ; he had
previously lived a few years in Pawlet ; he had three sons, Daniel, Jonathan
and Stephen, and two daughters. Daniel Atwater settled here and remained
until his death, in 1861, in the second house east of Mr. Porter's where Asa
Atwater now lives. Jonathan and Stephen Atwater were also residents of the
town, the former removing to Middletown in 1832. Bethuel Barden came to
Wells in 1816 and located where John Barden now resides; he died in 1S31.
John married Susan Lamb and they had sons, Edgar O., Adams L., Ferrin and
Herbert E. John Barden has represented the town in the Legislature and held
many town offices. Robert Beebe was an early settler in the west part of the
town, and his son, Ozias, who lived where his son John now resides, passed his
life here. David Blossom was an early settler where H. W. Lewis now lives ;
he left the town in 1 804 ; his son David C. lived in town until 1 8 16 and Will-
iam until 1832. Peter Blossom, brother of David, settled where Rodney M.
Lewis li\-es ; he served in the Revolutionary War. His son Setii died in the
town in 1859; was wealthy and represented the town several years. Amos
Bowe, from Middletown, Conn., was an early settler near Pond Bridge on the
place now owned by Alva Mitchell ; he was an exceptional scholar for those
times, and died in 1844. Samuel Broughton was an early settler and a leading
citizen ; he removed to Moriah, N. Y., in 1825. His brother John came early
to the town, locating on the farm owned by Daniel Francis ; he removed away
in 182S. Joseph Button came to the town with his father, Matthias, in 1785,
locating where Marcellus Francis lives ; he had a large family ; was justice
more than forty years and in the Legislature t\w years ; he died in 1826. Jo-
seph, jr., lived on the homestead until 1833, when he removed to Chautauqua
county, N. Y. Ebenezer Butts, from Canterbury, Conn., came here about
1787 and settled on " Butts Hill " where William Cooper now lives; he was
the first settler in that part and had a family of .seven children. Andrew Clark,
from Cheshire, Conn., settled in 1790 on a farm now owned by Isaac Mitchell
and occupied by Myron Willard ; his family comprised ten children ; he died
in 1 8 19 and had occupied the office of selectman fourteen years. His son
John spent his life in the town and died much respected in 1845. Stephen
Clark, also one of the early settlers, located in the west part of the town on a
farm now owned by John Porter and occupied by Mr. Larkin ; he was justice
a number of years and one of the early school teachers ; he died in 1827. Ros-
well Clark, also from Cheshire, came in with his wife on horseback and settled
a few miles north of his brothers, where his son Hoel now lives. William
Crossman came into the town in 1796 and settled on a farm now owned b)'
Henry C. Burton ; he commanded a company in the Revolution. Thomas
850 History of Rutland County.
Clemens settled in the east part in 1783 and was the father of five children.
His son Michael succeeded to the homestead and in turn transferred it to his
son Wesley, who became a prominent and useful citizen ; held the office of
justice many years and various other town oflices ; he died suddenly in 1849,
leaving a family of eleven children. Joel demons settled early on land now
owned by Hiram Francis ; he had two sons, Asa and Thomas ; the former
took the homestead and died in 1865 ; his widow and two of her sons, Joel
and Alexander, still reside in the town, Giles Cook came to the town about
1780 and located about a fourth of a mile east of the village ; he removed west
early. Abner Cone was one of the earliest settlers, locating where James H.
Parks lives. William Cowdry came to the town in 1787 and settled where D.
N. Lewis lives ; he removed to Middlctown in 1809. His son Oliver became
mixed up with Mormonism. (See history of Middletown herein.) Josiah
Cross settled in the latter part of the last centur}' on the north part of the farm
now owned by Cyrus Jennings and occupied by Henr}- Re}'nolds ; he removed
to Roxbury, Vt., in 1833. His brother Samuel came in at the same time.
Daniel Culver settled in the town in 1771 and was the first representative from
this town to the General Assembly ; his daughter Catherine was the first per-
son married in the town, according to the records. Daniel's son Samuel set-
tled where Henry McFadden lives and acquired a competency by dealing
largely in wild land ; he held many town offices and died in 1831. Joshua
Culver, brother of Samuel, came in about the same time ; Rogers Culver suc-
ceeded to his homestead, but removed to Michigan in 1832. Ebenezer Dart»
a Revolutionary soldier, lived several years in town and has descendants here
now. John S. Davis, another Revolutionary soldier, came from Granville in
181 5 and died here in 1845. Azariah and Jedediah Derby, brothers, came
from Connecticut, the former settling where John Barden lives and the latter
on the farm owned by Carpenter brothers ; the}' both removed west many
years ago'. Nathan Francis settled where Martin Parks lives in 1783, coming
from Wallingford, Conn. ; his three brothers, Jonathan, Hezekiah and Joel,
came with him. He was a member of the Legislature two years and held
other offices ; he died in 1846. The families of this name have been promi-
nent in the town. Joel Francis spent a long life in town and had a family of
six children. John Francis came from Wallingford, Conn., in 1783 and raised
a large family; he died in Middletown. Timothy Fuller came from Barnstable,
Mass., in 1794 and settled where Hiram Francis now owns. He was a respected
citizen and father of a large family. Levi Fry settled in the east part in 1783,
and died about 1820. His brother David also lived here. Alby Geer was an
early settler in the southwest part. His son Cyrus resided in town until his
death in 1862. Rufus Glass came from Connecticut in 1786 and settled where
Wesley Rowe lives ; he and his wife died of the epidemic which prevailed in *
1813. His son Arunah lived on the homestead until 1855, when he removed
Town of Wells.
to Illinois. Samuel Glass came in in 1786 and located where William Hicks
lives, adjoining his brother Rufus ; he died in 18 13. Josiah Goodspeed, .sr.,
came into town in 1794, married Jemima Blossom and they lived together
nearly sixty years; both died in 1826. Ansel Goodspeed settled in the same
year where Ann McBreen lives ; he was an influential and respected citizen ;
was town clerk forty-si.x years, justice of the peace many years, and two years
in the Legislature; he died in 1847. Gershom Gifford came to the town in
1786, locating on the place now occupied by Hoel Clark ; he died in 1795.
Daniel Goodrich was an early settler where Ira Goodspeed lives ; he reared a
large family. His son Roswell built the grist-mill operated in later years by
Orville Goodrich ; his son Halsey occupied the homestead to 1833, when he
purchased the grist-mill and ran it until his death in 1857. Isaac Goodsell
purchased land in Wells before the war, which was occupied by his son Daniel
from 1797 for sixteen years; he removed to Ontario county, N. Y. Winslow
Goodspeed came to the town in 1794 and located where his grandchildren now
own ; he died in 1842 ; his son, Winslow, jr., located east of the village and
became a prominent citizen, holding several offices. Stephen Goodspeed also
settled in the town in 1794 and died in 1845. This family name has been
numerously represented in the town and its possessors prominent in various
directions. Nathaniel Grover came from Massachusetts early and located in
the east part of the town where Benjamin Norton lives ; he removed to Tin-
mouth. His son Allen taught school for eleven winters in town, held several
offices and carried on mercantile business more than thirty years. Hon. M. D.
Grover, of Port Henry, N. Y., is his son, and another son is Dr. A. C. Grover,
also of Port Henry. Matthew, James and Zalmon Hall were early settlers in
the town ; the two former removed away. John C. Hopson came from Wall-
ingford. Conn., at an early day and settled where N. W. Crandall lives. His
son Oliver was ordained as a minister and preached in Wells and Poultney, but
later removed to Connecticut. His son Almon lived and died in the town ;
was a teacher many years and held various offices. John C. jr., removed to
Whitehall, N. Y., in late years; he represented the town two years. Raymond
H. lived in the village, where he carried on blacksmithing and the grocery bus-
iness ; he is deceased. Robert Hotchkiss came into the town in 1796 and set-
tled on lands now owned by Alva Mitchell ; in 1 8 10 he removed to the north-
east part of the town, where William Donahue lives ; he died in 1829. Joshua
Howe came from Connecticut in 1783 and settled on the place afterward oc-
cupied by his grandson, Joshua, and now owned by Downer Perry. He built
the first grist-mill in town, the walls of which still stand on land owned by H.
W. Lewis. He died in 1800. His son Samuel settled on part of the home-
stead. Joseph, another son, also located on part of the homestead v\here
Downer Perry lives; David lived where Linus Atwater now resides. The
family has been numerous and respected. Aaron Ives settled in town in 1785,
852 History of Rutland County.
where Darius Parks now lives; he died in 1801. Aaron Kellogg settled early
on the place occupied by Henry Reynolds, and removed thence to Stowe, Vt.
Joseph Lamb, from Norwich, Conn., located about 1778 where William Cooper
lives in the northeast part of the town ; he died in 1809. His son Levi was a
respected citizen and died in 1835. Phineas Lamb came into town in 1804
and settled where William Hicks lives in the north part of the town ; he was a
Revolutionary soldier. His son. Captain William Lamb, was a leading citizen
of the town; captain of the militia; town clerk seventeen years and held many
other offices. Rev. Shubel Lamb was a son of Joseph, before mentioned, and
lived in town until his death in 1850 ; he was a local preacher for nearly sixty
years and was in the Legislature two years. This family has been one of the
most numerous and respected in the town. The same may be said of the
Lewis families. Barnabas Lewis, with his son Benjamin, came to Wells from
Cheshire, Conn., about 1807, having been preceded previous to 1800 by his
sons Zurial and Levi ; David, another son, came also to the town some time
before the Revolution. The latter owned and occupied the farm of Oscar
Sprague and died in 1845 ; David B. succeeded to the homestead of his father
and died in Poultney in 1866. Levi lived a short distance north of the village;
he was a tanner and died in 181 1. Artemas Lewis, son of Levi, lived at the
village and held the office of justice many years. Orlin, brother of Artemas,
was postmaster several years and filled several town offices with ability ; he
died in 1865. William Lewis came from Pawlet and settled on the farm now
occupied by Daniel Francis; he died in 1836; his son John lived on the
homestead until 1864, when he removed to Poultney. Zenas Lewis lived
where James S. Goodspeed now resides until about 1843, when he removed to
Tinmouth. Walter Lewis came to the town in 1832, and lived here until his
death in 1867. Nathaniel Lewis was an early settler and lived on the farm
now owned by D. S. Parks in the northern part of the town ; his son Reuben
was a physician in this town several years and went west. Benjamin Lewis,
sen., came to town in 1807 and settled on the place now owned by Hiram W.
Lewis ; he died in 1S47 leaving a family. Benjamin, jr., with his son Rodney,
has been engaged in manufacturing and mercantile business in the town. Am-
brose Lewis lived on the place now owned by George and Frank Goodspeed ;
he removed west many years ago. It will be seen that this family has been
one of the most numerous in the town, and many of the name have been prom-
inent in the community. Benjamin Lunibard came with his family of seven
children and located here in 1797 ; descendants have lived in the town since.
Mallory Ogden was the first settler in the town, coming in 1768 ; he built the
first framed barn in Wells ; its site was near the dwelling owned by VVilliam
Cooper and occupied by William B. Spencer; he died in 181 1, aged ninety-
one ; he had four sons. His brother Zacheus-came in about the same time ;
little is known of his histor\-. Abel and Samuel S. Merriman came to the town
Town of Wells. 853
early ; the latter died in 1847 ; he lived south of the village where William S.
Norton owns and had a large family. Hallowel Merrills came early from
Worthington, Mass., and settled on the farm owned and occupied by Henry
and Harvey Johnson ; his son Thaddeus passed a long life in the town. Levi
Merrills came from New Hampshire in 1813 and removed to Middletown
in 1833. Timothy Morse, from Farmington, Conn., settled in town in 1772;
he served in the French and Revolutionary Wars, and died in 1828, aged
ninety. Elijah Parks came from Canterburj^ Conn., in 1787, and settled where
E. R. Pember now lives; he was town clerk from 1790 to 1799; taught school
nearly twenty winters, and removed to Granville in 181 1. His son Joseph re-
sided on the farm now occupied by his son Martin until 1848. He held many
offices; was representative three years from 1834, and selectman longer than
an}- other person ; he died in 1868. Elijah Parks, jr., lived in the north part
of the town and died in 1859. His son Hobert E. resided on the homestead
until his death in 1868. Robert Parks was born in this town and always lived
here as a leading citizen. Simeon Parks came from Canterbury in 1787 ; he
died in 1817, leaving a large family; his son Harvy lived on the homestead
now occupied by his son, James H. Parks; he was a prominent citizen and
represented the town two years, besides holding many other offices ; he died
of cancer in 1867. His son James H. has also been in the Legislature and held
various other offices. James Paul was one of the first settlers in the eastern
part of the town, and died in 1805 aged eighty. His youngest son Stephen
succeeded to the homestead and was born December 31, 1773 ; is said to have
been thirteen years old when his father came to Wells. He died in 1843, aged
seventy. Of his sons, Eliakim became a physician and practiced all his life in
Middletown. His youngest son was Nelson, born in 1813 ; represented the
town three years in the Legislature and held other offices. His son Hiland E.,
born December 31, 1836, was superintendent of schools four years and repre-
sented the town in the Legislature in 1862-63. He is the author of the his-
tory of Wells, from which we derive much of the information for this chapter.
Jesse Parsons came into the town in in 1787, but removed to Genesee, N. Y.,
in 1804. John Pember settled in the north part of the town at an early day;
removed to Chautauqua county many years ago. His son Frederic lived on
the place now owned by C. W. Burton ; was a member of the Methodist
Church nearly sixty years and much respected; he died in 1859; his family
was prominent in the community. Captain William Potter was an early set-
tler, coming from New London, Conn., to Pawlet and thence to Wells; he
died in 1827, leaving a large family. His son William, jr., spent most of his
long life in town and reared a large family. Dr. Samuel Potter practiced here
a number of years and removed to Pawlet, where he died in 1835. Fayette
Potter, of Pawlet, is his son. Seth Potter lived on the place now owned by C.
A. Parker; he was a son of Captain William. Abel, another son, resided in
8S4 History of Rutland County.
the village, but went to Rochester, N. Y., about 1826, where he died. John
Pray, sen., came here with his son of the same name in 1778, and died a few
years later. John Pray, jr., was a respected citizen and held the office of se-
lectmen many years. He removed to Harmony, N. Y., in 1835 and died in
1844. Benjamin Rider came from Barnstable, Mass., in 1794; he died in
1824, leaving a large family. Elida Sprague settled on the place now owned
by Wesley Rowe ; he had a family of six children and died in i860. Peter
Stevens came from Connecticut in 1786, and died in 1821. His son Abner
lived on lands now owned by Hiram Francis, and died there. Gould Stiles,
jr., settled in the north part of the town on the farm now owned by William
Hicks ; he came from Middletown about 1805, and died in 1867. AmosTooly
came from Poultney about 181 5 and lived in the northern part of the town ;
he died in 1822, leaving a large family. Jason Tyler, from Connecticut, was
one of the first settlers in the town and reared a numerous family ; he died in
1 8 19. A. B. Tyler was a leading citizen, a justice several years and held other
offices. Ziba Ware was one of the early blacksmiths of the town and died
many years ago ; his son Lyman lived here until his death in 1839. David
Ward was an early settler on the place owned by Darius Parks. Abijah Will-
iams settled in the west part of the town and removed to Poultney in 1810.
Daniel Wyman settled on the place now occupied by Alva Mitchell ; he died
in 1787 and was the first person buried in the village burying-ground.
The foregoing sketches embrace brief records of nearly all of the earlier
settlers of this town ; other names will appear in connection with the business
and professional interests. Tlie labors of these forefathers have been efficiently
supplemented by their descendants, placing this town on a level with others of
the county, as regards its material advancement and its morality and intelli-
gence. Ogden Mallory, the first settler, found the town an unbroken wilder-
ness, inhabited by wild animals ; to-day it is made up largely of well-tilled
farms and comforta'ble homesteads. In the language of Mr. Paul, " Since the
early settlement of the town, time has wrought man}- and marked changes
both natural and social. The first settlers here, full of courage and self reliance,
brought but little with them, relying mainly on their own strong arms to fur-
nish subsistence to sustain life. It was with great difficulty that they could
obtain the necessaries of life for their families, when first they came here; for
after erecting cabins to shelter their families and protect them from wild beasts,
they were obliged to cut do«'n and fall into heaps many a noble pine, as well
as oak and maple, and then burn them in order to raise their wheat and corn."
The lives of the inhabitants of Wells have been in the main peaceful and the
growth and improvement uninterrupted, if gradual. The remarkable cold
summer of 18 16 caused considerable loss to farmers and some suflering. It is
said that a flock of sheep owned by Jason Tyler in the west part of the town,
were found frozen to death in June, having been sheared but a short time
before.
Town of Wells. 855
A few of the settlers participated in the War of 1812 and as far as known
sustained the patriotic reputation of Vermont, as others had done in the pre-
ceding great struggle. And when the country was again plunged into a terri-
ble war, this town was not behind any other in furnishing her required number
of volunteers and the necessary funds for aid in the struggle. At the close of
the war there was but a very small indebtedness against the town, which paid
a gross sum of $15,057 for war expenses. The following list gives the names
of volunteers in Vermont organizations from this town as nearlj' correct as may
be: —
Volunteers for three years credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — Herbert Barden, co. B, 9th regt.; Henry Beebe,
CO. I, 7th regt.; Albert Broskins, 5th regt.; Charles D. Castle, co. B, 2d regt.;
Lewis Conger, co. G, cav.; Roswell S. Fuller, 5th regt; Harvey Guilder, Uriel
K. Howard, 7th regt.; William H. Lincoln, Hiram D. Monroe, co. E, 5th regt.;
Albert J. Reed, Thomas C. Reed, Edwin T. Saunders, James Sprague, 7th
regt; Ozro Sprague, co. B, 2d regt; Hiram Wood, 9th regt; Willard Woods,
CO. K, 2d regt
Credits under call of October 17, 1S63, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three )'ears. — Franklin Acome, Nye O. Blake,
9th regt.; Homer Bradley, co. K, 10th regt; Charles C. Cowles, cav.; Peter
T. Dickey, Thomas Downing, 7th regt; William T. Fry, co. F, 9th regt;
Edward M. Gee, nth regt; George S. Livingston, cav.; John Moore, John
Newcomb, Charles Ripley, 7th regt.; Andrew W. Taylor, cav.; John Upton,
CO. D, 6th regt.; John Watts, 7th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — George W. Flanders, Thomas C. Reed.
Naval credits. — Cyrus Foster, Edwin F. Lewis.
Volunteers for nine months. — George F. Brown, Seth Geer, Merritt Lamb,
Alfred Lewis, Wilder Lewis, William Moody, Lysander Palmer, Phineas C.
Paul, Warren A. Pierce, Elisha Wales, David F. Young, co. K, 14th regt.
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Adam Barden, Marcellus
Francis, George W. Hathaway, Edward Hopson, Hiram W. Lewis, Oretes J.
Merrill, H. E. Paul, James H. Potter, Horace Spaulding Procured substitute,
Harlan P. Lewis.
Following are the present officers of the town : Town clerk, James Mc-
Breen ; treasurer, O. R. Hopson ; selectmen, H. W. Lewis, H. McFadden,
Wesley Rowe ; constable, D. S. Parks ; superintendent of schools, Duane L.
Rowe ; listers, E. R. Pember, M. Wood, William Cooper ; auditors, D. L.
Rowe, George S. Goodspeed, E. R. Pember; trustee of surplus money, D. S.
Parks ; town agent, James H. Parks ; fence viewers, Hiram Wood, George
Chittenden and A. X. Lewis ; grand juror, M. F. Wood ; inspector of leather,
George Chittenden ; pound-keeper, H. W. Lewis.
The following figures show the population of the town at the difterent dates
Ss6 History of Rutland County.
given: 1791,622; i8oo, 978; 1810, 1,040; 1820, 986; 1830, 880; 1840,
740; 1850,804; 1860,642; 1870,483; 1880,665.
St//oo/s. — In the year 1799 the inhabitants of Wells voted "To divide the
town into two districts, as nater has divided it for schooling." This is believed to
refer to the Pond Mountain range as the dividing line, north and south. In 1786
the town was divided into six school districts ; this number has varied up to
ten or eleven ; at the present time there are six. From four hundred and one
scholars, between four and eighteen years of age in 1803, the number has
gradually decreased, until now there are less than two hundred.
Ecclesiastical. — The people of this town took an early interest in religious
matters. In April, 1774, the town voted to build a " meeting-house " on the
east side of the channel which connects the two ponds that form Lake Austin,
and in the following October a committee was appointed to hire a minister.
In May, 1789, a committee appointed for ihe purpose selected ten acres of
land, and on the tract the town voted " To build a church thirty-six feet in
length by one story and a half high." The land is now owned by Alva Mitch-
ell and is on the rise between the pond bridge and Pond Mouutain, on the
north side of the highway. In the next year, 1790, the church was erected, but
it was never entirely finished on the inside. The building was blown down
on the 27th of March, 1847. *^''' the same tract of land the first burial ground
was laid out and there were buried many of the early settlers.
In 1799 a committee of five men consisting of Simeon Francis, Joshua Cul-
ver, Joseph Button, Samuel How and Jonathan Paul, was appointed to " cir-
culate a subscription paper to procure means to build a house for public wor-
ship and town privileges." In the following year the second church of the
town was built on the site of the present Universalist (or Liberal Christian)
Church ; the Methodists, Episcopalians and Universalists, in fact, all Chris-
tians, worshipped in this church together. Meetings were held here until
1855.
Methodist Church. — There was a Methodist class in this town, with Na-
thaniel Lewis as leader, about as early as 1780. In 1789 Rev. Darius Dun-
ham came here as preacher, and a revival followed his labor in which there
were some thirty conversions. After this revival a class was organized in the
east part of the town with Michael Clemons as leader. Lorenzo Dow fre-
quently preached in Wells in 1797-98. The first church edifice was erected
at East Wells about 1805 ; it was not entirely finished, and was taken down in
1 8 10 and removed to the site of the present church at that point ; this was
again demolished in 1856 and the present building erected. In 1842 a neat
church was erected at the village. There are only occasional services held at
East Wells and Rev. F. Cameron, of Pawlet, preaches at the village. The first
Sunday-school was established at East Wells in 1823.
Protestant Episcopal Church. — Among the early settlers were several fam-
Town of Wells. 857
ilies of this denomination. About the yeariSio Rev. Stephen Jewett came
into this section and preached for a time. A Protestant Episcopal Church (St.
Paul's) was organized at Wells in April, 1824. Rev. Palmer Dyer officiated
as rector here and at Granville. A church was erected in 1840. The society
has declined in numbers, and Rev. E. H. Randall, of Poultney, preaches alter-
nate Sabbaths.
Universalist Church. — A number of the early inhabitants were of this faith,
and in 1821 the Rev. Aaron Kinsman located here as a minister and a small
church was built ; this gave place to the present church in 1855 and the mem-
bership was for a time larger than that of either denomination ; but it declined
and at present no services in this creed are held.
Physicians. — There is at the present time no practicing physician nor law-
yer in this town. The medical profession has, however, been well represented
in past years. Dr. Backus H. Haynes, now of Rutland, practiced here from
about 1 841 to 1855. l^""- Socrates Hotchkiss was one of the pioneers of the
town and came from Cheshire, Conn., in 1795. He built the house now occu-
pied by Joel S. Wilcox. He died in 18 10 and was known as a skillful practi-
tioner. Dr. James Mosher practiced here a few years, but died in the early
part of his career in 1816. Dr. Joseph Munson came from Salem, N. Y., in
1828 and practiced until age unfitted him for business ; he lived on the farm
occupied by Frank Eenton, who married his granddaughter, and died in 1852.
Dr. Charles C. Nichols, from Castleton in 1856, practiced here many years.
Municipal History. — Wells village, the only hamlet in the town, is situated
a little southwest of the center. Many of the early merchants and manufact-
urers have been noted. The distilling of liquor was quite an industry in the
town before the building of railroads in the vicinity, and four distilleries were in
existence at one time. The first was owned by Peter King and located where
the union store was afterwards carried on ; it was in operation before 1800.
The next one was established by Abel Potter about 1809 and located at the
foot of Pond Mountain. The next was established about 1826 by Samuel
Rust, and was near the residence of Frank and George Goodspeed. The last
was owned and run by Elijah Parks, about 1829, and was near the present res-
idence of William Hicks. All of these have been abandoned many years.
The manufacture of potash was also carried on quite extensively in early
years, and served as a means for exchange between the settlers and tradesmen
when money was a scarce article.
The Lake Austin Knitting Mills are located about half a mile west of the
village. This site was purchased by John Blossom about the year 18 14 and a
clothing works built. In the year 18 19 he sold the works to his brother Seth,
who continued the business until 1823, when he sold to Henry Gray ; he added
cloth machinery, using hand looms only. Mr. Gray continued the business
until 1834 when he sold to Samuel Culver and Benjamin Lewis, the business
8s 8 History of Rutland County.
being then carried on under the firm name of Culver & Lewis, until 1S43,
when James Lamb bought Culver's interest and the firm was changed to Lewis
& Lamb, who added power looms and other improved machinery which they
continued to operate until the year 1848, when William Goodrich purchased
Lamb's interest, the new firm continuing about one year, when Goodrich sold
out to Lewis, he continuing the business alone until 1866, when his son, R. M.
Lewis, became associated with him under the firm name of B. Lewis & Son.
In 1873 the firm changed their business and engaged in the manufacture of
knit underwear, shirts and drawers, since which time the mills have been known
by their present name. The mill was leased to J. S. Wilcox during the years
1876, '-J"], '78, but was under the management of R. M. Lewis, the present
owner. The mill has been twice destroyed by fire, the first time about the
year 1830, and again in 1853. The main building is thirty-five by one hundred
feet, two stories high, there also being connected with it a dye-house twenty-
two by thirty feet, store-house twenty-five by twenty-five, picker house twenty-
by twenty-five, and wood-shed twenty by forty feet. The product, amounting
to about $20,000 per annum, is mostly sold in New York.
The first cheese factory was established in 1S65 by James Norton ; in the
year 1867 he manufactured from the milk of over three hundred cows. Since
that date the dairying interest has greatly developed.
The Lewis cheese factory was built by Benjamin Lewis in 1875, and is now
owned by Rodney M. Lewis ; it manufactures about 85,000 pounds annually.
The Alfred Lewis cheese factory was built at East Wells in 1 871, but has
ceased business.
The Goodrich grist-mill, located in the southwest part of the town, on the
outlet of the lake, was erected by Roswell Goodrich about 1808. In later
years it passed to the Halsey Goodrich estate and is now owned and operated
by Irving Goodrich ; it has four run of stones.
The Wilder Lewis saw-mill was originally built over fifty \'ears ago ; it is
on the outlet of Lake St. Catherine, and was rebuilt by Mr. Lewis in 185 i.
About 200.000 feet of lumber are manufactured annually.
Goodspeed's saw-mill, on Mill Brook, was built by W. Goodspeed in 1840,
and now manufactures about 500,000 feet of lumber annualh'. A planing-mill
and a bobbin factory, with steam power, have been recently added, and the mill
■ is now owned and operated by G. & F. R. Goodspeed.
The mercantile business of Wells has never been large, and at the present
time there are but two stores. One of these is owned by Leffingwell & Son,
of Middletovvn, and is managed by Elmer E. Paul; it was started in 1884 and
is located in one of the oldest buildings in the place. Allen Grover had a store
in this building in 1836. Messrs. Hull & McBreen and W. C. Barker after-
wards kept it. The other store is kept by O. R. Hopson, on the site of the
store building which was burned in 1882. Mr. Hopson rebuilt and stocked
the store.
Town of Westhaven. 859
The only post-office of the town is at this village ; it was presided over in
early years by Levi Lewis, who was followed by Orlin Lewis. William H.
Hull took the office about i860, to about eight years ago, when R. W. Good-
rich took it for about two years ; he was followed by J. C. Dean one year, and
he by O. R. Hopson, the present official.
CHAPTER XLHI.
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF WESTHAVEN.
WESTHAVEN, the most westerly town in Rutland county, lies just east
of Lake Champlain, and is bounded on the north by Benson, on the east
by P"airhaven,and on the south by the Poultney River, separating it from White-
hall, N. Y.
The surface of this town is rough and broken, the various ridges which
cross it extending generally north and south. Bald Mountain, occupying the
entire southern extremity of the town, contains about 4,000 acres of land which
by its rough and irregular elevation renders it almost impossible of cultivation.
The town is separated from Fairhaven by a natural barrier called the Great
Ledge, which is not, however, so high nor steep as to offer any serious obstacle
to highway travel. The country is drained by several small streams, of which
the largest are Hubbardton River and Cogman's Creek, the former entering
the eastern part of the town from the north and flowing into Poultney River
about a mile west of Carver's Falls, while the latter flows in a parallel course
about two miles farther west.
The territory of Westhaven was originally included in the town of Fair-
haven, chartered by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, October
27, 1779. The warning for the March meeting in 1792 proposed for the peo-
ple, among other considerations, " to see if they will agree to petition the Leg-
islature of this State to divide this town into two, and to see if they can agree
on a dividing line." James Witherell and Lemuel Hyde were constituted
agents to present the petition to the Legislature. At another meeting, on the
22d of the same month, on the question as to the location of the dividing line,
the vote stood against placing it at " Mud Brook " forty-eight to nine ; Hub-
bardton River, forty-eight to nine, and in favor of the present line from Poult-
ney River to a line on the hill parallel with the west line of Brooks's lot, thence
along the Great Ledge to Benson, forty-eight to seven. At an adjourned
meeting on March 27, it was voted that this part of the territory be called
Westhaven. By an act of the Legislature, approved on the 20th of the follow-
ing October, the separation was confirmed.
86o History of Rutland County.
The petition of Messrs Witherell and Hyde to the Legislature, convened at
Rutland on the 8th of October, contained the following reasons why the divi-
sion should be effected : —
" 1st, Because ' the public road goes more than i6 miles from the north-
west to the southeast corner, at which extremes the town is inhabited.'
" 2d, Because it is 13 miles from the southwest corner to the east side of
the town.
" 3d, Because there is a ' Great Ledge,' which nearly divides the east from
the west part.
" 4th, The west part of the town having better land than the east part, yet
a large share of it remaining in a state of uncultivation ; and the east part hav-
ing natural accommodations for water works, and great roads through it, makes
it consider its future importance ; — so that each part has its expenses while
not considering the expenses of the other part, they cannot agree on a center
as one town, yet when divided there is not the least difficulty, each being ready
to agree on a center for itself
" 5th, The town being longer than a 6 mile square town, the inhabitants
have always expected to be divided, and although at times they might disagree
about the place where to divide, yet each extreme has scarcely ever failed of
wishing to get rid of the other, which has at times created difficulties which we
do not wish to mention."
Against this petition the following persons protested that " they think the
town so small that a division will be injurious, the Grand List being only ;^2283
and los., the number of freemen not exceeding one hundred, and the land on
the west of the line of a vastly superior quality, therefore they pray that the
town may not be divided : — but if it is to be, that the dividing line may ex-
tend so far westward as to take in one-half of the whole number of acres in the
town, and so far as to Hubbardton River": Samuel Stannard, Alexander Mc-
Cotter, John Howes, Isaac Turner, Abraham Utter, Jonathan Orms, John War-
ren, Amos Lay, Russel Smith, Ansel Merritt, Martin Merritt, James Merritt,
Daniel Cushman, Philip Priest, Timothy Goodrich, Daniel Munger, Peter Cra-
mer, Henry Cramer, jr., Dan Smith, Joel Hamilton.
The two towns, however, continued jointly to elect one representative to
the General Assembly until 1823, since which time the elections have been
separate.
The settlement of Westhaven is contemporary with that of its sister town.
It may be inferred from the language of the charter of Fairhaven and from the
general disturbance of affairs at the time, that during the War for Independence
the territory of the town was not extensively occupied or improved.
" Along the shore of the lake and the borders of the bay and rivers there
were a few settlements commenced, as will be seen by subsequent records, but
mainly the town was a wilderness, inhabited by wild beasts and traversed by
Town of Westhaven. 86 i
hunters' trails. We hear of bears and wolves in the town after it began to be
settled, and it is probable that the deer had within our ancient borders many a
favorite haunt and runway." i
Major Ebenezer Allen, of Tinniouth, and Captain Isaac Clark, of Castleton,
had a " hunting camp " on one of the ledges in Westhaven, not far from the
Benson line from which paths radiated in various directions, before the town
was chartered. The proprietors met at this camp on the 2 1st of August, 1780,
to begin the survey of the proprietary pitches. They allowed Major Allen the
privilege of covering with a proprietary right a tract in the north part of this
town which he had purchased of Joseph Hyde ; and Benoni Hurlburt a simi-
lar privilege with a lot, on the bank of East Bay, which he sold in July, 1784,
to Luman Stone, of Litchfield, Conn. Carver's Falls seem to have derived
their name from one Joseph Carver, who, together with Joseph Haskins, Jona-
than Hall and John Vandozer, claimed to have been unjustly deprived of pos-
sessions in the vicinity which they had improved, *' having fled " from southern
New England to this State to " resume its liberties and promote its interests."
He does not, however, seem to have eftected a permanent settlement here.
Samuel Stannard, afterward a resident of Fairhaven, resided for a time in the
western part of Westhaven. In 1873 Reriah Mitchell came from Woodbury,
Conn., to Westhaven by the way of Castleton, and settled on the farm now
occupied by Mrs. Adelaide Hitchcock and her son, Willard. He was con-
stable in 1784, and a leading man. He returned to Connecticut in 1786. The
place passed from his hands into his brother's, Ichabod Mitchell, who came
here about 1783, and kept a public house at the corner of the road.
James Ball and Perley Starr, together, bought the original right of John
Fassett, jr., near where Rodney Field lives, and early began improving the
same. They left in a short time.
Sometime before April, 1783, Captain Eleazer Dudley and Abijah Peet,
both from Woodbury, Conn., settled in town, the former on or near the old
school lot about where Mrs. Maria Abell now resides, and the latter farther
north. Thomas Dixon came from Castleton about this time and settled on
the Benson line, next north of Mr. Feet's. John Howe, of Woodbury, Conn.,
Elijah Tryon, of Granville, Mass. and Elisha Frisbie, John and Henry Cramer,
lived in the east part of the town. Timothy Lindsley and others came the
same year from Connecticut and were closely followed by Heman Barlow, Cor-
nelius Brownson, David Sanford, Samuel Lee, Amos and John McKinstry and
others. John Howe occupied the present farm of John Moon, and Elijah
Tryon settled on the place still occupied by his grandson, Cyrus W. Tryon.
In 1786 Benjamin and Cooley Weller and Benjamin Chippann located on the
west side of Bald Mountain on the place since known as the Benjamin farm.
James McCotter, from Pennsylvania, came this year and erected the first grist-
1 A. N. Adams's History of Fairhaven.
862 History of Rutland County.
mill on the place now owned and occupied by Michael Blake. The first saw-
mill stood on the lower fall on Hubbardton River, and is now known as the
Hunt mill.
In the early part of 1785 Charles Rice came to Fairhaven from Brookfield,
Mass., and was first constable in that town in 1793 and 1794. Late in 1795 he
removed to Westhaven and kept a tavern on the place occupied a few years
ago by Nathaniel Fish, and now occupied by Mrs. Maria Abell. His wife,
Abigail, sister to Isaac Cutler, of Fairhaven, died June 19, 1820. He died in
Canada, whither he had removed before the War of 1812. His tavern sign
read :
'• Nothing on this side, .ind nothing on t'other ;
Nothing in the house, nor in the stable either."
Dr. Simeon Smith came from Sharon, Conn., in 1787, being compelled to
retrieve ;his declining fortune in a new country. He built a saw-mill on Hub-
bardton River, and operated a forge on the Falls, afterwards owned by Gen-
eral Jonathan Orms. He leased the lot owned by Captain Eleazer Dudley,
and erected there the house afterwards occupied by Major Tilly Gilbert, across
the road from Dr. Smith. He was selectman for the old town of Fairhaven in
1789, '90 and '91 ; representative in 1789, 1792 and 1797 ; was the delegate
for the town to the State Convention at Bennington in January, 1791 ; in
1788 was elected one of the assistant judges of the Rutland County Court, and
in 1792 was probate judge for the district of Fairhaven. At his death, on the
17th of February, 1804, at the age of seventy years, he bequeathed to the
town of Westhaven the then generous sum of $1,000, to be kept at interest for
sixty years, and afterwards devoted to the following uses : " To have one good
grammar school kept in Westhaven near the village where I now live, the over-
plus for the benefit of other schools and the support of a gospel minister, well-
educated and regularly instructed in the ministry, and if any over for the sup-
port of the poor and needy in the said town of Westhaven, under the direction
of the civil authority and the selectmen of said town."
William J. Billings, a hatter, came from Greenfield, Mass., in iSio, and re-
sided in town until 1834, when he removed to Fairhaven to live with his
daughter, Mrs. Joseph Sheldon. He died December 30, 1850. He had de-
scendants now living in this vicinity.
On the 30th of June, 1780, Oliver Church, from New Marlboro, Mass.,
bought of Samuel Allen, of Tinmouth, the right of Nathan Clark in the old
town of Fairhaven, but did not settle until about ten years later. In 1 801 he
removed to the farm first settled by Hiram Barlow, where he remained until
his death in 1S26. He married Lucy Barker in 1800, who survived him until
1859. He represented the sister towns in 1803, '06, '07, 'lo, '11 and '19;
and held the office of justice of the peace many years. Descendants of his are
still living in town and in different parts of New York. Harvey Church, of
Fairhaven, was his nephew.
Town of Westiiaven. 863
Samuel Adams came from Suffield, Conn., in 1792, with his wife, daughter
and four sons, and settled on the place which has remained in the family ever
since. His son, Horace Adams, came into possession of the place upon his
father's death, and became an influential citizen, representing the town for three
years. He died March 28, 1866, at the age of eighty-two years, leaving the
property to his son Samuel.
Oliver Hitchcock, born at Bristol, Conn., March 12, 1776, came to this
town from Great Harrington, Conn., in 1816; went back in 1818, and in 1820
returned and stayed. He soon came to be well known as the proprietor of
the "Gleason stand." Willard, Miriam, Oliver F., Alman and Rollin, all his
children, resided in town for years, the first named coming in 1832 and estab-
lishing a salesroom for the " Terry mantel clock " near the Apollos Smith
place. The onlj^ one now remaining in town is Rollin, who was born on the
farm he now occupies September 24, 1822.
Nathaniel Dickinson, who came to Fairhaven as early as 1790 from Massa-
chusetts, and kept store and tavern — the old Lyon tavern — tliere, resided in
Westhaven, near Dr. Simeon Smith's, as early as 1809, and died there in July,
iSi I. His wife was Sally Gilbert, only sister of Major Tilly Gilbert, of Fair-
haven.
Stephen Fish, born in 1787, came to Fairhaven, about I 8 10 to reside with
his uncle, Joel Hamilton. He shortly afterward removed to Westhaven, where
he carried on the old Minot farm until 1827, residing meanwhile at the foot of
the long hill on the old turnpike, where he kept the turnpike gate. In Sep-
tember, 1 8 19, he purchased, in company with Heman Stannard, 100 acres,
which he afterwards owned in full and which he sold to Otis Hamilton in May,
1835. He died December 3, 1849.
Asa Goodrich resided at an early day near Jonathan Orms's mill. He had
three sons, Erastus, Ansel and Alvin, the first of whom was an apprentice of
General Orms, the second a tanner, and operated the old Beriah Rogers tan-
nery in Fairhaven, and the third was drowned at seven years of age near Car-
ver's Falls about 1799.
Major Tilly Gilbert, who came to Fairhaven in 1788, and became promi-
nent there, removed to the old Minot house, so called, in this town, in 1832,
and remained until his death, September 5, 1850, at the age of seventy-nine
years. Among his descendants is his son Benjamin Franklin Gilbert, still liv-
ing in Fairhaven at the age of eighty-nine years.
The Minot farm before mentioned is so called from Christopher Minot, who
resided there as early as 1 805, and afterwards owned a strip of land in Fair-
haven, including the site of Ira C. Allen's marble dwelling-house. In 1806
he presented the town of Fairhaven with the bell which still swings in the bel-
fry of the village school-house. He died in Westhaven, August 22, 1824, in
his seventy-first year. His wife, who survived him, was Catherine Cutler,
864 History of Rutland County.
widow of Dr. Simeon Sniitli. His son-in-law, Jolin Thomas, afterwards kept
a store here.
General Jonathan Orms, a carpenter and mill-wright, came from Northamp-
ton, Mass., about 1788, by the way of Pittsfield, Vt. He first engaged in
building a forge for Dr. Simeon Smith on the west side of the falls, which he
afterwards purchased, and on which he erected the saw-mill and grist-mill
known so well as "Orms's Mills." He was employed by Solomon Cleveland,
in 1796, on Lyon's mills in Fairhaven. About 1790 he married Eunice Hines,
at the house of Timothy Goodrich, and removed to Westhaven, on the ground
lately owned b)' Seth Hunt, building the two-story dwelling which still stands
there in 1S04. He afterwards resided on the south side of the highway in
Fairhaven. During the War of 18 12 he was appointed general-in-chief of all
the militia in Vermont, having his headquarters at Burlington. His wife died
in Westhaven March 27, 1824, and was buried in the cemetery just north of
his house. He was afterwards twice married. In 1842 he removed to Castle-
ton Corners, where he died August 8, 1 850, aged eighty-si.\ years, and was
buried beside his first wife in Westhaven. His descendants, who are numer-
ous, reside in Whitehall and Jamestown, N. Y., Cleveland, O., and elsewhere.
Dan Smith, nephew to Dr. Simeon Smith, was born January 28, 1759, in
Suffield, Conn., and came from Sharon, Conn., to Westha\'en as early as 17S7.
He resided near the town line. In the summer of 1801 he leased the iron
works in Fairhaven village; in July, 1803, he purchased them, and in October,
1807, sold them to Jacob Davey. During the War of 18 12 he built a forge
and nail factory on the falls in this town, and also made nails on the Fairhaven
side of the road, opposite the old Smith tavern, now Ransom Wood's. He
died in Panton, February 15, 1833.
Apollos Smith, senior, a brother of Dan Smith, removed from Sharon,
Conn., to Troy, N.Y., and thence to Westhaven about 1787, where he opened
the celebrated "Smith Tavern," kept for so many years by his son, Apollos,
and now kept by Ransom Wood. He was born in Sufiield, Conn., December
5, 1756; married Anna Gay, December 3, 1778, and died February 25, 1810.
His children were: Augustus, Apollos, Simeon, Horace, Augustus 2d, Corne-
lia, Henry G. and James.
Upon the division of the old town of Fairhaven this town was immediately
organized, with William Wyman first town clerk. The other officers are not
known, as the records cannot be found. At a meeting held in " March ye 10
day 1800," Oliver Church was chosen moderator; William Wyman, town
clerk ; Oliver Church, Isaac Howe, Joel Dickinson, selectmen ; John Howe,
town treasurer ; Artemas Wj-man, constable ; John Barne, Elijah Tryon, Will-
iam Wyman, listers; Noah " Preast," grand juror; Hezekiah Helen, Isaac
Stevens, Samuel Adams, jr., Barnabas Lerdie, Simeon Downs, Isaac Howe,
David B. Phipponee and Elisha Orton, surveyor of highways; Ebenezer Ste-
Town of Westhaven. 865
vens and Person Kelsy, fence viewers; Lemuel Hyde and Clement Smith,
pound-keepers; Ashel Cone, sealer of leather ; "Captain" Dan Smith, sealer
of weights and measures; Joel Jones, tythingman.
At the same meeting a tax of one cent on a dollar was laid to hire preach-
ing.
Business Interests. — Aside from the forges and mills on the falls already
mentioned, there has never been any very extensive manufacturing interests in
this part of the town ; owing, no doubt, to the proximit}' of Westhaven to the
thriving village of Fairhaven, with its vastly superior privileges, and, since the
opening of the railroad, its additional shipping facilities.
About 1790 the first store in town was started on the knoll northeast of
the residence of J. G. Briggs, by Smith & Woodward ; the business being
afterwards continued b)' Charles Rice and Bohan Shepard, and earlier still by
" Shipherd," Rice & Higgins.
Lemuel Hyde and John Bronson also kept a store near the present resi-
dence of Mrs. Adelaide Hitchcock. Previous to 1800 this firm was dissolved,
and the trade continued by John Van Allen and others for a few years.
About the year 1802 Erastus Coleman established a carding-machine and
clothing works on the upper falls of Hubbardton River. This business he
continued for about thirty years, when he erected a woolen factory on the same
site, and operated it until 1844.
Rollin Hitchcock is authority for the following account of former business
operations in town :
The saw-mill now operated b)' J. P. Hunt was built for a woolen factory
about 1834 by Isaac Norton, of Benson, and Hiram Coleman, son of Erastus,
of Westhaven, and served the purposes of its construction about twenty years,
William Eastwood succeeding Mr. Norton not far from 1850, and afterward
owning the entire interest. The building was then unoccupied for a time,
until a Mr. Vowers, of Warren county, N. Y., converted it into an ax- helve
and spoke factory. J. P. Hunt went in with him, and bought him out about
twelve years ago.
The public house now kept by Ransom Wood was first opened by ApoUos
Smith, sr., before 1790, and afterwards kept by his son, Apollos, jr., until near
the middle of the present century. One Fayette Smith then succeeded him,
remaining only five or six years, and followed by a Mr. Booth. Ransom Wood
came into possession of the property about thirty years ago.
The first saw-mill in town, as before stated, " the Hunt mill," was erected
on the lower fall of Hubbardton River in 1785. There have been three other
saw-mills on that stream in town ; the first being a saw-mill erected by Erastus
Coleman about one and one-half miles above the Hunt mill ; Ouartus Torrey
operated one between the spoke factory site and the Coleman mill, and Isaac
Norton ran one between the Torrey mill and the spoke factory.
866 History of Rutland County.
Tliere used formerly (about 1850) to be a union store kept at what is called
the village. Before that and as early as 1828 or 1S30 Harry Palmer kept store
there, being followed by Ouinton, Church & Torrey four or five years. After-
wards Church & Ouinton failed.
Hunt's cheese factory, T. G. Hunt proprietor, was built in 1875, and man-
ufactures over 40,000 pounds of cheese per annum.
J. & A. Adams & Co.'s boat yard, located on East Bay, was established
more than thirty years ago. They manufacture from one to six canal boats
every year, and employ from five twenty- five men.
The grist-mill and saw-mill of Nelson O'Donnell has been in operation for
ten or twelve years ; L. B. Cook is the present proprietor of the spoke factory.
Post-office. — It is probable that the post-office in Westhaven was estab-
lished in the first quarter of the present century, with ApoUos Smith, jr., as
first postmaster. The office was then in the old Smith tavern, where Ransom
Wood now lives. It was then moved into the neighborhood of its present lo-
cation, and kept by Ransom Armstrong for about fifteen years. John Adams
and E. F. Baker followed successively, for about five years each. When James
Field was appointed the office was removed to about a mile east of the resi-
dence of Mrs. Hitchcock. In about a year Moses Field succeeded James and
brought the office back to its former site. Newton 'Sawyer succeeded Moses
Field and remained in the office about eight years; Perry W. Smith followed
him about one year, when the present incumbent, Rollin Hitchcock, was ap-
pointed in the spring of 1884.
Professional. — There are no physicians in town at present, though in times
past such able physicians as Drs. Heler, Armstrong, Sanford (now of Castleton)
and Palmer, have had extensive practice in town. The only attorney at pres-
ent in town is Hon. R. C. Abell. who was born on the 17th of October, I S3 I ;
studied law with William Barnes, of Albany, N. Y., and admitted in March,
1856. He has always practiced in Westhaven and vicinity.
Military. — In the Revolutionary War the territory of Westhaven, em-
braced within the limits of the original town of Fairhaven, was too tninly peo-
pled to furnish any conspicuous chapters to the history of that war. In the
War of 181 2 the inhabitants actively interested themselves on the side of their
country. It is probable that the town united with Fairhaven, which started a
body of troops for Plattsburg. They were informed before they had reached
their destination that the battle had been fought. In the last war, the Rebel-
lion, the following names are accredited to Westhaveir, sufficiently illustrating
the readiness with which the inhabitants responded to the several calls for men:
Volunteers for three years, credited previous to the call for 300,000 volun-
teers of October 17, 1863. — Oscar O. Cook, Henry F. Davis, CO. C, iithregt.;
William ILdwards, co. B, yth regt.; Timothy W. Lamphere, iith regt.; Fred-
erick Mayhew, co. I, 1 1 th regt.; Norman Pratt, co. C, nth regt.; Edgar W.
Sager, co. B, 5th regt.; Willard J. Sisco, co. B, 9th regt.
Town of Westhaven. 867
Credited under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers and subse-
quent calls. Volunteers for three years. — Dorwin A. Forbes, John Grant, 9th
regt.; William Jones, co. I, 17th regt.; Thomas Marlboro, 8th regt.; Lewis ¥.
Montgomery, cav.; Doran H. Orms, 9th regt.; John W. Owens, co. F, 4th
regt.; Shepard C. Parker, co. E, 8th regt.; Frederick Plumtree, 7th regt.;
Theodore R. Smith, 9th regt.; Lewis B. Vananden, co. C, i ith regt.
Vohmteers for one year. — Charles Allard, Harvey \V. Harrington, I Ith
regt.; John Humphrey, co. C, 7th regt.; James Johnson, 9th regt.; Matthew
M. Kelley, co. C, iith regt.; Daniel Rearden, co. C, 7th regt.; Francis Rivers,
nth regt.; Joseph Rivers, Joseph White, 9th regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. — Frederick Mayhew, Edgar W. Sager.
Volunteers for nine months. — Henry J. Adams, Windham H. Eastwood,
Samuel A. Fish, John O. Gilbert, George D. Hunt, Eugene S. Lee, George
Ofiensend, Herbert C. Rice, Samuel B. Rice, Gardner S. Roberts, Theodore R.
Smith.
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. — Walter C. Brockway, An-
drew B. Cole, Emery Wood.
The present officers of the town of Westhaven (1885) are as follows: Vol-
ney N. Forbes, town clerk and treasurer; Rodney C. Abell, John S. Moore,
Isaac Jakway, selectmen ; W. L. Hitchcock, William Preston, Edward Adams,
2d, listers; Charles Ingalls, constable; Willard Hitchcock, Henry J. Adams,
David Ofifensend, auditors ; James Kelley, Orville O. Hitchcock, fence viewers ;
Robert Doig, David Ofifensend, Justus Briggs, grand jurors; Rodney C. Abell,
town agent ; W. L. Hitchcock, superintendent of schools ; James Kelley, over-
seer of the poor.
The population of the town has varied according to the following figures :
1791,545; 1800,430; 1810,679; 1820,684; 1830,724; 1840,774; 1850,
718; 1860,579; 1870,713; 1880,492.
Ecclesiastical. — The F"irst Baptist Church of Westhaven was organized in
1803, with a membership of nine persons. William Ellis Patterson was their
first pastor. The society now has a membership of between thirty and forty,
with no pastor. The church edifice was erected in 1831 at a cost of $2,000,
and has a seating capacity for 200 persons. The property is valued at $5,000.
History of Rutland County.
CHAPTER XLIV.
ADAMS, JOSEPH, the youngest of the se\'en children of John Adams, esq., was born in
Londonderry, N. H., February i, 1802. His mother was Mary Ann Morrison, a daughter
of Joseph Morrison, esq., of Londonderry, and the second wife of j'ohn .Adams.
The settlers of the old town of Londonderry were Scotch people, Protestant Presbyterians,
who fled from Argyleshire, Scotland, early in the seventeenth century and made their abode in
the north of Ireland, taking part there, not a few of them, in the memorable siege of London-
derry in 1688, which had a marked effect on the subsequent history of Protestantism. Thence
they' came to America eariy in the eighteenth century and were known in this country as the
"Scotch-Irish." Dr. Belknap, in his history of New Hampshire, describes them as "a pecu-
liarly industrious, frugal, hardy, intelligent and well-principled people, who constituted a valu-
able acquisition to the province." They brought with them from their ancestral home, and
retained for many years, their peculiar Scotch customs, habits and speech. The strongly
marked physical characteristics of the Adamses and Morrisons attested the purity of their
national origin.
Mr. Adams removed with his parents, in the autumn of 1806, to Whitehall, N. Y., where
he learned to work with his father on the fafm and at the trade of boot and shoe-making, with
such advantages for an education as he could command, until he was of age. On the 6th of
November, 1823. he married Stella Miller, daughter of William Miller, esq., of Hampton, N.Y.,
and a sister of Rev. William Miller, widely known subsequently as " Prophet Miller."
In January, 1825, he took up his residence m Fairhaven, Vt., building a house on West
street and carrying on his trade as shoemaker, but removed in a few years to a central part of
the village, where he erected a house and shop and carried on an extensive wholesale and
retail business, employing many journeymen and apprentices and supplying most of the mer-
chants from Massachusetts to Canada with ladies' fine shoes. He sold out in Fairhaven in
1843 and removed with his family to Racine. Wisconsin, where he spent about a year. Re-
turning to Fairhaven, he engaged in the spring of 1845, •" company with Alonson Allen and
William C. Kittredge, in building a mill and sawing Rutland marble, a business then in its
infancy. There being no railroad, the marble had to be hauled from the quarries at West
Rutland in blocks, and when sawed into ^abs, as most of it was at first, hauled again to the
canal at Whitehall, and thence shipped to various points for use. This was a large under-
taking for those days, and required a relatively large amount of capital. Mr. Kittredge soon
withdrew from the firm. Mr. Allen being extensively engaged in the production and manu-
facture of slate, then just begun, the laboring oar of the marble business fell to Mr. Adams.
For two years the current set strongly against him. Much of the marble was unsound and
worthless, and the immense outlay was unremunerative. To overcome this embarrassment
required the closest application, untiring energy and perseverance, qualities inherent in the
Scotch blood and physique of Mr. Adams. In 1S51 the business had so far improved that
they rebuilt and enlarged the mill, and, in company with William F. Barnes, of West Rutland,
opened a new quarry, which proved in the end of great value. Mr. Ira C. Allen joined the
company in 1852 ; Mr. Alonson Allen withdrew in 1854. and the firm then becatne " Adams &
Allen." which continued until 1869. when, having sold the quarry at West Rutland. Mr.
Adams purchased Mr. Allen's interest in the mill and continued to run it in connection with
his son, Andrew N., and his son-in-law. David B. Colton. until his death. February 26. 1878.
Mr. Adams was president of the Washingtonian Temperance Society, organized in Fair-
haven in 1 841 with over five hundred members. He was a leading member of the Odd Fel-
lows in 1851-55 ; was chairman of the directors of the Park Association in 1855-56 and con-
tributed largely to the erection of the park. He took an active part in building the school-
house and town hall in i860 and frequently proposed and advocated the introduction of public
water works. He was the original mover in the establishment of the First National Bank of
Fairhaven ; was one of the first and largest stockholders; was chosen a director in 1864 and
became its president in 1873. holding the office until his death. He represented the town in
the Legislatures of 1854 and 1855. being an active and prominent member.
While his opportunities for an education were only ordinary, yet he was not an uneducated
man. but like many others of his time, was self-educated. He knew what was in many good
books, being naturally of an active mind, with a genius for philosophy and mechanics, which
Joseph Adams. — Ht)N. Ira C. Allen.
led him always to inquire thoroughly for the causes and grounds of every opinion or statement.
He was little inclined to accept anything upon authority, and from a somewhat extensive
acquaintance with men, as well as from his own personal study, was well informed in history,
in constitutional and international law, in trade, mechanics and science. He was an indepen-
dent and fearless thinker in politics and religion. He early espoused the cause of the slave
and was among the first subscribers and readers of the National Era, an anti-slavery journal
edited by John G. Whittier at Washington in 1846-48, when slaves v.'ere bought and sold at
public auction in the capital of the nation. He freely questioned and publicly combated cur-
rent traditions, and alone, by his own study and reason, arrived at and defended rational opin-
ions of the Bible, which were pronounced heretical by his friends, but which are now widely
held and sustained by the critical scholarship of cyclopedias and reviews. He always had
"the courage of his convictions." and so great was his confidence in what he deemed to be
true and right that, while admitting the equal privilege and freedom of others, he yet made
personal enemies by saying openly what he disdained to say covertly. But he possessed a
most forgiving and tender heart, and would as soon do a kind service for an enemy as for a
friend. Aiming always to be just, with pride in honor and honesty, he delighted in generosity.
During the last two or three years of his life he endured much pain, but was composed
and cheerful and met death without a fear, surrounded by all that devoted, loving children and
grandchildren could bring to his comfort. Writing of his death at the time, a friend says :
■' For more than half a century he has been closely identified with the business interests of
Fairhaven, and has been one of its most respected and public-spirited citizens. * * *
In all the relations of life he was regarded as a strictly honest man. He was very frank, fear-
less, and outspoken, without a particle of hypocrisy or deceit. In business he was remarkable
for his energy and tenacity of purpose, working out success where most men would have given
up in despair, and never once, during his whole business career, failed to meet his obligations
in full. In religion he was liberal ; in politics a Republican, and he was always a warm friend
of temperance in all things. His social qualities were much above the average. He was
extremely fond of music and no mean performer on the violin. Although economical in his
style of living, he was ever a friend of the poor, generous and kind-hearted. The people of
Fairhaven will long have occasion to cherish the memory of Mr. Adams, as a citizen thor-
oughly identified with the interests of the town and village, warmly favoring all practical pub-
lic improvements, an advocate of good schools and all moral reforms."
A LLEN, HONORABLE IRA C, the subject of this sketch, was born at Bristol, a small
j\^ town at the foot of the western slope of the Green Mountains, on the 4th day of April,
1816. His father. Richard Allen, was a descendant of Timothy Allen, who came from Wood-
liury, Conn., in 1768 to Pawlet, Rutland county. Vt.; he was a cousin of Ethan Allen. His
son, Timothy Allen, jr., was born in 1757 and died at Hartford, N. Y., in 1834. He married
Abigail Morse. Their issue was nine children, one of whom was Richard Allen. Timothy
Allen, jr.. went to Bristol, Vt., near the close of the last century ; he owned a forge there and
a farm, which he carried on until 181 5, at which time, having lost his wife, he married the
widow of Amby Higby and moved to Hartford, N. Y., where she resided. Richard Allen
was born in Pawlet, March 31, 1783. He was twice married ; first Nabby Groat, of Bristol,
Februai-y 23, i8o5, the issue being two daughters, one of whom, Mrs. N. C. Rose, of Peoria,
111., is still living. Mrs. Allen died Se[)tember 10, 1810, and he married for his second wife
Annie Johnson. July 21, 181 1 ; she was a native of Ticonderoga, N. Y.
Timothy Allen, jr., was a soldier in the Revolutionary army and fought under Col-
onel Herrick at the battle of Bennington, when nineteen years old. Richard Allen was
conspicuous as a soldier in the second war with Great Britain ; was adjutant in a regiment of
Addison county cavalry. His regiment was ordered to the Canadian lines to enforce the em-
bargo, and afterwards returned to Vergennes to aid in guarding the shipping then in process
of building for MacDonough's fleet, which was to share a glorious part in the battle of Platts-
burgh. When the shipping moved out upon the lake, the troops marched to Burlington, only to
find the governor's proclamation ordering them not to leave the State. Richard Allen, with
others, then resigned his commission. When Jehiel Saxton afterward called for volunteers in
the streets of Burlington, Richard Allen's name went upon the list as the seventeenth volun-
teer ; he subsequently took an active part in the engagement at Plattsburgh and Saranac
Bridge. It will be seen that the subject of this sketch comes from good and patriotic stock.
Ri< hard Alh n was the father of seven children by his second wife, viz.: Jane, Richard, Ira C,
Eli/.ihciii. Luciiida, Willard and Lucy Ann, all of whom reached maturity and all but the eld-
In compleling a sketch of Mr. Allen we cannot do better than quote the language of Judge
C. M. Willard, in an article in the Financier, as follow's : —
8/0 History of Rutland County.
" The Hon. Ira C. Allen, founder and president of the Allen National Bank of Fairhaven,
Vt., is a fair type of the energy, industry, frugality and thrift of the better class of New Eng-
land business men. Such men are seldom 'born to the purple" and owe little, if anything,
to adventitious surroundings or the advantages of scholastic training. The culture and habits
born of privation and toil, with the moral and religious culture of a right home life, are a more
substantial foundation for a successful life than an inherited fortune. A character thus con-
stituted not only invites success, but survives the storms which not infrequently make ship-
wrecks of material wealth.
In 1817 his parents removed to Hartford, N. Y., where his father prosecuted the joint busi-
ness of farmer, tanner and shoemaker. The succeeding eighteen years of the son's life were
spent at home, the last six years as an apprentice in the shoe-shop, with the annual respite of
three months for attendance at the district school. At the age of nineteen his ambition led
him to seek a business of wider scope and larger possibilities than a country shoe-shop.
Strange as it may seem to the young men of to-day, he negotiated with his father'for, and act-
ually purchased from him the value of his services for the remainder of his minority, and
started out to shift for himself. He entered the country store of his uncle, Alonson Allen, in
Livingston county. N. Y., in 1835. and the following year removed with him to Fairhaven, Vt.,
where he has since resided, with the exception of one year at Whitehall, N. Y. (1844), and an-
other in New York city (1845), being employed as book-keeper in the importing and jobbing
dry goods house of Woodward & Terbell. He continued in the employment of his uncle un-
til 1846, when he was received as a partner under the firm name of A. & I. C. Allen. In 1851
he purchased of his uncle one-fourth interest in the marble business of Allen & Adams, the
new firm being Allen, Adams & Co. In 1854 he purchased the remainder of his uncle's in-
terest in the marble business and thenceforth the business was conducted under the firm name
of Adams & Allen. This was a most fortunate venture, though it involved a heavy indebted-
ness. They purchased the marble quarry that had heretofore been worked under a lease.
This was among the first marble quarries opened in Rutland county and was worked by this
firm to the depth of one hundred and fifty feet. He made no mistake in his expectations of
the marble business, then in its infancy. He devoted his untiring energy to its prosperity and
reaped a large profit therefrom, until 1868, when the company sold their quarry in West Rut-
land and he in the following year sold to his partner his interest in the mill and other company
property at Fairhaven. Since that time he has made heavy investments in railroads, iron
mines, slate interests and real estate, all with exceptional success. He was one of the pro-
jectors and also one of the ten original subscribers to the capital stock of the First National
Bank of this place ; h.Ts officiated there as director, vice-president and president. He was a
prominent promoter and investor in the stock of the Fairhaven Marble and Marbleized Slate
Company, which was organized in 1869. He .served as vice-president of this company from
its organization until the death of Colonel Allen, its first president, when he succeeded to the
presidency, which office he now fills. He was an original subscriber to the stock of the Rut-
land and Whitehall Railroad Company ; for many years w'as a director, its treasurer and now
its vice-president. He is also a director in the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad Company.
In 1879, with a few other capitalists, he organized the Allen National Bank and was made its
president. In addition to his business cares he has served two terms each as representative,
1861-62, and senator, 1867-68. in the State Legislature, with the same fidelity which has char-
acterized his private business.
He purchased of W. C. Kittredge, in 1866, his dwelling and land on the west side of the
park and erected his marble residence in 1866-67. He was one of the founders of and con-
tributors to the Vermont Academy, at Saxton's River, Vt., and for many years has been on
the board of trustees.
Mr. Allen is a man of large social qualities, of tender domestic affections, decided religious
proclivities and a generous supporter of the church with which he is connected.
Ira C. Allen was married September 19, 1855, to Mary E. Richardson, of Geneva, X. Y.
Their children areas follows : Charles R. Allen, born May 5, 1857. Ira R. Allen, born March
29. 1859. Jessie A. Allen, born October 16, i860. Francis E. Allen, born April 29. 1863.
All of these are living. Charles R. .-^llen was married November 29, 1S82, to Jessie E. Dailey,
of Hampton. N. Y.; they have one child, Lura Elizabeth, born March 10, 1885. Mrs. Allen
died on the 20th of March. 1885, at Jacksonville, Florida.
BA.XTER. HORACE HENRY, was born in Saxton's River, January 18. 1818. He was
the eldest son of Horace Baxter, esq., who was for many years a practicing attorney in
Rockingham, judge of probate, and a very popular and eminent citizen of Windsor county.
Judge Baxter was in his personal appearance a manly and striking figure, and from him his son,
doubtless, inherited that manly, noble look and bearing as well as his affable disposition and
engaging manner for which he was distinguished.
}
iidtoftbe
Z-i fis ten 01
■/U^•?n^■^■
,ij; Mr.-*"'"
Horace Henry Baxter. 871
General Baxter began life as a clerk in the establishment of Blake cS; Appleton in Boston ;
but after a years returned to Bellows Falls and engaged in mercantile business ; this he con-
tinued with indifferent success until about the period of the construction of the Rutland and Bur-
lington Railroad, of which Hon. Timothy FoUett was then president. Under his administra-
tion Mr. Baxter was awarded the contract for grading the depot grounds at Bellows Falls and
the construction of three or four miles of railway near that place. This kind of work was con-
genial to his taste and ushered him into a series of large railroad enterprises in which he met
with the most unqualified success. So efficiently did he perform the work of the small con-
tracts at Bellows Falls, that he was entrusted by the president of the road with the completion
of several other contracts on the same line, which had been abandoned by others. This was
followed by the award to him of a contract for the grading and masonry on about twenty miles
of the Western Vermont Railroad. The remarkable efficiency displayed by him in doing this
work gave him prominence as a railroad contractor. Leaving his native State, he went into
Northern Ohio and built the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad — a work calling for the most in-
domitable perseverance, determination in overcoming obstacles, and energy. But in spite of
the almost insurmountable difficulties encountered, the road was finished and turned over to
its projectors within the contract time. He was now only thirty-seven years old and felt him-
self capable of coping with any enterprise that might offer. Returning to Rutland, he pur-
chased, in company with two associates, the marble quarries then in possession of William F.
Barnes; of this property he subsequently becam- the sole owner, and incorporated the Rutland
Marble Company for the better prosecution of the industry that has since grown to such enor-
mous proportions. Into the working of these quarries he threw his whole energies, and with
what degree of success is now well known to all who are at all conversant with the marble in-
dustiy. In 1861 he was chiefly instrumental in procuring a charter for the Rutland County
Bank, against strong opposition. But on account of certain transactions connected with the
organization of the bank which he considered questionable, and which resulted in depriving
him of the controlling inanagement of the institution, he withdrew his business interests from
Rutland, and after selling out his interests in the marble quarries in 1863, re.turned to New
York.
At the breaking out of the great Rebellion, and even before that event. General Baxter saw
with prophetic eye the magnitude of the oncoming struggle, and was one of the first to urge
his native State to prepare for war. When finally the first body of Vermont troops marched
down Broadway, on their way to the front, General Baxter rode at the head of the column. It
was largely through his energy and liberality that so fine a body of organized and well-equipped
men was so promptly ready for the field, and if he felt a degree of pride in their magnificent
apjiearance on that day, it was justifiable. His liberal support of war measures continued
through the struggle, his time and means being freely given up for the success of the cause.
Aher the sale of his Rutland interests and removal to New York, he made the metropolis
his home, passing his summers, however, in Rutland and taking an active interest in everything
that promised to advance the welfare of the village and town. Though he was never a politi-
cian nor an office-seeker in the smallest sense, he held the office of adjutant-general of the
State under the administrations of Governor Fairbanks and Governor Holbrook ; in this ca-
pacity he mustered the eariy regiments that went from the State. He filled the office of select-
man of Rutland, and highway-surveyor and took a deep interest in town affairs generally. He
was one of the corporators of the Evergreen Cemetery and, with a few others, was instrumental
in the building of the Episcopal Church. In the year 1858 he erected his mansion in Rutland,
which, with its grounds, is one of the finest and most sumptuous homes in the State.
General Baxter's life in the metropolis was one of large activity for a number of years, par-
ticulariy in the vast operations of Wall Street, where he was intimately associated with the late
Henry Keep. It was through their operations that Mr. Keep was made president of the New
York Central Railroad, in which position he was succeeded by General Baxter until the prop-
erty passed into the hands of Commodore Vanderbilt. He also, in connection with Mr. Keep
and others, obtained control of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, and advanced the
price of its stock from 40 to par. In the summer of 1870 he joined Mr. Trenor W. Park in
buying the Emma silver mine, in Utah ; in this enterprise he advanced neariy $400,000 in cash.
General Baxter purchased the property in good faith, but it proved a very troublesome invest-
ment and was, perhaps, the least remunerative of any venture he ever made.
In the period between 1875 and 1880 General Baxter was a director in the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company, the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railway Company, the Panama Railway Com-
pany and the Continental Bank of New York. He became an eariy and heavy investor in the
stock of the '.Pullman Palace Car Company and supported that enterprise when few were bold
enough to embark in it. It was his custom to keep at his immediate command large sums of
money, which enabled him to act promptly in those large enterprises which he was able to
grasp and understand so thoroughly. This is shown by his investment of $100,000 in the
8/2 History of Rutland County.
construction company which built the New York elevated railroads after he had become a con-
firmed invalid — an investment which brought him a gain of more than |200,ooo. Such in-
stances of his boldness in financial operations, his clear and accurate judgment and foresight,
might be multiplied indefinitely. It was said of him that "he did not know how to make a
hundred dollars or a thousand, but he knew how to make a hundred thousand."
General Baxter was a man of broad, liberal and charitable nature ; open, affable and pleas-
ing in his manner, and socially one of the most pleasing of companions ; his home was noted
for its generous hospitality. On the 21st of December, 1841, he was married to Eliza Wales,
of Bellows Falls, who died September 8, 1849, leaving no children. On the 18th of December,
185 1, he married Mary E. Roberts, of Manchester, Vt., who survives him. They had two
children — Henry, born May 18, 1856, who died March 20, i860, and Hugh Henry, born Oc-
tober 2, 1861.
General Baxter died February 17, 1884, in New York. His remains were brought to Rut-
land for interment, and the entire community and the various institutions with which he had
been identified, united in paying respect to his memory through resolutions, addresses and
letters.
BAIRD, HIRAM. The ancestors of the subject of this sketch were among the very early
settlers in Rutland county. John Baird came into the town of Chittenden in the fall of
1792 and purchased two lots of land which now form a part of the estate of Hiram Baird.
He had a son, also named John, who came into the town with his parents, and was the sec-
ond son of the family. Earl Baird, the eldest of the children, removed to Caslleton and
thence west. Thaddeus, next younger than John, removed to Ohio a few years after the set-
tlement in Chittenden and died there. David spent most of his life in Chittenden and died in
that town. Thomas also lived and died in Chittenden. These sons of the pioneer were all
respectable farmers of the town.
John Baird 2d, the father of Hiram, was also a farmer ; spent his life in the town of Chit-
tenden and died at the house of his son Rufus, about a mile from the old homestead. His
first wife was Rebecca Pearson, daughter of Josiah Pearson, who came to Chittenden from
Massachusetts; lived eleven j-ears in that town, then a few years in Pittsford, returning to
Chittenden, where he passed the remainder of his life. Mr. Baird's second wife was Harriet
Kilburn, daughter of Simeon Kilburn, of Chittenden. His children were Hiram (the oldest
and the subject of this sketch), Joel, also son of the first wife, and now living in Chittenden ;
Louisa, daughter of the first wife, married Daniel Noyes of Chittenden, who recently died,
leaving his widow still a resident of that town ; Lester L., son of the second wife, died at Get-
tysburgh while serving his country; Charles V., a farmer now living in Chittenden; Jane
married M. L. Dow, and lives in Plymouth, Vt.
Hiram Baird was born on the 19th day of November, 1804, in Chittenden, on the farm
where he now lives. His youth did not differ materially from that of all New England sons,
born of parents who were striving to make homes for their families in the early years of settle-
ment. His educational advantages were not extensive, being confined chiefly to attendance at
the district school in winter seasons, and even this ceased when he was about seventeen years
of age. He remained at home, sharing the burdens of the farm labors, until he was twenty-
one years old, when he hired out to S. Granger & Sons, then operating the furnaces in Pitts-
ford. Three months later he returned home and for two years worked the homestead farm
with his father. Succeeding this period he worked the land where Rufus Baird now lives.
In the mean time he had married, in the spring after he became of age. Miss Sally Morse,
daughter of Jonathan Morse, of Lester, Vt. The tract of land which he first acquired com-
prised fifty acres, to which he afterwards added another fifty, and worked the tract for five
years. At the end of this time, his father having sold the homestead farm, Hiram returned
there and purchased it ; the farm then contained one hundred acres. To this has been added
three hundred acres more, which is now in possession of Mr. Baird and his sons.
Mr. Baird's wife died November 25, 1880. Their children have been as follows: Franklin,
born November 6, 1830, died June 3, 1883. He married first Belinda Morse, and second Ida
Goodfellow ; they had three children (all by the second wife), who now live with their grand-
father, Hiram. Franklin Baird was a man of prominence in the community, and possessed
talents and capacity far above the average. He was almost constantly honored by his towns-
men with offices of responsibility after he reached manhood. He was selectman two or three
years ; was town clerk and treasurer fourteen years, and held the office at his death, and rep-
resented the town in the Legislature in 1867-68. He, moreover, by his general public spirit
and uprightness, gained the confidence and esteem of all who knew him.
The next child of Hiram Baird was Stephen S., born October 2d, 1832; married Mary
Hewitt, daughter of Charles Hewitt, and lives in Chittenden, where he is a successful farmer ;
*X.^.A.* V-'^J'
I
Hiram Baird. — Porter Benson. 873
their children are one daughter, Nettie, who married Alvin Eggleston and lives in Chittenden,
and one son, Horace, who still lives with his parents.
Hiram Baird is an example of the self-made, successful men of Vermont, so many of whom
are found in all communities of the State— men who. although they may never arise to emi-
nence. chieHy on account of their surroundings and limited opportunities, yet reach a position
in the estimation of their acquaintances which is at once enviable and honorable. Mr. Baird
had only passed his majority a short time when he was placed in office — that of constable
first ; he then held the office of lister many years ; was elected selectman several years ; jus-
tice of peace a number of years, and finally declined further election ; town agent and trustee
of public money; represented his town in the Legislature in 1866-67, and in various other w'ays
has been tendered evidences of the confidence of his fellow'-citizens. Mr. Baird has been a
successful farmer and acquired a competence in that honored occupation, and now in his old
age, still active in body and in almost perfect mental preservation, enjovs the review of a well-
spent life.
BENSON, PORTER, the subject of this sketch, was born in Clarendon on the 23d of Sep-
tember, 1S33. His father was M. D. Benson, who came into this State from Massachu-
setts. The boy Porter obtained a good English education in the common schools and at the
Black River Academy, at Ludlow. Aside from the time thus spent his years until he reached
his majority were spent in hard labor upon his father's farm.
When he reached twenty years of age his father died, leaving a considerable estate, the
princiijal part of which consisted of two farms in the town of Clarendon, one of them being
on the hill near Clarendon Springs. The son was deemed the best person to settle the estate
and accordingly he was appointed administrator. His father's family consisted of his wife
(who was Laura Spring before her marriage, daughter of .Amos Spring, of Clarendon), and
four children ; the eldest was EHzabeth, who married Moses W. Kelly, a farmer of Claren-
don ; ne.xt was Porter; the third, Willis, who now lives in Wallingford ; and Eliza, married
A. Jay Newton, a farmer of Clarendon. The settlement of the estate was executed by the son
Porter in the best and most satisfictory manner, the farm near Clarendon coming into his own
hands, through the purchase ol the interest of one of his sisters. On the 1st of January, 1855,
he was married to Maria Ripley, daughter of Eleazer Ripley, of Bennington. They resided
five years on the hill farm, mentioned, when he sold it and purchased a farm in the Otter
Creek \ alley, where he spent the remainder of his life and where his widow and her children
now reside.
This merely indicates that Porter Benson was one of the great body of successful farmers
of Vermont ; but he was much more than this. He was possessed of much more than com-
mon business and executive capacity, and soon extended his work far bevond the limits of his
agricultural pursuits. He began dealing in farm machinery, in which he was unusually success-
ful, and held many of the most valuable general agencies, appointing sub-agents throughout
the county ; in this way he did a large and successful business, and always to the eminent sat-
isfaction of those with whom he became connected. He thus enjoyed an extended acquaint-
ance in all parts of the county ; indeed, there were few men who were better known. The
men with whom he dealt came to look upon him as a sort of leader and general counselor in all
matters of importance. For example, when the project of sending a milk train from this
county to New York was developed, Mr. Benson was sent by his constituents to the metropo-
lis on several occasions, to make all necessary arrangements : and numerous similar instances
might be enumerated, showing the confidence reposed in him. Public office was also tendered him
until he had held nearly all positions in the gift of his townsmen. He was collector a number
of years including the war period, when the duties of that office were peculiarly onorous and
responsible, and held the place until he declined further election. He was also constable for
a long period ; was selectman at the time of his death, and overseer of the poor. In 1866-67
he was sent to the Legislature, where he was efficient in sustaining the war measures of that
period. Republican in politics, he entered with his usual energy into all the necessary labors of
recruiting the town's quotas of soldiers, and had more to do. perhaps, in this respect than any
other citizen. In short, he was in all respects a popular and successful man. This is further
shown by the following brief extract from an editorial in the Rutland Globe published on the
occasion of his untimely death : —
■■ Porter Benson was widely known and esteemed as a man and a citizen. A man of more
than ordinary business tact and capacity, his relations to society and the public have been of a
prominent character. As a citizen, he was public spirited and energetic in the promotion of
all tiiat pertained to the welfare and prosperity of the town of his residence: in "fact, also of
our town and the county and State. In his own immediate community he may be said to have
been a leader."
History of Rutland County.
On the 13th of December, 1876, Mr, Benson started from his home to carrv his daughter
to school in Rutland, In crossing the railroad track at Freight street, his' horse became
frightened at an approaching engine, shied from the road and the wheels of the carriage struck
a pile of earth and snow, throwing the daughter to the^ ground. As he turned in his seat to
see how she had fallen, he seemed for a moment to lose control of the animal, and in another
instant he was precipitated to the hard roadway. He was rendered unconscious and continued
partly so for three days ; and although everything that human skill could do was done for him,
he died on the 20th, without ever having spoken after the casualty. His funeral was attended
at his home on the 23d, when his remains were followed by a large concourse of his former
friends and acquaintances. The funeral sermon was delivered by Rev. Mr. Morse, who paid
the deceased the following tribute : —
" I address a large number who have known him in the business and social relations ; you
know how worthily he walked, and what honor guided his life in all his transactions ; a re])uta-
tion any man has reason to be proud of. He has held many positions of honor and trust and
has always served his fellow citizens faithfully. He has received the homage of the poor and
the homage of gratitude from his fellow men."
Mr. Benson was the father of five children, as follow : Amelia L., born December 16, 1856,
married Charles Holden, now of Proctor. Hannibal P., born May 20. i860, married Jessie
Webb, of Clarendon, and lives on the homestead with his mother. 'Elizabeth M., born April
9, 1862. Sarah M., born April 22, 1865, lives at home, Frank M., born August 16, 1874,
and living at home.
BRIGHAM, CHARLES WESLEY. Among the eariy emigrants from Connecticut to
Windsor county, Vermont, was .A.sa Brigham, who settled in Barnard and became a
respected citizen of that town. His family consisted of three children, as follows : .Alden.
Chloe and Asa. .Asa removed to the State of Iowa, where he died. Chloe married Zephaniah
Sherman, and died in Barnard, aged seventy-one years. Alden Brigham was born October
28, 1796, and died April 2, 1872; he married' Lydia L. Smith; she died April 29,
1872; they had four children: Adelia (the eldest), born August t6, 1824, married
Ebenezer Walcott, a farmer of Stockbridge ; Sarah L., born September 24, 1827. married
Augustus Chedell, of Woodstock, who died while in the service of his country in the late war ;
Charies Wesley (the subject of this sketch), and Dennis S., born December '9, 1834, and now
living in Albany, N. Y.
Charles Wesley Brigham was born May 17, 1831. His eariy life was passed chiefly on his
father's farm, until he was twenty-six years of age. except as he was away at school. After
securing such education as was afford'ed by the common schools of his neighborhood, he
attended the seminary at Newbury, Vt. Soon afterward he began the study of medicine with
Dr. Virgil Watkins, of Newbury, in 1856, and followed with studies under Dr. .Alpheus B.
Crosby, at Hanover (1857-58), attending at the same time the medical department of Dart-
mouth College, whence he graduated in the fall of 1858. In order to still further perfect him-
self in his profession, by actual practice in medicine and surgery, he spent nine months at
Deer Island Hospital. Boston Harbor. His studies thus completed, he located in Pittsfield in
February, 1859, and has remained there in the enjoyment of a very successful practice ever
since. Such is the briefest review of the more prominent changes in Dr. Brigham's life, but it
does not, by any means, convey an intelligent idea of its more public and active features. He
is a Republican in politics, and it sufficiently indicates the position he has won in the confi-
dence and esteem of his townsmen to state that he has been honored with almost every office
within their gift. He was elected town superintendent of schools several successive years, an
office which he administered with thorough efficiency, thus evincing his deep interest in the
cause of education ; he was elected town treasurer several years, and also for a number of
years town clerk; was selectman one year; was elected to the General Assembly for 1867-68;
was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1870, and was elected member of the State
Senate from the county of Rutland for 1876.
The duties of these various offices, calling as they did for qualifications governing a wide
range and of a high order, have been performed by Dr. Brigham with intelligence and good
judgment, and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents.
Dr. Brigham's home and business life has not been confined to his profession, although
his practice, extending over a large extent of territory in a rural district, has always made a
heavy demand upon his time and energies. He has been largely interested in the lumber
business for about fifteen years, first in company with Joel Ranney, then with Edward At-
wood, and now associated with George Chedell. They own and operate at the present time
three saw-mills, producing annually about two million feet of lumber, one in Pittsfield and
two in Chittenden ; one of the latter is run by steam-power. He has also erected several
Charles Wesley Brigham — John P. Bowman. 875
<l\vellings in the viUage of Pittsfield, besides his own residence, and has in other ways shown
his interest in the prosperity of the place. Within the present year he has opened a drug-
store, a much needed institution in the town.
Dr. Brigham is a man who is chiefly characterized for sound sense, good careful judgment
of men and affairs generally, and a candid, forcible manner, which strongly impresses others
with his own beliefs and theories. His foresight in business and political affairs is clear and
reliable, a quality to which may be attributed his success in life.
Dr. Brigham has been twice married, first to Mary L. Co.x, daughter of George Cox, of
Barnard, in February, 1859. By her he has had one son, Frederick L., born July 7, 1862. She
died August 27, 1863, in Pittsfield. He inarried second Sarah L. Co.x, sister of his first wife,
March 20, 1864. Their only child is George A,, born November 27, 1867. Frederick is study-
ing medicine in Dartmouth College and George A. is attending the Vermont Methodist Semi-
nary and Female College at Montpelier.
BOWM.-\N, JOHN P., is a native of Rutland county, Vt., and was born in the year 1816.
His grandfather was one of the early settlers of the town, coming there from the neigh-
borhood of Le.xington, Mass., a short time subsequent to the Revolutionary War. He and
two brothers came to this country from England. His son, John Bowman, who married
Lorinda Hart, was the father of the subject of the present sketch.
Mr. Bowman's boyhood life ran much in the way of that of ordinary New England youth
at that ])friod. School advantages v»-ere few and much of the time of early years was given
to practical industry. At the age of fifteen years he commenced learning the tanning and
currying trade at Rutland, Vt. He worked there about five years, when he went to New
York State. There he continued at the same trade for eight or nine years at Hunter, in
Greene county, Saugerties, Ulster county, and at Warrensburgh, Warren county. At War-
rensburgh he was in the employment of Burhans & Gray, hemlock sole-leather manufacturers.
The wages received during all this time were very moderate, but he gave himself diligently to
his work and became thoroughly proficient in all its parts. For the first year's work at
Saugerties he received one hundred and forty-four dollars, only four of which he drew previ-
ous to the end of the year. From Warrensburgh he came to Cuttingsville, Vt., and estab-
lished himself in a general tanning and currying business. For a time he also manufactured
and dealt in boots and shoes. He occupied the tannery near Cuttingsville now conducted by
Huntoon & Son.
In 1 85 1 he was honored by his fellow-citizens of the town of Sherburne with an election to
the Legislature. He served his constituents faithfully and with credit to himself But busi-
ness was more to his taste than politics and public affairs, and he afterwards neither held office
nor sought political preferment.
In January, 1852, Mr. Bowman moved to the town of Stony Creek, Warren county. New
York. Here he found water-power and plenty of hemlock bark, but few other facilities or
conveniences. This section of country was then new and sparsely settled. The land was
uneven, very stony, and not adapted to farming pursuits. Saratoga, the nearest accessible
railroad point, was thirty miles distant. There were but two or three small houses, a saw-mill
and a tannery, then partly built where the village of Creek Center now stands. Mr. Bowman
completed the tannery and put it in operation, commencing then the business of sole leather
manufacturing, at which he has since continued. He has added to and improved the tannery,
until now it is one of the best in the State. Its capacity is 40,000 sides of leather a year. In
addition to the tanner)' proper there are extensive bark-sheds, storage buildings, a carpenter
and repair shop, a large boarding-house and houses for sixteen families.
He has a commodious and pleasant residence, barns, carriage-house and convenient office.
Around his residence there are many shade and fruit-trees, some ot the latter being planted
by Mr. Bowman's father years ago. Good order and neatness prevail about the whole prem-
ises. Consequent upon the growth and development of Mr. Bowman's business enterprise
quite a village has grown up in the vicinity, and now churches, school-houses and stores
occupy ground that was covered by an unbroken forest when he commenced operations there.
Mr. Bowman has attained an enviable position in business circles where he is well known,
and his name is the synonym of the highest honor and integrity. He has acquired a com-
petency and has earned it by his own hard labor, careful attention to business, and the exer-
cise of his best judgment in business affairs. It is worthy of note in this connection that his
is one of a ver\' few out of numerous kindred enterprises undertaken in this region of country
that has succeeded. Through financial panics and periods of business depression Mr. Bow-
man has managed his afTairs with such sound judgment and conservative methods as to
maintain his commercial standing unimpaired.
The parent's grandparents and brother of Mr. Bowman are buried in the cemetery at East
Clarendon, Vt., and the place of burial is marked by a stately monument erected by him.
876 History of Rutland County.
In his domestic life and associations Mr. Bowman has known much of happiness and
sorrow. He was married in 1849. His wife was Jennie E. Gates, the youngest of seven
daughters of Franklin Gates, of Warren, Herkimer county, N. Y. Mrs. Bowman was pecu-
liarly fitted for the duties and relations which followed her marriage. She was prepossessing
in appearance, dignified and graceful in manner, self-reliant and courteous. Her qualities of
mind and heart gained for her more than an ordinary measure of esteem and regard among
her large circle of friends and acquaintances. She was a member of the Episcopal Church,
but her Christian and beneficent work knew no sectarian bounds. To those in less fortunate
circumstances than herself she was the kindest and most considerate of friends, always doing
her kindly acts in pleasant and thoughtful ways. In her home she was a most faithful wife
and mother. It was her aim to make home pleasant and attractive, and she accomplished
this as only a truly good and noble woman can. She manifested her devotion to her husband
by the most constant endeavors for his welfare, and brought to his aid much of prudent coun-
sel and cheerful encouragement.
Two children, Addie and Ella H.. were born of this marriage. The former died in infancy.
Ella attained the age of womanhood and justified the expectations of Iier parents in the traits
of character she displayed. She was given excellent educational ad\'antages, and she carefully
improved them. Her personal qualities bound to her the affections of her parents with strong
and loving ties. She was more fond of home than other society, and her presence there shed
continual sunshine about the family circle. She was much interested in benevolent works,
and took real pleasure in making others happy.
Mr. Bowman thoroughly appreciated his pleasant family and found his highest enjoyment
in the companionship of his wife and daughter.
In June, 1879, Ella's death threw a heavy pall of gloom over the once happy home. The
hope and bright joy of the household were gone. This affliction did not remain the only one.
In January, 1880, Mrs. Bowman died, leaving her husband alone to bear a grief made more
poignant by the happiness that had preceded it. The remains of his family were taken for
interment to Cuttingsville, Vt.
Soon after the death of his daughter Mr. Bowman gave his thoughts to the building of a
family tomb, and he devoted much study to the formation of plans and designs for the work.
For this purpose he visited different cemeteries and examined many structures of the kind.
Soon his idea took definite shape, and early in the summer following Mrs. Bowman's death
he began the construction of a mausoleum at Cuttingsville. The general plan of the work
was Mr. Bowman's own conception. The hands of skillful workmen wrought out the accom-
plishment of Mr. Bowman's design and soon brought the work to completion. The mauso-
leum stands on a plain upon the hillside in Laurel Glen Cemetery. It is quadrilateral in form
and is about eighteen by twenty-four feet in its ground dimensions and twenty feet in height.
The walls are built of granite, and marble is principally used for the interior work. The
exterior is wholly plain, while within the finish and ornamentation are elegant and elaborate.
Busts chiseled in purest marble serve to perpetuate the features of the different members of
the family. This massive tomli, at once enduring in its strength, impressive and grand in
appearance, is but a feeble expression of the great love the husband and father bore his v.-ife
and daughters. When the building of the mausoleum was accomplished Mr. Bowman gave
attention to its surroundings. He added to the extent of the cemetery, graded the surface of
the grounds, ornamented them with shade-trees, arranged grass plots, made gravel walks and
carriage drives. A large green-house has been built by him near the tomb, where the rarest
plants and choicest flowers are grown. He has erected an elegant summer residence upon a
pleasant site opposite the cemetery. The surrounding scenery lends a charm to the spot
which has become one of the pleasantest that can be found. Visitors to this sacred scene
number many thousands and are from distant as well as neighboring parts of the land.
COOK, NELSON W., was born in Mount Holly, Vt., August 23. 1832. He is the seventh in
descent from Gregory Cooke, his Puritan ancestor, who, with his three brothers, George,
Joseph and Stephen, came early to New England from Stannaway, county of Essex, England,
and settled in Cambridge, Mass. They at once assumed very prominent positions in the com-
munity, both in civil and military affairs, and were among the mo.st distinguished citizens in the
colony. George Cooke was selectman of Cambridge three years, deputy or representative five
years, and Speaker of the House in 1645. In 1645 he was elected one of the Reserve Com-
missioners of the United Colonies. He was appointed in 1637 captain of the Cambridge mili-
tia; became a member of the artillery coinpany in 1638, and its captain in 1643, and when a
similar company was incorporated in Middlesex on May 14, 1645, he was placed at the head of
it. He was one of the commissioners and commander-in-chief of the milit;iry expedition sent
to Rhode Island in 1643. He returned to England in 1646, became a colonel in Cromwell's
Nelson W. Cook. 877
army and was " re|)orted slain in the wars of Ireland in the year 1652." President Dunster,
of Harvard College, and Joseph Cooke were administrators of his estate. Joseph Cooke was
selectman of Cambridge ten years, from 1635 to 1645; town clerk six years, from 163510 1641 ;
local magistrate from 1648 to 1657; and representative six years, from 1636 to 1641 ; he was
also an officer in the militi.i and when George embarked for England he was his successor in
command. Stephen Cooke was selectman in Mendon in 1674. 'So. and '81. He was a com-
missioner of highways for the same years, and one of a committee to settle the first minister in
thai town. He RMiioved to Watertovvn and in the church records of that town Rev. John
Bailey says : ■• I did in the name of the church admit Deacon Stephen Cooke to full commun-
ion, lie being a member of the church in Mendon." He was one of the original members and
a deacon of the second, or Rev. Samuel Anglers' church of Watertown.
Gregory Cooke, of Cambridge, Mass., in 1665, bouglit of Abraham Williams his mansion
house and about six acres of land, and in 1672 Jeremiah Dummer, of Boston, conveyed to him
one hundred and twelve acres more; this place was the home of some of his descendants to
about the time of the Revolution. It was probably occupied by his son Stephen, and Colonel
Phineas Cook was the last of the name who possessed it. Gregory Cook was, in 1667, select-
man and constable of Cambridge. He had a grant of land in Mendon, and was selectman of
that town in 1668-69. He was a commissioner for laying out highways the same years — also
one of a committee for settling the first minister in that town. He returned to Cambridge and
was again elected selectman in 1678-79 and '81 ; in 1674 he was grand juror.
Samuel Cook, son of Thaddeus, was bom in Preston. Conn., on May 18, 1765. He mar-
ried. January i, 1791, Sally Chamberlain, of Wethersfield, Vt., a daughter of Oliver Cham-
berlain. She was born in Windsor, Conn., December 19, 1766, and died May 24, 1861, aged
ninet\-fi\e years. He died September 25, 1852. For his biographical sketch, see history of
thr ( Hi.iki IS of Mount Holly. Chauncey Cook was the fourth son of Samuel. He was born
in Miiunt Holly, Vt., on April 22, 1800. He married in Mount Holly on September 26, 1826,
Ruby Wheeler, who was born in Newport, N. H., on February 2, 1804. In addition to the
work of cultivating a large farm, he bought butter, cheese and cattle for market, going to
Boston ten or twelve times a year. He was engaged in the business for fifteen years. While
on one journey to Boston (about 1846) he exhibited, in an affray with highway robbers at
Tewksbury, Mass., a natural shrewdness and coolness, which it is not too much to say have
been inherited by his descendants in Mount Holly. About ten o'clock in the evening of which
we speak, and while he was yet a mile from his destination for the night, two men sprang from
the woods, through which he was traveling, one seizing the horses' heads, while the other
mounted the wagon and with presented pistol demanded the victim's money. The latter
jumped down and ran in the direction of the tavern which was his destination for the night,
but was so rapidly pursued by the robbers, who also fired several shots at him, that he gave
himself up. Among the things which they rifled from his pockets was a letter, which he re-
quested to be left with him, as well as a memorandum book. They complied with his request
and fled into the woods with the pocket-book. The letter contained five hundred dollars
which Mr. Cook was conveying for a neighbor in Mount Holly to a Boston merchant. The
robbers, Thomas Burns and John Galager, were arrested, examined and held for trial, being
confined in jail at Lowell several months. At the trial they were successfully defended by a
young lawyer who has now a national reputation, General Benjaman F. Butler.
When the Rutland and Burlington Railroad was completed, Mr. Cook was the first station
agent at Mount Holly, and was succeeded by his son Aaron, the present incumbent. These
two have held the oflice thirty-six years. Mr. Cook was assessor in 1829 and selectman in
1832, '33, '34 and '37 ; was appointed by the governor justice of the peace in 1836. He was
elected representative in 1838-39. He was grand juror several years, also auditor, and in later
years was elected justice of the peace, but never qualified by taking the oath of office. He
had five children which lived, and seven which died in infancv. The names of those which
lived to maturity are as follows: Carios, born May 19, 1829; died in Boston, Mass., July 14,
1884. Rosana, born March 20, 1830; married Austin Constantine, November I, i860, and died
in East Wallingford, January 22, 1865. Chauncey Langdon, born August 23, 1832. Nelson
Wyatt, born August 23, 1832. and Aaron Wheeler, born August II, 1837. Chauncey Cook
died March 31, 1865.
Nelson \Vyatt Cook is the third son of Chauncey. His boyhood days were spent in work-
ing upon his father's farm summers and attending the district school at Mechanicsville winters
until he was nineteen years of age, when he went to Massachusetts and worked eight months
on a farm in Waltham. He returned home and went to school the following winter. The
next spring (1852) he went to Boston, Mass., and entered Comer's Commercial College. After
completing his business education he engaged himself as clerk in the produce and Iruit store
of John Sanderson, in whose employ he continued several years'. He then established
himself as commission merchant for the sale of produce and was also interested in real estate.
878 History of Rutland County.
and a trader in notes, stocks and bonds. While residing in Boston he was a member of the
following societies: The Mercantile Library Association, The Young Men's Christian Union,
and the Parker Fraternity. He soon became a subscriber for Mr. Garrison's Liberator and a
constant reader of the numerous tracts and other literature issued from that Gibraltar of lib-
erty on Cornhill — the reading of which had its influence upon his mind. He early joined the
New England Anti-Slavery Society, and continued one of its active members until the war of the
Rebellion freed the slaves. At the rendition of the fugitive slave Anthony Burns, from Boston, Mr.
Cook was one of those who made the attempt to rescue him from the authorities. An indig-
nation meeting was held at Fanuiel Hall and Wendell Phillips and Theodore Parker were the
principal speakers. Mr. Parker, in his speech, used the following language ; " Americans have
been called cowards, and the sons of cowards. Sons of cowards we are not. cowards we are
if one poor, helpless, defenseless black man leaves the soil of Massachusetts as an unprotected,
unrescued victim of oppression." After these words had been spoken the rescuers rushed
from the hall and were soon at the entrance of the court-house where Burns was confined ; the
crack of pistols were heard and the booming of a timber against the door, which gives way ;
and there on the portal is a dead man. At the sight the rescuers hesitate and the opportunity
for rescue is lost. During the exciting times in the winter previous to the firing by the rebels
on Fort Sumter, the mayor of Boston, Joseph M. Wightman, and other city officials, attempted
to break up an anti-slavery convention in Tremont Temple. Mr. Cook was one of those who
held " the fort " until after the evening session, and was among those who accompanied Wen-
dell Phillips home — protecting him from the violence of the mob until he was safe in his house
on Essex street. He w'as a member of one of the first Republican clubs organized in Mas-
sachusetts, and was present at the meeting in Fanueil Hall when the Republican party in
Massachusetts was organized and named. In 1S72 Mr. Cook retired from active business and
the following year, June 10, 1873, he sailed in the steamship Malta from Boston for Europe,
spending the summer months in London and Paris and returning in the autumn. In April,
1874, he again went abroad, visiting nearly all the capitals in Europe and many places and ob-
jects of interest. He sailed the third time for Europe in February, 1875, and he spent every suc-
ceeding summer in traveling abroad and returning in every autumn until 1879. He was married to
Mary Alma Kmersley, daughter of Dr. Edward Baker, of London, England, on July 8, 1879,
by the Rev. John M.' Lester at St. Peter's Church, Eaton Square, London. Mrs. Cook was
born in New York city, February 21, 1854, and lived there until she was three years of age,
when she returned with her parents to England. Dr. Baker commenced practice as a surgeon
in the English navy, and a great portion of the time he was with the fleet stationed at the
West Indies and North America, and when he arrived at New York he decided to establish
himself in practice there. Dr. Baker, after practicing at his profession about four years in New-
York city, returned to London, England, where he now resides.
Mr. and Mrs. Cook came to America in August, 1S79, and returned to England again in
March, 1881 ; living in London the following summer. In 1882 .Mr. Cook erected an elegant
residence in Mount Holly, where he has since resided. He has a young family of three chil-
dren: George Chauncey, horn April 14, 1880; Emma May. born September 21, 1881, and
Rosana Alma, born April 13. 1884.
CURRIER, JOHN McNAB, M.D., of Castleton, Vermont, was born in Bath, New Hamp-
shire, August 4, 1832. He was the third son, and the youngest of four children, of
Captain Samuel Currier and Rachel Annis, who were among the early settlers of his native
town, and were farmers. He received a classical education at Newbury (Vt.) Seminary and
Mclndoe's Falls (Vt.) Academy.
He studied medicine with Drs. W. A. Weaks and Enoch Blanchard, of Mclndoe's Falls,
Vt., Prof. Dixi Crosby, and his son. Prof. Alpheus B. Crosby, of Hanover, N. H.: and gradu-
ated in medicine at the medical department of Dartmouth College in 1858. In the. same year
he settled at Newport. Vt., where he practiced medicine until 1871. when he moved to
Mclndoe's Falls, Vt., \vhere he practiced nearly two years. In 1873 he went to Burlington,
Vt., to edit and publish The Vermont Medical Jourjial, but that pro\ing to be an unprofit-
able enterprise, its publication was discontmued, and after remaining in the city of Burlington
a little more than one year he went to Bristol, Vt., to resume practice. At Bristol he remained
nearly two years, and in 1876 went to Castleton, Vt., his present location.
He took an active part in the reorganization of the Orleans County Medical Society, in 1S65,
and was secretary of it several years. In 1873-74 he was a member of the Chittenden County
Medical Society ; also of the Burlington Medical and Surgical Club. He was foremost in the
formation of the Rutland County Medical and Surgical Society in 1877. and for several years
was its secretary. Through his exertions the Castleton Medical and Surgical Clinic was
formed in 1879, for the purpose of rendering medical and surgical advice and treatment to
indigent patients free. He was elected a member of the Vermont Medical Society in 1880.
John McNab Currier, M.D. — John Cain. 879
He was medical examiner of volunteers at Newport, Vt., in the War of the Rebellion in 1861-
65, and was surgeon-general of the volunteer militia of \"crniont in 1872-73-74 with the rank
of brigadier-g-eneral, on the staff of Governor Julius Converse. He was examining surgeon
for pensions at Bristol in 1875-76. Besides editing the Vermont Xfedical Journal he con-
tributed many articles for other medical periodicals and for medical societies.
Dr. Currier became early interested in all branches of science. Through his zeal and
instrumentality the Orieans County Natural and Civil Historical .Society was reorganized in
1S69 under the name of the Orleans County Society of Natural Sciences. In connection with
this society he was editor-in-chief and publisher of a quarterly scientific journal in 1870-71-72-
73-74, bearing the title of Archives of Science and Transactions of the Orleans County
Society of Natural Sciences. Through his liberality the publications of this society were sent
to nearly three hundred foreign and domestic scientific, literary and historical societies, receiv-
ing in return publications in more than twenty different languages.
In 1872 he helped to organize the Mclndoe's Falls Scientific Club. At Bristol he was one
of several to organize the Bristol Scientific Club in 1874; and after moving to Castleton, aided
in the formation of the Castleton Normal School Scientific Club ; of all three of these societies
he was secretary, and sought to popularize science by holding frequent meetings and publish-
ing the proceedings of them in the various newspapers in the immediate vicinity. He made a
large collection of specimens in mineralogy and pala;ontology, a large portion of which
was purchased for the benefit of the public school in the village of Fairhaven, Vt. He also
made a large collection in archaeology, mostly Vermont specimens; one portion of which was
donated to the Vermont Historical Society; and subsequently the balance was purchased for
the cabinet of the University of Vermont.
Dr. Currier was elected a member of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science in 1879; of the Appalachian Mountain Club in 1883; and of the British Association
for the Advancement of Science in 1884. To the first mentioned society he has contributed
several articles on the archaeology of Vermont.
In Rutland county Dr. Currier has devoted much of his attention to the study and writing
of the local history of the county. He was one of the founders of the Rutland County His-
toriral Society in 1880, and has been re-elected its secretary from year to year since its organi-
zation. He was elected a member of the Vermont Historical Society in 1880, and in the same
year was elected a life member of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society. He was elected
a resident member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 1881. Through his
zeal and liberality the second volume of the Rutland County Historical Society was published,
and several other important and valuable documents have been published since the organiza-
tion of the society. He was a contributor to Hemmenway's Vermont Historical Gazetteer
both in Orleans and Rutland counties. He has made a large collection of old, rare books,
many articles of antiquarian and historic value, and has preserved many historic and genealog-
ical manuscripts.
Ur. Currier married, August 8, i860, Susan Havens Powers, the eldest of two daughters
of John D. Powers and Jane B. Carleton. of Woodstock, Vt.; by her he had two children :
Linn, born June 8, 1861, and Suza, born June 7, 1867.
t~<AIN,' JOHN, the subject of this sketch, although not "to the manner born," passed a life
J of usefulness and enterprise in the varied relations of Rutland. He was the son of
Thomas and Jane Cannel Cain, and born January 28. 1809, at Castle Town, near Peel, on the
Isle of Man, on the estate Lhergydhoo, which has been in possession of his ancestors for
many generations. He received the education of the time, such as was afforded the masses
of the people. Possessed of a bold, adventurous and independent spirit, at the age of twenty-
three he emigrated to this country and settled in Rutland in 1832. He was an architect and
builder, a vocation which he pursued diligently for forty years, planning and erecting many
buildings, among them being the United States court-house and post-office, the town hall and
the Bennington and Rutland Railroad freight depot. He was the pioneer in demonstrating
the feasibility of building a railroad over the Green Mountains from Rutland to Bellows Falls.
He advocated the theory with great persistence, but his townsmen were faithless and even de-
risive in their comments. Possessed of indomitable will and untiring energy, he determined to
make a preliminar)- survey, and on the 26th of December, 1842, drew a subscription addressed
to the people, stating its object and signing his own name. After much time he secured the
sum of Sioo in small amounts. That subscription is still in existence, and the descendants of
the signers who have been enjoying the benefits of the enterprise in the town of nearly 20,-
000 inhabitants, as its results, would be surprised at the want of faith of their fathers as indi-
cated by the amount each contributed. He was greatly interested in the project of the Port-
■ Prepared by Henry CUiik, of Rutland.
History of Rutland County.
land and Rutland road and was president of the organized corporation. He was closely iden-
tified witli Rutland interests and for more than thirty years was active in all that tended to
promote its prosperity and progress. He held many positions of responsibility in the town
government, having been for several years chairman of the board of selectmen. He was post-
master of Rutland from 1853 to i85o and advanced the grade of the office and made many
improvements in postal affairs, securing the erection of the United States court-house and post-
office. He was an ardent politician of the Democratic school and a prominent man in his
party in town, county and .State, and frequently a candidate for representative and senator ; was
twice a candidate for Congress, and a delegate to four national conventions. In 1857 he estab-
lished the Rutland Courier and was its editor until 1873, when it was discontinued. As an
editor he was independent and a fearless and bold champion of every cause he espoused. He
was a man of varied reading and intelligence, and a poetical writer of considerable skill ; a
few of his fugitive pieces attracted wide attention. His last public effort was a poem read be-
fore the Vermont Editors' Association a few years before his death. Mr. Cain was a warm
friend and a sharp antagonist ; a man of much more than ordinarv ability ; possessed of indom-
itable will, untiring energy and large individuality, he impressed himself upon the community.
May 24. 1834, John Cain and Mary, daughter of Avery Billings, a prominent citizen of Rut-
land, were married, and his widow still survives. Five children were born to them: William
J., John A., Avery B., Mary (wife of Henry C. Harrison), and Jewett P. Three children
survive. William j. and Avery B. died in the regular army, both in 1879. They were brave
and efficient soldiers, as their commissions and the following sketches of their lives attest: —
WilHam J. Cain was born in Pittsford March 26, 1835. He received an academic education
and at the breaking out of the Rebellion was reading law. He went out as quartermaster-
sergeant in the Second Vermont Regiment and was in the battle of Bull Run. He resigned
his position and enlisted as a private in the U. S. Light .-\rtillery in 1862 ; was with General
Pleasanton's advance on .Antietam, and was at the battle of Fredericksburgh. He received a
comm-ission as second lieutenant in the Third Regular Cavalry in February, 1862 ; was pro-
moted to first lieutenant October 9, 1865 ; served on the staffs of Generals Sherman, Logan
and Harrison ; participated in the battles of Chattanooga, Kenesaw Mountain, Missionary Ridge
and Atlanta ; was at the side of General McPherson when he was shot by rebel sharpshooters ;
promoted for gallant services March 10, 1865. After the close of the war he was stationed at
Memphis, Little Rock, Fort Smith, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. In 1867 he commanded a
cavalry escort to General Wright's surveying partv through Colorado, New Mexico and Ari-
zona to the Pacific Coast ; after leaving the army he was a surveyor on the Northern Pacific
Railway, and later was at the head of the freight department of the Missouri and Texas Rail-
road, at Sedalia. Two years previous to his death he was stricken with paralysis, the result
of exposure in his army experience, which ended his life. He was twice married ; first to
Patrea Chaives, a Spanish lady, by whom he left one son, who now resides with his grand-
mother. He afterwards married Elizabeth, daughter of ex-Lieutenant-Governor William C.
Kittredge.
Avery Billings Cain was born in Rutland February 18, 1840. He received the education
of the Rutland schools. A vacancy occurring in the army, the Hon. Solomon Foot telegraphed
his personal friend, Mr. Cain's father, tendering young Cain the place, and he was at once
commissioned second lieutenant in the Fourth United States Infantry, August 5, i86l. He
served in the Army of the Potomac during the entire war and proved himself an officer of most
distinguished personal gallantr)-. He commanded his company at Yorktown, Fair Oaks,
Gaines's Mill, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam and Chancellors-
ville. At the latter battle he won his brevet of captain for exceptional gallantry and was com-
missioned October 9, 1863. He commanded his regiment at Spottsylvania, North Anna River,
Pottsville Creek. Cold Harbor, Weldon Railroad and Petersburgh. At the terrible passage
of the North Anna River, his heroic conduct won him the brevet of major. The Fourth and
Second regulars were so much reduced by the carnage of this awful campaign that only a
mere remnant of two hundred men remained ; they were detailed under command of Major
Cain for guard duty at General Grant's headquarters, in which capacity they served until the
surrender of Lee. Major Cain's regiment lost over 1,400 men during the Rebellion. Alter
the war he was stationed in command of various military posts on the Canadian frontier, New
York harbor and in the Western Territories. He accompanied General Crook in his expedi-
tion against the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the summer of 1S76, and in the battle fought
on the 17th of June, of that year, performed valiant service. In that engagement he led two
companies of infantry into the thickest of the fight, and held the bluffs for over half an hour
under a tearful fire from a body of Indians who outnumbered his troops twenty to one. These
were a part of the same band of Indians who seven days later massacred the gallant Custer
and his men. He was stationed at Chicago during the riots of 1877 and remained until order
was restored.
John Cain. — Coldnel Aloxson Allen.
He was married to Anna Cooper, daughter of United States Senator Cooper, of Pennsyl-
vania, October 31, 1867. He left no children, and died at Fort Laramie March 16, 1879.
Major Cain was a brave and cool officer ; a personal favorite, because of his excellent military
record, with both Generals Grant and Sherman, who showed him unusual marks of personal
regard. A sketch of this brave soldier merits a place in the history of his native county.
\ LLEN, COLONEL ALONSON. Few men, if any, have so indelibly left their impress
JTV upon the history of any town in the county as did Colonel Allen upon the town of Fair-
haven and indeed the western portion of Rutland county. His more than forty-two years of
residence were years of incessant and herculean labor.
Young men of to-day, looking abroad upon the two great mining industries of this county,
only dimly discern the rugged way over which the pioneers struggled and toiled. Men scarcely
beyond middle life call to mind the hills of Rutland, Fairhaven, Poultney, before the blows of
quarrymen or the crash of explosion awakened the echoes. Resources upon all sides, now
apparently inexhaustible, were slumbering possibilities awaiting the summon of human wills.
To write the story of one who was a pioneer in developing either of these great industries,
marble or slate, would be to tell of years of labor unremitting, beset by discouragements, em-
barrassment and misfortunes, sometimes disaster, with little money, without knowledge or ex-
perience, with no central market but with a scattered and precarious trade, compelled to give
long and doubtful credits — his was no bed of roses. There is a peculiar and added emphasis if,
after having withstood the strain incident to the attainment of fortune from one untried indus-
try, with courage he boldly sets himself at work to unearth still other possible sources of
wealth, becoming the pioneer and only early promoter of a kindred, the slate industry. To
command from the worthless rocks two industries which should be the means of making pos-
sible thousands of happy homes in this valley of the Champlain, was at once the ambition as
it was the mission of Colonel Allen.
His grandfather. Deacon Timothy Allen, removed from Woodbury, Conn., to Pawlet in
this county, in 1768. He was first cousin of General Ethan Allen. His father, also Deacon
Timothy Allen, passed his early years in the latter town, and as a member of Colonel Herrick's
regiment, participated in the battle of Bennington. The subject of this sketch was born in
Bristol, Vt., where his father had settled some years previous, on August 22, 1800. He was
the youngest but one of nine children, all of whom he survived.
In 1 814 his father removed to Hartford, Washington county, N. Y., to which place Alonson
soon followed. '1 he twenty succeeding j'ears were passed there. Wanting the physical
strength to pursue the carpenter's trade, to which he was early apprenticed, he turned to mer-
cantile pursuits, and was soon offered a clerkship in the store of Joseph Harris, then the lead-
ing merchant in town and perhaps in the county. His rare business qualifications soon be-
came apparefit to his employer, and after two years' service he offered to start him in business
in a neighboring village. The new firm was A. Allen & Co., Mr. Harris being the Co. After
about two years together, Mr. Allen purchased his partner's interest, and with the exception
of about two years conducted the business alone, until the spring of 1S35, when, disposing of
his store, he went for a short time to Conesus, Livingston county, N. Y., where he also engaged
in trade; returning in March, 1836. he removed to Fairhaven, where he remained to the close
of his life, and where he died September 5, 1878. Here he found that broader field for the
exercise of his restless activity, which his inclination and capacity sought. Purchasing a bank-
rupt stock of goods, he at once entered ardently into the mercantile business, determined to
compel success in a town where nearly all enterprises had failed.
Finding himself well established in town, in 1838, two years after his arrival, he leased from
Jacob Davey the iron works then lying idle. These works had been operated since 1795, and
consisted of forge, rolling and slitting-mill and nail-mill, the rolling-mill having been the first
one erected between New York city and Canada. In this enterprise there were associated
with him Israel McConnell, of Hebron, and Harvey Brown, of Hartford, N. Y., though they
gave no time to the business. During the four following years we find the products of these
mills— nails and iron — scattered from New Hampshire to Wisconsin, the latter State being
reached by the then new Erie Canal and the lakes, and the New Hampshire. Massachusetts, Ver-
mont and New York trade being supplied by teams which were sent out with the goods, return-
ing with old scrap iron from which the new was largely though not altogether produced. Iron
ore was brought from Peru and Moriah, N. Y.,vzii Lake Champlain to VVhiteh.dl, thence nine
miles by teams. The coal for smelting was made from the surrounding forests.
As illustrating the energy- and enterprise now brought to this business it may be stated that
in 1840 depots for the distribution of these nails were established at Detroit and Milwaukee.
Having about this time an opportunity to exchange nails for cook stoves, one thousand were
purchased and forwarded to the Milwaukee house.
882 History of Rutland County.
The business seems to have been in a prosperous state when in March, 1842, the works
were consumed by fire, and, suffering as well from the workings of a law then in force in the
Slate of New York, known as the "one-third act," which permitted a person to enter bank-
ruptcy upon obtaining the consent of one-third of his creditors, and from the effect of the panic
of 1 836, as from the loss by the conflagration, and again from what seems to have been a heavier
blow to his ambition and spirit than either, the loss of his wife, he abandoned the lease of the
iron mills, and for a short time devoted himself exclusively to trade. About 1839 his atten-
tion had been directed to sheets of slate obtained two miles north of the village. The character-
istics of this slate — color, te.xture, strength — bore marked resemblance to the Welsh slate then
in common use for school slates. No doubt, because of preoccupation, he did not at once begin
the work of quarrying; the undertaking was permitted to rest and not abandoned. The plans
had so far taken shape in 1842 that he leased from Captain Caleb B. Ranney a plot ot land
upon which work was begun. This is a portion of what now belongs to the Scotch Hill Slate
Company. Here he was in an entirely new field. He wished to manufacture school slates,
but no one knew the methods by which the slate should be raised from its bed, and much less
with what appliances cheaply transformed into the nicely finished article. At length, finding
a man who knew something of quarrying this stone, he went to work, erecting a building
adjoining the iron mills, situated upon the upper falls in Fairhaven village, and filled it with
machinery of his own invention, which, at the time, proved to be the most efficient and eco-
nomical then in use in this country or in Europe. The change in the tariff in 1845 opened the
American market to the German slates, and the competition became so oppressive as to expel
him from the market, and again turning away from his mill and idle machinery, he set himself
at work to develop another and less known branch of this industry, namely: the making of
slate shingles for roofs of buildings. During the next four years progress was unavoidably
slow, owing to numerous causes, among which was the impossibility of securing men of expe-
rience in the working of the quarries, and the difficulty and expense experienced from the
absence of railroads in distributing the slate. Locally and in nearly all directions shingles were
still abundant and cheap. Importations from Wales, it is true, had been going on in the sea-
board cities in a limited way possibly during one hundred years, but few indeed penetrated
farther inland, and as a result scarcely anything was known of their use or value in all this coun-
try outside a half dozen towns.
His resources of will and skill could produce the slates, but now btjgan the struggle of sell-
ing and distributing them. The importers of Welsh and other European slates were un-
friendly and not only refused to purchase them, but by methods perhaps not less familiar at
that time than in this, discountenanced and denounced them. Those engaged in the laying
of the slates— the slaters — for the most part old countrymen, listening not more to the importers
than to their own prejudices, were backward indeed to take them, and so only by unusual and
for the time unprofitable inducements were the slaters brought to favor them. An attempt to
set forth the besetments incident to the work of creating markets and educating the people to
the values of this new thougli unequaled roofing, and of organizing a class of men adequately
informed in business methods to prepare them for contractors competent and responsible, is
not our purpose. Suffice it that during these years, none ventured into the new field of indus-
try, because the reward was only labor without recompense. With the building of the railroad
in' 1849, of which enterprise he was an active promoter, and of which he was vice-president at
his death, 'he was enabled almost immediately to establish the business upon such a basis as to
render it one of the foremost industries in the State. In 1853 he purchased from Jonathan Ca-
pen his farm of one hundred and sixty acres one mile east of the village. It proved, as he an-
ticipated it would, to be one of the largest and most excellent deposits upon the endre slate
range. The quarry first developed, consisting of twenty-two acres, he sold to the Fairhaven
Marble and Marbleized Slate Company, upon the organization of that company in 1869. The
remainder of this estate is in the hands of his family, and a number of excellent quarries are
being worked. For a number of years previous to his death he could ride from north to south
through nearly forty miles, along the borders of two States, and count scores of derricks and
watch the profitable labor of thousands and number a thousand homes which were the fruits
and to him the bountiful recompense of his early forethought, discernment and enterprise.
He lived to see the products of his quarries wrought for a hundred purposes, from the tiny
ear-drop in its setting of gold, to the massive stone work in the facade of a building, and to
see the quarries of Vermont, in addition to a domestic trade spanning the continent, sending
annually to England, Germany and other countries, thousands of car loads. Is it strange that
sometimes with this in view, and as he recalled the stubbornness of the conflict with English
slates, in his quiet way he would say, " Carrying coals to Newcastle " .' Col. Allen's reputa-
tion for energy and sagacity was now 50 conspicuous, that his co-operation was in request when
new enterprises were projected. Consequently, when, in 1845, Mr. Joseph Adams, a former
citizen of Fairhaven, returning from a residence of a few years in Wisconsin, sought business,
Mr. Allen was readily enlisted in the project of erecting a'mill for sawing Rutland marble.
Colonel Alonson Allen. 883
Ahhougli his means was already considerably absorbed in oilier pursuits, and notwith-
st.Tndiiig his coiUribution was generous, the money and credit at conmiand being thought in-
suflicient to the demands of the new business, Hon. W. C. Kittredge, a lawyer of .eminence and
a gentleman of high character and worth, became associated, and the venture was launched
under the copartnership of Kittredge, Allen & Adams. Judge Kittredge, however, contrib-
uted neither money nor time, his name alone doing service. Two years later the other part-
ners purchased Mr. Kittredge's interest, and the firm became Allen & Adams. Notwithstand-
ing the watchful care demanded by the slate branch of his now extensive business, he gave to '
the development of the marble industry that unremitting labor and care which so many others
so well know is essential to success. They leased from Francis Slason, of West Rutland, with
right of purchase, about nine acres of quarry, the same subsequently and successively owned
by Adams & Allen, Parker, Gilson & Clement and at this time by Gilson & Woodfin. Materials
for erecting an eight gang mill were accumulated, two miles west of Fairhaven village upon
the Poultney River. This site was abandoned before the work of erection began, and a pur-
chase of ten acres made in the village, a. new dam thrown across the stream, that now known
as the third or lower dam. This opportune change in locations. Colonel Allen often said de-
termined the fortunes of the enterprise. During ten years, in the fullness of a robust intelli-
gence and staunch manhood, he wrought laboriously and wisely in pushing forward two kin-
dred industries. Since coming into town twenty years before he had been the leading, most
of the time the only merchant, alone in the business until 1S46, when his nephew, Ira C. Allen,
became his partner. Beginning now to feel the draft upon his physique, and also the import-
ance of concentrating his means upon one or the other of the two important enterprises in hand,
he determined to sell his interest in the marble, and accordingly he transferred to his nephew
just named one-fourth interest in 1851 and the remaining one-fourth in 1854. and in the latter
year his connection with the marble trade ceased. Thenceforth he devoted his energy and
means to the slate, e.xpanding it as the wants of the people directed, and so filled his years
until his seventy-seventh when he retired from active labor. At the time of his death he had
been for nine years the president of the Fairhaven Marble' and Marbleized Slate Company.
The foregoing are comprehensively the salient points in Colonel Allen's business career,
though he was engaged in various minor matters looking to the promotion and the growth of
the town.
To convey an impression that he alone was the prompter and promoter of the material
achievement so conspicuously noticeable in Fairhaven, is not intended. His associates herein
named, sketches of whom appear in this work, were in harmony in purpose and in spirit, and
later others, among whom was Mr. Israel Davey, for many years the proprietor of the iron mills,
and still others, working together and in harmony, have been worthy and honored contributors to
the results. That Colonel Allen was the pioneer in the slate industry of Vermont is not ques-
tioned, and it is assuredly not improbable that but for his boldness and courage, to this hour
not one slate would have been shaped from Fairhaven to Salem. The place which he fills in
the history of the marble industry, if not that of a pioneer, is nevertheless that of one who early
and in a marked degree helped to place it upon a remunerative basis. It was his firm which, in
1852, first showed blocks of Rutland marble m New York city. As he had before confronted
the importers of roofing slates with those equally valuable from Vermont, so now he confronts
importers of Italian marbles with the statuary from Vermont.
Mr. Allen keenly lelt the defects of his meager school advantages, but early and always as
leisure offered was an industrious reader. He was well informed upon the questions o'f the
day. He was a ready antl forcible speaker, whether discussing political platforms, advocating
social reforms or expounding denominational customs and polity.
Col. Allen received from his fellow citizens repeated recognition of his worth and their
esteem. While still a young man in Hartford his military promotion through all grades from
corporal to commander of the 175th regiment N. Y. S. M. was rapid. He is spoken of as
having been an accomplished and popular officer. He had been in Fairhaven but five years
when he was. in 1841, elected to the State Senate, and again in the succeeding year and also
again in 1854 and 1855. He was assistant judge of the County Court three successive years,
1S60. 1 86 1, 1862, and in 1872 was presidential elector. He has also filled nearly all places of
honor and trust within the gift of the town, and it is needless to say that to all and every trust
he was faithful to the last.
In politics he was a Whig until the organization of the Republican partv, in the work of which
he was among the first to move. Judge Dunton, in a public address in 1872, said of him : " He
wrote and signed the call for the first meeting held in the State to protest against the abroo-a-
tionof the Missouri Compromise before that infamous measure, the Kansas-Nebraska bill, had
passed. No man in this pan of the State has done more to promote the interest and secure
the success of the Republican party than Colonel Allen."
For generations his ancestors had been pious. God-fearing men, and notwithstanding he
History of Rutland County.
did not unite himself with any church until after forty years of age, he fully accepted the teach-
ings of evangelical religion. His denominational predilection was towards the Baptist. It
was his profound conviction, almost a part of his creed, that there can be no lasting material
growth in a community without a corresponding moral and religious growth. Hence we find
that upon coming to Fairhaven, though no church of his " faith and order " was there, at once
he enrolled himself for taxation, as was at that time customary, being one of fourteen constitut-
ing the Congregational Church society.
The stand thus taken is conspicuously manifest to-day in the prosperity of the churches in
town. There being no Baptist Church in town, he united himself with the one at his old home
in Hartford in 1841, but still contributing his means and influence to the Congregational
Church of his own town. He encouraged and assisted in the building of the Methodist
Church in 1S44. In 1852 he led the work of organizing a Baptist Church in an adjacent
village two miles distant. When, in 1866, in his judgment, the time was at hand for the
establishment of a Baptist Church in Fairhaven, he entered upon the work with a full heart
and his accustomed zeal and success. Its tine church edifice was erected in 1870. In both
of these churches he served as deacon for many years. He was prominent in the Baptist
denomination of the State, having for years been the treasurer of its convention and a valued
counselor. He was trustee of several educational institutions. .AH through life he was an
earnest advocate of every real reform — intemperance, slavery and all other social evils expe-
rienced his hard and continued blows; and as early as 1834 we find him earnestly advocating
in public addresses the temperance and African colonization causes. It has been truly and
comprehensively said of him " that he was the friend of every good interest."
Colonel Allen was thrice married. His first wife was Juliza Higbee, of Hartford, who died
in 1841. She was the mother of five children, all of whom are living (1886). In 1S42 he
married Mrs. Jane G. (Everts) Reed, widow of Alanson Reed. Mrs. Reed had recently re-
turned from Siam where, as a missionary of the Baptist Foreign Missionary Union, she had
gone with her husband in 1835. In 1859 he married Mrs. Mary E. (Baldwin) Hurd, widow of
Orville Hurd, of Newark. N. Y. Mrs. Allen is still living in Fairhaven. At this time M.
Augusta Baldwin, recently deceased, a loved and cherished daughter of Mrs. Hurd, came
into his family.
To speak at length of the traits of Mr. Allen's mind and character is not incumbent after
the fullness of this sketch.
A mind judicial in its cast and yet adventurous in its conceptions, of knightly boldness and
courage, there was an unusual blending of conservatism and radicalism ; a judgment of un-
common clearness and penetration; a will ready to cope with obstacles or outride disaster; of
unflinching integrity ; of an elastic and genial temper, he was grandly equipped for the place he
occupied. His rare qualities of heart were even more apparent than those of his mind —
sincerity, kindliness, affection, cheerfulness, generosity. Though restless and outreaching in
his activity, his tastes were domestic. His home was the citadel of his love. His thoughtful-
ness and solicitude, always so noticeable, were not more conspicuous than the reciprocal hom-
age of his household. Notwithstanding all the friction of an eventful life when, at nearly four
score, he laid his armor oft, his verdict was that of the true Christian soldier — Life zs worth liv-
ing. The following, taken from a letter by Rev. Dr. Ellenwood, of New York, corresponding
secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church, so fitly epitomizes the
characteristics of Mr. Allen's life that it is here inserted : —
" I may truly say that I have known no man in my extended acquaintance for whom I
cherish a more genuine regard and esteem than for Mr. Allen. He was so self-governed, so
just in sentiment, staunch for his principles, and yet liberal and charitable, so sound in judg-
ment, -SO loyal to all the claims of society, of the State, of humanity, and above all so loyal to
his Divine Master and his cause. I shall not soon meet one so many sided and yet so central-
ized in the truth. Would there were more such men in this age of terrible corruption and
ill omen. May his mantle fall on all of us who know his worth."
Measured by material accumulations Mr. Allen's life was not as conspicuously successful
ds others of his younger and later associates. It was his lot, one upon which in later life he
took pleasure in contemplating, to organize industry and mark out the road on which it should
travel. Beginning where he laid his work down, others have and will continue, as was his an-
ticipation and hope, to gather to themselves wealth from the rugged hills and charming valleys
of his own county and State.
As he was the consistent friend of workingmen, and of all men, he desired that education,
morals and genuine religion should not simply keep pace, but predominate over that less sub-
stantial wealth which must perish and pass away.
" 1 here will lie other towers for thee to build.
There will be other steeds for thee to ride ;
There will be other legends and all filled
With greater marvel > and more glorified."
^Z^nAXJ^<S^^Jiilyl4U(/y^^
Myron M. Dikeman. — George W. Dikeman. 885
DIKEMAN. MR. AND MRS. MYRON M. Frederick Dikeman. grandfather of Myron
M. and George W. Dikeman, has been mentioned in the .sketch of the life of the person
last named. He was four times married, the two brothers just mentioned being descended
from his first wite.
Myron M. Dykeman, the oldest son of Ferry Dikeman, was born on the 29th of June, 1809,
on the farm now'owned by Willis Peters. He came to the farm he now occupies when a mere
child, and has always lived on the same excepting two years when he lived within sight of
it. On the 3d of September, 1829, he married Elvira Jewell Robinson. Like his brother, he
has steadily added to the talents given him until he has become one of the three wealthiest
men in town. He has never entertained any ambition for holding ofhce. but has, neverthe-
less, served the town as selectman, lister, and in other capacities. In the year 1875 he was
appointed one of a committee of three to settle some insolvent estates in this town, and they
were settled to the satisfaction of all, without going through a court of insolvency. lie is a
stockholder in the First National Bank, the Castleton Bank, and the Killington Bank, Mer-
chant's Bank, and Rutland Trust Company of Rutland. He held stock also in the old Rut-
land National Bank, and lost $3,000 by the failure of the bank in Poultney a number of years
ago.
Mrs. Myron M. Dikeman was born on the nth of January, 1809, on the farm in Hubbard-
ton now occupied by A. S. Kilbourn. Her father. Eli Robinson, son of Isaiah Robinson, was
born on the shore of Lake Bomoseen, and was noted for his fondness for hunting. In 1844
he went to Wisconsin, and in i860 died in Minnesota in his eigthy-fourth year. His father
came from Sharon, Conn.; his mother, Sarah Foote was a relative of Hon. Solomon Foote.
.Mrs. Dikeman's mother's father. Seymour Doud. was an early settler in Hubbardton, and
lived on the farm now owned by Zebulon Baker. He was killed by the falling of a tree. He
was also from Sharon, Conn. Mrs. Dikeman is a member of the Congregational Church and
has been for many years.
Following are the names of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Dikeman, together with the
dates of their birth, and of the death of those not now living : Maria B. Dikeman was born
May 8, 1830; was twice married, and died January 8, 1863. M. Munson, horn October 14,
1S31, married July 4, 1S55, and now lives with his father. Schuyler M., born January 21, 1833 ;
married October 6, 1864 ; is the present town clerk. Orphena M.. born May 19, 1834: mar-
ried October 5, 1853; died April 7, 1859. Sarah Jane, born April 9. 1836; married to Ste-
phen B. Hatch, of Parishville. N. Y., September 29, 1864. Henrietta, born February 25,
1839; married December 25, 1861 ; died July 3, 1863. Ellen E., born April 16, 1851 ; married
June 25, 1865; died November 14, 1869. Harvey G., born February 21, 1843; died unmarried,
November 21, 1864. Emm.-i L., born June 15, 1845 ; married October 13, 1869 ; now the wife
oi her second husband, John W. Hulett, of Bennington, Vt. Zilpha A., born March 31, 1847 ;
married June 13, 1871 ; died May 8, 1881. Albert G., born June 8, 1849, died unmarried
July 30, 1875.
The life of a I'armer in a country cleared of forests and wild beasts is usually uneventfid.
Occasionally, however, a single incident will afford excitement enough to last a whole lifetime.
Such is the case with the subject of this sketch. On the 14th of February, 1841, while ope-
rating a water-power saw-mill which then stood on his place, Mr. Dikeman was repairing the
machinery over the shaft of the wheel, when his footing gave way, and he fell about twelve
feet, one foot being violently forced into the flutter wheel, which in its revolution caught the
heavy heel of his boot between the bucket and the apron, and stopped the mill. He was held
a prisoner in this perilous and uncomfortable position for about a half hour, with the ice cold
water pouring upon him by the barrelfuls. His cries finally reached the ears of the neigh-
bors, who soon found and released him. Strange to say, no bones were broken, though Mr.
Dikeman was confined for two weeks to the house, and for about twelve hours suffered great
agony from the wrenching.
Mr. and Mrs. Dikeman celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding on the 3d of
December, 1879, when they entertained about a hundred of their friends. The affair was as
enjoyable as it is rare.
DIKEMAN, GEORGE W. AND WIFE. Mr. Dikeman's grandfather, Frederick Dike-
man, was a soldier of the Revolution, and a native of Redding, Fairfield county, Con-
necticut. He removed early to Ballston, N. Y., where on the l8th of March, 1788, was born
Perry Dikeman, the father of the subject of this sketch. In 1796 Frederick Dikeman came to
Hubbardton and settled on the farm now owned by M. M. Dikeman. He was four times
married and had by his first wife. Mabel Couch, the following children : Lydia, born August 8,
1781 ; Sarah, born December 13, 1784 : Perry, born, as before stated, March 18, 1788 ; Uriah,
bornMarch 5, 1790, and .Azor, born January 20, 1794, In the spring of 1816 Perry Dikeman
came on to the farm now owned by M. M. Dikeman, and, in 1837, bought the jjlace now
886 History of Rutland County.
owned by George \V. Dikeman, upon which he remained until his death, August 14, 1871.
He held many town offices and represented the town in the Legislature in 1851 and 1852. The
maiden name of his wife was Zilpha Morehouse.
George W. Dikeman was born on the 5th of January, 1815. at a distance of less than a
mile from his present home, on the farm now owned by D. J. Flagg. He afterward, while a
child, lived on the farm now owned by his brother, M. M. Dikeman, and came to his present
farm with his father. For years before his father's death he had the active management of this
farm, which contained two hundred and fifty acres of choice land, capable of growing all kinds
of produce. Mr. Dikeman's education was received at the district schools of his native town.
By virtue of his natural acquisitiveness and industry, he has come to be one of the wealthiest
men in town. He has been a stockholder in the First National Bank of Fairhaven, and for a
number of years has been, and is now, one of its directors. He also owns stock in nearly all
the banks and banking companies of Rutland, and was for years a stockholder in the old Rut-
land National Bank. He was unfortunate enough a few years ago to be in the numerous
company who lost by the failure of the old Poultney bank, being about $5,000 out of pocket
by reason thereof.
Although he has preferred the quiet industry of home life to the anxieties and meagre
emoluments of public office, he has been compelled, at various times, to accept town offices.
He was chosen selectman two terms during the war, and two terms in succession since then,
has served two years as constable and collector, several years as superintendent of schools, and
some time as justice of the peace, beside declining other offices which have been repeatedly
proffered him.
Mrs. George W. Dikeman was born in AVhiting, Addison county, on the 17th of July, 1823,
and became the wife of Mr. Dikeman on the 5th of January, 1841. Her maiden name was
Nancy Maria Walker. Her father, Timothy M. Walker, was a shoemaker in Whiting, and
came to Hubbardton in 1837, taking up his residence upon the farm recently owned by Arnold
Manchester. He was the grandson of Gideon Walker, whose career forms an interesting
paragraph in the history of Whiting. He was born in Whiting on February 24, 1801, and af-
ter conducting successfully the business of farming and shoe-making until he had just passed
his prime ; he died in Hutsbardton on the 20th of January, 1855. His wife, Nancy Moulton,
was born in Orwell, Vt., on the loth day of February. 1802, and still lives with Mrs. Dike-
man. Her father, Ephraim Moulton, from Brimfield, Mass., was an early farmer in Orwell.
Her mother was Matilda Lyon, a relative of Matthew Lyon, of Fairhaven. Mrs. Dikeman,
besides attending faithfully to all the duties of her household, has for many years taken active
interest in the affairs of the Congregational Church of Hubbardton, of which she is a member
and regular attendant. To those who take delight in reflecting upon the hardy virtues engen-
dered biy the quiet and seclusion of the farm, the spectacle of husband and wife sharing the ills
and blessings of the world for near a half century is touching and sublime.
DUNN, JAMES C, the subject of this sketch, descended from sturdy Scotch stock, his
grandfather, John Dunn, being a native of Glasgow, Scotland, who emigrated to .Amer-
ica and settled at Ryegate, Vermont, in July, 1798. John Dunn was the only member of his
family who came to America. He married Elizabeth Whitehill, daughter of Deacon James
Whitchill, a ruling elder of the Presbyterian Church. John Dunn died in May, 1844, at the
age of seventy-one years; his wife died in June, i860, aged eighty-seven years. John Dunn
and his wife Elizabeth raised a family of seven children, five sons and two daughters, viz.:
John, James, Elizabeth, Hugh, Mary, Alexander and WiUiam. The oldest son and first born,
John, was father of the subject of this sketch. He was born in October, 1798, at Ryegate,
Vermont, and lived until August, 1873. On the 5th of March, 1829, he married Jennett Page,
of Ryegate, who was the daughter of Nathan Barker and Abigail Dow Page, of Goffstown,
N. H. Mrs. Page died December 11, 1823, and her husband died June 9, 1833. They were
of English descent and had ten children, five boys and five girls, viz.: Hannah. Job, William,
Nathan, Abraham, Martha, Isaac, Jennett (wife of John Dunn), Abigail and Helen, The
family of G. F. Page were among the first settlers of Ryegate. He owned three large farms
and was a blaksmith by trade.
John Dunn, whom we have left for a brief period to trace the genealogy of his wife, Jennett,
followed the occupation of a farmer ; so did his father before him. He built him a house af-
ter the manner of that day, doing the greater part of the work himself. It still remains stand-
ing at Ryegate and is owned by the subject of this sketch and occupied by his brother, Isaac
P. and family. John and Jennett were blessed with seven children, in order as follows : James
C. Dunn, born Januarv 13, 1S30; Abigail H,, October 26, 1831 ; Isaac P., February 19, 1834 ;
Hugh, June 9, 1836; Alexander Harvey, May 20, 1838; Charies C, February 20, 1841 : Sarah
J., May 16, 1844,
Jaines C. Dunn, the eldest of the seven above named, is a self-made man. His parents
cJ^-rUi^c^^c^ JP^A
'Zjty^'Z'Z-^X^t^t^^
James C. Dunn.
were poor and during his early years he was compelled to toil early and late upon his father's
farm to assist in the support of the family. He received a common school education at Rye-
gate and Peacham. and in May, 1853, at the age of twenty-three, struck out for himself, en-
gaging as a retail traveling salesman for a wooden ware establishment at Rindge, N. H. He
remained in this business nine months, when he went into a livery stable with H. O. Whitcher,
of Winchendon, Mass. He remained here but a few months, however, going thence to Tem-
pleton, Mass., and engaging with H. & W. Smith, tin-japanned manufacturers, as one of their
wholesale and retail traveling agents. He remained with this firm from May, 1854, until Oct-
ol)er, 1858, having in his circuit Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Rhode Island and part of New York Slate.
In October, 1858, Mr. Dunn took up his residence in Rutland, at that time entering into
partnership with his present partner, John W. Cramton, under the firm name of Cramton &
Dunn. The firm started business in a small way, with a capital of exactly $2,014.22. Their
stock of goods comprised tinware, woodenware, glassware, stationery, etc., and their office
was in the Cramton & Nichols block, near neighbors to Jay Gould, Z. V. K. Wilson and other
noted men of the day. The business of the firm was done by traveling on the road with a
cart. Their storehouse was in a barn in the vicinity of the present gas works, on Freight
street, and now used by the People's Gaslight Company as a storehouse for coal, etc. About
i860 they purchased of J. H. Wilson, who occupied the Cramton & Cree building, which stood
in the rear of what is now L. G. Kingsley's hardware store, an interest in the tin and sheet
ironware inanufacturing business. This firm was then known as Cramton & Company, and
their business consisted of sending peddlers out on the road to dispose of their tinware, taking
in exchange all kinds of old junk. In less than a year, however, Cramton &c Dunn bought out
Mr. Wilson's interest and taking the stock, machinery, etc., moved into the basement of
the Cramton cS: Nichols block.
In 1862 the firm went into partnership with H. A. Sawyer, purchasing a line of stationery,
etc.. and opening a store in the Clark block, corner of Merchants Row and West street. In
two years Mr. Dunn bought Mr. Cramton's interest and for the next two years the firm name
was Sawyer & Dunn. In the meantime Dunn & Cramton had continued without interruption
their tinware and house furnishing business, and in March, 1864, they purchased the commo-
dious block now occupied by them at Nos. 14 and 16, Merchants Row, it being at that time
one of the best blocks for business purposes in Rutland. One year later they moved into the
block and have occupied it ever since. In 1867 Mr. Dunn bought the tin business of Mr. Cram-
ton and also purchased his interest in the block now occupied by the firm. Twelve months
later J. C. Dunn, H. A. Sawyer, J. W. Cramton and C. C. Dunn formed a partnership under
the style of Dunn, Sawyer & Co., and conducted their wholesale stationery and Yankee notion
trade with traveling agents on the road, in connection with their other business. This busi-
ness was continued for three years, when Dunn & Cramton bought out the interest of C. C.
Dunn in the business and sold their stationery department to H. A. Sawyer, who occupied a
portion of the block where Dunn & Cramton now are, until he found a new location.
The business has ever since continued as Dunn & Cramton, the firm carrying a large stock
of goods in the several lines and being large buyers of paper stock, old junk, wool, pelts,
hides, furs, etc. Mr. Dunn has had charge nearly always of the entire business and devotes
his time and energy to looking after its interests. He is also largely interested in various en-
terprises in the village and is always interested in any object tending to increase the importance
of Rutland.
In 1S62, December 16, Mr. Dunn married Frances E. Purdy, of Manchester, Vt., a farmer's
daughter, whom he had first met in 1854 on his first trip through the w^estern part of Vermont.
He now has an interesting family of four sons, viz.: George H., born November 13. 1863;
James C, jr., born October 18, 1868 ; Frank C, born January 10, 1876 ; and William H., born
May 25. 1877. All of Mr. Dunn's brothers and sisters are also living and all in good health.
Mr, Dunn is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having been made a member of Centre
Lodge, No. 34, F. and A. M., June 20. 1861, and subsequently joined Davenport Chapter, No.
17, and Killington Commandery, No. 6, K. T. He is also a member of Vermont Lodge, No. I
K. of P., ever since its organization in town. He has been honored with the office of trustee of
the village of Rutland ; was selectman several years ; was a member of the fire department,
and was connected with that body as an engineer for fifteen years. He has also held various
other offies of responsibility and trust. At the present time he is a director in the Baxter
National Bank, of which J. W. Cramton is president ; also a director of the Marble Savings
Bank ; is a director and was one of the incorporators of the Lincoln Iron Works ; is largely
interested in the True Blue Marble Company, and was one of its incorporators ; he has also
been a director of the People's Gaslight Company, and is now one of the directors of the
Vermont Life Insurance Company, of Burlington. When the Rutland Street Railroad Com-
pany was incorporated and organized, he became one of the directors.
History of Rutland County.
From the t'ortsjoing it can safely be assumed that Mr. Uunn has been fairly successful in
business, and. as a result of his hard work, has placed himself in easy circumstances. He
owns the large block in which his business is located, running through froin Merchants Row
to Evelyn street, and considerable adjoining property, besides several tenement houses and
various other real estate interests ; in fact, although perhaps not a wealthy man, he has a suf-
ficient amount of this world's goods to feel that the toil and labor of the past twentv-five
years have not been wholly in vain. For many years Mr. Dunn has been prominently asso-
ciated with the Congregational Church as one of the prudential committee and is deeply in-
terested in all that pertains to its welfare. He is also greatly interested in educational matters.
In 1883 and 1S84, while a member of the board of selectmen, he was a strong advocate of
the building of a memorial hall, and in the face of much oppositon, urged the passage of the
order appropriating the neces.sary funds. It was largely through his instrumentality that the
project was finally carried through and favorably acted upon. In various other enterprises his
public spirit has been manifested, and altogether he is an active and enterprising gentleman
whose interests are centered in the welfare and happiness of his family and the prosperity of
Rutland. His career has thus far been not a strictly eventful one, but a busy one, and as a
business man and citizen he occupies a position in the front rank of Rutland merchants.
ELLIS, ZENAS CLARK, the son of Barnabas Ellis and Balinda Kidder, who removed
from Wethersfield, Vt., to Fairhaven, in 1813, was born in Fairhaven, July 25, 1820.
He was the .si.xth of a fatnily of nine children and resided for the most part of his life on the
homestead where he died September 26, 1883. He was married in September, 1847, to Sarah
Bowman Dyer, a daughter of Edward and Hannah Hoxie Dj'er, of Rutland, Vt., by whom he
had a family of four sons. His wife died July 7, 1S76, and he was married a second time De-
cember 8, 1880, but had no children by his' second wife.
.Mr. Ellis educated himself in the common schools. He accepted quietly and filled honor-
ably numerous stations of trust and usefulness in the afiairs of his town, county and commu-
nity. Elected one of the board of listers in 1847, a selectman in 1858, and later treasurer of
the town, he was repeatedly re-elected to all these positions. He was for many years an act-
ing justice of t!ie peace and his judgments were highly esteemed. When, in 1876, without his
knowledge, his name was presented by his friends to the county convention as a candidate
for the office of associate judge of the County Court, the members of the bar gave him their
cordial endorsement and he was elected and held the office for two years. Hon. Hoyt H.
Wheeler, since judge of the District Court of the United States tor the District of Veririont,
presided at the Rutland County Court during most of this period.
Mr. Ellis rendered efficient and patriotic service during the war, in his offices as selectman
and treasurer of the town. He was vigilant and successful in raising both money and inen. He
was a capable, painstaking administrator in conjunction with R. C. Colburn, of the large and
complicated estate of the late Israel Davey. He was a member and consistent and steadfast
supporter of the Congregational Church. He was a director in the National Bank of Poultney,
and was one of the original board of directors of the First National Bank of Fairhaven and served
as such director and on the executive committee of the board of organization of the bank until
his death. In 1878 he was elected president of the bank and re-elected each year until his
death. The following resolutions were passed by the board of directors at that time ; —
WHERE.-iS, Our late president, Zenas C. Ellis, having since our last meeting been taken
from us by death, we are reminded by his vacant chair of the loss that has fallen on us and,
especially, on the institution with which he was so long connected, and over whose interests
he so efticiently presided.
Therefore, Resolved, That in the death of Mr. Ellis, we have lost one whose counsels were
always prudent and judicious, whose careful attention to the duties of his position excited our
admiration, and whose kindness of heart, uniform gentleness of manner, integrity of purpose,
and high sense of honor, had won our sincere and aftectionate regard.
Resolved, That this uank in thus losing one who has been one of its board of directors
since its organization, and losing its president, has lost one to whom its prosperity was ever a
source of delight, and to whom it is largely indebted for its success, and whose efforts in its
behalf should be held in grateful remembrance.
Resolved, That the cashier be directed to write these resolutions on the records of the
bank and to transmit a copy of the same to the family of the deceased.
E\'ERTS, MARTIN C. second son of Cilbert and Hannah (Weeks) Everts, of Salisbury,
Conn., was born in Salisbury, Vt., on the 2d day of July, 181S. his parents having re-
moved thither at an early day. His education was obtained at the .Middlebury Academy, and
completed at Middlebury College. In March, 1840, he came to Rutland and began the study
of law in the office of the Hon. Solomon Foot. He was admitted on the 22d of .April, 1843,
Martin G. Everts. — Hitx. Barnes Fkisbie. 889
in Rutland County Court, and continued his studies for four years thereafter, as a partner of his
former preceptor, Mr. Foot. On the I2th day of July, 1849. he was married to Frances,
daughter of Dr. James Porter, of Rutland.
Few men in this county have been elected to fill so many and varied public positions as
l"ell to the lot of Mr. Everts. He was elected town agent, selectman and moderator; served
as town auditor at town nieetinjjs a great manv years between 1853 and 1882. In addition to
these positions of trust he was chosen represeiitati\e in 1851 and 1852; State's attorney in
1853 and 1854. and in 1875 and 1876 ; State Senator in 1859 and i860. He was. furthermore,
municipal judge of Rutland ten years, and a member of the examining committee of the bar
more than thirty years ; in 1861 lie received the appointment of postmaster at Rutland, which
office he retained until 1870. He died on the morning of the 14th of March, 1884, from e,\-
hausdon induced by a violent bleeding from the nose two weeks previously. His manly and
beautiful traits of character cannot be better described than by quoting from the proceedings
of ihe Rutland county bar, taken on the day of his death. The following resolutions, drafted
by Hon. D. E. Nicholson, Hon. W. C. Dunton and Captain J. C. Baker, committee, were
adopted : —
Wherea.s, Amidst the fluctuating anxieties that have engrossed the public attention since
the announcement of the serious illness of our long time professional brother, Martin G. Everts,
" the thing we so greatly teared has come upon us." Therefore,
Rcsoh't-d, That in the death of the honored and lamented deceased, we recognize the strik-
ing fact that the limited and professional affliction is merged in the general public sorrow.
Resolved, That as an organized constituent of that sorrowing public, the Rutland county
bar most keenlv feels the presence of the shadow from the extinction of so clear and steady a
light.
Resolved, That the briet term of acquaintance ol our youngest members with the beloved
departed has warmly and firmly attached them, and that forty-one years of such association
has emphasized such relation and appreciation to his few peers in the profession surviving to
mourn his departure.
Resolved, That, as a lawyer, he was able and honorable ; as a prosecuting officer, firm,
calm and fearless; as a judge, careful, impartial and pure; as a legislator, vigilant, practical
and wise ; as a citizen, a universal benefactor and friend ; and in every relation of life the lead-
ing and acknowledged popular favorite.
Resolved, That, after closing the dying eyes of most of his near and dear family relations,
his own pitying eyes have been at length sealed by his loving neighbors and friends in the
presence of the life long idol of his heart, the mother of their only child ' that a long time since
preceded the father and the now waiting and doubly afflicted mother to the appointments be-
yond the grave.
Resolved, That, as a token of our deeply-seated respect for the memory of the deceased,
and sympathy with the stricken and widowed conjugal companion of his life, we will attend
his funeral in a body, and move an adjournment of this honorable court as an indication of ap-
proval of this action of the bar thereof.
Mr. Evens was the father of three children, two daughters, one of whom and the son died
in early infancy. The death of litrie Frances Rebecca, on the ist of October, 1864, at the age
of six years and five months, cast a shadow on the life of her father from which he never fully
emerged into his former cheerfulness.
His widow still survives him, occupying the house which he built, and in which he lived
until his death.
171RISBIE, HON. BARNES, was born January 23, 1815. He remained at home and worked
_ on his father's farm until twenty-one years of age. He was then in attendance at the
academy three years, and intended to go to college where he could have entered an advanced
class ; but, as he was then twenty-four years of age, he decided to commence at once the
study of a profession, and accordingly entered the office of C. B. Harrington, an attorney in
practice at Middletown, and began the study of law. He was admitted to the bar at the Sep-
tember term of Rutland County Court, 1842. The first year after his admission he was in
company with General B. Davenport, in Brandon, Vt. He then went to Addison county and
opened an office in Bristol, in that county, and there succeeded after two or three years in ac-
quiring a good business; but after three or four years of successful practice, his health failed
and he returned to his father's in Middletown. He was attacked with a dyspeptic iliiiiculty
wliile in Bristol, from which he has never fully recovered, and has never since leaving Knstdl
had a full and active practice in his profession ; though he has not, by any means, been wiili-
out business. He removed from Middletown to I'oullney in 1863, where he has ever sin. e re-
iThis was an error, I'hey hati diiee children, as will l>e seen below.
890 History of Rutland County.
sided ; and, while living in the former place, kept an olTice, as he has since, in Poultney. A
nervous affection, the result of the dyspeptic trouble alluded to, has induced him to avoid,
rather than seek employment in the trial of cases in court. He held the office of assistant
judge of Rutland County Court in the years 1852, 1856, 1857, 1S58, 1862, 1863. 1864, 1865,
1866, 1883, 1884, 1885, and the term fot" which he was last elected does not expire until De-
cember I, 1886. He was appointed court auditor for Rutland county in 1867, by the Supreme
Court. This office he held until i8So, when it was provided that the duties of court auditors
should be performed by the State auditor. He represented Middletown in the Vermont Legis-
lature in the years 1854 and 1855, and Poultney in the years 1867, 1868, 1869 and 1872.
He was married to Mary A. Johnson, of Bellows Falls, on the loth of August, 1843. Six
children were the result of this marriage ; four are now living, three daughters and a son. One
daughter married C. C. Gove, who is now the principal of Monson Academy, in Massachu-
setts. The wife died February 14, 1S79.
The foregoing brief sketch of the life of Judge Frisbie, which was contributed to this work,
while true in all respects, does not seem to be as comprehensive as its subject deserves.
While the various offices held by Judge Frisbie, as detailed above, have been ably administered
by him, it is still true that the physical debility alluded to has so crippled his powers and di-
minished his ambition in the past as to render it impossible that he could rise to the profes-
sional station which his learning and mental powers fitted him for. The peculiar nervous dis-
turbances following his first physical disease, which none can understand who has not suffered
from them, alinost forced him to dissipate his time and energies in different directions as a
means of relief. He thus became, in a measure, one who has been looked upon as ready and
willing at all times to perform this or that duty for the public or private benefit, and whether it
was at all remunerative to him or not. The amount of labor thus performed by him during
his life, while undoubtedly properly appreciated, is still, perhaps, hardly realized by his ac-
quaintances ; but it has all been done with that willing generosity which is a part of his very na-
ture. His fellow citizens have made him superintendent of schools and have placed him in
many positions of trust, requiring ability and labor, but which do not often make an adequate
return to the laborer. He is a writer of more than common power, particularly upon historical
subjects, which he has made a deep study ; of this fact the reader of this work must be fully
aware. In the year 1880 he, in connection with Dr. Currier, of Castleton, projected the Rut-
land County Historical Society, which has done an excellent work, although yet young in years ;
it is now the only historical society working in the State and is destined to 'accomplish a most
valuable service, long after its founders have passed away.
In conclusion, it is but just to say that the various public stations to which Judge Frisbie
has been called have been filled with credit to himself and for the good of the community ;
while in his private life, few have reached his years bearing v/ith them more of the unselfish
regard and esteem of their fellow humanity.
G1 ILSON, EDSON P., was born on the jth of October, 1839, at Reading, Windsor county.
r He is of English descent. His great-grandfather, John Gilson, jr., grandson of John and
Sarah Gilson. from England, was a native of Groton. Mass., his birth having occurred on the
X2th day of May, 1726. He married Prudence Lawrence, of Groton, on the 19th day of Jan-
uary, 1764. She was a descendant (5th generation) of the well-known John Lawrence, of
Watertown, Mass., born at Wisset, England, in the year 1609.
John Gilson, the father of Edson P., was born in Ringe, N. H., on the 1st day of July,
1798, and came to Reading with his father in early boyhood. He was the youngest of three
son, and was blessed with six sisters. On the 31st day of March, 1824, he married Lucy
Stearns, of Reading, Vt. The fruit of this union was eleven children, six boys and five girls,
of whom five boys and two girls are now living.
The subject of our sketch is the youngest of the sons now living. The loss of his mother
at the age of nine years left him entirely dependent upon his own slender resources. At that
early age he worked on a farm for his board and clothes, and when he was eleven years of age
he went to Cavendish, Vt. During the three years preceding his sixteenth year, he worked in a
tannery in Prociorsville, and during the winter months attended the district school, working
iTiornings and evenings for his board. Having thus early evinced an aptitude and faithfulness
for business, which promised certain success, after proper educational training, he accepted
the advice of his uncle, Josiah Gilson, esq., urging him to devote his every energy for a time
to school studies, and his offer of assistance, if necessary. He went to the South Woodstock
Institute one year, and to the Chester Academy three terms, paying nearly all his expenses by
teaching in district schools during vacations at Ludlow and Rockingham. In i860 he ac-
cepted the position of teacher in a hoys' academy at Winchester, Franklin county, Tennessee.
Owing to the outbreak of the Civil War.he returned in June, 1861, to the north, and until the
summer of 1862 taught in Proctorsville and Duttonsville in the town of Cavendish. He then
Edson p. Gilson. — Albert W. Gray. 891
came to Rutland, and entered the employment of the Bank of Rutland. In 1864 he was
cashier of the First National Bank of Springfield. Vt., which position he retained initil the
spring of 1866, relinquishing his opportunities there for an interest in the marble business at
Center Rutland. In June, 1866. with Charles Clement and Farrand Parker, of Castleton. he
purchased, for i^ I 50,000. the quarry pro))erty at West Rutland, of Adams & Allen, of Fair-
haven, the name of the new tirm being Clement, Parker & Gilson. On July 23, 1870, Mr.
Clement sold his interest to Henry Dewey, of Bennington, and the firm name became Parker,
Gilson & Dewey. August 21, 1873, Colonel Parker withdrew and the firm was Gilson &
Dewey until May 14, 1874, at which time Waldo P. (Element and John N. Woodfin secured an
interest in the business. The style was this time changed to Gilson, Clement & Woodfin. On
September 4, 1879, Mr. Clement sold his interest to his partners, whereupon the firm assumed
its present form and name of Gilson & Woodfin. A mill of eight gangs of saws was erected
immediately after the purchase of the property from Adams & Allen, at a cost of nearly $30,-
000, Additions to the mill were made from time to time as the trade demanded, so that their
mill now has twenty-one gangs of saws and large finishing shops, sufficient for filling orders
for marble in any shape, promptly and well. From the first this enterprise has kept pace with
the foremost houses in its line, having for years employed, on an average, about one hundred
and twenty-five men, and produced, according to the two-inch measure, from 150,000 to 260,-
000 feet of marble per year. The quari-y is situated in the heart of the great West Rutland
marble deposit, and produces all varieties of what is known to the trade as " Rutland marble."
Besides his position as senior member of the partnership which conducts this extensive busi-
ness, Mr. Gilson has found leisure to serve in other capacities no less creditable. He has been
for many 3'ears a justice of the peace for Rutland, and is now one of the trustees of the graded
school district. He has held the position of secretary and treasurer of the Producers' Marble
Company ever since its organization, and vice-president of the Killington National Bank from
the beginning of its existence. His naturally deep interest in the various marble enterprises
of the world led him in the winter of 18S3-84 to sojourn for six months in Italy, and make a
thorough inspection of the famous Carrara marble deposit. Mr. Gilson has been a communi-
cant of the Protestant Episcopal Church since 1861, being baptized and confirmed in May of that
year by Bishop Otey at the Diocesan Convention held in the Diocese of Tennessee. He has
been twice married, first to Anna E., daughter of Charles Clement, esq., on the 15th of June,
1865. She died in October, 1874. On the ist of February, 1877, Mr. Gilson married, for his
second wife, Harriet E. Morgan, of New York city, where the ceremony was performed. Their
children are, Robert Morgan, born January 20, 1878, and John Lawrence, born October 26,
G1 RAY, ALBERT W., was born in Dorset in the county of Bennington, .State of Vermont,
rSeptember 30, 1810. He was a son of Aaron and Hannah Higby Gray. The father was
born in Connecticut and with four brothers emigrated to Doi-set during the time of the early
settlement of that town. The father of Aaron Gray was an officer in the American army in
the Revolutionary War and was killed in the service of his country. The mother of Albert
W. was born in Hubbardton, Vt. Her father was one of the patriots of the Revolution, and
was in the battle of Hubbardton. Aaron Gray was a carpenter and joiner, and after struggling
along for a few years in Dorset, he moved with his family to the State of Ohio, then a new and
unsettled region, with a view to improve his fortune. Albert W. was then nine years old.
After the family had resided in Ohio about two years the wife, Hannah, died. This was a
severe blow upon her husband from which he never fully recovered. By reason of that and
other misfortunes in his new home, he became discouraged and resolved to return to Dorset
with his family. He arrived at his old home penniless and sent his son Albert to live with his
uncle, a brother of .\aron, in Charlotte, Vt. Here Albert W. lived with his uncle until fifteen
years old. Then his father took him home and put him at w'ork with him on jobs of building
and repairing for a few months when he was "bound out." Albert W. was an apprentice to
Henry Gray, a relative, until he should arrive at the age of twenty-one years. Henry Gray
was a millwright and was one of the early settlers, and Albert W. Gray went to live with him
to learn this trade, and thus the latter became a resident of that town until his death. He
lived with Henry until he was twenty-one years old, learned the trade, and became at that age
one of the most skillful workmen at the trade in this section of the State.
At the age of twenty-one Mr. Gray engaged in business for himself with diligence and en-
couraging success. He soon became known as a scientific and close workman, and his ser-
vices were in demand in the erection of mills in quite an extensive region in this section of
Rutland county. In a few years, he had accumulated sufficient to purchase a home for himself
and family. Fie had a genius and inclination for inventing, and gave much of his time to the
study and experimental application of mechanical principles, and in that way wore upon his
earnings which he had saved in the few years' work at his trade of millwright. His first in-
892 History of Rutland County.
vention was a corn-sheller, in 1836. patented soon after. This was a good implement and
went into quite general use, and in its day was regarded as one of the best of its kind. In
1844 he invented a horse power, which perhaps had as much merit as any machine of its kind
then brought out. He got it patented and for a few years manufactured what he could in a
small shop with one or two workmen to aid him. Soon after the invention of the horse-power
he invented a machine for the manufacture of wrought nails. This was the first machine of
its kind in the world, and of its practical working there seemed no doubt. An incorporated
company was soon organized with a capital of $100,000, and commenced the manufacture of
wrought iron nails at Middletown. At that time non and labor were so low in Europe that
wrought iron nails could be hammered out there, and the tariff so low they could be imported
and compete with Mr. Gray's machine, though one man \vith the Gray machine would produce
as many in the same time as half a dozen men could hammer out. After a brief time " The
Middletown Wrought Nail Company " suspended work, but Mr. Gray intended an improve-
ment on his machine with a view to more rapid manufacture. In this he was confident of
success, but thereafter nails were cut from wrought iron by machiner)' and this induced Mr.
Gray to abandon his project.
The crowning work of Mr. Gray as an inventor was that of his improved horse-power in
1856. Up to this time, for a period of about ten years, he had been engaged with his oldest
son, Leonidas, in the manufacture of the horse-power of his first invention, in the small way
above named. His improved power was a decided improvement, and apparently as near per-
fection as such a machine could be made. The machine is so constructed that the friction is
but a trifle, securing and applyin;^ the whole power of the horse to the work to be done. It
is, without doubt, to this day the lightest, most durable machine, and best of its kind in use.
The gearmg is made of wrought iron, and the whole is constructed with a view to ease and
facility in its work,
Mr. Gray purchased a building near his home in Middletown in 1857 which had been used
as a woolen factory, and fitted it up with machinery and fixtures for the manufacture of his
improved horse-powers. He was in\-olved in debt to some extent, but with the confidence his
friends had in the success of his last enterprise, aid in the shape of capital sufiicient to estab-
lish his manufactory on a good working basis was forthcoming. He took in with him his two
sons, L, and A. T.. who had inherited his mechanical skill, and perhajis excelled him in busi-
ness capacity. Demand for the machines rapidly increased : the income soon became such
that the old debts were disposed of and the concern found itself established in an active and
prosperous business. It was not many years before the increasing demand made it necessary
to enlarge the manufactory and add to the force of workmen. In 1875 Mr. Gray disposed of
his interest in the concern to his sons, and retired with a competence, and the sons have since
prosecuted the business with a constant gain in the manufacture, and necessarily an increase
in buildings and other facilities. No manufactory in Vermont is more prosperous or stands
on a firmer basis than the manufactory of horse-powers by A. W. Gray's Sons.
Albert W. Gray had his imperfections as well as the rest of mankind. Only a few months at
the common school gave him all the school education he ever received ; yet he was well versed
in mechanical science, and few men have given more thought and study to the investigation of
mechanical principles than he did ,■ this was known to his intimate friends, if not to his ac-
quaintances generally. He had a will, a [jersistency beyond most men. These two traits of
character account for his success, and enabled him to become a benefactor of his race. It is
not an over-estimale to say that the enterprises of which he was the father and founder, in
effect has doubled in value the property of Middletown.
Mr. Gray held exery office within tlie gift of his town. He was one of eight who repre-
sented Rutl ind county in the Constitutional Convention held at Montpelier in 1857. He rep-
resented his town in the Legislature ol Vermont in the years 1866 and 1867. He discovered
the mineral springs in Middletown in the year 1868. The result of this discovery was to make
the place a popular summer resort. A large hotel and other buildings have been erected
there.
Mr. Gray was twice married ; the first time to Angeline Skinner, by whom he had four
children, now living; the two sons named, and two daughters, Mrs. Abigail Barritt, who lives
in Hydeville with her family, and Mrs. Josephine Clark, who also has a family and lives in
Pawlet. Some years after the death of his first wife he married Martha Holbrooke, of Sandy
Hill, who with one daughter survives him.
Mr. Gray had suffered from a dyspeptic difficulty a large portion of his life, supposed to
have been produced by his severe study and close application to the matter of his inventions
in the early part of his life, though he kept up an active life until within the last year, when he
had been gradually failing and losing his vitality. October 26, 1885, he died.
His funeral was held from his late residence at Middletown Springs, October 28, 1S85, at
which there was a large attendance. Rev. 0. Myrick, of the Congregational Church preached
Albert W. Gray. — Leonidas Gray. 893
the sermon. Places of business were closed. The horse-power manufactory and the bank of
which he was president were draped in mourning, and the general expression of the people
was one of sorrow at the departure of one who had done so much for the town.
(^ RAY, LEONIDAS, .senior member of the firm of A. \V. Gray's Sons. iMiddletovvn
_T Springs, Vt., was born in Middletown, Vt., on the loth day of December, 1834. He is
a son of Albert W. and Angeline (Skinner) Gray. The life of Leonidas Gray presents an ex-
ample worthy of emulation by the youth of our country. In all respects his early years were
the same as those of the most successful and eminent men of our times. Born to poverty, he
was compelled to lend a helping hand to his father in his struggle for the support of his family,
and as a consequence his advantages for an education were limited. This severe early disci-
pline and experience he now believes to have been the foundation for his success in life, and
the stepping-stone to his present high place among the prosperous and prominent men of his
State and country. During the years leading up to 1856 the father of our subject followed
various occupations. He was engaged in millwright work, operated a saw-mill and manufactured
acorn-sheller of his own design. In these pursuits Leonidas rendered his father valuable assist-
ance, and the performance of the manifold duties which devolved upon him in this connection
proved a most excellent school of preparation for the important place which he was destined
to occupv in the business which then commenced its slow but sure growth. In 1856 Leoni-
das was admitted to a partnership in his father's business, and they began the manufacture,
from designs of the father's invention, of their now celebrated horse-powers and threshing-ma-
chines, the perfection of which has been gradual, the result of thoughtful study and inventive
genius, and which stand to-day without a peer. The building of these machines at first was
necessarily slow and of a limited character, for the tools and appliances used in their construc-
tion, owing to the scanty means of the company, were net of the best, and for several years
the labor was done mostly by hand. The first power used in their factory was one of their
own tread machines. The growth of the business demanding greater facilities and more room,
special machinery for particular parts of the work (the inventions of the Grays) and more
space were added. At first the machines were constructed in a small room sixteen by thirty-
four feet in size. This space soon proved insufficient, and more room was added from time
to time to accommodate the gradual but steady increase in the business, until now the firm
find no unemployed space in their immense factory, consisting of one structure one hundred
and seventy-five feet long by ninety-five feet wide, and four stories in height, and ten other
buildings that are used for storage purposes, blacksmith and forge shops, ranging in size from
one hundred and sixteen feet long by forty feet wide, down to forty by thirty feet. This firm
now manufactures more tread machines than any other factory in the world, and their powers
and threshers find a market in all of the grain-growing countries on earth, even where the
plowing is done with a crooJ<ed stick. It is proper to state in this connection that honor for
the great success achieved by the Grays in building up this marvelous business, is due first to
Albert W. Gray for his great mechanical skill and inventive genius ; second, to Leonidas Gray
for the perfect system that was adopted and is yet maintained in their factory, and that is
manifested in all their business transactions. He was the financier of the concern from its
start, and has conducted the affairs of the firm through its early vicissitudes, and through its
long period of prosperity with a master hand. The firm continued as A. W. Gray & Son until
1866, when another son of the inventor, Albert Y. Gray, w^as admitted to a partnership in the
business, and the firm name was changed to A. W. Gray & Sons. The firm as then consti-
tuted continued the business, adding new improvements, the result of new inventions, until
1875, when Albert \V. Gray sold out his interest to his sons, and the firm name was again
changed to A. W. Gray's Sons. Previous to this last change, the water power, which had been
substituted in place of the horse-power before referred to, proving inadequate to propel the
vast amount of machinery used in the factory, a fire-proof engine room was built and a larger
engine placed therein, and steam used in connection with the water. In i88r the firm in-
vented and applied a very important improvement in their threshing machines, which is used
by no other manufacturer of threshers. In 1885 they added a new and valuable appliance to
their horse powers, on which they have secured a patent, and their machines as now con-
structed are beyond question the best in the world. The life of our suljject. as will be seen by
a glance at the foregoing brief sketch of his business career as connected with the firm of
which he is now the senior member, has allowed him no opportunity or time to take an active
part in public affairs, even had he been inclined to do so. In 1880 he consented to represent
his town in the State Legislature, that being the only official position he ever accepted at the
hands of his townsmen. The same may be said of his brother, .Albert Y. Gray, who repre-
sented the town in that body one term.
Mr. Leonidas (}ray has been twice married, his first wife being Ellen Mosely, of Middletown
Springs, Vt., to whom he was married in 1861, and by whom he had three children, as fol-
894 History of Rutland County.
lows: Francis L.. E. Corinne, and Ethel M., all of whom are now living. His first wife died
in 1872, and in 1875 he married for his second wife Alice Woodruff, of Middletown Springs,
Vt., and by whom he has had one child, Albert W.
When the First National Bank of Poultney was organized our subject was elected its vice-
president, and still holds that position. He is also president of the Gray National Bankof Middlfe-
town Springs, Vt., himself and his brother, Albert Y., owning the controlling interest in the
same. Some years since, when the now famous Montvert Hotel was built at Middletown
Springs, Vt., Leonidas, with his brother, became largely interested financially in the stock
company that erected it, and the same proving a financial failure in consequence of bad man-
agement, its sale was forced, and our subject and his brother became its purchasers. Through
their instrumentality, it is, as now operated, one of the best summer hotels in the State, and is
patronized by hundreds from all parts of the country, who find Middletown Springs, Vt., a
most dehghtful place in which to spend the summer months, and the " Montvert" a luxurious
and pleasant home. The Gray brothers, wherever known, are highly valued and esteemed,
and the community in which they live may well feel proud of two such energetic and enter-
prising citizens. They have built up and beautified their native village out of their abundant
means, and to use the language of one who knows, " they have made Middletown Springs
what it is." They sympathize with every proposition looking to the public good, and for
every worthy object of that kind they are the first to give, and that most generously. In cases
of sickness and distress where means are needed, they are always prompt in extending a help-
ing hand. The churches of their native town have in them their most liberal supporters, and
the hundreds who have been the recipients of their favors, kindly bestowed, have learned to
know and appreciate the nobleness of their benefactors.
GREENO, BENJAMIN RICE. In the fall of 1769, Daniel Greeno came from Boston,
Mass., to Rutland. Vl., and purchased a farm about three miles north of Rutland village.
In the following spring he came on with his family and took up his settlement on the place ;
but, owing to the defective character of his title, he, like a good many of the pioneers, was
compelled to give up his home, which he did at the end of two years. He then purchased a
large tract of land in the same vicinity, embracing the present Greeno homestead, which has
ever since been in possession of the family. When the tide of the Revolutionary War reached
Bennington and the battle was to be fought, Mr. Greeno and his wife both went there, and ha
joined the ranks of the patriots and perforined his part in that historical struggle. After the
battle Mrs. Greeno remained several weeks in caring for the wounded and sick, a duty for which
she was particularly qualified. After Mr. Greeno built his first frame house, which stood on
the site of the residence where his son Amasa afterward lived, and where his grandson
Amasa A. now resides, he kept a tavern in it for some years. Daniel Greeno died in 1806.
Among the eleven children was Amasa, who was born in 1792 on the homestead. He mar-
ried Betsey Farmer in 1814, daughter of Benjamin Farmer, who was also one of the very early
settlers of the town. Amasa spent his life in a quiet but honorable way on the home farm and
died in 1848. His wife died in 1872. Their children were as follows : Amasa Austin, who still
occupies the homestead; born May 12, 1815. Benjamin Rice (the subject of this sketch).
Betsey Lorain, born July 23, 1824, and still living on the homestead ; and Medora Van Home,
born May 23. 1836, married B. W. Pond, of Castleton.
Benjamin Rice Greeno was born on the l8th day of February, 1821, in Rutland. His boy-
hood did not differ in its occupation from that of most of the farmers' sons of Vermont at that
period, except that he enjoyed educational advantages not accessible to some ; he attended the
common schools with regularity, particularly in the winter seasons, and finished a fair English
education in the Chester Academy. Since the death of his father his life has bean spent on
the homestead, which passed into possession of himself and his brother Amasa A. The orig-
inal tract owned by Daniel Greeno embraced nearly a thousand acres, but some portions of
this were sold, and since his death other tracts have been purchased by the two sons, so that
their landed estate now comprises about six hundred acres of excellent farming lands in one of
the most productive parts of the town. This land has never been divided in a legal manner
between them ; but has been worked, a certain portion by each. Mr. Greeno has made his
business at careful study, and has thus been able to bring his farm into a high state of cultiva-
tion and to conduct its various branches in an advanced and successful manner. It is now one
of the most attractive and valuable rural homesteads in the county. Mr. Greeno is a man
possessed of careful, deliberate methods of forming his judgment upon questions of import-
ance ; a qualification which is supplemented by sound common sense based upon a foundation
of broad general information. The qualities have been recognized by his townsmen by his
election to various offices ; he was justice of the peace two terms, lister three years and has
filled other stations of trust, the duties of which have always been performed in a conscien-
tious and efficient manner. He is a member of the Congregational Church and has given
Benjamin Rice Greeno. — Ryland Hanger. 895
freely of his time and means for its support. Mr. Greeno was married on the i8th of Octo-
ber, 1848, to Sarah Jane Cheney, daughter of James E. Cheney, who was a son of Benjamin,
one of the prominent early settlers of the town. Benjamin Cheney served through the entire
Revolutionary War, coming from Londonderry, N H. He settled in the north part of the
town on what became known as " Cheney Hill," in the vicinity of which lived other members
of the same family ; he died there and his son, James Eayers, also died on the homestead in
1S50. The latter was a prominent citizen ; held various town offices and brought to the man-
agement of his affairs more than common intelligence. His family were Mrs. Greeno, who is
the eldest. Lyman S., w-ho died in Minnesota October 23, 1885, at fifty-seven years of age.
James A., born June 30, 1831, now lives on the homestead of his grandfather. Mary Ann,
born June 25, 1836. married Warren Dickerman, and died in 1865 ; and Frances Caroline, born
August 13, 1842, married William H. Palmer, and died in 1865. Infant son, died January,
1850. Infant daughter, born November 28, 1851, died December 2,1851. Clarence Amasa,
born November 26, 1853, died January 24, i860. Caroline Elisabeth, born January 2, i860,
died April 21, 1862. Mary Lorain, born August 6, 1861, died April i. 1862. Minnie Jane,
born October 8, 1863, died September 27, 1865. Benjamin Cheney, born June 20, 1865, died
September 27, 1865. Hattie May, born August 26, 1868, died June 30, 1871.
HANGER, RYLAND, the subject of this sketch is descended from an ancient family of Hols-
worthy. North Devon. England, and is a son of William and Harriet Hanger, of Plym-
outh, county of Devon. William Hanger held a position under His Majesty's government in
Plymouth Dock as foreman of smiths in the navy yard ; and afterward labored successfully as
an evangelist and minister ot the gospel in parts of South Devon and East Cornwall. He was
beloved and respected, and died in 1849 ^t 'he age of fifty-seven. He had nine children, of
whom Hyland is the seventh.
Ryland Hanger was born in Plymouth, county of Devon, England, in 1830. During his
youth he was given but limited educational advantages, and at the early age of fourteen was
bound as an apprentice for a term of seven years to learn the trade of marble mason. Dur-
ing his apprenticeship his naturally studious and investigating turn of mind led him outside of
the mere mechanical work of his trade. There are marble quarries at Plymouth, from which
are taken different grades and colors of stone, as well as slate. These different varieties he
studied and became thoroughly familiar with their grain and the veining in their surfaces. On
the coinpletion of his apprenticeship he was offered by his employer a position as foreman.
But another destiny awaited him ; he had heard of the attractions offered in the New World
and read a traveler's record of a tour in America ; this, with his natural thirst for travel, his
desire for broader knowledge of the world and his natural love for republican institutions,
prompted him to sail for the United States, which he did in 1852, landing in New York. There
he worked in one of the large marble shops four years and then found his way to Vermont on
a visit to a friend. Here he was persuaded to accept a position with the West Castleton Rail-
road and Slate Company. This company had been organized about two years, and at that
time were the only ones engaged in the slate business in Vermont. He remained with the
company three years, when he removed to Hydeville, and was employed by the Hydeville Slate
Company one year, and one year by the Forest Mining and .Slate Company.
He now felt a desire to enter into business for himself, and for that purpose removed, in
1859, to Fairhaven and associated himself with James Coulman in a building previously used
for a woolen factory by Hiram Kilburn. The firm of Coulman & Hanger continued in a small
way, making mantels and monuments, chiefly of marble ; at the same time they introduced a
few slate mantels and experimented with the different colors in the endeavor to make them a
successful article of sale. This was no easy task at that time, when marbleizing of slate was
in the hands of one or two persons. In 1861 Mr. Coulman desired to visit England ; the busi-
ness prospects of the firm were not over-flattering, and he accordingly sold out to Mr. Hanger.
The business depression incident to the war was spreading over the country ; no specie was in
circulation and the necessities of trade forced dealers in mantels to exchange them for boots
and shoes, pork and other farmer's produce ; but they still sold. Greenbacks were then issued,
business revived, and Mr. Hanger says that while they were looked upon with some suspicion
by a few, they appeared beautiful in his eyes and he w-as glad to get them.
About this time new colors were introduced in the marbleizing business by him, such as
" Plymouth Black." "Prince Rock," "St. Ann's," "Venetian," and several others. These,
with the others previously used, made a large variety, and their artistic use gave a wonderful
impetus to the business. The little woolen factory began to present a scene of busy life, and
on many occasions the light of the burning midnight oil shone in Mr. Hanger's "sanctum,"
while he carried on his experiments ; on many occasions his enthusiasm kept him at work
until morning dawned.
Marbleizing was at that ^time [looked^jupon [as [a secret process, and was very jealously
896 HisT(jRV OF Rutland County.
guarded ; consequently Mr. Hanger had to do most of his work in person for several years,
and much of it after his men had left the shop. On one occasion he had a large mantel to
marbleize by the dipping process ; the work was accomplished all but a heavy shelf, in the
handling of which he was thrown into the tub and shelf and man were both marbleized to-
gether.
In the course of his experimenting, slate lamp bases were introduced : previous to this black
and white marble only had been used. Mr. Hanger obtained a sample of the black and deter-
mined to imitate it; he made a number of samples, but so suspicious were the trade that they
did not care to handle them, fearing numerous imitations ; hence the first slate lamp bases
that were made were traded for a box of lamp chimneys. It was not long afterward that
75.000 lamp bases were made and sold by him in one year.
James Pottle was subsequently taken into partnership with Mr. Hanger, and the business
was rapidly increased. In 1870 their factory was destroyed by fire and shortly afterward Mr.
Hanger formed the Fairhavcn Marble and Marbleized Slate Companv. In this organization
he retained his interest until 1875, when he sold out and for a time rested from his work.
After a period of quiet he found that an inactive life was not to his taste, and purchased prop-
erty in Hydeville, where he is now located in the same line of business. Hydeville promises
fair in the near future to contend in friendly rivalry for supremacy in the slate business of the
county.
The reader of the preceding chapters of this work need not be told that the slate business,
one of the most valuable features of which is the marbleizing process, which enables manu-
facturei'S to imitate the various marbles, woods and other attractive surfaces, is one of the
greatest industries of the State ; it ranks next to the marble industry in Rutland county and is
a source of great wealth and prosperity. For much of its present success it is not too much
to say that the community is indebted to the subject of this sketch.
While on a visit from Xew York to England in 1854, Mr. Hanger was married to Annie E.
Downing, of Elburton, parish of Piymstock, near Plymouth, England. Through all of his
subsequent career she was his sympathizing helpmate until her death. She died in 1871.
They had no children.
HOLT, RUFUS. .A.mong the early immigrants to Connecticut were three brothers named
Holt. They located in the vicinity of Hampton. One of the sons of one of these immi-
grants was Paul, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Paul Holt's children were Ziba,
w-ho removed to Kentucky and served as Colonel under General Jackson at New Orleans ;
Rufus. who lived in Hampton some years, but subsequently removed into New York State and
died there ; and Erastus (father of the subject of this sketch.) He was born in Hampton, but
removed to Stockbridge, Vt., when he was about twenty years of age, and a few years later
settled in Pittsfield, Vt., on the "home farm," which has since remained in possession of the
family. He became a noted man in Rutland county, chiefly from the fact that he devoted con-
siderable attention to the study of law, through which and his peculiar natural fitness for that
profession, he was entrusted for many years with most of the legal business of his town. In
this he was remarkably successful, and was looked upon as a foeman at the bar worthy of the
skill and acumen of the most learned and eminent members of the profession. It is related
that on an occasion when Senator Foot learned that he was opposed in a suit to Mr. Holt, he
remarked that he would rather meet any other man of the county bar. Mr. Holt held at va-
rious periods all the offices in the gift of his townsmen ; represented them in the Legisla-
ture eight years, and a few years later began another term of seven years more. He was del-
egate to the three conventions called by the Council of Censors at Montpelier ; nearly forty
years justice of the peace, etc. He died March 28, 1875, aged ninety-eight years. His wife
was Sally Parmenter, of Stockbridge, Vt., and their children were as follows : Polly, who mar-
ried Zebedee Ellis, of Barnard; both deceased. Paul lived in Pittstield until about 1845;
went to Rutland and died there a few years ago. Clarissa married John Newell, of Stock-
bridge ; both deceased. Elias lived in Pittsfield, and died at thirteen years of age. Lodema
married John R. Parmenter, of Luzerne, N. Y.; both dead. Sally married John C. Bailey, of
Peru, N. Y. Eunice married Luke Davis, of Chittenden, Vt.; both deceased. Louisa mar-
ried Martin C. Parmenter, of Pittsfield. Electa married John G. Stafford, of Peru, N. Y.,
now in Michigan. Luthera married Joseph R. Church, of Pittsfield; she is deceased. Rufus
(the subject); and Theodocia married Truman Parmenter, of Pittsfield, and deceased.
Ruins Holt was born in Pittsfield, April 28, 1S21, on the home farm, which in after life
came into and remains in his possession. His youth and young manhood, until he reached his
majority, were passed at home, attending district school until he was eleven \-ears old, and
winters five years longer. This constituted his entire educational advantages. When he was
tvvent\ -one } ears old his father found hiinself somewhat embarrassed with debt, and Rufus
assumed all his obligations. From that time until his father's death he most cheerfully did his
V]
■«« HJHIW- <^»i<vM,«j-f.. , ,^
RUFUS Holt. — Warren Horton. 897
whole duly by his aged parents, although for a long period calling for an unusual sacrifice.
He was married on the 26th of March, 1844, to Laura Ann Bennett, daughter of Asaph Ben-
nett, of Stockbridge, Vt. Their children were as follows : Laura Agnes, married Darius Ran-
ney ; he is deceased and she married, second, George McCollum, of Pittsfield ; her children
are IVIay Inez Ranney, and a son by h;r second husband. Eudora Inez died at nineteen years
of age. Flora Idella married T. C. Hubbard, of Stockbridge; he followed mercantile busi-
ness for a period in Pittsfield and Rutland, removing afterward to Texas, where he died ; they
had three children. Eva Cornelia married George Ranney, of Kirby, Vt.; he is now a mer-
chant in St. Johnsbury, Vt.. with three children. Elsie Minnie died at nine years of age.
Mr. Holt's life has been a quiet one, yet none the less honorable. His prominent p rsonal
characteristics are unbending integrity and plain, sound comtnon sense. These traits are none
too common, and in this case have led to his being called by his townsmen to fill various
public offices ; he held the office of justice of the peace for the long term of forty-tive years ;
was selectman several years and filled other positions of trust. He was deputy sherift' under
William M. Field for si.x years, in all of which positions he has won the approbation of his
constituents. In early life he was commissioned captain of the old militia, and held the office
until it was disbanded. In the later years of his life he has resided in Pittsfield village, where
he has followed building to a considerable extent. Though now advanced in years, he still
enjoys a vigorous intellect as well as the general esteem of the community.
HORTON, WARREN. Aaron Horton, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, and the
first of the name to reach Mount Holly, came from Templeton, Mass., staying for a short
time at Chester, Vt., on the way, and reaching this town about the year 1795. He settled on
the old shunpike road, on the place now owned and occupied by his grandson, Darius Horton.
He died , October 25, 1832, aged seventy-four years. His wife. Sally, died March 11, 1824,
aged fifty-eight years, from injuries received by being thrown from a wagdn. Andrew Horton,
his son, and the father of Warren Horton, was born in Templeton, on the loth day of Octo-
ber, 1786. About 1810 he married Lucy Heald, who was born January 24, 1793, in Town-
send, Vt. Soon after his marriage he purchased of his father the home farm, and on the site
of the old log house built the commodious two-storied dwelling which stands there now. A
number of years after this he bought the saw-mill on "Jim Brook," which had long before
been put up by John White and Earl Bent, and which stood a few rods above the present
mills of Warren Horton. He died August 29, 1867, and his widow survived him until Decem-
ber 16, 1882, when she had attained the age of ninety years, ten months and twenty-one days.
Warren Horton was born on the homestead November 25, 1818. He received such education
as was afforded by the schools of his native town. The first winter after he became of age he
began working in a small way at coopering and making butter tubs on his own account. In
the spring of 1840 he carried on his father's farm on shares ; afterwards for one year worked
the farm now occupied by his brother David. He then purchased the Dickerman saw-mill
and repair-shop and occupied the same for four years, when he sold the premises to Willard
Russel. Next he went on to the place now known as the Duffacy farm, of which his father
gave him fifty acres, more than four-fifths heavily timbered, in consideration that he should
double the clearing. This he did. On the 2d of May, 1854, he sold this place and purchased
the Trask farm, in District No. 2, where he remained two years. He then moved to De Kalb,
111., and engaged there in carpenter and joiner work. He assisted in building the Baptist
Church, the flouring-mill, his own dwelling-house, and several other buildings, during his stay
in the west. That he was held there according to his merits may be seen from the fact that
though he was there but two years, he was honored with the office of trustee of the village
immediately after its incorporation, and was chosen deacon of the Baptist Church. Then,
while on a visit to his old home, he was induced by the persuasion of his parents to return per-
manently to Mount Holly, whereupon he purchased his present place of Orville Spencer, and
operated the water-mill which his father had previously — about 1849 — erected. In 1864 he
enlarged the mill, and replaced the water-power by steam-power, thus greatly increasing the
capacity and efficiency of the mill. By dint of untiring industry, strict economy, and shrewd
acquisitiveness, Mr. Horton has continually added to his own. The farm on which he lives
contains eighty-three acres of excellent dairy land, besides which he owns the old Wiley farm
of one hundred and sixty acres ; a lot in Plymouth, Vt., of six hundred and seventy-five acres,
mostly timbered ; one hundred and eighty acres in Shrewsbury, Vt., partly timbered, and the
Asa Horton place of twenty acres. The capacity of his mill may be stated as follows : About
250,000 to 300.000 feet of spruce lumber per annum, besides the chair stock business, which
amounts to about $10,000 a year, and the general custom work, which sums up in the neigh-
borhood of 100,000 feet a year. In connection with this he has connected with his chair stock
factory a feed mill, used for his own purposes and the accommodation of his neighbors. The
898 History of Rutland County.
products of his chair stock department are shipped to different parts of New England. For
sixteen years he sold his stock chiefly to C. & G. C. Winchester, of Ashburnham, iVlass. At a
later period for five years he dealt with Heyward Brothers, of Gardner, Mass., but has trans-
ferred nearly all his business to S. K. Pierce, of the same place. He employs in his business
from twenty to thirty men, and has erected on his home farm two single ancj two double tene-
ment houses for their accommodation. On the 22d day of September, 1S39, Warren Horton
married Aurilla, daughter of Sylvester Johnson, of Mount Holly, by whom he has had thi-ee
children: J. M., born November 11, 1842, wife of L. F. French, of Mount Holly; Julius D.,
born October 23. 1846, now in Gardner, Mass., and Carrie M., born April 25, 1863, wife of A.
E. Hammond, of Mount Holly. His brothers and sisters are Alvah Horton, the eldest, of
North Clarendon ; David, merchant at Mount Holly ; Darius, on the old homestead in Mount
Holly ; Lucinda, wife of E. C. Parker, of Wethersfield, Vt., and Lavina, wife of Danforth
Dean, also of Mount Holly.
Mr. Horton, although he shrinks from engaging in the strife for political office, has been
frequently called upon to serve his town in various capacities. He has been selectman four
years, and has represented the town in the Legislature two years. On the 6th of May, 1865,
he was chosen deacon of the Baptist Churcli of Mount Holly, and has remained in the office
continually since that date.
HUGHES, HUGH G., late of Poultney, in the county of Rutland, was killed in his slate
quarry at Poultney, March 6, 1884, by an accident, which will more fully appear here-
after. He was born in the town of Llanllyfni, Carnarvonshire, North Wales, on August 29,
1843. His father died when he was about four years old. His mother and eight small chil-
dren were left with little more than a small, unpretending homestead, to make their way in
the world as best they could. Hugh, at the tender age of nine years, evinced his native pluck
and spirit, and went out to seek employment. He found it in a chance to drive a mule team, and
in this he proved so faithful to his employer, that after a short period thus engaged he re-
turned home with a new suit of clothes and nine pounds of money in his pocket, which he put
into the hands of his mother to aid her in the support of her numerous family. From this he
went from one thing to another as he could tind employment, saving his earnings and contrib-
uting as he could to the support of his mother's family, until he was about si-xteen years old,
when he began working as a slate contractor in his native Wales. This he followed until he
was twenty-one years old, when by this time he had succeeded in laying up some money, be-
sides his contributions in behalf of his mother's family. He resolved in 1864 (the year in
which he became twenty-one) to go to Queensland, Australia, and bought a ticket for a pass-
age to that place ; but on hearing more about the 'Vermont slate he changed his mind, sold
his ticket to Australia for what he could get for it, and purchased one for America. After
landing upon the American shores, he made his way at once to the Vermont slate region, and
at first found employrnent by the day with Evan J. Evans, on the Farnam quarry, in the north-
ern part of Poultney, near where the Evergreen quarry is now located. He worked there
about six months, went to school in the winter, for he had only attended school two terms in
Wales after the death of his father. He soon became acquainted with what was then known
as the "Hooker quarry," situated about four miles north of Poultney village, the same quarry
formerly owned by Daniel Hooker and son. It was opened in 1852 by John M. Jones and
John Humphrey, but owned by William F. Barnes, of Rutland, who had leased the quarry for
several years. It was now in a very bad condition, and had yielded but little profit to Mr.
Barnes. Mr. Hughes's practiced eye discovered that there was an abundance of stock there
of the best quality, and that the small income was from the inexperience and want of good
management on the part of those who worked it. He decided to propose a lease of the same
to Mr. Barnes. This was effected, and the lease bearing the date March 23. 1866, was exe-
cuted. He took possession at once and commenced work at once with his usual vigor and
energy. After this he had a little left of his earnings in Wales, as a contractor ; but the con-
dition of the quarry required such a large outlay to put it in order, that his small capital was
soon exhausted ; his workmen became uneasy, and many refused to work longer unless they
could be assured of their pay. But no such word as fail was ever entertained by Mr. Hughes.
He drove his way through this embarrassment, w^hich would have discouraged any other man
under like circumstances. In much less time than was expected by any one familiar with the
facts, his quarry was in good condition, yielding a good profit, his credit restored, and his
workmen, no longer in doubt about their pay. Mr. Barnes found himself receiving a fair profit
on his investment, in the way of rents, or royalty, as it is called. Mr. Hughes was accumulat-
ing a handsome per cent, over and above the expenses of running the quarry. In 1869 Mr.
Hughes had the misfortune to get badly hurt, so as to disable him from hard work for several
months' time ; as soon as he was able to travel he went to England, and there succeeded in
opening a market for 'Vermont slate. He subsequently made large sales of slate in England,
Hugh G. Hughes. — Albert Bresee. 899
as have other producers in this region ; which trade was opened by Hugh G. Hughes. A
short time before his death lie opened a slate trade with Australia — beginning by sending a
car load there — of which the Vermont and New Yorl< slate producers are now getting the ben-
efit in their trade with those countries. Mr. liarnes, the lessor of the quarry, died some years
after the lease was executed between him and Mr. Hughes. After Mr. Barnes's death Mr.
Hughes dealt with the administrators, one of which told the writer several times that the
Pouitney quarry paid the estate the best under Mr. Hughes's management of any property in
the estate, which contained a large amount of other property. Mr. Hughes bought the entire
leased property of the Barnes estate in 1876. including the quarry interest and the farm con-
nected with it. After this purchase he increased his business in the quarrying and manufac-
ture of slate ; and while he was lessee he did a very large business, seldom having less than
fifty men in his employ, and sometimes he had as many as seventy-five. After leasing the
quarry, Mr. hughes gave it the name of " Eureka," which name it lias since borne. Quite a
settlement has grown up in the locality. A post-office has been established which also bears
the name " Eureka." In December, 1878, Mr. Hughes made a sale of one-fourth interest in
this property to R. Wynne Roberts, a gentleman from England ; the deed bears date Decem-
ber 10, 187S. Mr. Roberts entered into partnership with Mr. Hughes, and that partnership
existed while Mr. Hughes lived. The business continued to prosper and thrive until the time
of Mr. Hughes's death, which occurred on March 6. 18S4, by an accident which created a terri-
ble sensation in his family and among his friends and throughout the community. He was
standing at the bottom of his deep quarry and ne.ar him was his book-keeper, Owen Carvay, and
Griffith Hughes, a workman. At the same time there was being hoisted by the derrick a stone
weighing perhaps three or four hundred pounds, and when near the top broke in fragments ;
pieces falling on the head of Mr. Hughes killed him instantly. Mr. Griffith Hughes was
severely injured, and lingered about two weeks when he died. Thus passed away a prompt,
energetic, thorough and successful business man, at the age of forty-one years. There are
other men who have had success at the slate business, but few, however, could have secured
Mr. Hughes's success in the "Eureka." The slate in the " Eureka " is of the unfading green
variety, and is not excelled, if equaled, anywhere. What has created a demand for the Ver-
mont and New York slate is its variety of colors, and the unfading green variety, the most
beautiful slate in the world, is produced from the " Eureka" in its highest excellence. The
expense of working the " Eureka " is greater than that of most other quarries ; and it is proba-
ble that nothing short of the indomitable will of Mr. Hughes, combined with his knowledge
and skill in the working of slate, could have made a success of the "Eureka." Mr. Hughes
w^as a hard worker himself and with the large number of men in his employ, he knew what
they were all about and efficiently directed them. Mr. Hughes was married in 1872 to Katy
E. Jones, of Fanhaven. She survives with two children, a boy and a girl, to mourn the loss
of a kind and indulgent husband and father. The town has lost an intensely loyal citizen to his
adopted country, who seldom failed to go the polls, and always urged his workmen as a duty
to attend all elections. The loss to the slate interest in this region can hardly be repaired in
this generation.
BRESEE, ALBERT, is the son of Christopher Bresee, jr., who was born near Egremont,
Mass., on the 13th of March, 1788. His father, Christopher, sr., came, in 1796, to Pitts-
ford. Vt., and settled on the farm now owned by his grandson, Wallace E. Bresee, the farm
having never been out of the family. He died at Bresee's Mills, in Brandon (about one and
a half miles from his home), on the loth of August, 1826, being then sixty-nine years of age.
He was the father of fourteen children.
Christopher Bresee, jr., moved about the year 181 3 to the farm in Hubbardton now owned
by Alexander Walch. On the 8th of July, 1813, he married Clarissa, daughter of Abner Ash-
ley, the first settler on that farm. Abner Ashley died in Bethany, N. Y., January 26, 1838, at
the age of eighty-six years. Christopher Bresee became the father of four children : Solon,
born April 25, 1814; Merit, born August 17, 1815, and lived but three weeks; Clarissa, born
August 8, 1824 ; and her next elder brother, .Albert Bresee, who was born on the 9th of April,
1822. He came with his father March 17, 1837, to the farm on which he still lives, which then
contained 157 acres, and which has since been increased to an area of 212 acres. It is the
farm settled first by William Rumsey, and owned until 1837 by Chauncey S. Rumsey, now of
Castleton.
Here Albert Bresee has passed the greater portion of his life. He has been justice of the
peace, selectman two years, lister three years, and in 1878 and 1879 represented the town in
the Legislature.
But the fact which reflects the greatest honor on the life of our subject, is I he studious and
persevering method with which he has devoted his time in the introduction and testing of many
varieties of potatoes, and in originating new varieties. He is the originator of the Eariy Rose
History of Rutland County.
potato. He began experimenting with seeds in 1S50, and by continued perseverance suc-
ceeded in producing varieties with the result mentioned. In 1S53 he procured the Garnet
Chili, the parent of the Early Rose, from Chauncey E. Goodrich, of Utica, N. Y. The Early
Rose was originated in 1861. Since 1850 Mr. Bresee has continued experimenting with seed-
lings. He also originated in 1862 the Peerless variety, in 1861 the Prolific, and later the Ad-
vance, which he deems superior to the Early Rose.
On the 1 6th of December, 1868, Albert Bresee married Lucy Ann Manchester, then the widow
of Lyman J. Gault. Her father, John Manchester, a native of Shaftsbury, Vt., lived for a time
in Hampton, N. Y., and before and after in Hubbardton, on the farm now owned by Mr.
Train, near the Castleton line. He died in August, 1864. Lucy Ann Manchester was born
in Hampton, N. Y., May 9, 1830, and was the fifth of six children : Mary, Arnold, Huldah,
Lewis P., Lucy Ann and John. One child. Merit, has blessed the marriage of .Albert Bresee.
He was born August 24, 1870.
KELLOGG, NEWTON, son of Eusebia (.Messer) and Samuel Harwood Kellogg, was born
in Pittsford, Vt., on the 28th of December, 1819, and lived with his parents and worked
on the home farm until his eighteenth year, receiving in the mean time the benefit of a common
school education. In the summer of 1838 he worked a short time with Mr. Flagg, a carpenter
and joiner of Middlebuiy, but was forced to relinquish the business because of ill-health. In
the fall he engaged as clerk in the store of William F. Manley, at Pittsford Mills, where he re-
mained through the winter. In the spring of 1839 he became clerk for Henry Simonds, in the
village of Pittsford, and lived with him about three years.
In the vear 1843 he went west, staying a few weeks in Geneva, N. Y.. with his uncle, Asa
Messer. There he accepted an offer to act as clerk for a Mr. Olmsted, of Lafayette, Ind..
and left Geneva in the month of August, passing a few weeks before beginning his engage-
ment in Layfayette with relatives in Ohio. He went from Toledo down the Maumee canal to
Lafayette ; but the malarial atmosphere and unwholesome water of the voyage had injured his
system, and he was taken sick with fever and ague and dysentery, and was obliged to leave
Lafayette in a few days and return to Vermont. Immediately upon his arrival in Vermont he
was prostrated with bilious fever, from which he did not recover for several weeks. For nearly
a year after the fall of 1843 he worked in the store of John Simonds, of Shoreham, Vt. He
came to Rutland in 1845 and first worked in the store of Luther Daniels, until 1849 (most of
the time), when he accepted a position as teller in the Bank of Rutland, of which John B. Page
was then cashier. This position Mr. Kellogg resigned in 1854 and entered the Bank of Roy-
alton as cashier, William Skinner being its president. Fearing, however, that he would be
dissatisfied with the position, he did not remain long, but accepted the position of assistant
cashier in the Bank of Rutland which he had left. The Rutland Savings Bank, which was
chartered in 1850, and organized in the vear following, transacted its business in the same
room with the Bank of Rutland, and Mr. Kellogg, by reason of his position, was practically the
book-keeper of the bank until the resignation of John. B. Page as treasurer, and the appoint-
ment of Luther Daniels, treasurer, in the year 1858. After the decease of George T. Hodges,
president of the Bank of Rutland, and the promotion of John B. Page to that office, Mr. Kel-
logg was appointed cashier, but failing health would not permit him to continue in the busi-
ness, and he retired from the bank in 1861. He was subsequently appointed agent for the
payment of United States pensions and performed the duties of that position about three years,
meanwhile was also book-keeper in the office of the State Treasurer. He then went the way
of all office-holders and gave place to General Barstow, of Burlington, his successor under the
nev/ administration. On the 30th of May, 1855, Mr. Kellogg was united in marriage to Julia,
daughter of William and Cynthia (Hickok) Page, of Rutland, who is still living, and has now
two children, Samuel Hickok, born August 4, 1856; and John Newton, born July 27, i860.
Louise Chipman Kellogg, born on September 27, 1864, died on the 25th of October, 1865.
In 1855, after his marriage, he purchased the old homestead of his wife's tnother, then a
widow. He sold it in 1861, when he left the bank, to his brother-in-law, J. B. Page, and re-
moved to Pittsford, where he purchased a small place of T. F. Bogue, near the Methodist
Church. Here he passed several years very pleasantly, driving to Rutland every day and dis-
charging his duties as pension agent and book-keeper for the State Treasurer. The whole-
some exercise of caring for his horse and cow, and the fourteen miles' drive every day, soon
restored his health, which has remained comparatively good since that time.
In 1865 he returned to Rutland and occupied the brick house which stands on the cornel
of Court and Center streets, and which was erected by John B. Page. His mother-in-law and
her daughter, Fannie C. Page, resided with him until the decease of the former and the mar-
riage of the latter. The house is now owned by the Congregational society and occupied as a
parsonage. Mr. Kellogg afterward purchased the house next south of the parsonage of J. N.
Howard, in which he now lives.
NevvtoxM Kellogg. — Harrison Kingslev. 901
Mr. Kellogg has been employed more or less every year in the Savings Bank since its or-
ganisation, and in 1874, being one of the trustees of the banl<. he was elected assistant treas-
urer. Luther Daniels, president and treasurer of the bank, having reached the advanced age
of eighty years, felt that he could no longer bear the responsibility and labor of the offices, and
left the bank. William M. Field was then elected president, and Mr. Kellogg was promoted
to the office of treasurer, which he still holds. The position, however, is an arduous one, the
bank de|>osits having increased from $600,000 in 1876 to $1,600,000 in 1886. Mr. Kellogg,
with the assistance of the president, has been able to perform most of the clerical labor of the
bank until the present time.
CJeneral Amos Kellogg, a Revolutionary soldier and a lineal descendant of Lieutenant Jo-
seph Kellogg, of Brookfield, Mass.. and grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in
Lebanon, Conn., on the 7th of July, 1770, and died on the 6th of March, 1826 in Pittsford,
V't. He was a very prominent man in Pittsford, and held the office of town clerk at the time
of his death. His son and the father of Newton Kellogg, viz., Samuel Harwood Kellogg, was
born in Pittsford on the 12th of July, 1798, and died there on the 24th of March, 1S77. He
immediately succeeded his father in the office of town clerk, which position, in conjunction
with that of town treasurer, he retained for fifty-one consecutive years. He was also a prom-
inent member of the Congregational Church of Pittsford, and one of its deacons at the time of
his decease. He united with this church at the early age of fourteen years. He was twice
married ; first on the 17th of February, 1819, to Eusebia, daughter of Moses and Abigail
(Stevens) Messer, of Orwell, by whom he had four children : Newton, born December 28,
1819; James, born December 6, 1822; Abigail, who died in infancy; Mary Elizabeth, born
May 15, 1835 ; James died July 2d, 1850 ; Mary E. became the wife of Charles M. Farrar. and
now lives in Denver, Col.
Eusebia Messer was born in Claremont, N. H., and was granddaughter of Rev. Josiah
Stevens, a Congregational minister who was a missionary on the Isle of Shoals, and died there.
She died in Pittsford on the 26th of June, 1852, aged fifty-nine years and eight months.
Samuel H. Kellogg married Caroline M. Cheney, widow of James Cheney, for his second
wife. She is now living.
The following preamble and resolutions were adopted at the town meeting held in Pittsford,
Vt., on April 9, 1877, for the purpose of choosing a successor to Hon. Samuel H. Kellogg, who
died on the 24th of the previous month, and who for more than fifty years had filled the office
of town clerk and treasurer : —
Wherea.s, God in his providence has seen fit to remove from our midst the Hon. Samuel
Harwood Kellogg, a descendant from a line of honored Christian ancestors, some of whom by
their labors and influence were largely instrumental in laying the foundations of our civil and
religious institutions ; and
Whereas, In his public life, covering more than half a century, he exhibited at all times
and under all circumstances the sterling qualities of honesty and faithfulness, and was devoted
to the welfare of the people whom hcjserved, thus showing himself to be a worthy son of hon-
ored sires and fully impressed with the importance of carrying forward the work which had
been by them so auspiciously commenced, the work of improving, elevating and christianizing
the people, and
Whereas, In his private life he was the model gentleinan, the devoted Christian and faith-
ful friend of all, therefore.
Resolved, By the citizens of Pittsford in town meeting assembled, that in the death of Mr,
Kellogg we deeply lament not only the loss of a faithful public servant, but of a man who in
all his social relations was a model of e.xcellence and purity.
Resolved. That while we would most gladly have retained for a longer period his presence,
his wise counsels, example and influence, we bow in humble submission to the divine will,
feeling confident that what is our loss is his gain.
Resolved, That we tender to his surviving family our heartfelt sympathy in their affliction,
and trust tiiat they, with ourselves, will profit by his example and strive to imitate his virtues.
KINGSLEY, HARRISON, of Clarendon, was born on the 29th of August, 1S13, in the
town of Shrewsbury, near the Clarendon line. His lather was Chester Kingsley, a
descendant of one of four brothers who came to this country from England at an early day.
He removed from New York State to Shrewsbury, locating about a mile east of the hamlet of
East Ckirendon, and there built a carding and cloth-dressing mill. The carrying on of this
line of business constituted his life-work. He remained there until 1825, when he placed his
establishment in charge of his son Harvey (now living in Rutland), and removed with his
fannly to East Clarendon, where theie is a fine water-power, with a carding and cloth-dressing ,
mill, a saw-mill and grist-mill. This property he purchased and carried on the business more
than ten years, when he removed to the village of Brandon (where he had a son living), and
902 History of Rutland County.
leased a similar establishment of John Conant, leaving the Clarendon works in charye of his
son Horace. In the year 1840 his two sons. Harrison and Harvey, purchased the Clarendon
mill property. Chester Kingsley married Rhoda Weeks, daughter of John Weeks, who was
the father of William and Newman Weeks; she died in 1852 and her husband in March, 1855.
Harrison Kingsley was the sixth child of Chester and Rhoda Kingsley. His younger days
were passed in attending the district schools and helping about his father's factory. Arriving
at twenty-one years of age, he worked two years in a similar factory in Ludlow and three years
in another at Manchester. In 1840 he purchased the East Clarendon property, with his brother
Harvey, as stated, and they conducted the business together for fourteen years, when Harrison
purchased his brother's interest. In the year 1855 he put in an overshot water-wheel, added
another run of stone in the grist-mill and otherwise improved the property. In the flood of
October, 1869, the saw-mill was carried away, and the greater part of the timber of that sec-
tion having disappeared, the mill was not rebuilt. Since his purchase of the property but little
cloth-dressing has been done, but the carding-mill has been in use more or less every year.
Mr. Kingsley has here led a quiet and retired life, declining to mingle in politics or to
accept office ; but such lives, though little known to the world at large, are not therefore with-
out an influence for good on any community. Now, in his later jears, surrounded with the
fruits of his labor, he may look back upon a well-spent lite.
Mr. Kingsley was married on the 12th of July, 1838, to Caroline R. Taylor, of Andover.
They have three children — Samuel Taylor Kingsley, born July 27, 1841, married Amelia Todd,
of Boston, in 1867, and is now living in Rutland; Aliathea, born October 30, 1845, married
L. Squier, a farmer in Clarendon ; John H., born June 25, 1852, married Lizzie Wyman, of
Rutland, and lives at the homestead, where he now runs the grist-mill.
LOTHROP, HENRY FRANKLIN. Hon. Henry F. Lothrop, son of Howard and Sarah
(Williams) Lothrop, w-as born in Easton, Mass., March i, 1820.
Howard Lothrop was son of Edmund, one of the early settlers in Easton. The family has
been prominent in all the history of that town. A sister of Henry Lothrop married Hon.
Oliver Ames. Cyrus Lothrop, a brother, is now a leading citizen of the town. Another
brother, Hon. George V. N. Lothrop, has been an eminent lawyer in Detroit, Mich., and is
now I 1 886) L^niteil States minister to Russia.
Mr. Howard Lothrop came to Pittsford near the close of the last century on business con-
nected with what was then known as the Keith Iron Furnace, in which he had invested some
capital. He became superintendent and greatly enlarged and developed the business, which
was then an important industry of the county. In 1809 he sold the property, of which he had
become the principal owner, to Gibbs & Co., and returned to Easton and there resided till his
death in 1857. During his stay in Pittsford. and aftenvard, he acquired possession of consid-
erable real estate. To look after this, and other mterests of his father's property, Henry F.
Lothrop, at twenty-four years of age, came to Pittsford and made the town his home. In
1846, two years after his arrival here, he built the house in which he lived till his death.
In 1848 he was married to Eleanor, daughter of Captain Sturges Penfield. For more than
fifty years Mr. Penfield was prominent in all the business interests of Pittsford. He and his
brothers Allen and Abel were eminent among the early and influential settlers. They estab-
lished and carried on various branches of manufacturing, which were important and valuable
to the town, in their time. They were foremost in the support of the church and the schools.
Very soon after his settlement in Pittsford, Mr. Lothrop became a leading man in the affairs
of the town. His judgment in all matters of busin.ess was excellent. His integrity and up-
rightness were never questioned. No man in the town was more resorted to for counsel. No
one has been a more valuable friend to those in need. No one has had more to do in the care
and trust of unsettled estates. Thoroughly true himself, he respected and admired all that
was true in others. That which was false or pretentious, he profoundly hated. He was a pa-
triot who loved his country and his town. Unable himself to go as a soldier, because of phys-
ical infirmity, he was unwearied in his efforts to provide for the comfort of those of his towns-
men who did go, and thoughtful for the welfare of their families in their absence. To the last his
interest in the soldiers who went from the town was manifested, not only in the zeal with which
he helped them to observe their anniversaries, but to more efficient purpose and with more sac-
rifice in the aid which he often afforded them. His purse was always open to their necessities;
and he generously lent or gave of his money to those who were trying to secure houses lor
themselves. He was several tiines selectman of the town. He served with honor both as
representative and senator in the Legislature of Vermont. He was influential in securing the
passage of the bill creating the State Board of Agriculture. When the board was formed he
was a member of it, till failing health and strength made it impossible for him longer to bear
the burden of it. He was also, for a time, president of the Rutland County Agricultural
Society. Himself a practical farmer, he was deeply interested in all matters relating to the
Henry Franklin Lothrop. — Walter C. Landon. 903
improvement of farms and the rearing of stocl<. And always, whether in public office or out
of it, his generous public spirit was shown in time and work and money, which, almost with-
out stint, he put into whatever was for the general good of the community. From its organi-
zation till his death he was a director in the Baxter Bank of Rudand. His business sagacity
and financial wisdom contributed not a little to the soundness and strength of that most stable
institution. Mr. Lothrop had no children. He died of pulmonary disease at his home April
20, 1885.
LANDON, WALTER C. Although it is well known that the Landon family are of Welsh
extraction, no definite line of ancestry can be traced beyond the grandfather of our sub-
ject, viz.: Elisha Landon. who was born on the 3d of June, 1766, in Salisbury, Conn., and
lived there until early in the present century. He then came to Sunderland, Vt., where he died
on the I2th of April, 1817. Noah Landon. father of Walter C, and the eldest of ten children,
was born in Salisbury, Conn., May 10, 1790. On the 30th of April, 1820, he married Pamelia
Wilcox, a native of Manchester. She died on the 26th of December, 1879, in her eighty-sixth
year, and he followed her January 24, 1881, leaving a family of two sons and adaughter. War-
ren E., the eldest, was born on the 5th of May, 1824, and now lives in Chaplin, Conn. The
daughter,. Fannie P.. was born on the 22d of August, 1838, and is now the wife of Samuel B.
Nichols, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Walter C. Landon, the second child, was born on the 17th of
August, 1831, in Sunderland. He received such education as theexcellent New England com-
mon schools afford, attending winters only, and in summer time working out. At the early age
of fourteen years he left home and worked for two years on a farm in Arlington, Vt. Thence
he went to Bennington, where he passed four years as clerk in the general store of P. L. Rob-
inson. In the spring of 1852 he came to Rutland, and became clerk in the hardware and
grocery store of Landon & Graves, which was known as the " old red store," and stood on the
site of Sawyer's block. The firm soon after became J. & A. Landon, but because of his ex-
perience and abilities, and being a cousin of the proprietors, the subject of our sketch retained
his position, in all about five years. Then, with Chester Kingsley as junior partner, he opened
a grocery store in the same building, which J. & A. Landon had vacated for a new building.
After the lapse of three years Mr. Landon sold out to Kingsley, and with J. W. Cramton
bought in the Central House, which stood on the present site of Clement's bank building. Mr.
Landon assumed the management of this house, and remained there until March, 1863. In
the mean time, however, he enlisted for three months in the First Vermont Regiment (infantry)
and was detailed as color sergeant, and after went out as captain of Co. K. in the Twelfth
Regiment. After he sold his interest in the hotel to Mr. Cramton, he entered into partnership
with J. N. Baxter in September, 1863, and opened a grocery store in the building now occu-
pied for a like purpose by E. D. Keyes. In the following May Mr. Landon obtained control of
the entire business and carried on the store until November, 1865. He then removed his busi-
ness to the Perkins Block, on the corner of West street and Merchants Row, which he had
purchased. In January, 1868, with C. F. Huntoon as junior partner, he originated his present
business in the same building which he now occupies. Mr. Huntoon's health failed in Octo-
ber, 1875, and he sold his interest to Mr. Landon, who has continued alone ever since. From
a small beginning he has increased his business until he may safely say, with pardonable pride,
that he is proprietor of one of the most extensive hardware houses in the State. Not only,
however, has he attained pi'ominence in the private walks of life, but he has been repeatedly
and against his inclination, called upon .to serve in various public capacities. From 1864 to
1875 he was town, village and school treasurer; was one of the listers in 1874, 1881, 1882,
1883 and 1884; has held the office of water commissioner for nine years, and holds it now ; is
also one of the board of selectmen ; was for twenty years an active member of the Rutland
fire department, and for ten years preceding 1882 was chief engineer of the fire de-
partment. He also represented the town of Rutland in the State Legislature in 1882-83,
a distinction the more prominent by reason of the relative numerical population and commer-
cial and manufacturing importance of the town. Of course Mr. Landon is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic, as what soldier is not .' He has been a member of the Knights
of Pythias ever since the organization of the order in Vermont. He is now, and since its be-
ginning has been, one of the directors of the Baxter National Bank, is one of the directors of
the True Blue Marble Company, and treasurer of the Evergreen Cemetery Association. On
•the i6th of June, 1861, Walter C. Landon married Mary M. Manley, of Rutland. They have
one child, a son. Charles Huntoon Landon, who was born April 3<1. 1867. and is now at home
attending school.
History of Rutland County.
MUNSON, ISRAEL, was born in the town of New Haven. Conn., on March i8, 1808. His
parents and grand parents were natives of this town. He was the sixth child of a family
of nine children, who were all born in New Haven, Conn., but one. He is the only one now
living. The names of the fiimily in the order of their births are as follows : Sarah. Elizur,
Caroline, Mary, Isaac B., Israel, Ann, Louisa, Edward and Francis (who was born in Walling-
ford. Vt.). Israel Munson came with his parents to Wallingford, Vt.. in December, 1814.
His parents were Isaac and Sarah (Bradley) Munson, who came to Vermont mostly through
the persuasions of Israel Munson. who was an elder brother of Isaac, and a merchant in Bos-
ton, Mass., and while coming through this part of Vermont, purchased the farm south of the
present residence of Israel Munson, jr., which then consisted of 200 acres. He persuaded his
brother to move here. Isaac owned a house in New Haven, Conn., and did not dispose of it
until ten years after coming to Vermont, thinking that he might at some future time return to his
native town. He, however, concluded to remain in Vermont, and added one huudred acres to
the farm (where Israel Munson now lives), where he died in 1836. Elizur, Isaac and Israel
then borrowed 87,000 from their uncle Israel Munson, of Boston. Mass., and bought the re-
maining heirs out. They then divided it into three farms ; Israel, giving fifty dollars for his
first choice, took the farm on which he now resides ; Elizur taking the old homestead, and
Isaac taking the one over the river where Mr. Childs now resides. Israel Munson received
his education in the public schools of his d.ay and has been a thorough business man, clear-
headed and successful in all his business transactions and investments. When the war broke
out in this country and the government wanted means, he came to the front with $30,000 ;
if the country was successful the investment was a good one, and if not he would go down
with the government. He w^as ever ready with his money and voice to aid the government
when it needed them most. He has been selectman, overseer of the poor, and lister of his
town, although his forte has never been in the field of politics. He has always lived on his
farm, and more than one has been helped over their financial difficulties by Israel Munson's
means and clear head, sometimes by his own loss.
He was married on September 19, 1845, to Matilda Clark (a daughter of Chauncey Clark,
of Mount Holly, Vt.). They have had two children born to them. Kirk G. and Isaac E. Mr.
Munson has for forty years been attending to his varied financial investments, and in all his
loans he has never forced or distressed any one ; foreclosing only in a few cases, and then at
the request of the parties interested ; and in several cases accepting from five hundred to one
thousand dollars less than his claim. He is now in the seventy-seventh year of his age. en-
joying good health and would pass for a man of sixty. His wife died on December 9, 1881.
She was a memberof Trinity Episcopal Chuch, and was mourned by a large number of friends
and neighbors.
PROCTOR, REDFIELD. The American branch of the Proctor family springs from Eng-
lish stock, the first ancestor in this country- being Robert Proctor, who lived in Concord,
Mass., as early as 1645. From Robert Proctor's son Samuel the lineal ancestry of Redfield
Proctor is as follows : Samuel (2), Thomas (3), Leonard (4), Jabez. (5). Redfield (6). Leonard,
who first established the family name in Vermont, was born at Chelmsford, Mass.. in 1735.
He was a soldier of the Revolution and rose to the grade of captain. His tenth child was
Jabez, who was born in Westford, Mass., April 22, 1780; he was three years old when the
family migrated to Vermont. He was a prominent citizen, conspicuous in politics and held a
number of high offices. His wife was Betsey, daughter of Isaac Parker, of Westford, Mass.,
and they had four children. The youngest of these was the subject of this sketch, who was
born in Proctorsville, Vt., June i, 1831. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1851, and
three years later received the degree of A. M. from that institution. He studied law in the
Albany law school and graduated in 1859, and was admitted to the bar in that city and also
at Woodstock, Vt. A part of the years 1860-61 he practiced at Boston, Mass., but the out-
break of the Rebellion called him to the defense of his country, and in June, 1 861. he enlisted
in the Third Vermont Regiment and was commisioned as lieutenant and quartermaster. In
July of that year he was appointed on the staff of General Baldy Smith, and in October was
transferred to the Fifth Vermont Regiment of militia, of which he was commissioned major.
In October, 1862, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Fifteenth Regiment of nine months'
men. The services of these regiments have been recounted in the militar>' chapter of this
work. After his return to Vermont he entered into partnership for law practice with Judge
W. G. Veazey, in Rutland ; but he was destined for more active and e.\tended business opera-
tions. In 1869 he accepted the oflice of manager of the Sutherland Falls Marble Company,
which, under his efficient direction, became very prosperous. On the 30th of September, 1880,
the Sutherland Falls and Rutland Marble Companies were amalgamated and assumed the title
of the Vermont Marble Company, with headquarters at Centre Rutland — lately transferred to
Proctor (Sutherland Falls). The new corporation was chartered under the laws of New York,
Hdx. John Pri)Ut. — Col. Georc.e T. Roberts. 905
and Mr. Proctoi" was elected president, a position which he still holds. Under the manage-
ment of himself and his associate officers, the company has become by far the largest marble
producers in the country, with branches in all the largest cities in the United Slates. Governor
Proctor's public official career began in 1866, with the office of selectman' in the town of Rut-
land. In the following year he represented the town in the Legislature, and again in 1868.
In 1S74 he was elected to the State Senate and two years later received the election as lieu-
tenant-governor, receiving a majority of more than twenty-three thousand votes over his com-
petitor. In 1878 he was elected as chief magistrate of the State of Vermont, and his admin-
istration justified the most sanguine expectations of his friends, inaugurating an era of economy
in State management, the good effects of which are still felt. Under his administration the
first general savings bank law was passed in accordance with his recommendation, and num-
erous other important measures were inaugurated at his suggestion, which have been most
beneficial to the people at large. Indeed, in all of the official positions occupied by Governor
Proctor, his remarkable business foresight and judgment, his untiring industry, and his adher-
ence to the right have enabled him to leave a record that is most enviable. To-day he is in
the zenith of his mental powers and fills a station second to that of no other citizen in Ver-
mont. Redfield Proctor was married on the 26th of May, 1858, to Emily J., daughter of the
Hon. Solomon F. Dutton, of Cavendish, Vt. Five children, four of whom are now living, are
the issue of their union. The eldest son, Fletcher D., is now associated with his father in busi-
ness and has been the superintendent of their large marble business since the death of Hon.
N. P. .Simons.
1)K0UT. HON. JOHN, was born in Salisbury. Addison county, on the loth day of Novem-
ber, 181 5. He received the education supplied by the common school of that lime. He
learned the art of printing and followed it for several years, and in the mean time, by studious
habits and observation, so educated himself, that he entered the law office of Hon. E. N.
Briggs, a prominent attorney. He was admitted to the Addison county bar in 1837 and be-
gan practice with Mr. Briggs. He was chosen representative from Salisbury to the General
Assembly of Vermont in 1847, 1848, 1851, and State's attorney of Addison county in 1848,
1849, 1850 and 1851. In 1845 he removed to Rutland and formed a law partnership with C.
B. Harrington, and later has been associated with Hon. Charles Linsley, \V. C. Dunton, and
for some ten years past with Colonel Aldace F. Walker, under the firm name of Prout &
Walker, whose field of jiractice has been wide and varied in the different courts of the State.
Judge Prout for many years has been the counsel of the Rutland railroad, the Delaware and
Hudson and other leading railways.
He represented Rutland in the Legislature in 1865, and in 1867 and 1868 was a senator
from Rutland county. He was elected a judge of the Supreme Court of Vermont, holding two
terms — 1869 and 1870, when he voluntarily retired from the bench because his extensive prac-
tice was of far more importance to him than the limited salary paid to Vermont judges. Since
that period the scope of legal practice has greatly widened in the higher courts and in the
United States courts. Few Vermont lawyers have had more important and intricate cases in
charge and proved more successful.
Judge Prout is not a politician and never sought office. He has occasionally yielded to the
wishes of the people and served in positions outside his profession. A studious investigator
of farts, he has confined himself strictly to his profession.
He has been twice married. His present wife, Ellen Sophia Ellsworth Strong, is a grand-
daughter of the distinguished chief justice, Oliver Ellsworth, of Connecticut. He has a son,
Edward, residing in the West, and two daughters, Mrs. Cornelia Field and Miss Mary Prout.
1) OBERTS, COLONEL GEORGE T., was born in the town of Clarendon. Rudand county,
V Vt., on the 3d day of October, 1S24. He belonged to a family of military traditions on
both sides, being the third son of the late Benjamin Roberts, of Manchester, Vt., and a grand-
son of General Christopher Roberts of Revolutionary memory. His mother's maiden name
was Sophia Hodges. She was the third daughter of Dr. Silas Hodges who served as a sur-
geon in the Continental army, and was for some lime in the military family of General Wash-
ington. When about four years of age his parents removed to Manchester, in which town he
spent most of his boyhood. ' He was naturally fond of study, particularly of mathematics and
astronomy, and acquired a very good education at Burr Seminary, a popular institution of
learning in Bennington county.
Some years previous to the breaking out of the great Rebellion he was extensively engaged
in superintending the construction of railroads in the West, and at the time of entering the
service of the country was the agent and manager of the marble quarries at West Rutland, of
which his brother-in-law. General H. H. Baxter, was the principal owner. In l86l he was a
9o6 History of Rutland County.
lieutenant in the Rutland Light Guards, which went out as one of the companies of the First
Vermont Regiment. He served in the field with that regiment until the expiration of its term
of service. He afterward took an active part in recruiting the First Vermont Regiment of Cav-
alry, and was offered a position in that organization, which he declined. When the Seventh
Regiment was organized and mustered into service in February, 1862, he was offered its colo-
nelcy by Governor Holbrook, which offer he accepted.
The' foregoing very brief sketch of Colonel Roberts's hfe was written by a relative of his ;
but it needs supplementing in order that the reader may gain an intelligent conception of his
character. The history of the Seventh Regiment has already been given in earlier pages of this
work. Its gallant colonel was destined to share in its hardships and victories but a few short
months. The battle of Baton Rouge was fought on the 5th of August, 1862. The following
account of that part of the engagement directly connected with the fall of Colonel Roberts is
from Colonel William C. Holbrook's history of the Seventh Regiment: —
" When the regiment resumed its orig'inal position the action was raging with great fury
directly in front of our camp and that of the Twenty-first Indiana. Owing to the fog which
had not yet lifted, and to the smoke which was constantly increasing, objects could not be
distinguished ten yards ahead. Although the regiment was under a terrible fire, Colonel
Roberts wisely hesitated to give the order to commence firing, as he was apprehensive that
the Indiana regiment might be in his front. At this moment General Williams rode up and
peremptorily and in an excited and somewhat brusque manner, instructed him to open fire.
The colonel was, of course, obliged to give the order, but did so very reluctantly. Before
many volleys had been discharged an officer appeared and exclaimed that the fire of the Sev-
enth was affecting the Indianians. The colonel promptly gave the order to cease firing. This
was his last command, for he immediately fell from a severe wound in the neck. While being
carried to the rear he was again hit in the thigh by a minnie ball. Dr. Blanchard soon reached
the spot to which the colonel had been removed' and gave him all the medical aid possible.
Having no ambulance, a one-horse cart or dray was obtained, in which uncomfortable convey-
ance on a thin litter of hay, he was taken to the hospital. I met him on the way as I was re-
turning from the picket line on the right flank. He was cheerful and bright, although seem-
ingly suff'ering some pain. I expressed much sorrow that he, of all others, should have been
stricken. He^ replied that he did not consider his wounds serious, and hoped soon to be on
duty again. The wound in the thigh proved fatal, the ball having glanced upwards, penetrat-
ing the vital organs. Two days afterward he quietly, and apparently painlessly, passed from
among the living."
The death of Colonel Roberts caused the most profound sorrow throughout Rutland
county, and that his character and eminent services were appreciated in the field is indicated
by the following extract from an article published in the New Orleans Delta at the time of his
death: —
"The Seventh Vermont Regiment, which had just returned from severe service at Vicks-
burg, participated in the battle of Baton Rouge. It is sufficient evidence that they were at
their post discharging faithfully the trust reposed in them, that their gallant colonel, George
T. Roberts, fell mortally wounded in the thickest of the fight. He was a true patriot and an
honorable, high-minded man. He fir.st went into the service as a lieutenant in Company A, of
the First Vermont Volunteers. When the Seventh was called for he was tendered the
colonelcv, and in every particular has proved the selection a good one, and though dying in a
glorious'cause. his loss will be severely felt, both by his regiment and his many friends in his
native State where he was so well and'so favorably known."
In an article on his death the editor of the Rutland Herald used the following words : " So
long as heroism is admired and patriotism loved, will green garlands of affectionate remem-
brance be laid upon his honored grave.
The remains of Colonel Roberts were brought home to Rutland, where they were interred
in the presence of a large concourse of citizens and their families. In addition to this custom-
ary mark of respect to the eminent dead, the citizens of the town assembled in meeting at
about that time and unanimously passed the following resolutions : —
WHEREA.S, We, the citizens of Rutland, in town meeting assembled, have learned with the
deepest sorrow of the death of Colonel George T. Roberts, our friend and fellow-townsman,
while gallantly leading his regiment in the memorable battle of Baton Rouge, therefore —
Resolved, That in the death of Colonel Roberts Vermont is called upon to mourn one of
her best and bravest ofiicers, and Rutland one of her most loved and honored citizens.
Resolved, That the profound sympathies of this meeting are tendered to the mourning rel-
atives of the deceased in this their deep affliction, and as our late fellow townsman has given
all he had, even his life, for us and for his country, we give to his memory our tears and a
grateful and lasting recollection of his patriotism and gallantry.
Colonel Roberts has been described as " an eminently ju'st and large-hearted man in the
truest sense," which, perhaps, expresses his prominent characteristics fully.
Chauncey S. Rumsey — Lyman Williams Reuington. 907
RUMSEY, CHAUNCEY S., was born in Hubbardton, Vt., in 1805. He commenced
business life at tlie age of sixteen years as a farmer ; his object being to save tlie home-
stead for his aged parents, and which he accomplished by hard labor. His parents were Will-
iam and Elizabeth (Walker) Rumsey, who were born and married in Connecticut, and died in
Hubbardton, Vt. William was born in 17S0, served three years in the Revolutionary army,
received a pension and died in 1836. His wife died in 1830. They had eleven children, of
whom Chauncey S. is the only one novv living. He was the leading farmer of his town, and
made a great success of grain and stock raising, and was one of the representative men of his
town and State ; was also a member of the Senate in 1858 and 1859; was a member of the
Legislature in 1839 and 1840 and again in 1854 and 1855 ; was county judge in 1874 and 1875 ;
was town clerk and treasurer of Hubbardton, Vt., for twenty-si.x consecutive years, and also
held many of the minor offices of his town, He was justice of the peace of his old town for
thirty-two years. He retired from active life in 1871 and settled in the village of Castleton on
his homestead of twenty acres. His early advantages for an education were light ; but he has
become by careful application a self-educated man, and now has a fine library, in which he
finds a pleasant pastime. He was married in 1830 to Hannah Wallis. They have one son,
Henrv C., who was born in 1844. Hannah was a daughter of Seth and Hannah (Pond)
Wallis.
1)EDINGT0N, LYMAN WILLIAMS. The following biography is taken from the Brat-
ii tleboro (Vt.) Reformer, published in connection with a portrait .Xpril 4, 1884: —
" One of Vermont's most energetic Democratic sons is L. W. Redington, of Rutland. He
is a son of Hon. George Redington, who was born at Vergennes, Vt., in 1798. The grand-
father of the subject of this sketch, Jacob Redington, a Revolutionary- soldier, held a number
of local offices in the early history of Vergennes, and was a member of the first common coun-
cil of the first city government which was instituted in Vergennes in 1794. He emigrated
from Vergennes with his family, in 1800, to Waddington, St. Lawrence county, N. Y. The
father of L. W. Redington was an able lawyer and judge of the Court of Common Pleas of
St. Lawrence county, and for several terms a member of the New York Legislature, where he
wielded considerable influence. He aided very materially in the construction of the Northern
Railroad from Ogdensburg to Rouse's Point, and was one of its directors. Later in life he was
engaged largely in the purchase and sale of real estate in St. Lawrence county, and in the
manufacture of lumber and square timber. He erected a number of mills, sending rafts to
Montreal and Quebec, and employing a large number of men. He was an energetic business
man of large capacity, and highly respected for his sound judgment and upright straightforward
dealing. He was a staunch Democrat.
L. W. Redington's mother was a daughter of Medad Sheldon, of Rutland, and a sister of
Charles Sheldon, of Rutland, head of the firm of Sheldon & Sons, marble dealers.
L. W. Redington was born in Waddington, N. Y., March 14, 1849, and is therefore now
only thirty-five years old. He fitted for college at Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Mass.,
and entered Yale College in the fall of 1866, but was obliged to leave at the close of the fresh-
men year on account of poor health. He subsequently graduated in the scientific department
of Williston Seminary in 1869. Attended law school at Columbia College, New York city, and
concluded his professional studies in the office of the late United States Senator Matt H. Car-
penter, in Milwaukee, Wis. He was admitted to the Milwaukee bar in 1871, and for some
time afterwards made an extensive tour of Europe to regain his health and round out his edu-
cation, remaining a year abroad.
In 1875 he located in Rutland, in the practice of the law. In 1876 he was elected to the
office of grand juror, which position he held for five years, and then refused to stand longer.
He vyas the nominee of the Democracy for town representative at Rutland in 1876, '78, '80
and '82. In 1878 he was elected to the Legislature, and was the Democratic nominee of the
House for speaker. He was a delegate at large for Vermont to the Democratic National
Convention in 1880, and was the nominee of the Democracy for Congress in 1882. He was
chairman of the Democratic State Convention in 1882, and on the 17th of March, 1884. was
appointed municipal judge for Rutland, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Martin
G. Everts, and now holds that ofiice.
He was married October 6, 1875, to Catharine Russell Merrill, daughter of Colonel George
A. Merrill, of Rutland. They have two children, Mary Patterson and Thomas Gregory Red-
ington. He was attorney for the village of Rutland for the year ending 1884 and is now pres-
ident of the New England Fire Insurance Company of Rutland, which was organized under a
Vermont charter in 1881."
Mr. Redington is a man of many scholarly attainments, with a broad and healthy sympathy
with Democratic ideas, a powerful speaker, an independent and progressive thinker. He has
hftd every temptation to join the Republican ranks. His social connections were all that way;
History of Rutland County.
in his earlier years his enthusiastic temperament inclined him to sympathy with the party that
had done the noble work the Republican party did in its purer days, and he had that magnet-
ism and popular attractiveness which would surely have won rapid and increasing honor if he
had been on the side of the majority. But the events of 1870-76 made it clear to him that the
line of patriotic duty was with the young Democracy — with the current of political thought
that applies the benign philosophy of Jefferson to the problems of to-day — and he has stood
staunchly with the hopeless minority of the .State ever since. In the Legislature of 1878 he
was the author of the " Redington bill," so called, for a local option law to apply to the liquor
traffic, and it is confessed by able and impartial men that it was one of the best drawn and
most carefully considered measures ever presented to our Legislature. Of course the bill was
overwhelmingly defeated, but he made a gallant fight for it, his speech in its advocacy being,
perhaps, the most brilliant and at the same time the most carefully studied production of his
life. He was always opposed to the petty bribery of public officials with free railroad passes,
and he proved his conviction while in the Legislature before the subject had been much agi-
tated, by refusing the passes offered him. He has made a particular study of divorce laws, and
has recently delivered a very thoughtful and vigorous lecture on the subject, taking a position
in favor of a radical change in the Vermont system, and of the most stringent laws in regula-
tion of divorce everywhere.
Mr. Redington was afterwards nominated for governor by the Democrats of Vermont, re-
ducing the Republican majority some 5,000 over 1880. and some 3,000 over 1876. After the
State election in September he went to New York, commencing at Troy under the auspices of
the New York State Committee, but was soon afterwards engaged by the National Committee
and sent into Connecticut and New Jersey ; he was everywhere received with the warmest of
praises from the party press, and the results of his labors greatly complimented. July 16, 1885,
he was appointed by President Cleveland postmaster at Rutland, thereupon resigning the
office of municipal judge, to which he had been twice elected by large majorities.
ROYCE, GEORGE EDMUND. The name of Rice in this country is traced back to
Deacon Edmund Rice, who was born in about l 574, and came to America from Bark-
hamstead, Hertfordshire county. England, in 1638, and settled in Sudbury,.Mass. He removed
to Marlboro, Mass., in 1664, arid died there May 3. 1668.
Thomas Rice, son of the above, was born about 1621 ; resided in Sudbury, Mass., and re-
moved to Marlboro. ALass.. in 1664; died there November 15, 1681.
Jonas Rice, grandson of Edmund, was born March 6, 1672 ; resided in Worcester, Mass.,
in 1702, and was the first settler of that town ; was judge of the Court of Common Pleas for
the county of Worcester when he died, at the age of eighty years six months and fourteen
days, on the 22d of September, 1753.
.Adoiiijah Rice, .-^on of Jonai^ and great grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born
November 7, 1714; was the first white child born in Worcester, Mass., and resided there un-
til the latter part of his life, when he removed to Bridport, Vt. He was in several campaigns
against the French and Indians and one of the celebrated band of scouts known as Rogers's
Rangers; he died January 20. 1802.
Jonas Rice, son of Adonijah. and grandfather of the subject, was born about 1756 at Wor-
cester, Mass. He was a first lieutenant in the regular army under General Washington and
served through the Reyoluionai7 War ; was in the battles of Trenton and Princeton, and
participated in the historical crossing of the Delaware amid floating ice. He settled in Orwell, Vt..
directly after the close of the war and married Elizabeth Carver, a direct descendant from John
Carver, first governor of Plymouth Colony. He lived on his farm in Orwell and died there Feb-
ruary 17. 1839.
Alphcus (Rice) Royce,' father of the subject, was born in Orwell, Vt., on the i8th of De-
cember, 17S7. His father had but one other child, a daughter named Harriet. His wife was
Harriet Moore, of Putney, Vt.. who was born March 15, 1790. and died February 24, 1873.
Alpheus was a farmer and occupied the homestead where he was born until his death, which
occurred on the 15th of April. 1 871. He served as captain of a militia company at the battle
of Plattsburgh in the War of 1812. The children of .Alpheus Royce were as follows : Charles
v., born August 28, 1810, deceased. Louisa A., born April 11. 1812, deceased. Laura E.,
born July 23, 1814. deceased. Mary E., born June 17, 1816, lives in Omaha. Jane A., born
April lol 1820, lives in Orwell. Henry L., born December 23, 1821, died in the service of the
country during the late war. William E.. born September 10, 1824, now occupies the old
homestead in Orwell. Albert F., born October 3, 1826, died in the Mexican War. George
checl iniddle life, when he changed it to
lame were becoming too numerous in the
1 .\Ipheus Rice bore
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" Royce," giving as hi
s reason tliat the people of the former
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George Edmund Rovce. 909
Edmund, the subject. Erasmus D., bom April 9, 1831, lives in St. Lawrence county, N. Y.
Harriet A., born April 7, 1S33. died in infancy. M. Antoinette, born September 2, 1835, lives
in Orwell.
Georg-e Edmund Royce was born on the ist of January, 1829, as before stated, on the
homestead of his father in Orwell, Vt. His younger days were passed in the customary man-
ner of boys in this vicinity at that time. He attended the common schools, and two terms at
the Troy Conference Academy, and aided in working the farm until he was nineteen years old.
He then entered the store of John Simonds, at Watch Point, Shoreham, Vt., as a clerk, and
here he acquired the first insight into the business which he afterwards successfully followed.
He remained in that store two years, when he repaired to New York city in 1850, and engaged
with the firm of Dibble, Frink & Co., in the wholesale dry goods trade. He staid there one
year and changed to the firm of Lathrop, Ludington & Co., in the same line of business, and
remained with them about seven years. This brought him down to the ist of January, 1859,
and he felt that he was justified in embarking in business on his own account. He accordingly
associated himself in the firm of Robbins. Royce & Hard, continuing thus two years, when the
firm changed to Robbins, Royce & Acker, and did business in wholesale drv goods three years
longer. In this connection the natural mercantile instincts of IVIr. Royce, supplemented
by his studious experience, contributed largely to the success that followed. But his arduous
labors in the business told upon his heahh, and on the 1st of January. 1864, he felt impelled
to withdraw from the firm. He had already purchased a place and transferred his family to
Rutland, \'t., and after spending another year in the metropolis, settling up his affidrs, he fol-
lowed them to the valley among the Green Mountains. Here he became interested very soon
after his arrival in the steam stone-cutter of George J. Wardwell (see his biography in
these pages), which had then lately begun to develop its great value in the Vermont marble
quarries. Colonel W. T. Nichols had purchased an interest in the patent for the purpose of
organizing a company for its manufacture. Mr. Royce foresaw its success from the first and
with Colonel Nichols proceeded at once to the organization of the Steam Stone-Cutting Com-
pany, of which he has ever since been the treasurer. It is notorious that there are in this
country a class of unprincipled patent pirates, who thrive by stealing the ideas of others and
fighting successfully inventors and manufacturers in the courts. The success of the stone-cut-
ter was no sooner fully assured than one of these leeches came down upon it with all the re-
sources of his wealth and long e.xperience in that peculiar line of business. The de-
tails of the struggle that followed in ten years of the most persistent and sleepless litigation
would be out of place here, but it will suifice to state that the company, with Mr. Royce and
Mr. John W. Cramton, the present president of the company, at its back, fought the piratical
onslaught until nearly one hundred thousand dollars had been expended in the protection of
their rights, and they vvere successful ; let that fact be set down to the credit of citizens of
Rutland. The persistent tenacity with which Mr. Royce followed this contest exhibits one of
the strongest phases of his character ; when he believes himself right he does not entertain
the idea of giving up his convictions. The success of the stone-cutter under his direction has
been all that its great merit deserves, and it now has the field to itself
Mr. Royce is also identified with the marble producing interest. A few years since he be-
came impressed with the value of a certain deposit on a farm lying about two and a half miles
north of West Rutland. He immediately began negotiations which resulted in his purchas-
ing three farms, and later (in the spring of 1884) in the organization of the True Blue Marble
Company, which secured control of a fourth farm, on which quarrying is now going on. The
organization and success of this company is largely due to Mr. Royce, and he has since been
one of the director.^. An eight gang mill has been erected by the company and marble of the
finest and most durable quality is now being largely quarried. (See chapter devoted to the
marble industry of the county.)
Although Mr. Royce has political convictions of a well-defined character in the Democratic
school, he has never sought to make them a stepping-stone to political office ; he was elected
to the office of selectman of the town in 1883 and re-elected twice since, but against his wishes ;
an office which he fills, however, with the same efficiency displayed in his own business. He
has received numerous nominations for other offices, among them that of State Treasurer, but
being a resident of a district which is strongly Republican, his election was an impossibility.
He has been one of the directors of the Baxter National Bank since its organization in 1870.
Mr. Royce was married first to Meriam E. Brewer, of Orwell, on the 5th of February, 1857 ;
she died March 2, 1866. He married September 6, 1866, Martha A. Brewer ; and third Ellen
C. White, daughter of Albert White, of Orwell, on the 4th of November, 1875. His children
are as follows: Fannie E., born February 22, 1858; George B., born August 8, i860; lives at
home and is secretary of the Steam Stone-Cutter Company, and also secretary of the True
Blue Marble Company. Julia M., born November 4, 1862; died in infancy. Kate M., born
December 9, 1864. These are children of the first wife. Jane M., born August 18, 1867 :
History of Rutland County.
Robert S., born August ii, 1S69; Julia I., born June 14, 1871 ; children of the second wife.
Edmund W.. born February 24. 1877. Thomas J., born July 25, 1879. Pauline M.. born
May 24. 1 88 1. Albert A., born September 13, 1883.
ROGERS, ASA J., who has lived in Poultney since 1 831. was born in Mount Holly, Vt.,
April 23, 1820. He was a son of Stephen and Anna (Emerson) Rogers. Stephen Rog-
ers was born in Danby, Vt., November 9, 1784. Anna Emerson was born in New
Hampshire on July 9, 1784. Stephen moved from Danby to Mount Holly in the year
1806. He lived in Mount Holly for several years and moved from there to Granville, N.
Y., in the year 1827, where he lived for about four years, when he moved to Poultney, Vt.,
with his fainily, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred August 22,
1867. They had a family of nine children: Lydia, Oliver, Aaron, Charles, Samuel, John S.,
Asa J., David L. and Aiiios E. Mrs. Stephen Rogers died November i, 1841. The nine
children were all living when the family moved to Poultney, Vt., in 1831. Four have since
died, and all have moved from Poultney e.xcept Asa J., who is and has been for many years
one of the useful and responsible citizens of this town. He was married July 8, 1841, to Lou-
isa Horton, of Mount Holly, Vt. She was a daughter of Asa and Susan (Breed) Horton.
Her ancestors during the time of the Revolutionary War resided near Boston, Massachusetts,
and one was the owner of Breed's Hill, from which that hill took its name at or about the
time of the battle of Bunker Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have had six children born to them,
all of whom are now living: Adelia A., Ophelia S., Louisa J., Amos J., Hattie M. and Charles
E. All are married and away from home with the exception of Charles, who still remains
with his father
Mr. Rogers for about thirty years after he attained the age of twenty-one was engaged in
the carpentering and building business, and gave the most of his time to that trade. He is
now and has been for several years a farmer, He owns a large farm and a very good one.
It is situated about two miles south of Poultney village, and is so well managed as to give
him quite a reputation among his neighbors as being a good farmer. He is enterprising as a
farmer and keeps pace with all iinprovements. He built the first silo in the town of Poultney,
large enough to hold a hundred tons, which he filled with green corn fodder ; it proved a suc-
cess, and he now regards the silo as no longer an experiment. In 1870 he became aware that
there was slate rock on his farm, and called the attention of William Griffith and William Na-
thaniel, practical slate workers, to it. They developed it and it proved to be an excellent
quality of the sea-green variety, and the result was that quarries were opened there which
have proven productive, valuable and profitable to those interested. The rents (or royalty as
it is called) from the same have largely increased his income.
Mr. Rogers united with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1843, and remained a member
of that church until 1858, and then embraced the faith of the second personal coming of Christ.
About that time a church of that faith was formed in Poultney, Vt., with a membership of 120.
Mr. Rogers became a deacon and has since been a leading member ; the church has also been
quite prosperous. He has held town offices and places of trust from time to time, which his
fellow citizens have imposed upon him without his seeking, the duties of which he has ever
faithfully discharged. An unpretentious man, yet he is one of the firm props of society, and one
of that class of our fellow citizens who can be relied upon for the preservation of good order,
and for work in the advancement of morality and the interests of the community in which he
lives.
SEASON, CHARLES HARMON, was born in West Rutland, Vt., on the 28th of October,
1827. He came of a family which was very prominent in the history of Rutland county.
His father was Francis Slason, who was born at Stamford, Conn., March 23, 1790. He came
to West Rutland in 1810, and was married to Mary Gordon on the 1st of July, 1814; they had
three children — James L., Anna Maria and William Wallace; the latter was killed by the
cars at Middlebury, in March, 1875. Francis Slason was a leading merchant of West Rut-
land for more than fifty years; was a director of the Rutland National Bank from 1824 until
his death, and was in many other ways made to feel that he had gained the esteem and confi-
dence of the community. His wife died May 2, 1821. He afterwards married Celia Harmon,
on the 26th of August, 1822 ; married at Hardwick, Mass., by Rev. B. Wesson ; they had two
children — Francis Henry and Charles Harmon, the subject of this sketch. The former was
born October 16, 1835, and died January 8, 1836; Francis Slason died January 14, 1882, at his
home in West Rutland, and is buried in the family lot at Evergreen Cemetery at Centre Rut-
land. Of the other children, James L. was born at West Rutland October i, 1814; Anna
Maria at the same place April 20, 1S16 ; and William Wallace June 2, 1818, also at West Rut-
Charles Harmon Slasun. — George W. Strong. 911
Upon the occasion of the death of Francis Slason, the following proceedings were had by
the officers of the bank of which he had so long been a trusted director: —
Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to take from among us our deeply venerated for-
mer vice-president, Francis Slason, in the fullness of his days, and who has beetf a director of
this bank since its first organization in 1824, and a most punctual attendant on the meetings
of the board, and that while we regret that we cannot longer have his company, the recollec-
tion of his foresight, independent thought and the interest that he took in all that pertained to
the welfare of the bank, will be a bright spot in our memory. Be it, therefore —
Resolved, That w-e tender to the widow of our late friend and associate our sincerest sym-
pathy with her in her loss of a beloved companion for so great a number of years ; also to the
other members of the family, in the rupture of the dearest ties of relationship.
Resolved, That the foregoing be spread upon the records of the bank and that a copy be
sent to the family of the deceased.
Charles H. Slason received his education at Castleton, Vt., and later attended Burr Semi-
nary, and Burton's Seminary at Manchester, Vt. At the age of sixteen he began work in his
father's store at West Rutland, and early developed rare capacity for business. In 1844 he
struck the first blow that led to opening the first marble quarry in West Rutland (now owned
by Sheldon &: Son), in company with Dr. Lorenzo Sheldon, David Morgan, William Barnes
and his father, Francis Slason. This firm became in 1850 Sheldon & Slason, remaining such
until the fall of 1881, when he sold his interest to the present firm of Sheldon & Sons.
In 1856 Mr. Slason married, at Nashua, N. H., Harriet L. Tilden, of Royalton, Vt., by
whom he had three children as follows: Francis Charles, born December 9, 1867, at Jalapa,
Mexico (where the family resided one year, he having in his possession a ranch nine miles square).
William Tilden, born April 18, 1869, at Brooklyn, N. Y. Harriet E.. born April i, 1872, at
Nashua, N. H. Five days after the birth of Harriet E., Mrs. Slason died at Nashua and is
buried in Evergreen Cemetery at Centre Rutland.
On the 27th of July, 1880, Mr. Slason was married to Mrs. Sarah F. McKelsey, at Sara-
toga, N. Y.. the ceremony being performed by Rev. James L. Slason, of Tinmouth, Vt. They
had one child, Maria Henrietta, born December 22, 1881.
Mr. Slason died after a short and severe illness on the loth of April, 1S82, and was buried
in the family lot in Evergreen Cemetery, Centre Rutland.
Mr. Slason was for many years a conspicuous figure in this community; was a prominent
member of the Masonic fraternity in Rutland, being initiated in Center Lodge, No. 34, on the
6th of July, 1854, and remaining an honored member thereof until 1878: then he took his demit
for the purpose of forming a new lodge at West Rutland. He was one of the charter mem-
bers of Hiram Lodge No. loi, and continued a worthy brother until his death.
STRONG, GEORGE W. The subject of this sketch was a descendant of one of the most
notable families of Rutland ; a family possessed of peculiar characteristics that were man-
ifested in a spirit of enterprise to which Rutland is greatly indebted for its present position.
Hon. Moses Strong, the father, wms a man of ability and courage and in the period of his act-
ive life was the most progressive man in the community, and whose influence extended beyond
State limits; for he was largely identified in the building of the Champlain Canal from White-
hall to Troy, N. Y., and projected a plan for its continuance to Rutland, and until his death
advocated the feasibility of the project. He was born in Salisbury, Conn., in 1772. He was
educated in his profession in the Litchfield, Conn., Law School, established by Tapping Reeves,
LL.D., who was among the first of American lawyers. Mr. Strong was among the eariy grad-
uates of this celebrated institution in 1796. In 1798 he removed to Addison county and was
admitted to the bar of that county; but in 1800 removed to Rutland, began the active prac-
tice of his profession and became prominent in the business and social affairs of the com-
munity. In 1818 he was a representative in the Legislature ; in 1825 and 1826, chief judge of
the Rutland County Court, and was one of the founders of the old Bank of Rutland, remaining
a director until his death. He obtained the first charter for a railroad in Vermont. In 1835
he retired from practice to give attention to his private affairs, being at that time the largest
land owner in Rutland county, and one-third of the present prosperous village of Rutland
stands upon lands once owned by him. He died in 1842 at the age of seventy years.
The eldest son, Moses M. Strong, possessed the strong and progressive characteristics of
his father. He was born in 1810; educated in the schools of Rutland and graduated from
Dartmouth College in 1829; attended the Litchfield Law School, and was admitted to the
Bennington county bar in 1831. After a few years practice in Bennington and Rutland he re-
moved to Wisconsin in 1837. A half century ago he staked out a town twelve days" west of
Lake Michigan which is now the capital of Wisconsin. This is the simple history'of one of
the foremost and leading families of Rutland, as preliminary to the biography of a member of
the family whese life was identified with the industry and promotion of his native town.
912 History of Rutland County.
George W. Strong, son of Hon. Moses and Lucy Maria (Smith) Strong, was born in Rut-
land February 14, 1818. His mother died when he was of tender age and Judge Strong mar-
ried Mrs. Harriet Woodbridge Hopkins, of Vergennes, when the little son was four years old ;
to her care and training he was committed. He was graduated from Middlebury College in
1837 in the class with the distinguished poet, John G. Saxe and the eminent divine. Rev. Byron
Sunderland, D.D. Soon afterward he entered the office of Phineas Smith and Edgar L. Orms-
bee in the study of law and was admitted to the Rutland county bar in April. 1845. He opened
an office but did not enter into active practice of his profession, as he had inherited in great
degree the energy, public spirit and sterling business qualities of his father ; his tastes, there-
fore, led him into business life, which was, in a measure, forced upon him by his having charge
of much of the large landed estate of his father. He early identified himself in pushing forward
the project of building the Rutland and Burlington railroad and devoted much of his time to
procuring subscriptions and awakening public thought and interest in the road ; he engaged
in its construction until it was opened in 1849. and was for some time a director of the corpor-
ation. He next turned his attention to the teasibility of the construction of the Rutland and
Washington railroad, a line connecting Rutland with Troy. He engaged in its construction
and after its opening became a director and for two years president of the corporation. After
the opening of the home railways in which he was interested he gave his attention mainly to
railroad building in the west. He took an active part in building the Cleveland and Pittsburgh
railroad, of which he was afterward president for a time. In 1850 he contracted for the relay-
ing of a road from Corning, N. Y., through Tioga county and for building the Chester Valley
railroad in Pennsylvania. Among his latest enterprises and contracts was the building of a
bridge across the Wisconsin River at Kilborn City. These great enterprises show the public
spirit, sagacity and energy of the man who spent his life and wore himself out in the public
service and became the benefactor of the generations that are to follow ; he left enduring mon-
uments of himself in the railway enterprises which he projected and carried forward to com-
pletion.
In the mean time he was not unmindful of promoting the prosperity and upbuilding of the
town of his residence, and to him is Rutland indebted largely for its growth. None labored
more earnestly to make it the chief town of the State, and his prophecy made in 1855, that
Rutland would one day be a city of twenty-five thousand inhabitants, seems probable to be
fulfilled. As an e.xample of his faith in the growth of the town it may be stated that he laid
out Washington street and erected the residence now occupied by E. Foster Cook. He laid
out and gave the names to Madison avenue. Pleasant, Prospect and Hopkins streets and
Strong's avenue — gave the lands for those streets to the town — all of them being a part of
the old homestead and running through lands owned by him. There are several other streets
which are the result of his enterprise and to which he gave names.
In politics he was an uncompromising Whig, and was presidential elector in 1856, with
William C. Bradley, Lawrence Brainard, John Porter and Porteus Baxter ; they cast the vote
of the State for John C. Fremont for president. Mr. Strong never sought or held public office,
because of his time being absorbed in business, although he would many times have been hon-
ored with leading positions, had he signified his willingness to accept them. He was always
an attendant of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and at his death, October 28, 1858, was a
communicant of Trinity Church.
He married. May 14, 1845, Ellen Sophia Ellsworth, of Windsor, Conn., a daughter of Hon.
Henry L. Ellsworth, and granddaughter of the distinguished chief justice, Oliver Ellsworth, of
that State. One child, Catherine Ellsworth Strong, is living and resides in Rutland. Mrs.
Strong a few years since married the Hon. John Prout, a leading lawyer of Rutland. Of Mr.
Strong's father's family of eleven children, only two are living, Hon. Moses M. Strong, of Mineral
Point, Wis., and John Strong, Washington, D. C.
This is but a brief sketch of a useful life — of a public spirited citizen who sacrificed life
and fortune in promoting the interests of the generation in which he lived and labored, and the
fruits of his service are being garnered by the generations that follow them.
SHELDON, CHARLES, son of Medad Sheldon, was born in Rutland July 24, 1813. His
father was born on the l6th of December, 1776, at Bernardston, Mass., and was the father
of eleven children. He was a blacksmith and farmer, and resided in Rutland from 1808 to
1825, where he was a respected citizen. In 1825 he removed to St. Lawrence county, N. Y.,
and engaged in farming and manufacturing business, which he continued until his removal to
Troy, N. Y. His death occurred on the 27th of July, 1846, at the home of his son-in-law,
George Reddington. of Waddington, N. Y., at which place he was buried.
The grandfather of Charies Sheldon was Amasa, the son of Captain Amasa, of the Revo-
lutionary army, and Sarah (Bardwell) Sheldon, and married Sybil, daughter of John Holton, of
Northfield, Mass., on the 25th of July, 1771 ; he died at Rockingham, Vt., in 1780. John Hoi-
Charles Sheldon. — John Alexander Sheldon. 913
ton was a descendant in the third generation from Deacon William Holton, the English immi-
grant, who settled in Massachusetts in 1634, and who was afterward one of the first settlers in
Hartford, Conn.
Charles Sheldon's educational advantages were confined to study in the district school and
only until he was twelve j'ears of age. The succeeding two years he spent on his father's
farm in Waddington, N. Y., after which he began work at the cabinet-making trade ; but this
he found uncongenial to his tastes and he gave it up and began a period of service in a country
store. At the age of sixteen he removed to Montieal and engaged in the steamboat business.
In two years he was master of a boat on the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, a position which
he held for six years, when he resigned at the age of twenty-four years. In March, 1835, Mr.
Sheldon went to Troy, N. Y., and there embarked in the lumber trade. In 1841 he removed
to New York city and followed the same business with a fair degree of success until April,
1850. In that year he transferred his activities to another field. Settling in Rutland, his birth-
place, he engaged in the marble business of D. Morgan, jr., & Co., and was admitted to a
partnership in the firm, whose title was accordingly changed to Sheldon, Morgan & Co. From
the time of his advent to this business extensive improvements and additions were rapidly
made, among which was the erection of a mill of eight gangs of saws. The firm at that time
employed only twenty-five men. The business was temporarily suspended in 1851 and again
in 1866 by the burning of the works ; but in each instance the mills were promptly rebuilt and
in greatly extended form. On the occasion of the last fire a mill of twenty-four gangs was
erected and in operation within eight weeks after the conflagration. In 1874 another twenty-
four gang mill was erected. Since that time new mills and shops have been repeatedly added,
comprising all of the departments of marble sawing and finishing, until there are now six dif-
ferent buildings in use, all constructed of marble, and covering an area of more than 84,000
square feet. The site of these works was a tamarack and cedar swamp when Mr. Sheldon en-
tered the business ; it is now a busy hive of industry. One hundred and forty tenements have
been erected for homes for the employees. Three large quarries, all located at West Rutland,
are owned by the firm, and the mills are operated by a double engine of 300 horse power, and
one single of 125 horse power. The quarrying machinery is mostly operated by a Rand air
compressor. The magnitude of this business has been yearly increased.
In the year 1857 Charles Sheldon purchased the interest of Mr. Morgan in the business and
the firm was reorganized under the name of Sheldon & Slason. In 1865 was purchased the
share of Dr. Lorenzo Sheldon and then he associated his own sons, .John A. and Charles H.,
with himself in partnership. In 1881 Mr. Slason's interest was purchased and William K.
Sheldon, another son of Charles, entered the firm and the title was changed to Sheldon & Sons,
which it still bears.
In political affairs Mr. Sheldon was formerly an active participant. While residing in Troy
and New York he was an ardent and active Whig. After coming to Rutland he declined
further political participation and has persistently declined official political station of any kind.
His attention has been devoted to his large and growing business and for a long series of years
he was seldom absent from his office.
Charles Sheldon was married on the 30th of June, 1838, to Janet, daughter of John and
Janet (Somerville) Reid. Mrs. Sheldon's mother was born in Scotland ; her patronymic is of
high social and scientific distinction. They have had seven children, six sons and one daugh-
ter. All of the sons are living, four of them in business with their father, and two in business
in New York city. Mrs. Sheldon died in February, 1859. Mr. Sheldon subsequently married
Harriette, daughter of George Reddington, of St. Lawrence county, N. Y.
SHELDON, JOHN ALEXANDER, eldest son of Charles and Janet (Reid) Sheldon, was
born in Troy, N. Y., August 14, 1839. His education was received principally at the Sand
Lake Academy, Sand Lake, N. Y., and at Williamstown, Mass. Just before he reached fifteen
years of age he left school and entered the store of Sheldons, Morgan & Slason. He filled a
minor station here for several years, and then accepted the position of book-keeper for the
same firm. He remained in this office until the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion.
The call of the government for volunteers, which drew from their homes so many of the sons
of Vermont, stirred his sense of patriotism and he joined the First Regiment of Vermont V'ol-
unteers (three months men) as sergeant. Returning home at the expiration of this term, he
remained until the organization of the Tenth Regiment, in which he again went to the front as
captain of Company C. The record of this gallant regiment has been preserved in a historical
volume and will be found in brief in this work. Mr. Sheldon remained in the field through the
remainder of the war, and on his return purchased an interest in the great marble business of
his father, as described above. As a member of this firm his excellent business qualifications,
his untiring industry and his general popularity have enabled him to exert an influence for its
58
914 History of Rutland County.
prosperity second only to that of his father. These qualifications have not gone unrecognized
by his townsmen ; he has filled the office of selectman three years ; was trustee of Rutland
village and one year president of the board. In 1876 he was elected to represent the town in
the Legislature of the State ; in this year he also acted as senior aid-de-camp on Governor
Fairbank's staff. He was for several years a trustee of the old Rutland Savings Bank and is
now vice-president of the Merchants' National Bank of Rutland. Immediately succeeding the
war he took up his residence in Rutland village, whfere he purchased his beautiful home in the
spring of 1870.
Mr. Sheldon was married on the 20th of December, 1866, to Caroline A., daughter of Au-
gustus M. Eastman, of Brooklyn, N. Y. They have seven children, four sons and three daugh-
ters, as follows: Charles Alexander, born October 17, 1867 ; Augustus Eastman, born June
20, 1869; Mai-y Hatfield, born March 3, 1871 ; Francis Marion, born February i, 1873; John
Somerville. born February- 4, 1875 ; Carolyn Pearl, born November 9, 1876; .'\rchie McDaniels,
born April 23, 1885.
SMITH, WARREN H. The subject of this sketch was born in Brookfield, Vt., March 25,
18 18. Here his grandparents and parents had settled as farmers. The grandfather, Tim-
othy Smith, died in 1824 at the advanced age of ninety years, his widow surviving him, and
died at the extraordinary age of ninety-four years. Norman Smith, the father of Warren, was
born in Hanover, N, H., July 18, 1776. Susannah Worden, his mother, belonged to a leading
and influential family of Scotch descent, in Halifax, Vt., where she was born October 15, 1780.
His parents were married Januar)' 29, 1803, and raised a family of seven children, of whom
three survive, Warren being the youngest.
Norman Smith died October 27, 1823. His widow remarried and died July 11, 1850,
Thus at the early age of six years Warren was left to care for himself He was put out to
service to make his way in life as best he could, enduring the trials, afflictions and inflictions
of a poor boy among strangers during the earlier years of his boyhood, which he has never for-
gotten, and which begat in him a tender feeling and sympathy for poor children ever since.
Warren remained in Brookfield till he was about fourteen years of age, working at farming
summers and attending school winters, and then removed to Randolph, Vt., and there attended
the academy and completed his education ; in the mean time working on farms in the summer
and teaching school every winter for seven years, beginning when fourteen years of age.
He began the study of the law with the Hon. Wm. Nutting, at Randolph, at the age of
twenty-one, and was admitted to practice at the Orange County Court, June term 1843. He
had quite a practice and several cases in the County Court before he was admitted to the bar.
His necessities for means to meet his expenses required him to do what work and business he
could while getting his education and studying his profession.
In August, 1843, he came to Rutland county and engaged in active practice in his profession,
devoting the energies of a healthy body and mind in the faithful service of his clients, and his
practice became quite extensive and fairly remunerative ; in W'hich practice he has continued
to the present, though of late years he has measurably retired from active practice and allowed
himself the luxury of travel with his family in his own countiy and abroad. He never sought
for political distinction or office, although a Whig and Republican and interested generally in
politics and the success of the measures and principles of his political party.
Of late years he has given his attention more to financial affairs and has become connected
as director in two of the national banks in Rutland.
Mr. Smith was united in marriage, on the 8th of December, 1857, with Miss Helen B. Wey-
mouth, of Walpole, N. H., where she was born on the 28th of February, 1837. They had born
to them two sons and two daughters, and felt themselves especially favored and blessed with
their four promising and healthy children, all of whom with their parents became members of
the Congregational Church at Rutland, and the cup uf human happiness for parents and chil-
dren seemed full. But alas ! in the vear 1883 affliction and extreme grief came in the death of
their two older children, a son twenty-three and a daughter twenty-one years old.
Norman Weymouth, their eldest son, was born May 21, 1859, and died January 7, 1883.
Theo Linsley, the eldest daughter, was born April 14, 1862, and died October 24, 1883. Guy
Leslie was born April 21, 1866, graduated at Rutland High School, and is now a clerk in a
bank in Rutland. Helen B., their youngest child, was born August 3, 1869, and is now in Rut-
land High School.
The death in one year of the son and daughter, under the circumstances, was painfully
afflictive to parents and friends as well as to their acquaintances. Norman had from his early
boyhood manifested a disposition for earnest and profitable study, was a very bright boy and
intelligent young man, specially calculated to attach himself to friends and acquaintances. He
had received his classical education at Middlebury and Williams Colleges, and pursued his
medical studies at Vermont University and Atlanta (Ga.) Medical College, and had fully and
Warren H. Smiti^. 915
ably prepared himself for the practice of medicine at Atlanta, where he had formed a partner-
ship for practice. Being severely afflicted with rheumatism, he went to Atlanta in the hope
that the milder climate of the South would benefit him ; but the dread enemy of the living had
placed his seal upon his brow.
" God's finger touched him and he slept."
Theo died at her home in Rutland of typhoid fever. The loss sustained by her circle
of friends and acquaintances in her death is best e.xpressed in the language of Rev. Dr. John-
son, her pastor, and Mrs Dorr, the authoress, who knew her well, in their " Memorial " of her.
Extracts. — " It is no ordinary loss that has fallen upon a wide circle of friends in the death
of this most estimable young lady. . . . It is one of those instances when human lips are
dumb. Human wisdom can give no solution to the mystery.
'■ Miss Smith was of studious and thoughtful nature, and was finely educated. Naturally
intelligent and of clear, quick mind, she had acquired many accomplishments, in which she
was constantly growing. It is but a few weeks since she returned from a four months' trip in
Europe with her parents, for which she had prepared herself by much reading, and from which
she brought rich stores of knowledge.
" But in character she was more marked still. One who knew her intimately could hardly
speak of her truthfully without a tone of extravagance. She was amiable with all, but had a
most winning affectionateness toward those nearest her. There was an elevation of mind, a
singular gentleness and dignity, alike in her bearing, and in her conversation, which was no-
ticeably free from uncharitableness of spirit or carelessness of speech. Into that inner circle
of her home, with whose sacred grief ' the stranger intermeddleth not,' has come a sorrow
that words cannot measure. A large part of the joy of life came to her parents through her
bright young spirit. Many hearts w'ho share in a degree that loss extend to them a warm
sympathy. We shall see her no more, but the thousand remembrances of a rich and beautiful
life cannot be taken away."
The following words were written by Mrs. Julia C. R. Dorr, president of the Fortnightly,
and read by her before a large gathering of that society at its first meeting for the year, No-
vember 17, 1883: —
"This should be a festal day ; the day on which we meet after our long vacation, to resume
our pleasant intercourse and the work in which we take such delight. It is a happy day, in
spite of all losses and bereavements. Yet with this empty chair beside me, how can I ignore
the fact that in all our hearts there is the cry, —
' O, for the touch of a vanished hand.
And the sound of a voice that is still !'
■' In the death of our late secretary, whose beautiful name, Theodora — Gift of God —
seems in the light of what she grew to be, to have been given her in a moment of prophetic in-
spiration. The Fortnightly has met with a loss that cannot be adequately measured. How
great it is no one knows better than I, by whose side she sat last winter. To her rare intel-
lectual gifts and acquirements, she added a practical executive ability, a steadiness of purpose,
a wise foresight, and a faithfulness in the discharge of duty, that are rarer still. She knew
instinctively the right thing to do, and she did it ; the right word to say. and she said it ; quietly,
modestly, unobtrusively, yet with a grace and dignity that were all her own. Theo was faith-
ful as the sun. Only once last winter was she absent from her post. When the shadow of
death fell with awful suddenness upon the threshold of her own home, the young feet faltered
for a moment. She was absent from one meeting. At the next she was in her place again,
paler and sadder, it is true, but as calm and self-poised as ever.
■' This society never had a more faithful and efficient officer than Theo Smith. When a sol-
dier falls at his post, it is fitting that his comrades should drape their colors and fire a salute
over his grave. We do not go forth to our battles with waving of banners, or blare of trumpets.
But I propose to you that our badges and the standard that bears the motto of our society,
shall be draped with emblems of mourning for the rest of the current year. I would also sug-
gest that, as a token of our regard, the secretaryship should be held vacant during the season,
and its duties performed by a secretary /ro tern."
It will not seem strange that extreme sorrow pervaded the " inner circle " of the home
thus stricken, but knowing they cannot bring back to them the loved ones gone before, each
stricken one fully trusting to meet in happy reunion in heaven, can say with the Psalmist,
" Truly my soul waiteth upon God, from whom cometh my salvation. He only is my rock, he
is my defense, I shall not be greatly moved.
" O Lord, as for me I will behold Thy face in righteousness, and shall be satisfied when I
awake with thy likeness."
9i6 History of Rutland County.
TAYLOR, DANIEL WALTOX. The ancestors of Daniel Walton Taylor came to Ver-
mont from Massachusetts, in the person of his grandfather, John Taylor, who was born
in 1765, and raised in Carlisle, Mass. When he was seventeen years old he came to Plymouth.
Windsor county, Vt., where he worked seven years before removing his family thither. His
wife was Abigail Wheeler. The old homestead where they settled has remained in the pos-
session of the family to the present time and is now owned by Reuben and John Taylor (sons
of Reuben and grandsons of the elder John). The children of John and Abigail Taylor were
as follows: John, jr., born September 22, 1789. Abel, born April 12, 1792. Reuben, born
May 28, 1794. Patience, born January 17, 1797. Nathan (father of Daniel Walton), born Au-
gust 9, 1799. Nathaniel, born March 26, 1802. Nabby, born August 29, 1804. Betsey, born
March 22, 1807. Polly, born November 7, 1809, is the widow of Luther Coolidge, jr., of Roch-
ester, Vt., and js the only surviving child of John and Abigail Taylor.
Nathan Taylor spent his early life in Plymouth, where he married Mary Walton, of New
Ipswich, N. H. Mr. Taylor was a respected fanner. He removed to Sherburne on the ist
of March, 1831, and settled on the farm now occupied by the subject of this notice, where he
died on the 12th of August, 1844. His widow survives him and lives with her son, D. W.
Taylor. Their children were as follows : Daniel Walton, the eldest. Harriet, born November
I, 1825, married Oliver Coolidge, jr., first, and, second, Abijah Ellis, and now lives a widow in
Sherburne. Abby P., born March 11, 1828, married Ora J. Taylor, of Ludlow, and is now
pastor of the Baptist Church in East Bethel, Vt.
Daniel Walton Taylor was born in Plymouth, Vt., June 18, 1823. His youth was spent at
his paternal home chiefly in the laudable effort to secure a fair English education in the dis-
trict schools, supplemented by two terms at the Black River Academy, Ludlow, Vt. His
studies finished he continued at home until his father's death, which occurred just as the young
man reached his majority. He took the homestead of tw-o hundred acres, the improvement
and culture of which has since been his chief occupation. The buildings on the farm have
been greatly improved and added to by Mr. Taylor, and are now among the best in the county.
But this quiet farm life has not sufficed by any means to satisfy Mr. Taylor's ambition, fie
was well fitted for other duties, both by natural gifts and education. He was elected first
selectman in the years 1863-64 and 1865, and enlisted nearly all the men to fill the quotas of
the town in those years. After the war he took out a license as claim agent for procuring
pensions and bounties for the soldiers and their families, and as a conveyancer of real estate.
He was also connected with a union store in Sherburne as one of its directors and treasurer
for nearly eleven years ; closed up the business and paid twenty-four members (who had paid
only $3 each for their membership) ,$140 each. He has been appointed by the county court
on si.x road committees in Rutland county, and has settled eleven estates as administrator.
These matters are not mentioned on account of their great importance to the public or for
public record, but as showing the confidence reposed in him by his neighbors and those who
know him best.
Turning again to Mr. Taylor's public career we find that he has held the office of select-
man eight years ; auditor eleven years ; town agent si.\teen years ; overseer three years ; jus-
tice of peace four years ; treasurer ten years ; lister three years ; town clerk seven years ;
town grand juror two years ; represented the town in the Assembly in 1865-66 and 1876, and
was county senator in 1860-61. During the four years from 1879 to 1882 inclusive, he was
assistant judge of Rutland County Court.
This honorable record, honorable both for the varied character and the number of offices
held, and for the manner in which their duties were invariably discharged, is sufficiently elo-
quent of Mr. Taylor's character, abilities and the general esteem in which he is held through-
out the county, without additional comment here. He enjoys his honors modestly and has
apparently many years vet before him for the public aud private labors of life.
Mr. Taylor was married on the ist of November, 1848, to Almyra A. Tyrrell, of Ludlow,
daughter of John Tyrrell. Their children are Nathan J., born December 7, 1849, died Janu-
ary 12, 1874. Arden G., born May 21, 1852, is now a farmer in Windsor, Vt., and married to
Nellie Damon, of Cavendish, Vt.; they have three children, two daughters and a son. George
R., third son of Mr. Taylor, was born January 15, 1854, lives in Proctor; Henry W., born May
20, 1855, married Mary Tottingham. of Pittsford ; he lives in Washington, D. C, where he is
assistant engineer in the capitol building; Amanda A., born December 27, 1858, died August
12, i860. The sixth child of Mr. Taylor is Mary A., born December 12, 1862, married Heman
B. Slack, of Royalton, Vt. The seventh child is Walter Daniel born March 12, 1870, and
now in attendance at the Black River Academy.
WARDWELL, GEORGE JEFFARDS. The grandfather of the subject of this sketch
was Joseph Wardwell and an early resident of Salem, Mass., and later of Rumford, Me.
He served as second lieutenant in the Revolutionary army and was one of the original mem-
George Jeffards Wardwell.
bers of the Society of Cincinnati, a mutual benefit organization, formed by officers of the army,
with General Washington at the head, who contributed one month's pay each to a fund for
the benefit of destitute members. This fund descended to the oldest male heir of each mem-
ber, and is still in existence. Joseph Wardwell's wife was Sarah Hemingway. They had two
sons, Joseph (father of George J.) and Moses. The latter mysteriously disappeared while lying
in New Orleans harbor about 1830; he had followed a seafaring life. They had also three
daughters, Sarah, Mary and Jane. Sarah married Samuel Bartlett, of Rumford, Me.; Mary
married Phineas Stevens of the same place, and Jane died unmarried.
Joseph H. Wardwell married Lydia Howard, of Rumford, daughter of Asa Howard, a
farmer and blacksmith. They had twelve children, all but two of whom lived to maturity.
George J. Wardwell is the fourth son and fifth child in this family, and was born in Rum-
ford September 24, 1827. His father was a mechanic and naturally desired that his sons
should learn some trade. George J. was, therefore, apprenticed to his cousin, Jeremiah Ward-
well, from the lime he was thirteen years old until he was sixteen. Previous to the first named
year he had attended the district schools ; but he was not satisfied w'ith his education, and hav-
ing served his apprenticeship, he worked at making sleighs until he accumulated enough money
to enable him to attend two fall terms at a select school and one term at Bridgeton Academy,
in Bridgeton, Me. The summer of his seventeenth year he w'orked in a Boston coach-painting
shop, which was followed by one summer in Brookline, Mass., at house painting. VVhen he
was nineteen years old he went to Lowell, Mass., and spent two years in building the wood-
work of looms for the Middlesex corporation. He then, with his brother Charles, took a con-
tract of the same corporation, covering a certain amount of work. This finished, the brothers
entered into a contract to build forty broad looms for weaving shawls. After they had spent two
months on this work, their shop was burned, consuming not only their partly finished stock,
but their tools also. They, however, made such arrangements as enabled them to properly
finish the contract. In the summer of 1850 they gathered a little material and fitted up a
small wood-working shop in Hanover, Me., using the water-power on the outlet of Howard's
Pond. In the fall of that year they built twenty-five sleighs for the cousin with whom George
J. served as apprentice, and in the following summer they filled a contract for sash and doors
for the California market. That summer their dam was carried away by a flood and rebuilt
by them on a more extensive plan ; but the very next season a still more destructive flood
swept away everything they had except the building itself, which was left on a sort of island.
In the following year Charles removed to New Hampshire, and George J. carried on the shop
another winter. It was then leased and later sold, he removing to Andover, where he kept a
hotel until 1854, at the same time carrying on his former business in another shop, building
furniture, etc.
We now come to a period in his life during which was developed his strongest natural
characteristic — inventive genius. This he possesses in a high degree, and, coupled with his
natural and acquired taste for mechanics, has enabled him to solve several very difficult and
important mechanical problems. While in Andover, in 1854, he invented the first pegging
machine for making boots and shoes. It was a very ingenious piece of mechanism, each blow
of its hammer piercmg the hole in the leather, splitting and driving the peg. It was so clev-
erly constructed, as to combination of parts, that it could be carried in one's pocket, and yet
would peg a woman's shoe, eight pegs to the inch, in a minute and ten seconds. It should
have made him wealthy ; but as is too often the case, the man to whom he transferred a half
interest for S500, being the capitalist, grew rich out of the invention, while the inventor secured
little for his labor.
!n 1855 Mr. Wardwell removed to Hatley tow-nship, Stanstead county, Canada, where his
wife's relatives lived. There he erected a shop and carried it on two years. He then removed
to Moe's River and formed a partnership with a man who owned a water power ; they manu-
factured furniture, sleighs, etc., for eighteen months. Mr. Wardwell then removed to Coati-
cook. on the line of the Grand Trunk railway, where he made his home until 1865, working at
his trade and constantly experimenting on various devices.
It was w'hile here that he experimented with a machine for sawing marble, visiting, for the
purpose, many quarries, and among them the marble quarries in Rutland. The sawing ma-
chine was not successful, and after laying it aside he remained at the quarries three weeks,
during which time Charles Sheldon suggested to him that he should turn his attention to a
machine that would cut the channels in the rock of the quarries and save the excessive cost
and slow progress of hand labor. In a statement by Mr. Wardwell to Congress in 1880, in a
fruitless effort to secure a renewal of his original patents, this old process of quarrying is thus
described by him : —
'■ The process of quarrying consisted in cutting channels by hand labor, longitudinally, and
as nearly at right angles with the strata as the workmen could do so ; this was very difficult
to accomplish, as it compelled the workman to direct his cutting-tool (a round rod of iron with
91 8 History of Rutland County.
a cutting point at each end. and from six to eiglit teet long), at right angles with the strata —
often lacking ten to twenty degrees of being at right angles. Sometimes channels were cut
up and down the face of the strata, the workmeu standing on board ladders. The depth of
these channels would be equal to the thickness of the marble vein or strata, say three to four
feet. After these long channels had been cut, and short ones across the ends, the strip of rock
thus cut around was "raised " from its bed by means of the " plug and feather," and after-
wards broken into short blocks by the same means, after which they were ready to be removed
from the quarry. Some of these quarries had been worked down to a depth of loo feet or
more ; and in order that the workmen might see the bottom of his " cut," and deliver his blows
with effect, a narrow tin lamp was let down into the channel after it had reached the depth of
twenty inches or so. When channels were cut to the depth of four feet, each workman would
average to cut about one and one-half foot per day of eleven hours. Each workman was allotted
three feet of the length of a channel so that a channel sixty feet long would give employment to
twenty men, each working on a section of three feet. Each man was expected to average to cut
six inches deep in his section per day, making one and one-half foot per day. The working sur-
face of the quarry consisted of a series of angular ridges, extending lengthwise of the quarry,
of various height' and thickness. The upper veins were worked to the greatest depth, as they
were the first to be quarried and removed — leaving the lower or back veins the most elevated
of the working surface. Thus it will appear that the system of working the quarries at West
Rutland was not favorable for experimenting with or of working with machinery."
It will be readily understood that the devising and perfecting of a machine that would ac-
complish this class of work rapidly and successfully was no simple problem. But the idea
fastened itself in Mr. Wardwell's brain and staid there. In 1859 he constructed a small work-
ing model and on that secured his original patent. In the following year he made a large ma-
chine at St. Johnsbury, Vt., which was taken t(7 Rutland and set at work on a block of marble
furnished by Messrs. Sheldon & Slason. This machine, while it did not worlc to the satisfac-
tion of the inventor, was still useful in showing him what was lacking in it. It was broken up
and sold. In 1861 he built a new machine, radically different from the other and sufficiently
smaller to admit of its being worked by and for experimental purposes. This was taken to
the Sutherland Falls quarry and placed at work. The inventor might very properly have cried
"Eureka!" The correct principle was discovered. The machine was successful, considered
as an experiment. It cut a channel about twenty feet long, and twenty inches deep in the
solid rock, using bars of steel only one-half inch thick, and cutting a kerf one inch wide. This
channel was cut in the center of the machine and between the rails on which it moved ; it
could not, therefore, cut close up to the wall of a quarry, nor could the rails be staid together ;
these were serious advantages, but the inventor knew they could be obviated.
The War of the Rebellion was now inaugurated, and owing to the general depression, the
manager of the quarry advised Mr. Wardwell to lay aside his machine until more propitious
times. He accordingly returned to Canada and worked at his trade, saving his earnings for
future work on his invention. In the spring of 1863 he received letters from H. P. Roberts,
manager of the Sutherland Falls quarry, to the effect that business had revived and counsel-
ing a renewal of his work. Meanwhile, during the winter of 1862-63 he constructed another
model with the standards and gang of cutters on the outside of the machine, which allowed
it to cut the channels outside of the rails on which it moved and close to the walls of the
quarry. With this model he revisited the quarry at Sutherland Falls, and also showed it to
Hon.'E. M. Madden, president of the marble company, who lived in Middletown, N. Y., and
the result was, an arrangement by which a larger machine on the new principle was to be built.
On this point Mr. Wardwell says in the statement alluded to : —
" The cost of constructing this machine was to be borne by the Sutherland Falls Marble
Company, while I was to receive $2.50 per day for superintending its construction and the sub-
sequent operating of the same on their quarry to the extent of establishing its practicability for
cutting channels in the quarr)-. The conditions under which this machine was to be con-
structed and used was — that should it prove a success after a fair trial on the quarry, and
should a patent .issue on an application which I was to make therefor, I was to give the Suth-
erland Falls Marble Company the right to said machine, and any number of similar machines,
together with such improvements as I might subsequently add thereto.
Immediately after making the above arrangement, I returned to Rutland and commenced
the construction of a machine (April 23, 1863), which was completed and put to work June 23,
and was kept at work neariy all of the time until cold weather. From the time of first starting
up until the 22d of September, the machine was operated by myself, during which time I had
occasion to make a number of experiments which suggested changes that were made in this
machine, and others that I afterwards built."
This machine was designed to be driven bv a portable engine attached to the rear of the
machine by a link and moving with the machine on trucks. It cut in one direction only, and
George Jeffards Wardwell. 919
returned to the starting point by a reversal of the feed motion. It was covered in all its parts
by patents under date of November, 1863. In practical working the machine was broadly
successful, doing the work of about fifteen men and cutting channels three to four feet deep.
It was worked at the Sutherland Falls quarries about seventeen years and now stands in the
quarry yards at that place.
The further development of the machine and its working is best given in Mr. Wardwell's
own words. He says : —
" In the spring of 1864 I again went to Rutland and called upon all the proprietors of quar-
ries in Rutland and neighboring towns. Owing to the quality of marble in different quarries,
some of which was hard, with more or less flint, others softer, and the varying dip of the
strata or veins in the different quarries, and the manner in which the several quarries were
worked, gave rise to much discussion as to the practicability of using a machine on other
quarries than the Sutherland Falls, which seemed to be the only one on which my machine
could be used.
" It was well known to quarrymen that all previous attempts to cut channels by machinery
had resulted in utter failure ; and the prevailing opinion was that a machine to be practicable
for general use should be one that could be worked on each of their respective quarries, and
in conformity with the systems then in use in the different quarries; that is, if channels were
being cut by hand-labor, the ideal machine must be one that could adapt itself to the then
e,\isting working surfaces however uneven and rough they might be, and be able to cut chan-
nels in the same places on elevated sections of the quarry, as well as on the faces of the dip-
ping strata at different angles, and under the same circumstances as was then being done by
the hand process. Another idea had become fixed in the minds of quarrymen, particularly at
West Rutland, that was, that channels must be cut through the several veins at whatever an-
gle they might lay in the quarry in order to ' raise ' the blocks at the natural cleavage beds
with the ' plug and feather ; ' and that this was the only manner that blocks of marble could
be 'raised' safely, and that any other method would entail a loss of a large amount of
stock. After the machine at Sutherland Falls had been in use about one year cutting vertical
channels cross-wise of the veins, and to greater depths than was formerly done by hand, and
the blocks were being successfully ' raised ' with the ' plug and feather ' where there was no
cleavage bed, a change was made in the system of working the cjuarries at West Rutland by
having the uneven working surfaces brought down to level floors. In this manner some of
the largest quarries were, in about two years, brought into a condition suitable for using my
machines. I spent the early part of the spring of 1864 in trying to dispose of a part of my
patent, and in soliciting orders for my machines, and failed to do either. My means being
exhausted I was compelled to suspend further efforts for a time, and went to work for the
Sutherland Falls Marble Company, building stone boats in the attic of one of their stone saw-
mills. About midsummer I made a contract with the firm of Sheldon & Slason to construct
a machine for them to be used in their quarries at West Rutland. I was to receive one
thousand dollars above the cost of making for the right to use said machine ; and in order to
close this trade I had to enter into an agreement whereby they might use any number of sim-
ilar machines, together with such improvements as I might add thereto, upon the payment of
further sums agreed upon at that time, as follows: for the first additional machine, 1250.00;
second additional machine, $200.00; third additional machine, $150.00; fourth additional ma-
chines, S 100.00; fifth additional machine, .§50.00; and upon the further payment of $50.00
any number of machines more than six. All of these conditions had to be acceded to before
I could close a trade for the first machine. A few days after making this tracfe with Sheldon
& Slason I made a similar trade and agreement with the Rutland Marble Company, knowing
at the time that the consideration was but a trifle as compared with the profits that would be
derived by the companies who were to use them. I believed that if these two companies
could be induced to use the machines in their quarries it would enable me to introduce them
into general use. Before these two machines were completed I received an order for a second
machine for the Sutherland Falls Marble Company, and these machines were completed late
in the fall and they were not put in operation until the summer of 1865.
" In .January, 1865, I sold my entire interest in my patent of November loth, 1863 (reserv-
ing the right to use in the quarries of the Sutherland Falls Marble Company, Rutland Marble
Company and Sheldon & Slason), to the Steam Stone-Cutter Company, a corporation organ-
ized under the laws of the State of New York, with a capital of .$300,000 divided into 30,000
shares of .S 10 each. For this sale I received .§1,500 cash and 3.352 shares of stock in said
Company."
In January, 1865, the Steam Stone-Cutter Company was organized with W. S. Nichols as
president ; George E. Royce, treasurer, and Mr. Wardwell, superintendent. He further says : —
" In 1868 eight double gang machines were built, so that down to January, 1867, the Steam
Stone-Cutter Company had built twenty, eighteen of which were double gang machines.
920 History of Rutland County.
These twenty machines with the four single machines built by me in 1863 and 1864, made
twenty-four machines, exclusive of the two experimental ones built by me in i860 and 1861.
One machine was sold to parties in Cuba, and one was sent to the Paris Exposition of 1867
and sold to parties in France. The other twenty-two machines were sold and in use in various
quarries in this country.
" In 1867 I sold my foreign patents to the Steam Stone-Cutter Company, receiving therefor
1,740 shares of stock in said company, making my interest in the company at the present time
5,092 shares ; 25.000 shares only have been issued by the company.
" In 1867 the Windsor Manufacturing Company and E. G. Lamson, of Windsor, Vt., placed
stone channeling machines upon the market and made sales of thirteen machines in violation
of the. patents owned by the Steam Stone-Cutter Company; and two machines were also
made and sold by Ross & Barrett of Rutland, Vt. The receipts for sales and cutting done
with these machines amounted to nearly $100,000. The making and selling of the machines
above named gave rise to eleven suits in the United States Courts, costing the Steam Stone-
Cutter Company about $50,000. The validity of my patents was sustained and injunctions
issued against the parties who made and sold, as well as against the parties who were using
the illicit machines.
" The value of this machine over hand labor in cutting channels consists — ist. In cutting
channels much cheaper. Each single-gang machine will average to do the work of twenty-
five men per day, requiring two men only to run the machine ; and each double-gang machine
will average to do the work of fifty men per day, requiring three men only to run the machine.
" 2d. It cuts channels straight and true as a sawed surface, which effects a saving of stock
of from two to three inches on each channel surface, equivalent to four to six inches in the
width of each block of stone.
"3d. It cuts its channels deeper than can be done by hand, whereby a larger amount of
stock is removed with less waste from raising.
"Note. — By the hand process the channels were cut from three to four feet deep, and
the waste on each floor due to ' raising ' was from six to eight inches — a waste of about one-
sixth of the block ; while channels cut by the machine are from six to eight feet deep, with less
waste to each floor, as deep blocks from deep cutting are stiffer and ' raise ' better, leaving a
smoother and evener floor, thus effecting a large saving of stock, there being twice the amount
of stock removed from each floor with less than one-half of the waste, and w ith one raising
process instead of two.
"4th. Where channels are cut deep they can be cut a greater distance apart, and thus
blocks of greater widths can be raised safely, thereby effecting a saving of stock, while less
channeling is required, and less labor in raising, to produce a given amount of stock.
" Note. — Channels were usually cut four feet apart by hand, which would give four cubic
feet of stone to each foot of channel, whereas if they were cut six feet apart, each foot of chan-
nel would produce six cubic feet, or one-half more of stone, with the same amount of channel-
ing and labor in raising.
" 5th. In quarries that were worked by hand, using powder and the wedge, the waste would
equal the amount of stock saved, or fifty per cent, of all the stone removed from the quarry,
while the whole working surface would be badly shattered and cut up by powder strains, ren-
dering it difficult to produce blocks of any considerable size or dimension. The sotinder the
quarry may have been in its natural state, the more demoralizing would be the effects of pow-
der. In such quarries, if they are naturally sound, the use of this machine will enable them to
save all of the stock removed, except such loss as would be due to the floors (where the plug
and feather is used) and the trifling amount of stone removed in cutting the channel, while
blocks of any desired dimensions could be safely quarried. In all such quarries where this
machine has been in use, the value of the quarries has been enormously enhanced, and a
number of quarries that had been abandoned, that could not be worked to profit by the hand
and powder process, have been worked profitably and successfully by the use of this machine.
"6th. Blocks of stone quarried by this machine require less labor to bring them to a fin-
ished or dressed surface, and, in fact, the shape and condition in which they are taken from
the quarry is such as to allow them to ue wrought into various forms with less labor and waste
of stock, than by any other known process of quarrying."
Now let us see what this machine has accomplished. In the statement from which we
have quoted, Mr. Wardwell made a detailed calculation (chiefly from records of actual cut-
ting, and partly estimated), of the number of feet of channeling cut by all of his machines
down to 1880, and estimated the saving effected thereby over the old processes. A recapitu-
lation of these estimates shows the following gross gains : —
Saving in cutting 4,435,143 feet of channel in marble . .$3,614,530 00
Saving of 2,658,084 cubic feet of marble (at f 1,00 per foot) $2,658,084 00
Saving in marble by use of machines $6,272,614 00
George Jeffards Wardwell. — M. J. F'rancisco.
Saving of 2,829,047 cubic feet in Sandstone and Limestone, at 30
cts. per foot §848.7 1
Total saving in stock and labor !t;7, 121,528 00
Total number of channel feet cut in all kinds of stone, 5,566,752, all acconi|)lished
from 1S65 to 1880.
" It is difficult to fix a cash value, or to state the advantages that the public at large have
derived in consequence of the introduction of this machine. It has greatly enhanced the value
of quarry property. It has greatly increased the amount of stone produced, thereby giving
employment to a large number of laborers in and about the quarries and mills, in raising,
hoisting, handling blocks and sawed stock, sawing, coping, etc. By this increase of produc-
tion, railroads and other transportation lines have been benefited by an increase in the amount
of freights, and proprietors of quarries and contractors have, by the use of this machine, been
able to furnish marble and other kinds of stone for private and public buildings, and for other
uses, at a lower price than if such stone had been quarried by the hand and powder process."
This machine is now in use in nearly all of the quarries of the country, and on all varieties
of stone except granite. Its practical value is almost beyond estimate, and its invention is an
achievement of which any man might well be proud. It has been awarded a gold medal from
the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association (1S65) ; a silver medal, Paris Exposi-
tion, 1867, also a medal at the Philadelphia Exposition. The Steam Stone-Cutter Company
erected its own shops in Rutland in 1868, and Mr. Wardwell is now one of its largest stock-
holders.
Although the development of this machine occupied many years of his attention, he has
found time to devise other valuable machinery. In 1S74 he invented and patented two species
of vah^eless steam engines — a horizontal cross-head engine, and an upright oscillating engine.
These machines embodied new features, particularly that of simplicity of construction, and
were exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, where they received bronze medals.
Mr. Wardwell's natural tastes have also led him outside of his chosen occupation, and he
studied deeply the sciences of geology and chemistry, and has probably the finest geological
collection in the State. The degree of A. M. was conferred on him in 1885 by Middlebury
College, and he is a member of both the American and the British Associations for the Ad-
vancement of Science.
Mr. Wardwell was married on the 4th of October, 1850, to Margaret Moore, of Hatley,
Canada. They have had four children, the two eldest of whom were sons and died at the age
of five years. The two living are George Alvin, now in Hatley, Canada, and Lizzie O., wife
of Thomas Mound, of Rutland. Mrs. Wardwell died November 10, 1883, while on a visit to
her friends in Hatley.
F
RANCTSCO, M. J., was born on the 5th day of August, at Westhaven, and was the third
son of John Francisco, who moved to Westhaven in 1795. and participated in the War
ot 1S12. At the battle of Plattsburgh he was one of the famous " Green Mountain Boys,"
and an eye-witness of the conflict between the Saratoga and Confiance, and the retreat of the
British when MacDonough was declared the victor. He came up the lake with the fleet to
Ticonderoga, where he left the vessel and returned to Westhaven. Here he resided for eighty-
three years, being thus more than three-quarters of a century intimately associated with
every interest of the town and county. He was the first preceptor of Horace Greeley, who
began his eventful career in Westhaven. The Francisco family have been remarkable for lon-
gevity, one of the ancestors having guided a plow when he had attained the age of 105 years.
The subject of this sketch left Westhaven in 1852 for Ohio, to enter Oberlin College. After
completing his studies there he passed several years traveling through the West and South,
visiting all States then admitted to the Union and some of the territories. He returned to
Vermont in 1859, returning West again in October, i860, as principal of the Northwestern
Commercial College, at Fort Wayne, Ind. Here he resided during the first years of the Re-
bellion, and took an active part in raising volunteers for the Union cause. In this work he
met the opposition of the " Knights of the Golden Circle " and Klu Klux Clan, and at one
time became involved in a riot composed of members of that infamous gang.
In 1863 Mr. Francisco married H. Margaret Holmes, daughter of Israel Holmes, of Wa-
terbury. Conn. Mr. Holmes was directly connected with the founding of all the large manu-
facturing concerns of Connecticut. He was a descendant of the Judds of Revolutionary
memory, and of the genuine Puritan stock. In 1829 he made a voyage of discovery and inves-
tigation concerning the possibilities of introducing on a thorough basis the manufacture of
rolled brass. A long and stormy passage in a sailing vessel was a type of the stormy scenes
he was destined to encounter in the prosecution of his mission. English jealousy and law
were both arrayed against him, and made it very warm for the presumptuous Yankee who
922 History of Rutland County.
dared to interfere with ttie riglit of England to do the manufacturing of the world ; and the
two combined succeeded in filling up his time with strategic movements and coup d'etats on
the one hand, and of imminent dangers and narrow escapes on the other, a detailed record
of which would read to-day like a romance. Few men have displayed more activity or ability
in the manufacturing line. His influence and personal efforts have largely shaped the legis-
lation of the country in matters pertaining to this branch of the nation's industries ; and in the
course of his endeavors in this direction he became the co-worker of the leading statesmen of
the time, of Webster, Clay and Benton. He wielded a trenchant pen and frequently contribu-
ted to the columns of the different publications of the day. He had large interests in Connect-
icut and the city of New York at the time of his death, which interests devolved upon Mr.
Francisco as trustee of his estate.
Leaving Fort Wayne in 1864, Mr. Francisco accepted the presidency of the Pennsylvania
College of Trade and Finance, at Harrisburgh, and with the co-operation of Governor Gear)-.
Ex-Governor Curtin, Senator Cameron, Secretary of the Commonwealth Jordon and Hugh
McCuUoch (who was then secretary of the U. S. treasury), he organized a large and flourish-
ing institution, the graduates of which are now filling responsible positions both at home and
abroad. After several years of close application in the management of the college, failing
health compelled him to relinquish all business, and he returned to his native State and passed
a year at the Mineral Springs in the northern part of Vermont. At this time the English fire
insurance companies were negotiating for admission into the United States, and Mr. Fran-
cisco assumed the general management for Vermont of the North British and Mercantile In-
surance Companj', and the London and Liverpool and Globe Insurance Company of London
and Edinburgh, the first foreign companies that were admitted to the State. He was after-
ward made manager for Vermont, New Hampshire and Northern New York of several other
large companies, and by a conscientious adherence to conservatism rather than haste, careful-
ness rather than impulse, and final profit rather than present volume of business, and by dili-
gent attention to all engagements, he has made a record which marks him as the most suc-
cessful fire insurance manager in the State. In 1876 Mr. Francisco met with a serious acci-
dent which came near being fatal, and which compelled him to relinquish all business for
nearly two years, and necessitated a voyage to Europe, where he spent one season with his
family. In 1884 he received another injury, which confined him to his house for nearly a year
and a half, and has left him lame for life. Notwithstanding these drawbacks he has steadily
increased his facilities until he now represents aggregate insurance assets of more than §200,-
000,000, in both American and European companies, with the prestige of having written the
largest policy ever made in New England, viz., for .$2,100,000. In 1884 he was elected presi-
dent of the Holmes & Griggs Manufacturing Company of New York City, which office he
now holds.
Mr. Francisco has two sons, Israel Holmes Francisco. 'who is cashier in his father's office,
and Don Carlos, aged six years.
PAGE, JOHN BOARDMAN. was born at Rutland February 25, 1826. His parentage was
worthy and of New England's best. His grandfather was a notable physician of Charles-
town, N. H. His father was the cashier of the old Bank of Rutland. In the History of
Char I est own, N. H., we read that John and Hannah (Robbins) Page, of New Fairfield, Conn.,
were born, respectively, on the 19th and 31st of March, 1720, and were married at the age of
eighteen. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom William was the fifth. This
son. Dr. William Page, born Februaiy 20. 1749, was one of the original incorporators of the
New Hampshire Medical Society and a medical practitioner of great worth, connected socially
with the best families of the region. He represented Charlestown twice in the General As-
sembly of Vermont, and four times in the Legislature of New Hampshire, and was a promi-
nent citizen during the Revolutionary War, of great influence and uncompromising devotion
to the principles of liberty. He died in 1810. William Page, eldest son of Dr. William Page,
was born September 2, 1779. He went to Yale College at the age of thirteen, ; was assistant
engineer under his father in the construction of the canal at Bellows Falls ; studied law with
Judge Farrand at Burlington, and settled at Rutland in 1806, where he resided until his death,
in 1850. He was cashier of the bank from its incorporation in 1824, and was widely known
as an exemplary man and an excellent citizen. He was one of the deacons of the Congrega-
tional Church. He was married in 1807 to Mary Boardman, and in 1813 to Cynthia Amanda
Hickok. Thirteen children were the offspring of the marriage, of whom seven still survive ;
Mrs. William Barnes, Mrs. A. G. Pease, Mrs. New^ton Kellogg and Mrs. J. B. HoUister, of
Rutland ; Mrs. S. D. Winslow, of Pittsford ; Dr. George Page, of Crown Point, N. Y., and
Egbert S. Page, of Des Moines, la.
John B. Page, son of William and Cynthia A. Page, was educated in the common schools
of Rutland, and for a time student at Burr Seminary in Manchester. He was taken from
John Boardman Page.
school at the age of seventeen to assist his father in the banl<, and acted as clerk or teller until
1S49, when he was made cashier at the age of twenty-three, and just before his father's death.
He continued to be its cashier until 1866, when the bank became part of the national banking
system. At that time he became its president and acted in that capacity until 1884. In 1852
he obtained the charter of the Rutland Savings Bank and effected its organization, acting as
its treasurer for many years. He was always efficient in business, and was active in whatever
tended to progress and development. These traits gave him an early interest in public mat-
ters, in which he has all his life been prominent. He was one of the promoters of the Rutland
school system, a projector of the old Rutland Academy, one of the subscribers to and the most
active solicitor of its funds. Largely through his efforts a building was constructed and an
excellent school established, which was afterwards merged into the Rutland graded school
district. Of this latter organization he was long an etficient trustee, and in fact popular edu-
cation has had no firmer friend in Rutland than John B. Page. He had always been ready
to aid every effort to advance its interests — more than that, he had been always ready to lead
in such efforts — and when he once put his hand to an enterprise he knew no looking back.
He was also one of the trustees of Middlebury College, and of Burr and Burton Seminary. He
held all manner of local offices, and if at certain times he sought to hold them it was because
he firmly believed that he could be of genuine service to the State in their administration. It
was a source of great pleasure to him that he was almost unanimously elected as president of
the village in 1882, and he entered into the details of the office to the best of his ability as he
had in his youth.
He had a leading part in the creation of our fire department, and is remembered as fore-
man of the " Nickwacketts," standing on the machine at a tournament and urging his men to
victory. He was chairman of the committee which provided the present e.xcellent water sup-
ply of the village. He inaugurated many other public improvements. In 1852, '53 and'54 he
represented Rutland in the State Legislature, and again in 1880. In i860 he was elected
treasurer of the State and filled that office until 1866. During these years the office of State
treasurer was no s'inecure. The ware.xpenditures of the State were large and varied and were
especially complicated by the extra pay of seven dollars per month given every Vermont sol-
dier by the State. The duties of treasurer embraced not only the providing of funds to meet
these extraordinary calls, in which large financial ability was required and was afforded, but
also the most careful and accurate expenditure of all these moneys distributed among 30,000
men, assigned by them largely to their families at home, and all under novel circumstances
where no light could be gained by the experience of the past. The whole system of the office
had to be organized and checks and balances provided as in a new machine, the result being
most eminently satisfactoiy to eveiy citizen. The administration of the State treasury by
John B. Page during the war is one of those epochs in our State history that our citizens are
proud of His treasurer's office at Rutland as organized and carried on is well remembered
by our citizens, and many of our prominent business men of to-day obtained their business
education there. The results of his administration of this office were computed in his last
official report, showing the cost to the State of the suppression of the great Rebellion, and also
showing in gross the moneys raised and expended through his agency. The balance was as
follows : —
Paid on governor's warrants $1,179,938 08
Extra pay of $7 per month 3,275.804 92
Direct tax paid the United States 179,407 80
4,635,150 80
Reimbursed to the State by the L' . S 607,303 i r
4.027,847 69
Ordinary expenses, etc 878,245 57
State bonds paid 1 50,000 00
5,056.093 26
Taxes assessed 3,406,093 26
State bonds outstanding 1,650,000 00
$5,056,093 26
These figures tell a story that any man might be proud of, and that the State of Vermont
will never forget. In recognition of his services as State treasurer, the Republicans of Ver-
mont in 1867 elected him governor of the State, and he was re-elected to the same office in
1868. Plis administration of this office was a recognized success. With his intimate knowl-
edge of State affairs and finances it could not be otherwise. His messages were practical
924 History of Rutland County.
and plain, directed chiefly to matters of internal improvement, development of business, agri-
culture and trade, and to educational topics, in which he kept up the highest interest.
While carrying on these public services Governor Page was also engaged in the conduct
of large private enterprises of a public nature. In i860 he was made one of the trustees of
the second mortgage bondholders of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad. These trustees
were then in possession of the road. They were without credit and almost without income.
The rolling stock was almost worn out, and the road bed, not thorughly built at first, had
been allowed to run down until it approached the condition of the famous western bankrupt
railroad — only a streak of rust and a right of way. This was especially true of the eastern
half of the road, which was thoroughly unsafe and quite unfit for business. Governor Page
took up the matter with his usual energy, and ten years later saw a well built, well equipped
railroad, its volume of business nearly quadrupled, its connections to the north, south and west
assured, and itself a recognized power in the land. The result in the organization of the Rut-
land Railroad Company and the lease to the Central Vermont, of which Governor Page was
for a time vice-president, are well known. Besides his long presidency of the Rutland Rail-
road Company, he was also intimately connected with the reorganization of the Vermont Val-
ley road, with the Montreal and Plattsburgh, the Plattsburgh and Whitehall, the Addison,
the Sullivan County, the Vermont and Massachusetts, the steamer Oakes Ames, etc. He also
operated the Bennington and Rutland road for a time, in connection with Governor Smith,
and did a great deal of work connected with the proposed Caughnawaga canal, which, however,
never became an accomplished fact. He was one of the promoters of the now famous New
York, West Shore and Buffalo line, its president for a time, and deeply interested in its con-
struction. He became a director of the Howe Scale Company at Brandon, in 1874 and after
a time secured the removal of the works and business to Rutland, where it has become one of
the prominent industries of the nation, furnishing employment to a large number of skilled
workmen, and benefiting the town in ways without number. In fact, no step has ever been
taken of so much and so obvious value to the town of Rutland as was the establishment of
this enterprise in our village. And the natural prosperity of the town has always been a mat-
ter of extreme solicitude to John B. Page. The interest he has always exhibited in this sub-
ject was well exemplified in his securing, when the railroad was leased, a provision that the
shops at Rutland should not be abandoned.
We have not space to enumerate the numberless other activities of this busy life — his
four journeys to Europe, where his first wife died, his relations to the marble industries of the
town and vicinity, his constant labors in all directions to keep in motion the wheels of manu-
facture and of trade. Something of all this is known to our readers, and time will not permit
its recapitulation in detail. How many of our young men he has assisted by kind words, by
loans of money and of credit, by his influence, by employment furnished, no one now can tell.
But in conclusion we cannot forbear to add a fragment of testimony in respect to another
phase of his life-work, which his relatives and friends esteem more highly than all his political
and business career. We refer to his efforts in the cause of Christianity. He was a worker
in this field as in every other. He became a member of the Congregational Church in 1858,
was elected superintendent of the Sabbath-school in 1868. and chosen deacon in 1871. .-^s a
leading member of the church he urged forward to completion the construction of the house
of worship which the society now enjoys, being chairman of the building committee and tak-
ing the closest oversight of every detail. He occupied the same position in relation to the
chapel extension, so that the entire edifice, without question the most complete and satisfac-
tory of its kind in Vermont, is chiefly due to his labors, efforts and oversight. As superintend-
ent of the Sabbath-school, also, he expended his warmest love, doing his best without stint,
and limited in his labors only by his capacity for work. His most prominent relation to the
church, however, has been in connection with the American Board of Commissioners for For-
eign Missions, a subject in which he always took a deep and unfeigned interest. He became
a corporate member in 1867 and attended its annual meetings with great regularity. In 1876
at the meeting in Providence, against the advice of the leaders who were burdened with the
weight of a debt which they could not reduce and dared not undertake to carry over. Gover-
nor Page stepped to the front alone and led an effort for its immediate extinguishment. He
so stirred the vast audience by his words, appeals and efforts, that in a single evening the
whole amount required was raised, and this most noble society restored to a position of vant-
age which has never since been lost. His characteristics can be inferred from his deeds. In
three things he excelled many ; in tireless labor, in courage and in benevolence.
Ex-Governor Page died at his home in Rutland, October 24, 1885. He was twice married,
first to Mary Reynolds, of Boston, by whom he had three children : William R.. Edward D.,
and Helen L., wife of Henry S. Downe, of Fitchburg, Mass.; and afterwards to Harriet E.
Smith, of Winchester, N. H., leaving four children by her ; Catharine R., John H.. Henrietta
R. and Margaret E.
General Levi G. Kingsley. 925
KINGSLEY, GENERAL LEVI G. The subject of this sketch is a gentleman of quiet
and unostentatious business life, and yet has been called to many positions of responsi-
bility and honor in the State and in public institutions and societies. His direct ancestors came
to this country in the last century and settled at Hartford, Conn. Salmon Kingsley came to
Rutland county between 1775 ^"c' ^7^° locating in the town of Ira. He had seven sons, one
of whom, Chester, was for a time a resident of Burlington, but settled in Shrewsbury in 1812,
where he engaged in the business of carding wool and dressing cloth, near the town line of
Clarendon, now known as East Clarendon. He had a family of nine sons, two of whom, Hor-
ace and Harrison, still reside in Clarendon ; Heniy in Middlebury, Chester in Salisbury, Amos
at Long Lake, Wis., and Harvey, father of Levi G., in Rutland, still vigorous at the advanced
age of seventy-eight years. Three of the sons are deceased. There were seven daughters,
two of whom are still living at Brandon.
Levi Gleason, son of Harvey and Elvira Gleason Kingsley, was bom in Shrewsbury, May
21, 1832. His maternal grandfather, Stephen Gleason, was a prominent citizen of Shrews-
bury, and with him Levi G. passed a portion of his youth, receiving the education of the com-
mon schools of that day and afterward attending for two terms the Brandon Seminary ; in
1854 he was at Norwich University (a military school at Norwich, Vt.), which in 1882 very
deser\eilly conferred upon him the honorary degree of Bachelor of Sciences. He has been a
trustee of his alma mater for the past fifteen years and has done much to promote its interests.
During the intervals of his periods of study he assisted his father in the woolen mill, into whose
possession it had passed ; in teaching school a short time, and for a time acting as station agent
on the railroad at East Clarendon. From 1857 to 1859 he was employed at Rutland in the
frieght department of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad. In the latter year with Benjamin
French, he purchased the hardware store of J. & A. Landon, where the wholesale grocery
store of E. D. Keyes & Co. now is. The business was removed in 1863 to the present location
and the partnership ceased with the death of Mr. French in 1865, since which Mr. Kingsley
has conducted the business alone, and has added largelv to it as the growth of the town de-
manded ; it is now one of the most complete establishments in the State.
General Kingsley, having a natural taste in the direction of military science and having ac-
quired a military education at Norwich University, became a member of the Rutland Light
Guard, a popular company organized in 1858, then under command of General H. Henry Bax-
ter, and afterward of General William Y. W. Ripley. He was elected lieutenant of the company
November 10, 1859, and when that company patriotically responded to the call for troops in 1861,
and unanimously joined the First Regiment of Vermont Volunteers, he (like hundreds of
others) left his business and went to the front as second lieutenant of the company and ser\'ed
during the three months for which the company was mustered. On his return he again gave
his attention to his business interests. On the organization of the nine months' men, a large
part of his old company returned to the field and he was elected its captain, but before the
regiment left the State he was promoted to major, a position he creditably filled until the end
of the term of service. He was elected and commissioned captain of Company A, of the Ninth
Regiment of the National Guard in December, 1864, and elected colonel January 17, 1865 ;
he occupied that post until the regiment was mustered out in the fall of 1865. In October,
1874, he was elected by the Legislature quartermaster-general of the State, holding the office
by four re-elections until 1882. He was untiring in his labors for the State in this department,
thoroughly re-organizing many features of it and saving the .State much expense by his econ-
omy and foresight. It was during his administration that the National Guard of Vermont was
put upon a firm basis and fully equipped. He was elected brigade commander of the National
Guard of Vermont in 1882, a position and rank he holds at the present time. In so large a
measure have his military ser\-ices been appreciated, and through his universal popularity, the
present militar)- company of Rutland, one of the foremost organizations in the State, bears the
name of Kingsley Guard, in his honor. The military career of General Kingsley has been one
of great usefulness, one of work and earnest effort. In 1S80 the Legislature made an appro-
priation to send two companies of the National Guard to the Yorktown, Va., centennial cele-
bration. The whole arrangements were made by General Kingsley and accomplished with
credit and at less cost than the amount appropriated by the State, A prominent gentleman
and soldier of Vermont said of General Kingsley, in speaking of his military record, " He was
a popular and efficient officer, esteemed by his fellow officers and men. He was always ready
to do his duty, and was well informed in all that pertains to military life. As a State officer it
may safely be said, Vermont never had a better or more efficient servant in the positions he
has occupied."
General Kingsley is in the prime of life. The records of the high positions he has held,
which have met the approval of his comrades and fellow citizens, for his efficient and honor-
able serv^ice, indicate the estimation in which he is held in the community and State. In pri-
vate life his courteous and aflable manner and his broad and liberal views have won him many
friends in all circles.
926 History of Rutland County.
In the town of his residence General Kingsley occupies a prominent place in its business
and takes a leading position in public affairs and the promotion of its industries and prosperity.
He has been from his first residence an active member of the fire department and is one whose
labors did much to place it in its present efficient standing ; he has been foreman of the Kil-
lington Steamer Company for seventeen years. He occupies a conspicuous position in the
Grand Army of the Republic and is the present commander of Roberts Post, which is the
largest in the State. He is also actively identified with the Masonic fraternity and has held
many official relations with the institution in all its branches. He was grand captain general
and grand generalissimo of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Vermont.
General Kingsley has been twice married: First to Luceba J. Ross, in 1857; she died in
March, 1862. On the 14th of June, 1865, he married Cornelia S. Roberts, a sister of Colonel
George T. Roberts and of Mrs. H. Henry Baxter. Their children are Henry Baxter Kingsley,
born November 21, 1867, and Harvey Roberts Kingsley, born January' 8, 1871.
CLARK, HON. MERRITT, eldest son of General Jonas Clark, was born in Middletown,
February 11, 1803. He received the education of the common schools, and having a de-
sire for liberal education, fitted for college at the Rutland County Grammar School at Castleton.
He graduated at Middlebury College in 1823. in a class of eighteen, of whom six are now Hv-
ing : Rev. Thomas J. Conaiit, D.D., of Rochester University ; Francis Markoe, who has been
forty years in the State department at Washington ; Hon. Harvey Button, of Wallingford, Vt.;
Rev. Lucius L. Tilden. of Nashua, N. H., and Rev. Louis McDonald.
He studied for a year in the office of his father, who was a leading lawyer of his time. His
health failing he was obliged to enter upon other and more active pursuits. After a short
service as a clerk in New York city he opened a store in Middletown in 1825. A partnership
was formed with his younger brother, Horace Clark, whicl^ continued until his death in 1852.
During this period, in 1 841, he was elected cashier of the Bank of Poultney, a position he oc-
cupied more than forty years. They were further connected in business. In 1848 a railroad
was projected from Rutland to Eagle Bridge, N. Y., connecting with the Troy and Boston
railroad, of which the brothers were the moving spirits, and entered into the enterprise with
characteristic energy and perseverance. The Rutland and Washington Railroad Company was
organized February 23, 1848. Merritt Clark was elected its president, a position he held until
its completion and several years afterward, and was one of the directors until it passed into the
possession of Jay Gould. He was also actively identified with the construction of the Albany
Northern railway, leading from Eagle Bridge to Albany. The exhausting labors performed
in these years w^'ould have broken down a man of less vigorous constitution, and his brother,
Horace Clark, who was associated with him, did fall at his post before the completion of the
work, which placed additional burdens on Mr. Clark, all of which he perform.ed with energy
and calmness that has ever been characteristic of him.
A public recognition of the services of Mr. Clark and his brother in building a connecting
line of railway from Rutland to the valley of the Hudson was made in August, 1852, on which
occasion were assembled leading business men from Albany, Troy and other towns upon the
line of the road. A presentation of plate and expression of public sentiment was then given
to Mr. Clark for his services. A work thirty or forty years ago regarded as Herculean pales
before the concentrated capital and enterprise of the present day and seems almost forgotten.
A former history of Poultney contains an account of the presentation as published in Albany
and other papers at that period.
He has been much in public life — called to positions by the unsolicited favor of his fellow
citizens. He has served his town in varied relations for a succession of years, especially for
more than forty years as a justice of the peace. He represented Middletown in the Legislature
in 1832, '33 and '39, and Poultney in 1865, and '66, and was a senator from Rutland county
in 1863, '64, '68, '69, and a member of the State Constitutional Convention in 1870. He was
United States pension agent for Vermont from 1845 to 1848.
He was identified with the Democratic party until 1861, and was twice a member of Na-
tional Democratic Conventions, and was the Democratic candidate for Congress in 1850, and
in 1854 and '55 for governor.
He has taken great interest in the higher institutions of learning and has been a liberal
patron of Middlebury College and Troy Conference Academy at Poultney, and many years
a trustee, and has been for fifty-one years a trustee of Castleton Seminary. A gentleman of
fine literary taste and scholarship, he has been a terse and vigorous writer, especially upon
business, finance and legislative affairs. Several of his reports to the Legislature, both in the
Senate and House, were published and attracted wide attention. He was for four years a lead-
ing member of the Vermont State Board of Education. In a vigorous old age, retired from
active business, yet he accomplishes and has given his attention somewhat to historical matters,
and occasionally prepares an interesting sketch for publication.
Marshall Tarbell. 927
He married Laura L. Langdon, of Castleton, who died November 20, 1869. He has two
sons, Henry Clark, of Rutland, the editor of this work, and Edward Clark, residing in Poultney.
TARBELL, MARSHALL, was bom March 14. 1829, on the homestead settled by his
grandfather, Edmund Tarbell, in the town of Mount Holly, Rutland county, Vt. His life
has been passed within sixty rods of the place of his birth. His father's name was Luther
Tarbell. and his mother was Fidelia Tucker, daughter of Stephen Tucker, of Mount Holly.
Marshall Tarbell is the eldest of five children (three boys and one girl beside himself) all of
whom are deceased except one brother and himself His early life was passed in attendance
at the district school and assisting his father and mother about the home, which comprised a
small farm and one of the old-fashioned saw-mills. When he had reached the age of fifteen
years his time was constantly employed in arduous toil about the mill and in driving team to
haul logs and lumber, and flour from Whitehall, N. Y. This period of labor called out in
his early years those qualities which in later life enabled him to conquer the obstacles he
encountered, and developed within him a spirit of energy and habits of industry and activity
which have since given him prominence in the town.
On the 14th of March, 1852, he was married to Finett E. Chapman, of Mount Holly. At
this time he bought of his uncle, Calvin Tarbell, a homestead interest in the saw-mill, and in
September, 1852, he and his father purchased the old potato starch factoiy across the river
from the saw-mill. Lacking capital, this last purchase was made on credit. A portion of the
factory was taken down and the remainder rebuilt as a factory for the manufacture of hand and
drag rakes and tool handles. He associated with himself a blind man named Addison Warner,
who was familiar with the use ol the lathe, and the making of fork handles, etc., and they met
with deserved success. But after a profit of about $5,000 was made, it was all swept away by
fire on the night of February 4, 1858. The loss was a severe one, as beside the total loss of
the property, it being uninsured, the burning of the factory caused a break in the business
and disappointment to many customers. Mr. Tarbell's house was burned at the same time.
Willing friends offered to contribute to aid in rebuilding the factory ; the offers were respect-
fully declined, and he showed the energy and tenacity of purpose for which he is noted, by
erecting a new factory 30x40 feet and two stories high, with an ell 16x20, sheds, etc., with a
new house for himself and a barn. These buildings were all erected in the spring and summer
of 1858. Daniel P. Tarbell and S. H. C:haffee were taken into the old firm of L. & M. Tarbell,
under the new style of L. Tarbell & Co. Lester Tarbell died in August, i860, and the re-
maining members of the firm purchased the interest of the deceased, and the firm name be-
came M. Tarbell & Co. In the spring of 1866 M. & D. P. Tarbell (the firm name) purchased
Mr. Chaffee's interest. D. P. Tarbell died in December, 1876, since which time Marshall Tar-
bell has carried on the business alone.
In 1867 he erected an additional shop, 30x40 feet, two stories, and the manufacture of chair
stock was added to that of rake making. The business was successfully carried on until the
night of January 5, 1878, when both factories, the house, barn and other structures were all
destroyed by fire, with small insurance ; both factories were filled with stock and nothing was
saved. But his characteristic energy and hopefulness enabled him to rise above his misfor-
tunes. An old building which had been used for sawing clapboards, attached to the saw-mill,
was taken, some of the machinery repaired, some borrowed, and amid these unpromising sur-
roundings, a considerable stock of goods was turned out for the 187S trade. "This old build-
ing is still in use. In 1871 a circular saw-mill was substituted for the old perpendicular saw,
and the business thereby vastly increased. In the same year he erected a fine house of mod-
ern style and one of the largest and most convenient country stores in the county. A hall is
connected with it and other accessory structures. In that year he also moved and repaired four
other buildings, devoting to these various enterprises a small fortune. In 1875 he, in company
with A. W. Dickerman and S. H. Livingston, built a cheese factory 26x70 feet, two stories
high and first-class in every respect. He soon afterward became sole owner of this factory and
still successfully operates it, using the milk of about 400 cows. Mr. Tarbell now owns and
uses one circular saw-mill, a rake factory and jigger shop combined, a cheese factory, black-
smith shop, with office, dry house, ice house, three barns, two carriage houses, repair shop
and store room, tool-house and eleven tenements. In short he has done more in the way of
building and improvements connected therewith than any other man in the town.
It is proper to state that during the busy manufacturing career of Mr. Tarbell. his rakes
and other products have not only supplied a large home demand, but have been extensively ex-
ported and are well known and approved in England and other foreign countries.
This is a brief record of a busy and successful life, during which obstacles have been over-
928 History of Rutland Countv.
come and misfortunes withstood which would have appalled men of less perseverance, less
energy, and less capacity to accept and conquer the severer ills of life. It is a record of a life
without a shadow of dishonor, of uprightness and integrity, which has brought with it the re-
spect of the entire community where his life has been spent.
To the other misfortunes that have been mentioned, Mr. and Mrs. Tarbell have been com-
pelled to endure the loss of their only child, a daughter of more than ordinary intelligence and
amiability, who was called away at the age of twenty-nine years.
Mr. Tarbell has never been a seeker for office and has often refused to accept public sta-
tion. He has preferred to give his attention to his own extensive affairs. Possessing a dis-
position and temperament prompting him ever to deeds of kindness and courtesy, he lives sur-
rounded by many friends and knows few enemies.
^^V, ^^^jC-^ ^^p"
BRIEF PERSONALS.
ADAMS, JAMES, jr., Castletou. He was tbe renownert maimfacturpi' of tlie AmericaTi slate pencil;
James and his bnither Benjamin F. purchased tlu^ slate i|uany in issc, and in I8.V.1 James organized a
stock company, and in 1867 it became the Adams Ma mil; 1 mu ( ..ih|.,iii\ , wiih a capital of two hundred
thousand dollars. In 1872 It was changed to the v.: - ~ ; . mi \ , ■ Miii]iatiy, ami m I88I it was
changed to the Vermont Soap-Stoue Pencil Compam , ■ 1 , i .u i i' . 1 1 m > 1 iKMisand ilollais. and giving
emphtyment to some forty hands, who mannfacTui '■ I .> 1 , ;... i - 1I 1 Imusaiid [mt day. He was
married ill ls-,» to Mary Ki-ed Kniiwlson, of .SaiiilLii ^ : ., ,1 . .1 ii'^liici - : Mai -aVet K. and
.1 Mylott. It is the leading store i
„ . I . \ I , a daughter of Orrin Todd. Oscar A.
cd in Kutlaiid county in lK.'i8. They had four
Orlando enlisted in Company D, 7th Vermont
Regiment, in 1862, and served three years, when he was discharged, being wounded at the battle of Baton
Rouge. Ija.
Adams. Saniiiel. Westliaveii, was lioiii in Wcsfliavcn in l.Sls; In- was town reiiii.seiitative In 1864 and
18fi.-.; ^^a- ,ii.;irr i.i 111, ,..•:,, . a i,,i 1,, , I .,, 1,, . u.ji, Ill, ,.;!,. ua . man •,•-1 ih,r, limes ; the tirst time
to Mai ■ ' ■■ I : .. 1,, ' ;., , • , ,, , ,i .. , ,1 ■ , ! : I . I \ iiig three children:
FraiK : ill , , II .il ayearin theUth
Veiaii..i, , .. , ,1 , ,, .,.,, • , ,, .; , ' :,: . ,., h., ■:,.,,:. v 1 , , , : „ I ! I , 'y h.avc thrBB chil-
drcii : I , . I I . •<■ ■ w : I, ill .,,,i,,i « ij'c w.as Orelia Lara-
bei' ; . ■• " ' : , I : , , , ^Mln,l, i,,. m a - aiarriial in l.S(14. His
h:i\<u I ' .1 II \.l nil- \va~ a lia- i' "I I In- L.-gislature,
justii-r iii MH jii-,,. , .1,1.1 1 .111,111..; . 1 1,. ... ,1- a -,-11 ..| ,- , ( 1 1 ii ii'l ,1 iul Kl i/.a I ..■! 1 1 .\ilaiiis, whocamc
from .Mill. mU. ! laiii.. aiid .Si 1 :it il ni \W.>ili.i,w a 111 lij:i. liui.icc u .i,-. horn in 178;i, settled ui Westhaven in
17ii2, ami died in isr,,-,.
Aldrich, Edward W., p. o. North .Shrewsbury, was born in Shrewsbury, Vt., on Decem^ier 13, 1822, He
Is a farmer, and now owns and occupies the old homestead of 300 acres, wliicli formerly belonged to his
father. He wasto%yn lister two terms and selectman twelve terms : his parents were Jonah and Clarissa
(Warner) Aldrich. who have seven children living : George, Tamar, Alma, Julia, Edward W., Truman and
Lunian. Edward W. was married twice ; his tirst wife was Catherine Colburu. They had four children :
Morris, Lunian, Wilson E. and Eugene, His second wife was Ellen Blanchard, They have two children :
Ernest and Warren J.
Aldrich, ElizirW.,Shrew.sbury. p. o. Cnttin^'sviIle, was born in Shrewsbury, Vt., on :Maicl] li, l.sio.
and died there (ra pcce.Tuber.';, ! "7!! Hf va- a in-nniiiipnt fannor, s)„i,.M!atiT am! citi/.-n "r ^'irf'v.tniry,
terms. Politically lie was a licim. . , i: . , i , , i . ..,.
nal grandfather was Ziliii, Al.liir'i i. : . .:;,,,'.!-,.■ • ■ ,. i ,,i , ., , : , ,
March 11, 1.S3.5. I.. Jli.hitahle f, < ■> ■ i a. . n,..! ■ -. , .'lilIi , n ,- , ,, ■• i, .ii:, i .i.m; 1 1 , ,i ..Ik,
M. and Bariiov \v,
Allen, Arnii ill rui.i.i,! >- , ,,, , m Fitz William. S. U., on Jul\ : ' >' Im . .wd with his parents
to StockhriiK'. I I. niainedim til he settled in I'll -it ; is a farmer and
ownsfortya.il .. n .' > ; 1 1 - "i' i he peace, selectman and lisi.i -i,, ,i i,. He is now deacon
of the Congn -a.i.a, .1 ' I : i, 1.1, Mr. Allen was niarrit-.l i ,- i . if.' was Eliuina Ten-
ney, of Stockbn.lK,-. i.. XV , ,i ri.Ml ,.n .Tamnrv 7, -o'li Tii.', . ,-i,fiv. tl .-.r ■JMn^- :
Edwin, Mary S. (now .M ', '. i ., ,i..iii. !,■ i".,,, \ . i,,, , , n ,, ,i, i ,. , .■•■.„i:i,
som Church, th.
thter, HattieR,,
iehomeof herstt
Arunah aud Mary
Baptist clergyman. They wei
Allen. Simeon, Fairhaven, '
emliarked in the manufacture .
929
History of Rutland County.
ecuting and defeuding agent li)r several veins. triist( i- nf public money, tirst auditor, and for about twenty
years town superintendent of schools. lli-i;i .1 u.m. Lafayette and Eli.-^abeth (Oikins) Allen, natives
of Vermont. He was married Octobn 1 ! ' utte C. Walker, daughter of Norris and Sarah A.
Walker, of Brandon; she died Decenii II 1 .1 - four ehildren : Lafayette, Arthiir W., Harold V.
and Thomas P. His second maniage n. , ; ;, ; ■ , , 1 .., 1885, to Mrs. Ella Barton Carr. of New Haven,
Vt., daughter of E. A. and AlmedaL. B;ii I'M, .1 \.« llaveu.
Allofd, John, Fairhaven, was born in Franklm (.■.>uiity. Vt, in 1816. He | .).-.l lii- lioniestead of
niiicty-.-.ix acres in 1853, where he now re.sidea. His parents were Peter and l^ \ll.ird. They
had a'faiuily of fourteen children, Hve of whom are now living; John and 1-1 ^ nimty. Mr.
AUorrt W.IK a native of Massachusetts. Mrs. .Mlorrt died .at Shelburne, Vt .1 .1 11,1 : 1 i.d in 1837 to
\ . , ; , . ^ , , 1 \ I i , , : ! 1 I . - , 1 s'26 : he was a farmer and owned a farm
of . .1 11 V , , ,1 . . 1 1 1 , parents were Nathaniel K. and Eunice
(liiih, s ,1- . I I, I , . - ..1 1 11 1 I'i.i \i 111 \ ^^.l I -fptember 4, 1849. to Lucy J. Richardson,
a,iiii I r ' . ii .imi vi.uj i.\lii ..luii .:, l.n;..i:i;. ,.ii. ii.unii.i of Rutland. They had seven children :
,T,,lii, I' : II Alice ilull, oj I'lttst.iril), Fr;ail; K. (uiarritiltoMariaBates, of Pittsford). IdaM. (now
Ml i II I iiis.iu, Of WaUingford), Annabel R. (now Mrs. Willis E. Kincaid, ot Ossipee, N. H.), Lou
Ij, I II. ii.i. . . .litmes A. and Tom J.
\i ,1; ( ^ .1 I Ilk. .Mount Holly, p. o. Meohanicsville, was born in the town of Mount Holly, Vt., on Jan-
uai\ •■•. i-.j. i.aa ilicd on March 13, 1874; was a farmer. His parents were Jerial and Alinda (White) An-
drews, natives o£ Kutland, Vt. He was married on November 13, 1856, to Martha M. Barrett. They have
two cliildren : M. Ella (now Mrs. J. C. Lawson, of West Troy, N. Y), and Jennie B. Martha M. was a
daughter of Joel and Sarah (Howard) Barrett, who were natives of Massachusetts and came here in 1816.
Arnold. Samuel A., Benson, was born in Benson, Vt , in 1828; in early life he was a carpenter and
builder ; at the present time he is n farmer, owns and occupies a part of the b"i«i>st(.:.d imrcbnsed by his
grandfather about 1790. He was iimrniMl in isvj t.. .Vrin MariaPike. of Glens : 1, ,\ -i tlic>- have five
children. Milton F. and Walter 1.. -n.- cnuMiiiil wiili rln-ir father in develoinn- iliatwasdis-
covered by their father's granilfatli.i .111 111- (arm n.Mil.v one hundred year 1 M- n-i M. married
FrankUn L. Brown, February 10, iss:,; (lira 1: ,111.1 L-U'llaB. His parents \\ .1. 1 1 u . i- aii.l PoUy Ann
<Foote) Arnold, who were married Novin.'" : ■ 1 : - Muy had five children; .M.irliu U,, Lru^tus H,. Sam-
uel A., Lydia M. and Fannie C. Mr.Aiiiii I I P.enson on September 2u, 17'J5, and died in 1869 ;
Mrs. Arnold was born in Whitehall, N. ^ -1 1 .J.'.
Atwood,Lorin E., Chittenden, was 1.1: , . il.-n October 8, 1821 ; is a farmer and manufacturer
111 I A iiia,-50r coimty, Vt., on October 21, 1822. He is a
• \icption of six years. He was elected town rep-
II -, and has held most of the other town oHices.
I I . i;. I,. His paternal gi-andfather was a native of Con-
N\ a s born in Chittenden November 19, 1804 ; is a farmer, and
r irs, was town representative in 1866 and '67, justice of the
\v 11 clerk in 1883 by the selectmen. His parents were John
,! 1 here from Worcester, Mass., in 1792. Hiram Baird was
.laughter of Jonathan and Thankful (Smith) Morse, of Lester, Vt.
in November 6, 1830 ; died June 3, 1883. Stephen S., of Chittenden,
arried Alfred Diirgee ; she died September, 1881.
in Chittenden November 26, 1840 ; is a farmer and manufacturer of
.11 with his liriitber, Amos. He enlisted in Co. A, 2d N. Y. Cavalry,
All III- [iii.iiis were Joel and Eliza (Pike) Baird, natives of
, II' w.'tt, a daughter of Cyrus D. and Sarah (Locke)
I I lolly. Vt,, in 1824; hasheldm.anytown oflices; was
■ , , . ,, , \ I !■ . :, 1,1 ,, , . M ., I I. 'I ■ I : I,. ■ I ,iMil I'hilcna S.
'.':',',,, I,, '"',''",',,•:' ,,, ,-,,,,'• ih I- , ii I'lM III is:t3 to Ada-
I . I . , . II, live are now living;
) [ I w I I I r . i' 'i ^I. Marcellus J., who
III, died at his home in
■ ,i,,,ii:,:, -, • V , ,1 -11 I ill- -am.- i .'^ - .■ i, ,-..■- ^. ,i ,i,iiii.-s and Gilbert were
,u.il .... .1 .!! . .1. .V a,.ui;..a„i. Ml..,, Mu.., .- i , . 1:.K lu 1 .I.l d ::i 1 : J. 31 I -I- ' I., was a son of Robert
■eea ijiiliiis..ni Barber, wliu were b.irn in Worcester, Mass.. ami settled in Benson alxuit 1790, where
cted their log house. Mr. Barber was a soldier in the Revolutionary army. He died in 1828, aged
lit years. They had eleven children ; Moses is the only one living. Mrs. Barber died in 1856, aged
having a. -I. a a i iv aii feet, and cuiploying 1,50 men. He was niarneil in isi;;! to .\ilelia -A. K.i.gers.
Thevhaveiiai i . . Mice L. Dwight R.. Lena P., and Don Bertraud. Mr^. Barker was adaughter
of Asaanil I i, i n. i ■ i:.>gers, and was born in 1843. Don A. Barker, sr., was a son of Eastus and
(RiEF Personals.
Pearly (Hosford) Barker. They liad a family of three sons, two now living. Don, who resides in Castleton,
Vt.. and Dwight, who is a mill owner and lumber dealer in Wisconsin. Mrs. Pearly Barker died in Ponlt-
ney, Vt.. and Mr. Barkerdied in Wisiinjsiii. Eastus Barker was a son of Pittinan and Lydia (Rudd) Barker,
natives of Connecticut, \Miii .i; ..im I'oiiltney. Vt., in 1820. Pittmau's father was a captain in Washing-
ton's army. Pittman 1 ; : 1 1 1 i i i i : y of five daughters, two of whom are living, and three sons, Jus-
tus, who settled in MiiM I I .iiidjaazaniah, who died in Plaintield, Wis., leaving two son.s, Ju9-
who Is now !
liviii
acres. IIis |i
Barnes of Mii
and Amanda
H., and his >
Stiles, to wli,
Williaiii P..
only child o
Jefferson ai
years, and 1
married in IMil. and died in Isj:
They have sis children now li\
yields a large income from the
on which Epliraim and Hannali
Erniiiia Rliss, .q.-u-ali Riis^, n,i.l
tuiah and Ladocia
tenden, Vt. Thci
lit Hehron. Ills., i
for Volunteers in Milwaukee, Wis., and Delbert J., now
IS6 acres.
, and Mrs.
w living,
. 6. Hydeville. a\
er of Ephraim a
III. Bctlliah. Ma
rried in 1861 to Mrs. Betsey
liey had two daughters and
liii H. Betliinh was married
favorably kuo^iii at liiimu. and
plow of the country. He emb;
He has made but two changes :
OIHce is at their factorv at ('a-l
Baxter. Cha'-iirr.,- t , C:,;:;
tied in Castlctoi, \ i m i„,i
dren, of whom ' :, i - . ,
Baxter was a n i: n ^ -; hn M
Vt. Tliey ha.l - . • .1 , i. . .;
Martha liiarn. •! ' :' i >
regiment H h-'i. '
theolu-,. ,,n ,,. 'i. ,
trictul MllllH- .:, i . . v;
1848 to Mary Bouhain
ellyn H. Ellis. Mrs.
and Mrs. Betsey (We:
Jane, Nathan P. and
iiaiu. lie was colonel of the ilh Miuno.so
imself and was admitted to the bar, and is
an editor and died in Minnesota. Mary m;
•as born in Clarendcii :
I'iMi: George T. and \i
I'l.am. Nathan P. ]:.i
17. They had Ave cliiiii
iimI died in isjo. and I;
Belden. 1" .. - : .
Poultney. Tin . - :.i : ... .;. . . ' i
(Crocker) Wil-Mi, . ... ... ,. .,,, ., -i ; - :i
children, f()ur now living: Kcniin. Eliza
and Huldah (Stearusi Belden. Mrs. Bel
den was horn in Benson in 1793 and dn
John C, Dewit S., and Agnes L.; and tv
Belden and was horn and marri.-.l in Ma
Bouthea-t iMi'l .>f r:i-n-iiii Dr-., 'li .5 ];,
with David Barber, o( Hnhiiardtiin, tn rcnniin nntil lio should be si
same place until he was twenty-one years old. Soon after becoming
school district, near the battlefield of East Hubbard ton, during the wi
>i'witt S. I'.eldcii was a .son of Calvin
, Vt., in na9 and died in 1870 ; Mr. Bel-
ildren. four now living : Mersena L.,
ad. Calvin Belden was a son of Levi
I'ittsHeld in 1783 and settled in the
|. I i -rilled by his grandfather.
' I •■f registered Spanish Merino
I Ills were Alson and Eliza ^S.-l-
n.. Ins wife Eliza died in Salem.
; "1 M.- father, Johnson S. was placed
:teeii years old. He remained at this
History of Rutland County.
never having owned any school books but
of others. After this he engaged himself
in Castleton in 1847, and has been ;i siu-t-t
Spanish Merino sheep, which h:ivr in in :
prominent otHces In Castleton. h;i< hr.n ,
been president of the Rutland Cmnity .ig
(a danghter of Luke and Meriuui ^'K■li()i^, <
of whom are now living : Jasp
eeding of
ly of the
has also
tluiiliardtuni ; Uiuy liave h;id uiuc (.■liildruu b"iu tu them, three
of whom are now living : Jasper A. lwa.sa soldier in the late war. was woimded in two battles, and now
receives a pension), Luke N. (is engaged In the express business in Michigan) and M. Eliza (now Mrs. V.
b.of Eichville.Vt.)
Billings, B. F., Hubbardton, p. o. Hortonville, was born where he nowresldes April 10, 1837 ; is a farmer,
owning 126 acres. He was elected town representative in 1884. His parents were Titus and Mary (An-
drews) Billings, natives of Shrewsbury. Mr. Billings died December 5, 1842, and his wife died August 21,
1874.
Bissell, Aaron G., p. o. Mendon, is a farmer and was born in Bridgewater. Vt., on August 23. 1839. He
settled in Mendon, Vt., in 1868 and partly cleared and improved thefarm of 160 acres he now occupies. His
parents were George and Lucy (Breed) Bissell. His paternal grandfather was a veteran in the Mexican
War; and his paternal great-grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. His maternal grand-
father, Allen Breed, was a native of Rmdge, N. H. Aaron G. was married on November 14, 1861, to Eunice
Elmer, the oldest son.
I Fannie Parker, October 5, 1883, and has (
child,
and
was born in Shalersville, O., in 1835 ; he came to Mount Holly i
less in 1863, in which year he moved to Castleton, and has at uiiiereni
;iaph business at Poultney, Ludlow and Burlington, Vt. He enlisted in
Vci-moiit Vnhmteers in 1m(V2. served until August, 1863, when he was dis-
rtv-iHirij mill ^va- ;it i^iwc ;nv:nt1rd a pension. He purchased his present
I ii. i; i " ,n,i,,..i.r! Ills hotel in 1877, and it is now one of the
' iliat vicinity. He also has large picnic
iiplv of boats. He is to be foitud eight
' ,i|iii ~i II.! M )ii I ,1-1 III Mil i I - V, It,, is Julia Mills, daughter of Franklin
1 .. ic) whom lie w:ismiurii-dm isii.i. They have onedaughter, Florence M.,
f ArmesetusBixby, of Mount Holly, Vt., who moved
summer resort on thi ... .
most inviting places fi n
grounds and ample m .
months of the year at 1 1 1 - i > 1 1 1 >
Mills, of Bolton, Lake Georpf,
born in Poultney, Vt., October
to Ohio in 1834.
Bolger brothers, William, Martin, Thomas and Jam^s, Castleton, p.
ton, Vt. Their parents were Thomas and Mary (Henuesy) Bolger, wl
, laiiG. He Wd
land, and settled in West Castle
died in 1866 ; Mrs. Bolger died ii
above named brothers commem
present tine store. They have a
power." and have erected a shit
manufacture of aU grades of sin
Briggs. Hiram. Fairhaveii. v
and Hve daughters. Two dan-
Woodin IJecehiber. 1869. Jlaii h
poetry. One sou. Janic- I i
by sickness to return In. i
many fall in pride, )>iii r
:\n-. r,n
imlpl^iiel
X ; they have two children, Fred and
Cox, of Barnard. Mr. Brigham was
I a son of Joshua :
, r>.W,.Pawl<-t,w;i
laud who settled here about
■ Franklin House at Pawlet,
^:.!:';
Brief Personals. 933
throe (Ian -1,1c : j . , ;. i , : i i • n. . , ., : . : ' , . : ., ifU : Cliloe
married J;iiiii ! :•. .;,' ..... : ..i:, _ . .;i .■,' children
each. AiiHi.-^ iii.M 1 1< ii III - ^< L i.imI '/. Ill , \] I ~ 1 i;i i i m . i i - m , ,. i.\ i .n hrll two chil-
dreu. William and Frank. Ani.is has tw.. ilansliin i . i , ,| \ialicl; Amos was a
son of Barton and La-rtua Brown ; they have ele\ III ii , Amos, Daniel, Mar-
shall, John and Edward ; live of the children dill I in i. i n in Danby in 1787,
and Laviua was born in 1797. They werB mam iil I .- _ .,.,,.,.1,, ... n ■ Amos and Europe
(Hunt) Bro-wn. Mr. Brown was from Rhode I.slainl in.l ",.i~ nn . n \ .,111.1 iumI land owner. He was
born in 1757.
ISrowu, Milton Glidden, Chittenden, was born in Barnard, Vt , March 9, 1852, and came to Chittenden
in lK.-,4 ; i.< a eeneral merchant and manufacturer of patent medicines. His parents are Danford and Maria
(Coonrn) Bniwn. Mr. Brown was a native of Pittstield. Vt.. and Mrs. Brown, of Newport, N. H.; they
1.1 IVIary
Bruce, Charles M., Danby, was born in Salem, N. Y., in 1815, and died in Danby, Vt.. in 1869. He was a
prominent merchant and business man of the town of Danbv, settling here in 1844. He was mail agent
from Troy to Rutland, and postmaster for many years. He was married in 1844 to Phehe Smith, of Danby;
they had two children, Ella and George A. Mr. Bruce was a son of Thomas Bruce. Mrs. Bruce was a
daughter of Asa and Rhoda (Baker) Smith, who had four children, Phebo, Martha, Reuben and Eben. Mrs.
Baker was born in Easton, Washington county, N. Y., and Mr. Baker, who was a son of Eben Baker, was
born in Dauby.
Bindilt. Rudney P.. Slirew^bury, wasborn in Shrewsbury, Vt., c.n April 1, IS2V. ITe has worked at the
roili;!, '..I I. , ,,|, - ,,;, I 1,1 . I I |. 11,1 '). I .111 11, ., „■% ,.|i: \ .,n ,. h.ii ,,■ ,..,.1 ,-• i,,,. His par-
. (lied in February,
,;. to AlmiraD. Van
',,wu. N. Y. H. Clii
IS assistant editor of
died in 1840. They had seven children.
Chaffee, Warren, Pittsford, p. o. Chittenden, was born in the town of Chittenden, January 13, 1814 ; is a
934
History of Rutland County.
[ Pittstord in 1821. His parents were Simeon and Fannie (Persons)
Ls married September 10, 18il, to Clara M. Finney, a daueliter of Jonathan and
cv, of tlie town of Plymoutli, Windsor county, Vt.; she died Jaliuary 14, 1872, leav-
. "of Pittstord. He was married the second time to Famue Taylor, of Pittsfleld,
ry li, 1881, to Lucinda A. Fuller, of Pittsheld.
■udon, p . 0. Clarendon Springs, was l)oru on the farm he now owns (wliich consists
sio. Has l.cnu sfk^i'tnuiu of the t..\vii. Hr is a irn/at f-'ramlsDii of obadiah Chap-
of
ty-flve
iind Imio
ried .
a daught.-
Chase, Captain Phillips E., Mo
1832; Is a manufacturer of cMldr.
first selectman of the town and td
in 1861, at the organization i>l
appointed .second lieuteiiiiui "M
the same company on M;i \
■ redt ■ ■ ■•
with his parents. EliJ.ili
j,:;laudln ISSII.
N. Y.
grade.s. In :^
also purchusci
power also wi
in Hydeville i
rv with
1 of his
various
They
.:. N. \ I liild in the manufar
:i'i.l l:\> ' iiii'lnvnient to from twd
iistoui mill li-d hy the outlet of Bouios.i n Lalic. The same
irents were James and Sarah Clifford, of England, who settled
They had a family of six children, two are now living, Joseph.
1803.
A. McCo
rlio was horn m
iif tiv
toChittcmku iii
1 "i-'ubout IKS
Collins, of Ira.
He married ]
Pittsford.
Colton, Edw
inS.. Sherl-m
he is a taniiPv. ;
1874 anil 1 SMI. 1
of BlUTl.lUlH'. ^
Olive (SiiiniMii
Dorca.s aiid Mj:
Colton. 8ila
chair .stretchn
turestwomillH
ternalgrandliii
to Minnie Span
Colton, Lvn
Yt., in 1878; an.
Colviu, 1
ried In 1847 t
Colvin was i
They were ii
of Daniel and Uuiily d
Cleveland.
Colvin, Nelson, Da
old homestead of one 1
marricil in \km\ tn Eli/:
. I i; . 11. Vt., in ls4!i. Tlicy hail a family uf live <-liildi-on : Timothy,
i ' . ■ I a ly died in 1856, and Michael married his second wife, Margaret
' ■,'randmother and two daughter.s, Ann and Mary, settled in Pltts-
...I. i'.ii.^ford, wasbom in the town of Ira. November 15, 1838, and came
a fanner and owns 140 acres. His parents were Asa and Orpha (Wyman)
1 S. Burr, December 13, 1883, a daughter of Carloss W. and Mary Bm-r, of
p. ri. Wr-~t Bridgewater. was horn in Sherhumc. Yt., nn .Tnnn 20. 1S46;
- -.ri i.'i I I . . ^ ,':.'.' I i "i-. 1 ■ -ir ! 1 : .a manufacturer of
I ! I.I' ■ I 1 1. < !i V ..\ ■ ' ' . < iiiiMi and manufao-
■ I i - ,i, ' , I , •■ ', ! . 1 I , , , n~) Colton. His pa-
;, .i Ml -H.i .■! ■ Hi- ' I \ f ,y I' ' :: IH'oember 17. 1868,
.'iH''ni"ii'i sliVrl.ii'nir^'v'i,. .. i '■ ' ' '' ' -.•ttledinPittstield,
II ami t:ti'i,ii \'. -aw ihl;- ,. i ., - i ;tiinually, which is
!,.! iiir luailaf.Hi :,n ci .,.,,;, .■ ,\ mtv-five thousand
■ -..-::;■, i;: .■ .... . .!'■,,.■ ,i .1 T.-n-ia (Staples)
■ , : , . . ' , . ,1, ,,i I ;i(loon and
■ ■■-.:. I . : II ! . ' iiial grand-
■ . - , .,,,,• II ., ■;,,! the first
1. .. I .. I. 111. . Ill Ml r II \m; I Mill \ , 11:11 \ .■>, 1,1 ir\ .1., \iiiili'. aud Ly-
iu llutland coimty in 1825. He is a wool uiauufacturer. He was mar-
,s born in Ireland in 1826. See died in 1866 leaving one son, W. E. Mr.
to Delia A. Hudson, who was born in Rutland county, Yt., in 1829.
two ell ildren, M.arv S. and Earl H. Mr. Colvin's great-grandfather was
™ i.f Tiaiiliy.
( la HI 111.. n Siiriii ;_'>. was linm in Clarendon February 20, 1846; is a farmer
ir-. II.- lias i.r.ii iiiiistable and collector of Clarendon eight years in
ill isT... i~ iii.w jiisiiiT i,f the peace. His parents wei-e Linus F. and
mil. 1 Ir was niai riiil February 2!>, 1881, to Eunice H. Tuhlis, a daughter
1 : 11 ndon. They had three children: Carl C, Carrie L. aud John
Cougdon, Aarii
came to the town (
Parish mill. His parents were Hiram and Alvira (Fish) Congdon.
Apri. . . .
r)f the Hewitt and
ried July 4, 1870, to Lucy
Brief Personals. 935
-■ of Wallace and Catherine (Hemiuenger) Noyes. They had one child, Bertie E. Mr.
IS born iu county Roscommon, town of Sligo, Ireland, De-
lio came to the United States iu 1864 ; is afanuer and owns
111 two years. His iiarents were Henry and Mary (Kelley)
, to Anu Shelyey, a daughter of Thoma.s and Margaret
' lii-i-e in 1834. They have six children living: John P.,
daughter of Uuiui,-- and
(' ' I i > t ' :i.'i' '- i ■ . i: "-I '■ i . I irauge county, Vt. He .set-
tled li.:- ■ ■! ■!> I- , , h. I- 1! Kct ill ( Im ^-c 11. ; .ii iM Mr, I \ :iimI i ,1 . , \ I -Inn busiucss ; and in I8a4 he
open. (I ,r III ,-niiiieeiiiin wuh bis lueMiius iiiisaiess. liis luaeiiis were Henry E. and Luclnda
Coiil,. . :r m isos. Mis. (Jooli died iu IBTo, leaving sii ckiklruu, live now living, Nora (who
maiiii I ii ii;.'!, Harry H., Clarence, Karl, and Arthur. Mr. Cook then married Mary Bryaut iu
I811; I 1 I - married inl877, to Ida Bradshaw, of Hydeville, Vt. They have two children, Ger-
truib' .1 ., I ■ ■• ^
thre.'"'", - ''11. .''" '■':','-''.• i-'n';, /,";!", i'!">?' ;";",'':,','',,,,.,:, ., ,,',,"''!',,';,!/ ■['.':. !l!;,i",!. ".-I'lea^i^l
twi. ill . , I , ■, ,■ .! \ , 1 1 \ ,' . I . .1 ,111,1 Annit-
iaciii '1 . I . ,. -1 I ,.;.:.. , ,, ,. . I . : . . , , , i,l „-ife in
18,5-.: -In- «,i- I III, 11:1 Ml, 1 1 I, 1, 1. 1,11, ,,! I ,l,,,iiil , III, \ ii.i'i ,,i.,- . l,i:,l, \i II, h ,1 H :i^ ,1 11 ,1 .-i.,|.lieu aud
years.
Coulman, James, jr., Fairhaven, was born in England in 1821, and came to New York city in 1851 and
settled in Fairhaven m 1854. His parents were James and Mary (Power) Coulman, who died iu England
leaving eight children. Jiiuies marrleil Caroline Cuuniiiiifis, i.l Eiinlaiid. in l.s4T. Tluy lun-e one daughter,
Mary; she married M. II W, , ,,i:
Crippen, Amos, Ira. |, ■ \' ■ ' ll'ii'ml ■ , |,.,r: :■ I'ri i .i i ii:-, , ', ' n : ■ ,| ,,i,,,, 1,, 1 liirendon in
1850; is a farmer and .!«: I : :• ii i. < ■ \ i , , ii , , i; i, natives of
Pittsford. Hewasmaii , i , - _ , i- it, ,i iWinchelK
Smith, of Rutland; tli.\ , . ,■ , i >, i i 1 1 , , , ',> , , , i , urm k.
Croff. Dani.'l V , |.,i... i • :■ i ,.,.,■ i,- ,,.,,,,,,-, ' ,.,-,,■ ,, , ui.-v
and builder, li, , i , ..^i. .i i , i . • ,• - , i . ',,,,,• ,i., ,•. ,,, , ,. , ,.^i.
Warreu. of Hampton. \ , >i : , i i i , .
W. W.Dawley, of Kutliiii,; \ |. ;i i . i ,,
1854, graduated at Albii 1 1,1 ,i, i , , ' • , , i n , ■ mi ,.i , , , ,, 1879.
Curtis, Martin W.. li .,.. . i :i l!;, ■ i ,i. n i.mter and farmer owuing ISO
acres. Hisparents w.-i.' /i,ii.iiiiii ,i ,,1 iiimi, Ki n,i, i nn Mr i i n n s was a n,ative of Stratford,
Conn. He was married July Ic;. isr,-,. to Miiry E Clark, a daughter of Nathaniel Culver and Almina (Hall)
Clark, a native of Middletown Springs. He died in JeUerson county where he resided at the time of his
death.
Day, A. E. and L. W., are manufacturers of Ira lime, and farmers, owning 500 acres ; proprietors of
the Maple Grove dairy and breeders of registered Merino sheep. A. E. Day was boru in Washtenaw, Mich.,
September l.n, 1833. He was married Dec. 31, 1854, to Esther R. Wetmore, of Ira. They had three children :
Dexter D., of Rutland, Francis A. and Helleu L. (wife of Bradley Gilmore. of Ira), died October 1, 1885,
aged twenty-four years and fourteen days. L. W. Day was born iu Washtenaw Co., Mich., December 10,
1830; and was married April 9, 18.50, to Luny Wetmore, of Ira. They had three children : Sarah A. (now
Mrs. David Claik of Minnesota). William A., of Ira, and Frederick L., of Ira.
In, I, Ml 111, 1,111 - M.iiint lloUy, p. o. Mechanicsville, was born in Mount HoUy on August 1, 1817, and
died 1,1 I I tarmer. His parents were Isaac and Sai'ah (Button) Dickerman, who came
from 1 I Illy .settlers of this town. Lsaac S. was married on April 14, 1841, to Fidelia
Ban. I I .Inel and Sarah (Howard) Barrett, who were natives of Massachusetts and
canii'lhi,' , ,,l i«-„eliildi-en. HvlvannsamlElwin I.
Dii-keiniaii. , , I , i! Ii-vi- i|,,;: n 1 I li.lly, Vt., on June 22, 1834 ; is a farmer and owns
seventy acris ii , ii i i- ,, Dickerman, who were nativesof Mount Holly.
Milonwasnmn They had one child. Frankie M., who died on
Septembers.-., I i , ■ i, , , i, und Lefe (Gibson) Parker, natives of Vermont.
Benjiimin I'm,.. ■ ,1 \, ■, :i . I.oi-ii in (jTviftiin. Vt.
I'll., ii: 111. -' I I ' '■ II 11 ■■■■■' 11 I- li,,ii. .i.iiiii.ii \ . .'I, 1833; is afarmer and owns
fift,\ :i , I 1,1 is now town clerk, trea.surer
anil 111 ■ I I If ,,,1. Dikeman, of Hubliardtou.
Mr. 1 1 I ' .... I I, :,., - I ,, ,,.ii. , ,,.i.,_ i j iimielS. aud Mary (Johnson)
Lini I , , , iii.'lua -i'.iu;,. I .Liiiu-lc .v. .iiid--:,L:i:.i M. AdeUa E. died February
I'l, ■ I I - I I i M.iiy. p. o. Mechanicsville, was born where he now resides on Sep-
temi,. Ill-res. He has ijeen selectman three years and was town repre-
seniHi,., .1, I , III- |, - ,, i I, I .1,1, S. and Fidelia B. (Barrett) Dickerman, natives of Mount Holly,
Vt. .'-\ :\ ami- .^l. \ui.- m.H uuii ..:. .M.i V -1. 1S72. to M. Maria Crowley, who was a daughter of Johu and Sarah
A. (Andrews) Crowley, who were natives of Mount Holly. Vt.
Dutton, Joseph S., was born in Castleton, Vt. He commenced at an early age to learn the smithing
936 History of Rutland County.
trade, and in isce he settled in Castleton, Vt., where he now resides, and stands at the head of his profes-
sion. Hei.s also a veterinary surgeon of many years experience. He has been twice married; his first
wife was Myr;i Wii^lif, wlio di.il in Is.Vi ; they had one daughter, Alice E. His second wife was Addie
Wright, of Hellion. \\ :i -inni^i uhni> , N. Y., to whom he was married in 1860 : they have had four children,
two sons, wlni iln-.l in i-i .■ iimi isi .. jml two daughters, Hattie, who died in Into, and Nina who is ntiw liv-
ing. Joseph .S. Iniii.in v\a-:i -111! Ill A. lama and Salome (Bixhy) Uutton, who w
settled in Castleton, \i., in 1>JI, and in 1830 moved to Fairhaven, Vt., where
manufacture of lii'ick and also held many of the town olhces.
Edson, Ezra, Mendon, was born in Turner, Me., on January 12, 1813. He served as justice of the peace
of the town of Mendon forty years ; and represented his town in the Legislature five terms. His parents
"were Cyrus and Hannah (Hudson) Edson. His ancestry were of Puritan stoclt, and emigrated to America
in the Maytiower, and settled in Bridgewater, Mass. Ezra's parents came to Mendon in 1827. Ezra set^
tied herein Istn 11,.; iml i-rl in blacksmithing. He was married on July 1, 1838, to Angeline Washburn,
of Bridgew.atii , i ii iiii-r of Zena and Lydia (Whitman) Washburn ; they have foiu- children : Lu-
cien (decea.st.'il , lased), Hannah W. (now Mrs. Marquis E. Tenney), and Mary J. (deceased).
Ellis, Aniii^. I iiorn in Brandon, Vt., on May 16, 18i)7. He is a farmer, and has held several
town offices. Ih iic- War of the Rebellionin Company H, 14th Vermont, on nine months call,
andparticipnii <i •■ of Gettysburg. He was married in 1858 to Helen Preston, a daughter of
HenryandMau i , ■: ■ n, of Pittsfleld. Her paternal grandfather was a native of Massachusetts,
and an early 1 i "Id. Amos and Helen have one child, Wallace D. Amos was a son of Moses
and Lydia (Bn i,-:,'- ■ i i i i n - i .aternal grandfather w.as Moses Ellis, ,aiirt was a soldier in the War of 1812,
and a native ol .M.i..^,t. ut;..,, u.^. lie wa-- an ca-lv I'^'neer ami ^ftt'cd in ('irt--tip|<l
Ellis, Andrew J., nttshuld. ^%;i^ i a >i.mI l,r.\l..Mn \,,, ., , :• l - ,- IIium,-;, l;i:n,,,f
ninety acres on wUchhehasrcsnii ! , i . . i . . , i : i i ■ i .. i ; i-w n.
His parents were Moses and Lvil 11 i i i i ; i \ ,iis.
Eliza, Audn.-w, Ellen, Esther ii"n.l a .■ ,'. |,.: . i.. • . i ,\ i - .m , n li -,i i a i m lai i .in i,i, and
Mar.a. • .1 , a . ^ - ■, , ,,i, , , i ;;, ,,,,, '. , , , - ,, ,,,.., , .,, ..: ,,|,;,,n E.,who
was 1,.. , -,i ; , ■., -, ■, ■■ ,,..,. : , - ,,;,,.■ I :• \ „ , lledicdin
1872 alni -n.^ ,". a ■■ , i . ■ .. i ,. .: i i ,, .!.,■, .,,•.: i , • •• i,, ,1,11 - -.iiali E. One
son, laihcrt, ( : ' ■ I ' i: • 1 ■ , 1- . . 1:111 and ,-nr
geon in the ai a ■ 1 \ ■ a : 1 , i ■ i . \ , -nia lOlijah
and Fanny (H, I ■ i • ^.i ■ . ,;.'-,, a i In.-r rhil-
dren: Elhriil^, ' .- ,. , ,i i i n and m isTi
and his wit. •> ■' '• a, , ii;,a ,,-,,ii,,,i na Ir.Mliaa ami snc-
ce.ssfiil , ' . ' . ii, M.iii.a. ill lit' over 300 a<'ros, which is
now ....".'•■, " . ■ ' ■■•,
1 I * I I : I I \ ' : :, I- .1 1,11 ini-r owning 130 acres ; he has
heen ■ a |., ., i,, ;,„ ., ;,,,, ,, , ,im.\\,.ii In ~ -n .mil term as towu repre.sent.a-
tive. 1' , , ; I i :, ■, ,1, , ...all iiaiiM-.. lira. His grandfather. Preserved
Fish, a 1 I I I, i : I. married November M, 1858, to Felicia Fish, a
dau^ia. ■ . ' ■ I 1 ■ ,i , . i
t- • I ■.■,>.. V ..'... .a! V. Vt., on July 4
Penl. ,•..■,■ .,,:,,,.,.,, .in I ,
ces.^tal ai.ai , ! i ia - • : i ^ , i - . • i ....
nativasorMa.s,sm'hUMii- a , i - ; -. ,a
only one now living. .1, i
on January 4, 1830, to In i i a .:
had three sous and i \ .
January 9, 1831. ami \\ a ^ i ,: ,
Brief Personals.
Williams:
pliysiciaii,
mary. in 1
a;;;;::
Jami-s
the Tic
sliei'ii .
hmi.li.
ii: William H., James H., K" i ' i l:..llanM.
(■ember,l861; hedledof yi-lhi :: i- i. 1 1 i . Florida,
Mther. Ricliarfl fJreene, caiiii ;i n, i;, i :,,.,.; I.,ittledlu
(Ma^..„: ■.,.. M .1: ' •.. •
Orsmi I,. Ahh:i I: ,.., ,- .:,,,i_,,,. , >,i ■ . , i,, .
moiiil. Ml ~, 1 :i I i II •.'■■ II- III" ,1' !i III ',Mi-i
GnH'iic, WlUiaiii II. .jr., Faiiliav.ii. wa- I". in in llaniptim. Wa.sliiugton county, N. Y., in 182« aud settled
938 History of Rutland County.
in Fairhaven, Vt., in 1849. He commenced Ills present successful business, which is blacksmlthing, in 1858.
giving e.mplovment to from three to tfour men : he was selectman of the town in 1«S3 .and 18C4, and a ct)r-
poratioii i.ltii'cr. Ilr was was iiKiiri.-il in IHM to Anna P. Lee, o( Essex cnuntv. N. Y.; thev have a family
of till. r . hiMn II : I 1-1 l: , \ : -^ni. W illlali. II. «!i> :, ,m.ii ..f W illi;iin II, :ni.l .M:iri;i lllar\.'.v)
(jrillilli, ciiarlrs II , l>i, in Danby, Vt., In Juh . ih,;:i, jnd i,:nicl onafai-m. In 1860 he became
aclerkinliishr.ifh. I's -i,.i- , , ,: h< liecame one of the liriii ..t chaiiis A. & William B.Griffltb; in 1865
lieretir.Mfi..i,ia. (iM iHi- :.- ., M.iiof p,nvid,.ir,. nii.l ^"|.hia i II;m1« in) f4rifflth: they were marned
Chal'l.' "\ .'-'.I- 1 v.: ■: ,MMi .Man lO.'llaMil. ii . ■.. .1 i'-.''V.i I >', ' ,, 1 ., i„'l 'V.v' I la iTcal .-^K iriltitli!
Who -.v ;. .ni.lliiairi.'.l i)i li; ■. •,..,.. ,:. « In in^ . L.vv is.
DaAi'l ' .■ I.I..' :..: !i!' paivntsin 17711; la ...... .... ;.■,;. I .mim i h.^ I :nL'iisli
amiluu:"'.\. '■ - n.. ' l !. « n ,"i,m,',!"i,,'i;'|.... '. .i..; . . ': '; . . .' w'a.Jji'uyim, Laiumy.
N. Y., s.-tll.al r. I' i:.. ;. i.i < a - . II . :;::..■ sons n(jw living.
Barney's fatlaa . i . . . i . i i ■ . !.■ . . . i
Griffith, .l.il. I. 1 i'. ■ .:.:,. i ... . . , ;i. , ;. - "
lard, a'danfrlih i ..i i . i- :.■■,. i , .,.: 'i . ,, ,, .i . .,. ■ .. ..,.;]
■1836; tla-v lia. . l ..|. , .11. .1 .,' ' \ ..,.1. II .,..!,
and la I -. 1 .1... I " ■ I ,.■.■, \ I... , : . , ,. ■ .
daii^lia ■ .1 . |..,: . .; .1 !■ I ., I. I ... I .1 ... :
E. Ml . • I. . . . |. .. . . ■;. ; I . ...•:!..
and l,\ Ilia . I .....;.■■. ■ .; . . i . ■ ■. . i:i .. a i . .1
Gritliili. .lia... .:,.... 11. I. .. ,1. . 1. .. 11: .. . .: ...... I [.. .
terof UanicI aa.. \| .. 1 .. . ■ . .... • . 1 •' ■■ 1. .1 .
dah (Harwoiiii .... ..:.!.. ...,.,. .1 . .
Ing cattle; lia v ... . .1 : , .
s;,:,'
GeTt\ - ' : . . ' ■ . . I . . . .... I 1.1 liri i,.\\ n iiilirrs. Hifam
maia a . . . . : . . '.| . . -I . .. ..... 1:
111 !..!.. I. .1 I I ....... • I ... :• I ., .. ...... I ... , ::. ..mi- anil ...a-ii|ars the old
dealer, brc-ialai ..■.'. . . .. 1 1 , .1 . i. n. ■.. a .. , . 1 . ii in i -i;s
toCarrieH. i.a ■ .11 . . ■. \ . < .■ . . . . ■ . i ' . - i, .1 . . r ■■ 1..
and Bertha III a . - . . . ' .11
tive men of his tow 11 and ii jiroiiiineiil stock dealer, ginw er and Jolibiiig Initchcr.
Hart, John, Ira. p. o. West Rutland, waa born in Ireland in June, 1846, and came to this country in 1S61 ;
is a farmer owning 60O acres ; has been highway surveyor and is now selectman ; was married to Mary
Brief Personals.
Ryan, of Rutland, February 7, 1872, they have six chiiaieu : Margerette. Honora, Thomas, Mary J.. Dennis
lie is a farmer, and owns 104
. He has been thinl selcct-
r. a daUKhtor c,f ,r..>i-|.li Mini
Hciriolt. Alexander B., Dm
ITilliMrd. (d" Danbv, who was h
L^nl^a .M., AlcxiilM.. EllM A.. L,
All-XMUdfl- B. Hi
Mnhy. Mr. HeiTi.
I K03, and died the
940 History of Rutland County.
His first wife was Pnlly Ann Atwoort, nf WHutinff. Vt.. tn whom lip was married in 1841 : she flied in Mayi
1854. Ipiivhiir tliii-c cliililri'ii : cm' iinw liviiiL'. Kiillin S:ninicl. Ilis sMMind wife was Jnlin H. M:iiivillc. of
Whitehall, i" win mm \\r w.i- (n.n i i. il m i -.■ . : 1 Im'\ Ii:mI ■ i IhmI. ' ii villa O. His pai'ents \\.'\. i >in , i jud
Pollv isi''\ ni-i lliii hcrii I 'II . III,. I .|,|| I iiv'inu ; by whom he li inii.
Olivc-i' iiihli.-.i.i, \\ a- :i I I Ml Ill ihe Legislature in i- | i a.r
miuiir ■iiiiri - III \\;i- I II laillin now owns anil "I I i :i ni
his fatlM ! |..ii, i, I ., ,i I.
chiMii
L. was married in 1SC2 to Lydla Fi.sli. of West Kandalph ; she ,lied in 1877
I in 1869. His second wife was Myra Ransom, of Williamsport. Penn.,
she was born in Chester, Warren county. They have one child, Mary A.
fanner and ii\|. II I -lice of the peace, town .Ink. icw n ina-ni.i !■ ■■ i . ■ i.t
audaii|irai-ri :■.. iiiisei and 1862. Iii~ pai mi- » n ,■ .-iia- \\ ai | r it)
Hodses. Mr. Ili.ilj.i- Ma- iii\ .■ ,,i iliis town, and Mrs. (iillrtt. ef llel,]|..ii. ( 1.111111. i inn -ii:,- ii,„im.s,
grandfather ot liamiii.al. eaiiie iniiu t niicord, Mass., and was one ot tlie early selllers here; in- died m iM)4.
Hannibal was married December CJ, 1843. to Maria Hall, a daughter of Caleb Hall, ot Claruudou, They had
three children : Ellen M., deceased, Eugene H., born October 30, 1849, and Edward W., born December 9.
1852.
Holden, Alvin, Mount Holly, wa- li.irn in M.iuiit H.illy. Vt.. on December 4. l.siil. and died on Mareli fi,
1883. Hewasselectmanandli.-t.a iif lii- inm Tli- i.a..i,i- n., , 1.. r;,,ii-,.- :,i,il r..'-x .T;i-.l.n> iTuMi-n.
■ 1 April ]
1 ; IS a. farmer
ere Alvin and
nber 2. iSa.5, to
. Vt.. an.l Will,
^1 " lliilly.
lary 1
of t
IIalli-i«i II i I ville. N. Y. was born in this town in 1809; he is a farmer; he has
been in.-iin .1 : He wa« married on November 6, 1878. to Mrs. Clarissa Scott ; who
was I... Ill I... 1 1, I I ..I I iiimfy. N. Y.. In 1S34. His grandfather came to this town immed-
iately after I . 1. .. .1 V War.
and lia- lichi in.i ■ ,1 1 ■ 1, , . 1 : ■ ,. ,, , , ■ . , ..r-..
: and carries a general line
He was married in I85(i, to
me sou, Lester L. They had
1 ied the second time in 1880,
1 father, JoluiC. Hopson, was
Z0E..M. D., of
Brief Personals. 94i
(11 1 y IIo Id H It D \ as I a fd n I Iv imi to ^11 1 Ha 1 v II07I It cl 1
r H N t f
c W 11
1 iCath
e \ d \er
\
t Rit
la I rsl of
I u t r 1 1
d
I ei U 1 fele
H f,l s Tl I -IS Fai 1 I n ^Ms 1
ciiet ^ I h VL \ t 18 He w
m tl ee t 1 He ill 1 e
« t 1 I tt 1
!>< t T ell gle 111 1 1
w 1 1 e I V u Lies a 1 C 1 1 T v cl d 1
n t
1 1 i\ \ f(. M n t 111
Ip n P ttsf rl I 1 sni tj x ^pl 11
H__„ T...y „., V\e a.._, ^. „. W e U_J, w-s Lo Ues,„aven ... .8_c. II s Uee- „.-st.-e of
942 History of Rutland County.
the peace several terms, and lister of the town. He was married in 1870 to Luciuda A. Farren, ol Washing-
ton county. Hi.i i>areuts were Hiram and Martha (Gilbert) Hunt, they were married at Westhaveu. Hi-
ram K. Tliiiit wa^ a f.Triiior. a member of the Legislature, selectman and justice ol the peace; he was born
in Share 111. ( on ii, in i mm, and died in 1875; his wife died in 1839 leaving two children: TUly G. and Martha
llydr, I'jii u ,, .h .. I ',1-1 irt.iii.p.o.Hydeville, was born in Sudbury, Vt , in 1817, and died in 1881^ He had
U.s .second wife was Mrs. Rebecca (Sherman) Uage, who died iu l»57. Fiit u.
imiy. Vt. He left four 8(ma and two daughters. Arunah W. was for years the
man In the town and deserving of more than pa.ssing notice. The village of Hydi
larvey ami l.uciiKla (IJav.i
■11 May 30, 1840. They hart i
ic 2.5, 1869 ; Bertha F., born .'
IS7S. Arvilla A. was a (h«
Brief PersoxMals. 94^
jDhnaon, Leonard. Pawlet, p. o. West Pawlet, was born in Pawlet in 1828, is a farmer and owns tlie
farm he now occupies. He has been the railroad agent of this town for thirty-three years He has also
been selectman, lister, justice of the peace for thirty years, a member of the House two years, and is now a
member of the Senate. His wife was Harriett L. Viets, who was born in this town in 1836. They have
three children, Wayland F.. R. G., and Anna A.
Jones. Hcnvy K.. Benson, was liorn in Shoreham, Vt., in December, 1822. His parents were Henry and
Lodcmaa (Crawt'onl) Jones. His father was a farmer, served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and was a
peiisi(in<<r nt flip time of his de.-itli, which nccnrrpd in 1875. His inntlier posscssod storlins qualifies, both
■ SI pldiers during the
ill ' • •
iiughter of Hon
al Assembly, taking a prominent part in
"orton. Five children
has remained in the family ever since. There have been three genera-
ug in 1783. He was a son of Amos
irah A. Walker, a daughter of Dana
ildi. 11, three now living: Chauiicey
1. 1 11- F, died in 1874, aged eistlitecn
• n.ii.son, and married t line ill
! HI' King represented his town
' :i son of Eli and Clilm- Kiiii;-.
ry. At the opening of the Rebellion he held the olBce of town
History of Rutland County.
superintendent an(l^^■le^-•tluan. and aided in filling the several quotas called for from tliel
of Serteniber, isi;2. lie (Milisted on nine months' call in Company D, 14tb Regiment Ve;
served witli tlie n-;;iiiiiiil until iiirisicied oul at Biattlehoro on Jnly 30. imv.i After l)eiii
Vt., on April 17, 1S14. 1
;e in 1839. He entered the i
Tn 1S49 he published a
: . ■ I ' I • i . : ■■.I • • :i !■ - i".i I . ' :■ . : 11 ty, N. Y., in 18.54, where he
I. \ .•■.., I ! : -77, and settled in Fairhavenin
-i-;i Mi i-i. Mil r:-!i,ii:i ;, h . n ..i .■r.,,1,11'1 Mimk.i -. i^-i.-ty, and was secretary iu 1882
Hi- ua^ mail ltd ..a Apiii i;t. x^.,. h. Ku^mui i uii.-. ..1 \w->i .-■aiiil Lake, N. Y.; they have a family
iliildieu; Urailay, i-dmoud K. and lidith A. Kiushmo . ^ ,» ^ ..-,.. ^.,
o were natives of Rensselaer county, N. Y.; they had t'
Anna.
^. Efl-ar n., Fairiiaven, was horn in Wells.Vt.. in lK:i4. r
l,,\.i- i: 'I ii.i. 1 MM ! ,1 1,11 1 . :ii-Mrawers. He was bom in this town in 1839. He
has bfi-n ^r. I - n, was town Hva^nrt-r ami town clerk seventeen yeai-s.and amember of the
Hou.se of Ki-i II Years. His lather. Benjamin Lewis, settled in this town at an early date.
R. M. wasiii 1: 1 Maria A. Foster, who was bom in Salem, N. Y., in 1838: they have two daugh-
ters.
; and Freddie. Mr. Lloyd has never sought political inlliieuce. but is a
an. He was a .son of Edward Lloyd, who came from Wales to Fairhaveu in
seventy-three years. His children were Catherine, WiUiamE., Richard
iM Julia M. Johnson, a daugh-
ilren : Jennie E. and Arthur C.
:"iir. Ireland. March 4. 1838 ; is a
ilir last three years and is now.
inuary 7, 18(ii;. to Maigan-t i^liel-
ren : Williain. bom Frini
lorn January 15, 1873; Tlin
, born June 11, 1878; (ill
\i : I !.! !i. II ! \. Wells, was bom in Waterford, N. Y., in 1826. Is a farmer. He is now one of the
.sell , I : V. II. .-md has represented it in the House of Representatives one term. His Urst wife
wa» ! .1 I.I 1 -. i -. who was born in .Sullivan county, N. Y., in 1830. She died on February 2;i, 1872, leav-
ing lui Lliiili u. iwo of whom died in 1S63. His second wife was EUen A. Paul, who was bom in this
county ill ls41.
McGrath, John, Pawlet, p. o. West Pawlet, was bom in Ireland in 1843, and came to this town in 18.54.
He is a fanner, and was a soldier in the late war, serving in Co. H, 3d Vermont Berdan Sharpshooters, also
Brief Personals. 945
in 1st Vermont Artillery, and in the 2d Vermont Light Ai-tillery. in which he served imtll the close of the
war. His witv was Marfrurot Mada.xli, t.i whom lie was luarrird in 13i;s. and wli.i wtis l.orii in Trclaiid in
1848. Tlirv Ikiv. li rl ;1-: cliiMn ii lu.rii t,, t'>, in
vlio .settled in Benson in 1816, pu
children, one now living, who w i
Manley, Otis, cliittiiiilcn. i>. .
200 acres. Hi-^ : :.i ■ i,: - ■■: ^ -■
married Augii-' : , , . .
had two Childrrii : ;.. ! >
married the s.. , .
larmrr ,,,■•.•■.. ■ m,— ,. r. • ., ■ ,';■!,, • • ... , :i five two
term- ' ' . • i . ; ■ . , -i : i ,,< married
to JMiiiil;;- ' ■liii'"!' ' ." ■ ' : ■ . i . ■ .. ,. . , . , , ., |iad two
children. A fill c ■ ! ,1 i
MaxUam, I'.' ■■ ■ ;i - . ... ,-. < .r .1 .1.1 .1 ■, ■■iiredmer-
cha.nt, and sn 1 '. . ■. - . , . i-. ' nu. .■:!■! ; ■ . i .1 . . ■ :. n 1 v \ , ... 11,. served as
town clerk tlaii. ■ 1 11 w.isjusticc
olthepeace aii'l i'"-nii:i I, n m n ;m.in|.i. .....i .. I. n .h ; in I .'LI ;:n I n ii< I -■ i. : -,^, 1849 and
1860. Hewasmariifil Ihre.-tinM-s. His lirst wile w.i :. - .1 . nil. ut Bndir.-wati-r. Tlicv had seven
children, Ransom, (Jliristiaua (deceased), Susan, Azi". I 1 - 1 1 : il l.oia. Mmerva was a daueliter 1
Enoch and (Royce) Shirlllff. His second witr . '; ' . 1 .--^ ^i =- . -=• -- "=- -•
(Piper) Gilson. Benjamin was a sou of Jabez and 1:1
In 1817.
^\r::. •-.(..■■ _. \i , M..;.|,I 1 1... 1 I.,, M' rM.Hi!.'.' . i' ... '■ : 1 ' r , , , w M - . 1 M . ' - . - . ! i , \l i 1 1 , 1 ,. ,r (.-OUD ty,
Vt., ■Ml - i , ; . I. .! . . . '1,.. i.i : I.." . I •! I ., ,.ii .. . ... , I ir was mar-
ried <■, \ •,.'..,.., ..... \. ,■.;■: !■.■,..■; lir.ix. Mrs.
"Wih'M-. •....,...• , 1 ..•..,... .1 • M . . •. :.,-nrKeW.
was a -"II "' I ..-'■..■ I <i I'. . 1 : in ..■' . ■ >.. '.■!. . i.. :■ : i..:lv in ISfiO
Mr. Meads ilic.i m ,ln.\. -.:. .i -1 - ■ . .
Millard.Kllis ,v,. iiiini.v ■■:.•. ^i . ' .^i i. \ . i , ii : , ■,,,.• i:,, •,,,,
twelve dollars. 1 1.' Ii;i n ■ . . ... .' ■ ■ . . i , . ,ly
mouey at his comiiiainl, I ;. ., ,. , i ..... i.. , . . ■ .( . . :. i - . . ,., ; . . i,",
Tirana Howe, a daiiii'liifi- .-! 1 liiiiir' :im' .-'.. ' ■ 1 1 .' ■ . 1 '.. ' . .1 i ■ i ., , ■ . . i ,i \ ■■ . .lii-
dren, Caroline E., Daniel, KuKenc. JIfi rill .1 i nid Eliila
died when he was six years old. Mrs.Unnii -i i i : , ' . : i ■! .vife, Mrs.
Martha (Emerson) Harrington, of Danby i i ! lard, who
were born and married in Khode Island r i .,i i . . .. i. . , , . ., family of
eleven chUdi-en. tour iif whom ai-r now li\ n i \ \ .: i . Ii.d in 1871,
and Simon in is.v. ■|-|i,.x mi,!; :i h.j r:ii.M, .n .; .. ..: .-...
Morehonsi-. \ .. • 1 1 i , ■ i • ;•. i'.' !• i ; '.. ...; .,.! i,., 'Miii Doctors
Dyer and Pa.- r . i- :. ' . . ; . i ■ / . .' . i ■ . . -i i nlnated at
Bm-lington in i , , .ii..i . i ■■ ii ■• : ,- n.n . ., ;i; ..■ , •, 11. ■.. : -i . . .. -. 1 . irehouse.
and they have- rhi . . . h .: . . < i .■■ . •. . .mI , .i.. ,i. \i -,. i ' ' ...,,.,_, .,q^ l^.
cinda (IJindsley) Morcihn: - . ■. :i- horn in Brandon in lsi_'. M i. . . . . i 1-77, They
had a family of three n .1 11. (who is now a dental snin ■ 11 ■ ' ■ n ir. The
grandfather, Sterling JIoi ' ■ 1 I. nm on September 5, 1766, ami 1 .1 .1 >\ i,i,i846.
Moulton, William, Ca I I 1 in the town of Castleton. \ m i.i:, , ., i n . He was
apiiointed postmaster in 1 I 1. n.i m.a 1 hat ofHce until September n, 1- ili i ., lu iiv.a treasurer
since 1850, and still holds that oltice. His parents were Samuel and .lane (Hliawi Moiiltnn. Samuel was
appointed postmaster in 1810, and held that otBce until the time of his death, which occurred in Castleton,
Vt., In 1838. He was born in 1792, and served in the War of 1812. He settled in Castleton in 1796 with his
ten .-111 -;. ' i .!■ .. \ , 1.1 . J.', : -I . . \i iiii.ii.i 1: . -.in > .i.. .... _ 1, 1 . .i.,i , ...,,.■.....,! , 1 ,1 ii,i,. 1
1861); (.,na\iri.. Dulli June 1". ;, .1; lI.iMuiaid L. ;dni,i.^Ld,. :.uiUi .lua, - . 1 :... .\I.uj I.oiiuk, i,.,,u
October ■27, 1S76; Estella L.. Iiorn December 16.1877; Noiliert V., boin .Tanmuy 2H, ISsO; Hubert I-'., burn
December 3, 1882, and Urben A., born May 2, 1886.
Mylott, James, Danby, was born in 1858. Is a merchant in Danby. In 1878 he became a clerk in the
store of A. 8. Adams & Son, and in April, 1885, he became a partner in the general business of the Danby
fli'm of O. A. Adams A Co His ^.m-eiits were Edmund and Nancy (O'Brien) Mylott, who were bom and
married in liclaiid. ami -r . 1! !: |i.,;ii.\ in 1847, where Edmund died on June 26, 1872, leaving a widow
and four rliildrcn. I\n<h:i. .1 > .iiid,Iames. ,Tohn enlisted in the 7th Vermont Regiment, Co. D, in
1861. and -i-ivcd until il ' . 1 war, when he was discharged with his regiment, having been
Naramore, Daniel 1'., lluMiaiau.a. 11. o. HortonviUe, was born In Fairhaven, April 11, 1842, and came to
Hortonville in 1.176; is a general mereliant, and owns eighty acres. He was appointed postmaster in 1876
(is now postmaster), and is second selectman of the town. His parents were IJeiyamin C. and Mary Mar-
tha (Davis) Naramore. He was married March 29, 1876, to Catherine Adams, a daughter of Samuel Adams
of WesthaT(>n.
(Baird) Noyes. Mr. Noyes was a native ol ."Salisbury, \'t., and Mrs. Noyes of Chittenden.
946
History of Rutland County.
Noyes, Joseph, and son, Pittsford, p.
a farmer, and owns 136 acres. His p:ue
native of Saii.sbury, Vt., and Mr* x..vr-
Blow, a daughter of Jeremiah :ii .' - i'
Harry A., a farmer, is married i^
D. and Annie L. Alice Noyes i- :
O-C.irroU, P. J. Kev., Falrha^ . ,,. x, . •
ordained aprie.st at Burlingtou. \ i. iii i:
mond in 1865, and in 1S72 settled in Fair:
and has a flourishing congregation
, Proctor. Joseph ]
oil 8, 1836, to Lorinda P. Win-
' I'" " " '"" "' 1-1 " ri I i-y have two children living:
I liree children, Jennie, Grade
■ I : u li . ,.;;iii M I ■ 11 . :!tMl ..111.(1 in Vermont in 1863; be was
: ins hisi I'liwifje was ine liurliiimon cathedral; he went to Rlch-
eu wliero he lia.s erected a church which is a beautiful edifice
^ . . also erected a church at West Castletou, which he has under
one at Poultney, Vt., Castleton and Middletowu Springs. His assistant is the Eev.
'rii-.-i, was born in Hebron. Wh-Ihiil- '. ',■■.■■.<<,; ^ . \- Y . in i-n ,,•;,■: ■ ii, T^.n^.m
'■ ■ . ■ in town and also Ill:ii"".i' ' ■- "..■'; H'' ' '. ' :■■'! I^ ■ ■ • i; . ■ l:itll,
Ml I'd on the outlet ot^r . i ' . i- • , i i ■ i rii.
I ■ iniproved machinerj I: r . , njiiy
:;\\ - 1 roll! five towns. Hi' \'. .1- iiMi I ;. .1 : l^.-.iMiiiM M..i-:Mi,ol Liiruiil.a
lid Sophia (Round) Morgan. Tlif-y now reside on tin; liuinesteiiil ot foify ncres, on
I esent residence in 1882. His parents were John and Kliza (Nelson) o'Donald. John
Ireland, in 1819, and settled in Heln-on in 1823 ; Eliza was born in Hebron, N. Y.; they
of his (
»,i \ I'l, Westhaven.
nins 400 acres of li
orn in West Fort
town a number of times, and wn -
was a heavy land owner, ownin.
Westhaven, Vt, in 1799. Her 1
mother, Nancy Snowdry, was :i n
B, Barrett, of Dresden, Washin :. i
(deceased), born in 1866 and died 1 1
was a dauBhter of David Barret t
Ornisliv. Alnnzo. Mendon, V: ,
t., in 1837, and is or
> John and Anna i
ne to Westhaven. '
1 inisiness andintlii
■. of thi
iuent farmers
■iiscud. John
[.resented his
.' I . \ : > I , i.| ' Ml !i„.i„l H-as married in 1865 to Nancy
^ 1:. 11 ))orn to them: Carrie Lena
- li I 11 ii 1 - Hid Samuel P. Nancy Barrett
II ill I 1. Imi, \ ! , ,111 Api ii ij, I -17 ; heis a merchant andpo.st-
1: iiH ; . ' ipiisiiifs.s ill 1SS2; lie \vns eolleetor and constable of Mendon seven
la (Rice) Ormsb.y. He was married on June 10, 1858, to Clara P.
i -n r G. (Oalces) Danforth, of Rutland county, Vt.; they have two chil-
M i! w;is born in .Mount lloliy on September 2, 1846; isafarmer and
' 1 ii.i.n-, ill ti.i iH.ii 1 1 -I er of the town, was elected town rep-
' 'I. .-' I List ten years. His parents were Rev.
I 1 iiiilford, Vt., in 1811, and died in June,
I .i .1 ...• i M ' I 11. 1.S73, to AliceE. HolToii. wlio w.as a
iiud -■i)-i..i ;;..a.-; 11m: ;,.],. nli,. .... i, u.iincs of Mount Hollv. vr.
I ieton. w;i.s horn in Castleton, vt. (Ill I'eliriiary 18, 180i;, lli- i.ii.ni. ...i,- .l.inies
iliner, natives of Connecticut, who were married in i i i , icy
: whom tliree are now living: Polly, who was born in 171' ' , ,iii
iiies was a son of Da'vid Palmer, who settled in Clnreinl' ': , i h, -.is
h Palmer. David'," paternal frandfatlier wn* \V;ilter I': , ; ,,11-
Mr. Palmer is the only man iioiv livini.' ',\ 1:" ' n, im,,' 1 ■, ,11 1,- v.i.nu
rried on February IM. is:,;, t.. l:iiili \> , . ,■ ,- .11, 1 1 i^y
of whom one only is now ii\ lirj. I.n, 1. 1 ' , , ~, , 1 He
le New Enslnnd and X.-w Y.,.-!, 1: :i,,, ,■ ,- :, ,,:: 1^1.:,;;, , ,■■■,,•■,„■,:
er, wlio ha
latnily of nine
t^:i
StcM'lii,: i,l'.,'. M.'-- . Ill ,1 1:1- ii.i ' 111 '' lie was married Janii
adaugiiii r of llioiuas ami paiiie I'oweii. , ' - , ~- .1 They had Ave child
John Seyinoui-, of Illinois), LLssic A. (ih,\i ^:■H•. of Brooklyn, N
Helen (now Mrs. Wilham H. Harrisou, III c 1 Siunuel H., of Bell. \
Peck, Norman, Fairhaven, was born i 1 : 1 1 " , iiington county, N.Y
on August 13, 1884 ; he first .settled in rilinoi- .1; m ' ,, , inv. and was a pioneer
part of the coimtry ; he returned to Waslmifnim I'luinty m 1848, and settled in
became Identified with many leadins enterpri-ses of the town ; such as bankin;;
ufacturing business. He was married on May 19, 1836, to Eosetta Hotchkiss, a dn
(Wilson) Hotchkiss. who was born in Whitehall, N. Y., in 1813. Simeon Hotchki
county, N. Y., in 1784, and died in Jlissouri in isr.i. His wife was born i
Norman and Rosetta Peelc liml tive ciuld
I Norman and Anna E., who married Fraufa
. of Newton, Conn.; they were married in 1
tavia. 111., in 1856. Their parents were
three now living: Sarah J., now Mrs. Cliiiri' r <, ■ n s
Redlield. His parents were Seth and Ann,: ' : 1,
settled in Hampton, Washington coiuitN, \ 1
in 1779.
Peck, Oren A., Fairhaven, was born in w i-stnii. Wimlsc
1869. He is a wholesale and retail dealer iu carpets, f u
His parents were Oren and Sarah (Shattuck) Peck, who were natives of We
in 1844, leaving five children, two of whom are now living, James F. and Oren A. One sou, Shattuck P.,
! Mr. Peck died in 1858. Seth Peck -was 1
■ county, Vt., in 1836, and settled in Fairhaven i
Brief Personals. 947
drafted, and served from
Perry, Elien B., Ira, was born in the town of Ira, August 1, 1852: is a farmer and manufactmcr of lum-
lier, and owns 450 acres. Has been lister, collector, selectman, and town representative two term.s. His
parents Avcre Cliarli-s A. iiiiii .Miin-r\ ;i 1). ((Joc.drii-ln IVrrv. Kheii I'l-iry was nun ri.-il to Ida B. Squier, a
aaut;lil. I ..; \ K,:iim1\' 1 iM.mh! ~.;iiiii. \|ii'; !fi, VTi ATi s .;,i,v \,;i-i in Pailland aud Mrs.
rl'iaven.
e of tlie
Era -^t II-!. . ■ i I. ■ ■■ I .. . ..■ \. ! ..|. , I . 1 1 1 s Phelps
died 111. ■ . I II. . ■....■ II. ..... I . . . . ! I ......
Pill. . . .1 '. \ ': - . . . , .11 II 1:. .. . ' I. I . ..'I ~ ^-.. ,m Feb-
ruar,\ .: 1 1 ■ . | ■ , . . . — . i.niii of 338
acres. il,.|iM... ■ ; I . . I .. . !, . ... ..-UT lings, also
a breeder ot Up !■ . . .; |i 1 ..1 . 1 .' ;... 1 I'lnilips. residents of
Dauby, Vt., fi "III 1 1. '■ "• 1 . . . ^ ■ 1 ,<!.;.. ,, ;: ;. , 1 i>v, a daughter of
David andS:ii;ii. 1 ... h . ! 1 1 . .i . 1 1 1 Ida. A., Adele (who
died at theaf-'i . ...m ! . . n ■ , . . . .
Phillips, Willi. Ml. I •• ' 1 .1. .1 I' i.iiv. Vl..(.ii.lanuary
20, 1885; Liu-ana P. I'iiil;i|. I' ; I mh ... , \ 1..
InlSll; LucindaS. Pliilli|. . 1 .' - . ; . \ . ■ ' , . '.iiii Im' .\.
Vt.,inl81fi. These wei .1 ..:.,.
Vt..inIRn4. Mrs, Phillip- ' ■ . 1 'i-i 1., .. , 1 , u
inRliipde Ishiiul iTi 17;:; m ., > . .,.,.-. ,, , .,1:1. i
of EiM.lll. 1-1. I. 111. >V|...|. '1 . . ... I .,.1 ., [. ..:!,. .,, ., I... .,., !,, . . .....1 . . ..I, 1. 1,,
Dauiiv . I . .i.. . . 1. . I . . . - . . I. , . - 1 .,1
inEni \ . ....I .. ■ 1.1 -I... . . ; .'. ". . .... ..... -M- .1 ■ ..i..i -I..' 1 . . -
temlu r ^:'. ]
seven ihild
Priest, (
1843, owns :
has been to
18g:i. Heeiili-
which he wa^- 1
at the front of
948
HiST(_)RV OF Rutland County.
were Ethan and Hannah (Dawley) Priest, who were natives of this county. Ethan A. was married on
Feljriiary 7, 1866, to Eliza A. Putter. They have ten iliildri'ii, iCva J., Robert E., Nellie M., Jennie M., Cora
U., Herman H., Samuel ,T. Tilden. EUa M., Ina B ami i ■ r n . "t i:;i n A. was a daughter of Reuben and
SophroniaR. (Goodell) Puffer. Mr. Piifler was anain : - i i i \lass., and Mrs. Puffer wa-i a native of
Westniin.ster, Vt.
Proctor. Jonathan S.. Fairhaven. was born in Lam i a 1308. He attended school one year,
1813, at.S]H)i-liai]i (Vt.i Pi'iiiiuarr. His jiai-c-nts w,-i . i .i ~ : ih (Drak,/, I'ri.ct..r. who wne li.mi in
Massari,..-, im, ..i,.l ^,.,i,,:l i:, l;, 1, -..,,,-,.,■, .'M' M , , , .• I j\,Hh.i ,]-..] ,,i !-,Hili:r.r.u, :r^,;l
iStllr vv . ■ 1 ■ •■ i
Vt. Sin •.. ,, :.,,.■. I
ing, Willi: I ,v, .Ir,| ;n„i -r|-,,-i
Of the wan. Sarah. Olivei- A. iwho eulisU.
one year, was discharged tor disability), a
like many In early life with a large famil.\
mont included, had much to contend with
Ranger, Reuben, Mendon, was ho™ i'
and owus 70i) acres He represi-nii I i:
and Annie (Welch) Ranger, nativr- - i
(deceased), Reul>eu, James, Amiii-. i' ' v
whom he had two children. Mai \ I
ton, ailanulitcrot Seii-ill and Sai.i I
Artie -M . I i.H.i ,l:,>ii:Mr: Ml, ,,,.,,
1880 1 1 <
They li.i.
ried nil .1
III III
d ,'11
(Hikoli, 1
cut. and
.1 Ucrl
.s.,V 1
was a dai
leaving i
MX ,■]
hildn
great-grandfather
, Cnri
■ll. F:
1840. Hr
clerk. 1—
Martha (llauuny) Livvd. Mr. Reed was l)om in i.
born in Massachusetts. They had a family of foui
and Helcu.
Reed. Edward J., Danl)y, was born in Danby. \
but has been engaged in the mercantile bn~i' , -
IBTSaud 1879; was ajusticeof the peace fill ■ ',
February. 1882, to Emma Bancroft, of Dai I"
8on of Timothy and Eunice Reed, of Dani,
Danbv about 1820 ; he was boru in 1798 anil ila ,
Charles T., and Edward J Charles T. rejin-senni
Timothy, was repre.sentatlve of the town twotenn
Roberts, Ellis. Dr., Fairhaven, was boi-n in Wal
Pennsylvania in 1873, being engaged in the drug tra
he went to Belfast. Ireland, where he read iiuMii,
Queen's University of Ireland, at Belfast. I !• i : •
iclne until 1883. when he returned to Philail. > ,,
after he settled in Fairhaven in 1884 in tin- i i ■ ,
erts. Thev died in Wale.s. leavinc four fill '!
Roberts. lu-ffiuald Wynne, of Eureka, i- I--
in tile i Ill, ' Mil ■ 1 7 ■', 11 afadiug green and ]i
inter. I I 1 , iiiiiauy, and at tile •
maiiiiu- ■: mire O'WTier of the ]
valna'- I ,, :,, I adding new and in
.s;u. He was a fai
sented his town ill
for fifteen years.
of the company from 1^ I '. :.■ \ . . ,i
lOOtolSOmen. Captain K ' ...
Poultney and New Yorl,.
EoVierts, Will v., FaiiliiiM 11 «ii- i-in
erts & Morris, dealers in tteneial dry Rue
business in 1885. Will V. is a son of Badai
Wales and settled in Fairhaven in 1855. 1
Root. George, Benson, was born in Be
the Sheldon Root farm of 170 acres, whieli
Sweett. wa- limn in 1 laiivilii-. Vt : -lie w ii-
■ •). 1S51. He is one of the Ann of Rob-
... ., I 1. They embarked iu geiu-ral
ii.i were born and married in
I,, . .iiidWiU V.
iiinier. In 1862 he purehased
II. V. ,m married in Ismi t.i I.ney.lane
I previous to the pension act.
st Windsor, Vt., April 2, 1818, came to
uan, overseer of the poor, justice of
Brief Personals. 949
tlie peace and notary puMic ; was elected town representative in 1872. He was appointed postmaster in
1855, resigned in 1870. and appointed asain in 1R«3. His parents were Rnfns Root. ir.. and Betsey (Cady)
Root, of Windsor. Vt. Mr. Root was nianicd .Tulr i;. 1S4J. to Svlvia. M. Ki-t.-liani. o( .Sudliiiry. Tliey had
three childn-ii : i ii.i ^ . K w : :i, i .> ]■ i ,' n \ i Ki _ i mi i i li \ i i h .. , d ,ii Alexandria August
Root, .'^ii !■; 1. , 1 , - :i farm of productive
laiKl. ireli;i. ,,,. m.. M ,, ,■ .,,!,. I..., ,], , I , ..i'. I -...odriclDRoot. TUey
were born in |:i n . \ . i .: . . . I wiiom five are now
living. Steiiiicii, Kli/'i '!,.,, , i ,.. . n. !ii.(> ,-, i , : ., ., i. < -Mta witli her daugli-
terEIiza, .lohn Root vi , , . i , :■■ !,. ' : . ,1 in Pittstield, Mass.
They settled in Bi-ii-<";i I' ■ - ■ .' i ■ : -,,, , i ,:.' volutionary soldier,
andhail a fn:iiilvof tiM i, ii , ,, ,, : \ i . in 1786. and in this
wililiTiicsMT.-ri,',! Ill- . .. . ;ii.; ■■ .ii,: .. , •! i liild : hriii'vio!,' fliem
Study of nil-,
the medical t
1876. when hi
iiufth
oftTie
1 County His!
irriedinl812 Will
Abig.ail (Wardner) Hatch ; they have mil . i . > . ; !(,.,; ml inje child
Ray W.
Shedd, Henry H., Mendon. is a farm. I ■:.,.. : ., !i,. lias held
many oltices in his town and in l.ssi) wii- 1,1 ■. -■ , - ,■■ i,. M |.,i,i, m n-.- Ili-nrv
and Betsey (Chase) f^l IT' I: li-iMmh, _ ■. ,, - . ,, . i , n'liiii
early settler in Rutliinil' ■' ■ . ' ■ n- n, , , :;, - ,:, \:.--rv
Shedd had four ehildi I'll '. ;- ■ ■ i ii.i ii ii. , ii ■ , m.h'-
ried on September li. i ■■ . i L.i'' . . .i.i _ ■•! .1 ,:.,.'..,:.<, -.n _. i., !;.i , , -■. i > .i,,.- , , w i.~.;
tliey have two chilbM-ii : I. : i umIM.iv i,
Sherbnrn, William II.. Plttstiel.l. was born in Chittenden. VI., on December IC. ls4ri. He, located in
Pittafleld in November, 1884, where he has since ie.sided and conducted the Green Mountain House, a sum-
mer resort with accommodations for about twenty guests. He was married the Urst time to Minnie E.
950 History of Rutland County.
Belford, of Lyme. N. H.: they had two cUldren : Harris J. and Hattie E. His second wife was Emma D.
Browu. of llendfm. Vt. His parents were Ivory L. and Alvira P. (Mori-iU) Slierburn, who settled in Chit^
teud(.-ii ill im:i. mill inriiged in farming.
Si~r,,. Uiiiiiiii 11 . Westhaven, washomin Westhaven inl840; is one of the leading farmers of the town,
and lii~ H -I'l. ii. . i I'lninands an excellent view of the surrounding country and distant mountains. He
was HUM II. .1 111 1- :: iM Amine Blxby. a daughter of Daniel P. and Esther E. (Hooper) Bixhy. who reside in
PoultiHV. iiii.l liiici iwi. .liildren, Khvin M. and Amine. William and Amine Sisco have three children;
Albert (_'., Stella A. ami i In ■ - II \\i Ilium H.'s parents were Josiah and Louisa (Barber) Sisco, of Con-
necticut; they had nim ' I < I w living: Olive A.,Willard J., Eoliert C.Ida M. and W.H. Willard
served in 9th Vermoiii. i: ■ rinse of the war, when he was discharged. Mrs. Sisco died in 1875,
andMr. Siscodiediu I> 1' J nnfs were Michael and LupiudaSi.sco. of Wasbiiigton county, N. Y.
They settled in Westliu \ ■ 1 1 i ■" ;
Smith, Clark,Dr.,Fairhav(iiM . ■ ; m w i-;.m-^iMii ii'\,\ \ ,:i i- - I !. \v .i- ,, - 1 :i,hi:it.- ..t the
Buffalo Medical College inl854. nil': . i -.' i . ', , I - h - ; :. ,1 in inir-
haven in 1863, embarking in thr ill i- :■! . . _ ,,,,., .m, in- lie
still continues. He built his pn-i n ■'■■:. In , ,,!,- i •,:,,.,,.; i ,,: i In/. ml Mate
and MilliiiL' rouivanv. wliicli Im- n ■ n n i ■ • ■ Iln vmi , n n n n.l m - , i - lini nr \l,n ii~.iii Clark:
hewn-n - I >..!Mnn,nnlnl.lnn. : ^. , -n, n
Mn 1 ni \ I' 1 I'l ■ I n IS and own 640 acres. Enoch owns 1, ,500 acres individ-
ual! v i . I ' n '. Inch 2i, 1800. His grandfather, Asa, came from Connecti-
cut nil , ,, , i ,1 , lii^coverert f'larendon Sprinirs in 1771V Arima, father of
Euncli ' .' I > ; ' .111 town n-orcKciirativn twicin Hi- was uiinTied on Sep-
15, iH.^l.lnl .uinn . I l|..n.n,,n, . :. I I . , ;, ., u.l i.ll„.ilHil ii n ,n lai i i Inlilcii. ui ,-lu n, -l.n; i . .-au.uul
hassixuhildi. n - ,,! I < . I Xn holsi, Mary J. mow ilrs. 1\ U. Huldcu), Haniettc E.,
Caroline A. Ill" I I i ii n, \ , i I l ranklinH.
Sprague. i >- \ t., in 1828; he has been selectman of his town three
terms, lister a; n , , , i„. i,, ,,- narried in 1849 to Julia Ann Buxton, who was born in this
town in 1"-- • '■■ ' , . .n, Hii.iiu u. lii^ iiaternal grandfather. "••Mrmi Si.ra-iir-. came to this town
>nn:' I ' II ', n, ,,. North Clarendon, was born in Rut 111 III \ i i i i si.'i ; is a f armer and
own- - ii in I- were Daniel and Lettice (Caldwell) ."^n' m I' - mns was a native of
Eu' I I ' 1. and died October 12. 1S7.5. Mrs. .«,,,iin ^ n the t..wu of Ware,
X. II,, . '^ ... ..nil. , . •:,■--. ;r, \'Tl„ni Lrin-^'ir, a, 1;r-: n ,. |in ..■ mil! Carnlinn 'Tarlnr)
ned 111 ISTJ; iiiey Mild two chiiclrcn : Hal 1 n I II I , nin, i in . - .. > was Imrn in Ian
Wa.shiugti)Ucouuty, N, v., in 180i, and I'i n I ' , . n ; ... lie wa.s a .sun ol
Betsey (Southwick) Stacy, native.s of (.'mil - . - m Benson. Theyl
dren, three now living.
Starterd. Charles F., Clarendon, p. ... ' i nsmii-- i.n.nn i n . m indon Fobriiary :
farmer and owns 200 acres; his pal . Ill - w • ; m ami .Minerva L. (i.'ulvin) stall', i -1 ITi-i'.ili.
five of Danby, and his mother . .t ; :
Merritt ;tud ,Iane (Everest) Fi-i ' . ■
Ar<^hie C.
Stannard. ,Ir.. Hcman, Faiili:i\ . n, i^ .in m Fairhaven, 'V't,, oi
town ..ili.-.-s. ha-. iiiLi li.-nii sfh-.-t aii.l li-i.n-. He has also been I
in- 11. iw r.-tir.il ami -ettln.l m Hampton, Wi
M^\^V
March 24.1VM,
Brief Personals.
died in 1866 : Susan was born in 1851 and died in August. 1879. Samuel W. wa-s bom in 1798,
teacliiT, iiii-iMbor nl the Asscmlily rwii teniis. instii'e of tlic iieace, ami held other iiiiiior othee
18S1, Ml - I - ...11 ii.i. . ,,; r, rih I .mmI r'i,.,i 111 .Inn, . I- -, - n i nn I v; , . ^ n -n n
Thei. ,i;. ■ .>■■ ,,.,,,■...,, . !■ ■ \, , -,,~,,„ ;. , , . .i ,. .. , ni,d
Aruii.ili. l:iiiu.-, U.i.kri , .,•:■! M '•^ .1,; , I •■■• ii ,!. i.M.j. .i-cil ui^lHi ci„ln .,r.K.. .Mi.W.Uker
settled in Sudbury, Vl. 1 1 m. ■- n >■ nisi;.
Walker, Franklin \v 1 : I : I i. : - 1 1 > , Vt., on Jime 23. 1812. He was a merchant for
tliirty-flve years, a.nd i - n - 1 I i I I I ' m i many of the town oliiees. He was town repre-
sentative in 1857 and i - III". n \ and town treasurer for twetitv-tiyp years, and
a justice of the !"-ie.. !i. n i;. « :ic .imviipd at s;t I."iii-iM" , ..n .Tune 3, 1861,
to Elvira A. sliri ninii, M . • n -• . : i - , \ i - ;, ,-, j . n u i nun.iii .'I ili .\ m 1 h i n , 1 1 1 \ iiie Ladies'
Seminary, X- "1 ' i > ■' !■ . i , . - • m.. i > ■ ihreechil-
dren, Williaiii I . , , i - muah Sher-
man, a sraili! li- .1.1 I .. I ,.;;; ,1, \. : , I . \ : . ,. I , . i: ,■- 1,'ayninnd.
Franklin'- ..n-. • , .. I: ■ n I ~ ■ i ;. ... . ; . , . : •^' . . ..nniv, Afi,.,.,
l^'laud iu ISli ; 1
miles from Casi
I y to fifty guests
are of woi.-i.a.- .i
'. and Ruth (libe.l
, and Mr. Walker .
H. settled in Eutl;
\\ .1 . . . . . I .. ' I ■. .1.. : .. I - I ■ . I .. I ■ I- a farmer and owns
1,1.-. 11. . . . II I . . . 1 . ,n. . . - . . ' i:. .1 ...innty. Mr. Warner
died ! .11 - hum are now living;
they III. ■ I nr.n M . , \ .... .1 |. 'I ! . ..I, ..; W. ■ l:.,ii,,,Ml ..nil .Inliii,
country Mu\ . : . il n auditor and high w .i . .......i iii^
parents weiv .si. I. . .i - . : '. ,. .i Ireland, and caine 1.. . \li.
Walsh was null . !; n i,. ,i ! .. . .,| .lohn and Johanna i ., i . .i ..f
county Kerrv. ; . , i .. ir .liildren : Kate. M i ,[ . .m,!
Ellen. Eat.: ill. , ,i n .n ., • .. , . , i . ■ .i . .: i . ■
WetmniT..!.. .. |. I. ■■, r ....... i ,. i ....,,- i , • i , n,,.,-
owning 30i .... ,. i i, . . ' , - , ,
Wetmore, wli • -.m ..... i: ' . . . ■ n . , . . i • i . . i . . • ,i-.
a dau.ffllter Id' < li.il'iii.Mi unci i..n \ i ..h m • Inn.inl- 'rin ■. I,.i-..i l in m . Iinilrm : l Irl ', n l, , .l.in,,.- \ :,i,il
Mabel A.
Wetmore, Amos, Ira, p. o. West Rutland, was born in the towu of Iia, Aiuil 3, ISOO, aud i.s a farmer own-
ing 255 acres ; has been lister, selectman and justice of the peace ; has also represented his town three
times. His parents were Samuel and Jerusha (Sartwell) Wetmore, who came from Connecticut to Ira about
952 History of Rutland County.
1796. Mr. W'etmore's first wife was Louise Perry ; tliey liad seven children : Jane, widow of Josepli P.
Wood. Estlier, now Mra. A. E. Day, of Ira ; Mrs. L. W. Day. of Ira ; Harry, of Wells, tliis county ; Emmett,
of Ira ; Almira, now Mrs. Leonard, of Minnesota ; Laura A., now Mrs. Jonas Munson, of Iowa. His present
wife was Sarah A. Goodrich, of Rutland.
Webl), Henry, Clarendon, p. o. North Clarendon, was bom in Shrewsbury October 10, 1834 ; is a farmer
and owns lOO acres. His parents were George W.. Jr., and Aehsah (Holden) Webb, of Shrewsbury. Mr.
FebriKllV, I ■•". i- -•.:■,, /Mi.iI , ,, ,l ,,ii:!,Ir, ,,| \ i,', , |,a, ;mh| |:,i.." U;,, |,'":'ilM M-' l "•■ "Tli, >■ li'iii lll,r(■
ChildIVI^ I.. . . i: - ; ' ■ ■■ • ■: ■• '; 1: ■■!■.:- ■ ,!.',..,:•. ,. I - ,, , : M:,,
Webl.'- I.. • . ■ I. ■ ■■: ■ . ■ . ■ I.I' ■ 1.1 :.,i, ^ II .,1
Eegiiur.i. ^1, .,.:•-., I. . :.i .,1 ' ; i ■ ... ..: ...' . .•• •'■ ■ . ... ; ..i|;-
tain IJ] TT11. N ^ , - \ .1 1|.M ^ I liiii I. ^ - >a:i- III III. \ rini..! I , II, ',; > : 1 1 :i M 11, 1 m - 1 .1 :i 1 . - 1 1 i . Ii I ■. il;i ( .,
drowned in James River May ic, Ism. in l.^t Vermont Cavalry, and Asa in the lltli Venn. int. Cliarles and
Asa were starved to death in Andersonville prison.
Whipple, E. O., Danby, was born in Athens, Windham county, Vt., in 1820. He read medicine with Dr.
Aaron Morse (botanic) in Hyde Park, Vt., for two years, and also with Dr. Jehial Smith (Thompsonian) at
East Randolph, Vt., (or one year. Not .^atistied witli tlie advantages of this oour.se nf stiul.v lie read an ad-
ditional three years with Dr. S. \V 'l'li:i\ I J iimI I' \> 111 iHllmil. ..f West i:an(l.ili>l,. \ i , .u.il - 1 imIuh 1 1 il I nun
the Castleton Medical College in 1 I i i !■ , \"i . u: i ts.«lHi, i. ; . ,. . c. .r . ,i a
large practice. He was married i 1 1 - . . \ ■ la mim.mi , ..t \\ i : i > ii \ , : nl
one son born to them, Frank E., Ill 'I i m. i . i.n.- ..t ,MiililU.iim,\ i . ._ -I
with his father and graduated frill n i 1 1. -liital in New Yi.ii. i ' ,. , , , ,, n
Danby, Vt., in the practice of his 111 ii . aunts were John aniK iju. i ,; , i. ,,
White. HeiuT K., Clarendon, i. ' u > i . i i-liomin Shrewsbury. \t .m i '.
and came to Clarendon, Vt , in 18i. , h. i ' ■' and owns300 acres: li. lia- i ■! lie
town and selectman for five year-; , ■ . : nil Nancy (Knight) Whit. . ..i - ,.\i.;
he was three times married. Hi- i ■ • i i i m~. to wlnmi lie wa- n.^m i. .' .. i .JU;
she was a daughter of Deai-iin ai.il I n. ... i'. ■•■■' .;.' .ii.!.!.. \ i . in. .li i-n liorn
to them: G. Burton and ,111-111. 1 I- . . . . ;,.; : . - .' ■ i ■ I '. :;. 1>. Ives,
adaughterofOrsonandPl.il.^ r.i i ■ - n . i ■ i.. . ,. a daugh-
ter of "Martin and Ellen ii:i.iii- |.. ..: . -|. ]!.. : 1... hind, and
Mrs. _I>..nliellv..f sl,..,tl:,,„l [I.. ...I . I ■ ,, ,1 ,i.. , I
White: '.'..' . ' ..'■,... I . . :,. ;i |. : . ..i..... i... > .-:. ,i . ... ,,:,.;
one son. II..,..,' .. , , ..| , . . I . . ^, ,., . .'ill .1.-1 ,|. , ....II-
ters._'.|i '.'. . ' .. . ' '. ...I . . i:..|.. I .11 li. .., h. .-.I -.,... 'I I-,.. at.
Mr. -(vi'l'i ,'i . . Ill ., - ' I .1 I '. I. l:i..'imii'ii'Ki,V, H., in nsii." i.saae wasa
soniifli '.II I ' ' !' I. -laud, and settled in Danby with his
Willi;,. ..;..', ! ,, .1 , , I ., ; I . ,, -, ;, . iii.i-r 13. 1S20. lie read law and was
hejung .soon t(i iinn.K 11 111 i ■ H . i ; :. ,. r , , |. , , ,ii,_ . , > ,1 .liulieil,
of Pittsford, Vt.; they li;i\ . - I ' v i i ', i.i' i . I . , \ i ,i . . :. .1 Churlea
B. Colburn; they have tw. . i , ]. i . ,mi daugh-
ters. CyrenlusM. was a -.. - I, , , ir, . \i ., ,1 . i . ily of four
chUdren, three now liMii^ i h . ii
Willard, Jii.-iah r . I ,1 .i , i .. i'. .- . :.. -ir.l ..n
Julyl, 1S47, tu I.ii'.., ' -:> ....I .. .|. i. . ,, . , \ -.1 ,,-,,,.,, -! iril
in 1874, leaving m,. -mi : , i i ,.,.., , . . .: ■ , , ..,,. . , '.| . ■ ■ , ,, . ,. i 1 i . . . ,. .' :. t
Ashael Smith, lit r >, ' i . ' - .. ■ ■ i .. ■ ■
mercialtraveliT ;.i |. . u. ,'.- !' ,.- , ■ ..| >, . . il.i,!,,i.| i,,|. '.\ - ',,; .v ^\ n.. -.^ ... ,■ ii.:in i...
onOer..l...i 1. - ,...;' '. I . i i , i ,. i m i, l ,Vzel was horii m l..'.'l..aud
Hannah ■ i . . ■..■.•:■ i j \ i \\ lUard, jr., wasboruln^\md-
s„l.,V|,.,,| -, , , „ I- I 1,1 II II ,, ill, .1 in Hartford, N.Y., in 1862,
leaviin ■ ^ . ' :, I i i ; i :i <l . i a.e Thompson, of Hartford,
jj Y "ii,. I- i|, 11 I |., ,, X , i; , ■ -iriiiil wife, in 18(12, Mrs. MeUissa
Morse. Joslm... .ii , i, i i :;... Ira J. Willard. sun nf Jo.siahP.
and Lucy J. Willi. ; i i ' ■ - ,i.i ami i.rutessnv m -\ngiista, Geor-
gia. Hemarri...! . I i n ;i . i NI,iy 1 -. l:,-4, a ilani:hter i.t i . (t. iindM.
Fish, she died 111 n - ^ -i i. . . -■ : i '■ . .miu's. He then niam.-d his second
wifcMrs. Alice n -III. . i -. , , ... : in., .: h. ..i .Viii^'iista. Georgia
Williard, Levi .\.. Shi s i . i.i n He is a lumber manufac-
turer, and settled in Shei ii ; . I I II ; .1 .liiimfacturesfromoneto two
million feet of lumber an 1 1 ii i , , i ; , nnr four year.s. His parents
were Levi H. and Chloe I w ■'.'•■ i'- i ' <■ -e, a daughter of Bradford
and Arah A. (Hutchlnsi.iii I I ..-. . 'I -. n. II.. . . .;. I Ih
Williams, Edward, Pawlet, P.O. (iranville.N. 1.. n i..wn in 1793, and .li. .1 m i . TTis
wife was Laura Thomson ; she was bom in Gran\ ill. , ^ • . i , ami was married in i '. , i 'l.I■
nephew, Edwin R. Thomson and his wife, Louise F. i i. I I. old homestead, will. 1 ..1
fi-om the government by Nathan Williams, and has i in- famUy ever sine. i i n
served in the 123d New York Regiment, Co. K., Volunti . i hiniii .x , fnnu August 20, 1862, to li. . i..-. .i ihe
war in 1865,
Williams. John Eldridge, Castleton, p. o. West Castleton, was bom in Hubbardton, Vt., on December
26, 1824. He is a carpenter and builder by trade, and a farmer, and now owns and occupies the old home-
stead, purchased in 1833. He lost his right arm in the effort to save his son from some accident by machin-
ery, in which accident the son also lost his right arm. The clearing in this part of West Castleton was first
madeby a Revolutionary soldier in 1800, Elijah Taylor; some two or three of his i .: .1 ;-- m n.iw in ex-
istence. John Eldridge was married in 1851 to Mary A. CoUins: she died in IhCii. h i lilien. He
married his second wife, AurillaAndrus. in 1870; she died in 1880, leaving five chi ii n married
his third wife, Mrs. Mary J. (Smith) Tavlor, in 1881. Shehadhyherflrsthusbaii.il, ,i i iin- family
now combined numbers "eighteen ehiUlreu. eleven daughters and seven sons. J.lllll^^,l- i n .t .lohn and
Tabitha (Brick) WilHam-. n. ai- in, n. I'awlet, Vt., on May 10, 1797, andshe waslairn in Barry. Mass., on
January 12, 1805. The wi i . i mliaven in 1824, and raised a family of six children, four sons and
twodatighters. Hepnnli. i -•" r .,.„ „ „ !„ ,ooo „«..« i,„ nio^ ti„ =»ttio,i
in Castleton, Vt.,in 1819. I m _:,i;,iI
Brief Personals.
and settled here about 1780. Tlieyliada family of seven children. He was a Revolutionary soldier and
died in 1806.
Williams, Samuel D., Fairhavcii, was Uoni in l'i)vilti\ey. Vt., in 1827. He commenced the inn.ii\ifiii-tui-e
of boots and shoes in Benson in r : '. mmI im r . n. .1 ,h Hi M, i il'. In 1880 he .lettled in r.ilili.t .n,, r,,ii-
duotlng the business, dealing ill -I' ' : ^ ' I'l mve. Hewasmarrir.! i i ' r. ■ ,y
Ann Goodrich. They had tour c 1 1 : - : i . ;. i i i il. and Jennie, wl i i , ,i.
Samuel D. was a son of Cogsw, : \ ,, who were born, mi i i m
PoiUtney. Thcvliailu fniiiilv "f - > ' ■ ■ -f " m n.vw livius, Myron C .1 I .1 /, ,ii. ,-;i;nii.>l
D., Norman ami 1,1 liiiii -nui. h _ i nidrathcr was Alujah Williams, who was iioiii iii Ku),'-
land, and soli h .' i ' ' i . ■ ■ i : i , i
Wing.Wc.i,. I . • liln. was born in the towu of Moimt Holly, November U,
1834, and CiuiM I , i . .i I Ir is proprietor of the Landon House, at South Chittenden.
His parents Wl I i I i m. ■ I n J i : i i Wing. Mr. Wing was born in Danby, Vt., Jnly 20,1805,
and died F.'braary ;!. Issi. :Mr~ \^ n .Mount Holly, June 26, 1809, and died April 10,1873. He
was married Jnlv 4, IH.iii, to Susan . I ri :;- 1 iter of Joel and Eliza (Pike) Baird, old residents of this
town. They had two children. I.I i .un.sH.
Winslow. Lewis T.. Chittenil' II r i . 1 was born in Norwich, Vt., November 9, 1829; is a farmer
and owns 22,-. acres. He wastown n in. . ninxn in 1864 and 1865, town assessor for five terms, lister a
nnnili. I m i mim^, m-i ii-c of the peaic, and .sclcntnian several years. His parents were Nathaniel and Clar-
issa I A ii-lnw, of Norwich, Vt. He was married November 1, 1853, to Harriett A. Durgy, a
daunii I I II ^ and Harriett A. (Lamb) Durgy, of Pittsfleld. They had foiu- children, Sarah A, died
Apii! 1,1 I I .v., now Mrs. Eoyal Wetmore, of Chittenden; Emmergene A., now Mrs. Henry W.
Elli.ni, III 1 mill mini, and Henry L.
Wiswcll. James, Castleton, p. o. HydevUle, was born in Whitehall, N. Y., on February 10, 1818. He set^
tied m Castleton, Vt., In 1856, as the freight and ticket agent of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Railroad
Company at Hydevllle, Vt., where he still remains. He is also agent for the coal interest of that company.
He embarked in the milling business in 1865. and as.sisted in organizing the Evergreen Slate Company in
1868, in 1873 he sold his interest in this ciiuipany. givins his wliolc attention to the railrnad liusiiu'ss. His
parents were Henry ami \ ,-,i ■,., \ ci \\ i~ \> rii ,,r w hn. imi:. \ ^■ mhi im inn Iv "I wini imj. \"i ,iaiiii,>'s
first wife was Catherim i i. ■ ,, i,, v , ' , : i , , , \ -, , i in
1839. Shediedon Jannam ,■ i n- ■ !,,n ■ n , ,. ,i i \,,,, , i i, i, : •ii-, i .i,i,,,,-'s
second wife was Martha ,: i i ,;,.,, i,,.., i, |,.. ,, i. .i.iinns
H. enlisted in the Uniti'd Mal,~ ,|i ni_v , -i l \ a r r,n alrj , m \[.ril l -m, an.mi l m n l Imi ;, i m -. ,ilal \Mm Inninr-
ably discharged. His tirst wife was Lminda H.in-ing, shi- clicil in l,i77. Inavins three children. His second
wife was Alice Dunning. He is now engaged In the manufacture of slate. Mary C. married James K.
Hyde, he died in 1873, leaving one son, David A., who was born in 1869. Naomi married Albert T. Smead,
they had one son. Harry.
Wood, Chauucey K., Fairhaven, was bom in Pairhaven, Vt., in 1820. He is a doalcr and breeder of blood-
en horses, the Hamlilctouian being his favorite. Hispareuts were t'liai II - ml I'l ,i i Kidder) Wood, who
were married in 1818, Charles Wood was a carpenter and builder, ami i i i a Imveu in 1810, after
which date he became a tanner. He died in Fairhaven, Rutland conn' , n id his wife died In
1876. They had four cliildren, two of whom are now living. ChauncnN I , i i ,i. I.,
Wood, I . Wills, was lioni in Nfw York litv in loli. Hii is tim m ■ i i -I 1 1 n • Lake St. Catherine
House, ahiim^r fill i a.- .n , m I.i -inni „,.,i ,i, i -, ,a |i a i- , , i m~. The house is reached by
stage from I il a a i - - a, a . i , , ,, ii ,, ii i a ii.aiiy Railroad. Mr. Wood mar-
ried Anna C, I i i , , , II , , . I , - I :-, leaving one child.Florence.
Mr. Wood lllcli Kami., -. -,i I la- 1 ,,, . .,,,
Wood, Isaai A.. 1 .uilmu n. v, .a- ia,iiii lu W in 1 all. ill. W .i-ma-i , ai a, mill \ . \ Y., and settled In Pairhaven
1879. His parents were William J. and Jnlia A. Wood, of Wbiti-liall. N. Y., and have a family of hve chil-
dren, William G. C, Emma, Isaac A., Charles P., and Kate C. Isaac A. was married in 1879, to Kate P.
Kidder. The have two children, Grace E., and Alice E. Kate was a daughter of Abel Kidder and Lucy
(Cutler) Kidder, who were married in 1846. Lucy was born in 1817, and Asel was born In 1813, and <lied in
1876. He was a member of Assembly four years, a justice of the peace, and also held most of the tow
INDEX
ACADEMIES, 206.
Adams, A. N., historian, 226.
Adams, Joseph, biography of, 868.
Agriculture, 163.
Agricultural society, Rutland county, 152.
Allen, Alonson, biography of, 881.
Allen, Ethan, 52.
Allen, Ira C, biography of, 869.
Amu.sements, early, 71.
Apprentices, runaway, 346.
Artillery, second battery, 126.
Attorneys, Rutland county, Abbott, Chauncey,
275 ; Allen, Edson, 274 ; Barnes, Calvin,
274; Bingham, Solomon, 275; Bowen, C.
E., 279; Brace, Jonathan, 281; Briggs,
Ebenezer N., 277; Brown, A. L., 273;
Buel, Elias, 275 ; Buell, A. W., 283 ; Buell,
Wni. C, 282 ; Burnam, John, 280 ; Chip-
man, Darius, 273 ; Chipraan, Nathaniel,
264; Clark, Jonas, 280; Clark, Orson, 280;
Clarke, DeWitt Clinton, 271 ; Cook, M.
H., 279 ; Davenport, Barzillai, 278 ; Dex-
ter, J. C. 279 ; Farnham, David L., 276 ;
Finney, Darwin A., 283 ; Foot, Solomon,
268; Frisbie, Barker, 280; Fuller, J. L.,
273 ; Gale, aeo. L., 274 ; Gove, Jesse, 272 ;
Graham, John A., 266; Graham, N. B.,
274 ; Graham, Lyman, 282 ; Green, Spen-
cer, 279 ; Griswold, Julian, 283 ; Hamlin,
Nathaniel, 275 ; Harman, Ira, 276 ; Har-
mon, Nathaniel, 281 ; Harris, J. S., 283 ;
Herrington, Theophilus, 266 ; Hodges,
Silas H., 279; Hopkins, F. W., 272;
Howe, Zimri, 282 ; Jackson, Samuel, 276 ;
Kellogg, John, 275 ; Kellogg, Loyal C,
i 276; ^Kittridge, W. C, 279; Langdon, B.
F., 278; Langdon, Chauncey, 278; Lath-
rop, L. E., 275; Mallary, EolUn C, 282;
Marsh, Rodney V., 277 ; Meacham, M. R.,
276 ; Mead, A. P., 278 ; Miner, A. L., 281 ;
Newell, Gordon. 281; Newell, John G.
and James R., 281 ; Nichols, J. T., 273 ;
Nicholson, Anson A., 272; Noble, Oba-
diah, 283 ; Noyes, Moses G., 282 ; Orms-
bee, Edgar L., 270 ; Osgood, Nathan, 275 ;
Page, William, 273 ; Pierpoint, John, 281 ;
Pierpoint, Robert, 267 ; Powers, Horace,
954
274; Prentiss, Samuel, 274; Royce, Lewis,
275; Royce, Rodney C, 273; Saterlee,
James, 282; Smith, Cephas, 274; Smith,
Israel, 267 ; Smith, Milo W., 276 ; Smith,
Phineas, 274 ; Smith, William Douglas,
272 ; Strong, Moses, 271 ; Towslee, H. B.,
274; Walker, Samuel, 274; Waller, Royal
H., 275 ; Ward, Elisha, 283 ; Warner, Al-
mon, 278; Webber, Sumner A., 274;
Williams, Charles Kilborn, 270 ; WilUams,
Charles Kilbourne, 269 ; Williams, Charles
Langdon, 270 ; Williams, Leonard, 270 ;
Williams, Samuel, 270 ; Wing, Samuel D.,
277; Wright, Isaac T., 278; Wright.
Simon, 274.
Attorneys, State's, 143.
BAIRD, Hiram, biography of, 872.
Bar, present members of the, 283. ■
Bar, the county, 264.
Battle of Hubbardton, 58.
Baxter, H. H., biography of, 870.
Benson, Porter, biography of, 873.
Benson, town of, 454 ; attorneys of, 472 ;
Benson Landing in, 472 ; burial ground of,
467 ; churches of 467 ; examples of long-
ivity in, 466 ; geographical and topo-
graphical history of, 454 et seq.; medical
profession of, 245 ; municipal history of,
470 ; organization of, 463 ; physicians of,
473 ; politics in, 465 ; settlement of, 455
et seq.; volunteers from, in the war of
the rebellion, 464.
Biography of Joseph Adams, 868; Alonson
Allen, 881; Ira C. Allen, 869; Hiram
Baird, 872; H. H. Baxter, 870; Porter
Benson, 873 ; J. P. Bowman, 875 ; Albert
Bresee, 899 ; C. W. Brigham, 874 ; John
Cain, 879; Merritt Clark, 926; Z. C.
EUis, 888; N. W. Cook, 876; J. McN.
Currier, M. D., 878; Geo. W. Dikeman
and wife, 885 ; M. M. Dikeman and wife,
885 ; James C. Dunn, 886 ; M. G. Everts,
888; M. J. Francisco, 921; Barnes Fris-
bie, 889 ; E. P. Gilson, 890 ; A. W. Gray.
891 ; Leonidas Gray, 893 ; B. R. Greeno,
894; Rvland Hanger, 895; C. H. Sla-
955
son, 910; Rufus Holt, S96 : Warren
Horton, 897 ; H. G. Hughes, 898 ; Xew-
ton Kellogg, 900 ; Harrison Kingsley,
901; L. G. Kingsley, 925; W. C. Lan-
don, 903; H. F. Lothrop, 902; Israel
Munson, 904; J. B. Page, 922; John
Prout, 905 ; Proctor Redfieltl, 904 ; L. W.
Redington, 907 ; George T. Roberts. 905 ;
A. J. Rogers, 910; G. E. Rov.e. 908; C.
S. Rumsey, 907; Charl.-- -i.ii-.. 'i]'2:
J. A. Sheldon, 913 ; ^^■, II - , ' I t ;
Geo.W. Strong, 911; Mar^ii.iii, i, ''27;
D. W. Taylor,'916; G. J. W aniweli, '.'Ui.
Bird Mduntain, 35.
Bowman, J. P., biography of, 875.
Brandon, town of, 473 ; early settlers of, 474,
et seq.; Forestdale in, 514; medical pro-
fession of, 245 ; mnnicipal history of, 494,
et seq.; organization of, 484; patent of,
473 ; resolutions of early town boards of,
485, et se(|.; volunteers of, in the rebell-
ion, 490, et, .seq.
Brandon, village of, 494; attorneys of, 502;
banking interests of, 500; churches of,
506 ; dentists of, 504 ; fire department of
605; hotels of, 501; mercantile interests
of, 495, et. seq.: ]^r. -:•■■.:;,-,- .f. ."03; po.st-
oiHce of, 494; -.■,,., ,.i Mj; the press
of, 502; water
Bresee, Albert, bio!_'i>iH,v '•:. >:<'<.
Brigade, Vermont, 81.
Brigham, C. W., biography of, 874.
Building, post-office, 148.
Burgoyne, effect of approacli of, 56.
C'^AIN, JOHN, biography of, 879.
y Canal, effects of opening the Champlain,
155.
Oastleton Medical College, 235 et seq.
Castleton, town of, 516; charter of, 516;
churches of, 544 ; early merchants of,
529; early settlers of, 517 et seq.: Fort
Warren in, 524; Hydeville in, 540; medi-
cal profession of, 246 ; officers of, 544 ;
record of, in the rebellion, 533 ; stage
Unes of, 531.
Castleton, village of, attorneys of, 539 ; banks
of, 539 ; hotels of, 538 ; mercantile inter-
ests of, 537 : physicians of, 539 ; schools
of, 535 ; the press of, 540.
Cattle, 167.
Cavalry, first regiment, 121 ; record of, 122 et
seq.
Charcoal, the manufacture of in Mount Talior,
696.
Cheney, Major Gershom, diary of, 347.
Chittenden, Governor, 68.
Chittenden, town of, 547 ; business interests
of, 551 ; churches of, 553 ; early settlers
of, 547 et seq.; record of, in the rebellion,
550.
Chipman, Nathaniel, 65, 67, C9, 74.
Clarendon, town of", 554 ; biog:raphical sketches
of early residents of, 569; churches of.
567 : eai-ly settlement of, 555 ; medical
profession of, 247 ; military history of,
565 ; municipal history of, 568 ; politics in,
562'; the New York "land-jobbers" in,
556.
Clark, Merritt, biography of, 926.
Clays, 200.
Clerks of county court, 143.
Cockburn, Will, 312.
Cold summer, the, 349.
College, Castleton medical, 235 et seq.
Cook, N. W., biography of, 876.
Corn-hu.skings, 71.
County bar, the, 264 ; court, 257.
Courts, absence of, 255 ; county, 257 ; clerks
of, 143 : judges of, 142 ; establishment of
first, 256 ; first, 66.
Court-house and jail, 150.
Court of chancery, 258.
Courts, probate, 259; judges of, 144; registers
of, 144.
Court records, 259.
Court, supreme, judges, 140.
Cross, James, tour of, 48, 304.
Currier, J. McN., M.I)., biography of, 878.
DANBT, town of, 575; early liiusiness in-
terests of, 586 ; early settlers of, 576 ;
churches of, 590 ; grantees of, 575 ; medi-
cal profession of, 247 ; military record of,
585.
Diary of Major Ger.shom Cheney, 347.
Dikeman, Geo. W. and wife, biographies of,
885.
Dikeman, M. M. and wife, biographies of, 885.
Dispensary, tlie Rutland, 240.
Dunn, James C, biograpliy of, 886. >
EARLY settlers, Blanchard, Benjamin, 319;
Bowker, Joseph, 316; Chipman, Nathan-
iel,, 318; Cliatterton, Wait, 320: Clag-
horn, James, 319; John.son, John, 319;
Post, Roswell and William, 320; Roots,
Rev. Benajah, 320; Smitli, John, 317;
Tuttle. Nathan, 319; Walker, Ichabod,
318; Walker, Gideon, 318.
Early warrants and complaints, 261.
Effects of early schools, 204.
Ellis, Z. C, biography of, 888.
Everts, M. G., biography of, 888.
FAIRHAVEN, town of, 591 ; attorneys of,
614; early settlers of, 593; churches of, 600;
graded schools of, 616; hotels of, 615;
medical profession of, 248 ; military rec-
ord of, 599 ; municipal history of, 603 ;
physicians of, 614 ; present business in-
terests of, 608 ; the press of, 612 ;
Fii-e-side, the early, 70.
Forts, early, 305.
Fossils, 178.
Francisco, M. J., biography of. 921.
Frisbie. Hon. Barnes, 231 ; biography of,
889.
956
Index.
GEOLOttY of Ptutland county, 171.
Gilson, E. P., biography of, 890.
Glacial theory, 176.
Grammar schools, 205.
Grand army of the republic, J. H. Boswith
post, No. 53, 302; Joyce post. No. 49,
302; Kearney post, No. 48, 302; C. J.
Ormsbee post, No. 18, 302 ; Roberts post,
No. 14, 302 ; Sennott post, No. 12, 302.
Gray, A. W., biography of, 891.
Gray, Leonidas, biography of, 893.
Greeley, Horace, 69 ; first newspaper contrib-
utions of, 229 ; apprenticeship of, 230.
Greeno, B. R., biography of, 894.
HALL, BLIAS, statement of, concerning
old military road, 49.
Hanger, Ryland, biography of, 895.
Herald of Vermont, 346.
Herrick mountain, etc., 35.
High school, 149.
Historical society, Rutland county, 151.
Holt, Rufus, biography of, 896.
Horses, 168.
Horton, Warner, biography of, 897.
Hortonville, 624.
Hough, Benjamin, chastisement of, 54.
House of correction, the, 149.
Hubbardton, battle of, 58 et seq.; Allen's de-
scription of, 60; condition of people just
preceding the, 58; incidents of, 61 et seq.
Hubbardton, town of, 617 ; churches of,
624 ; early history of, 618 ; geograph-
ical and topographical history of, 617 ;
medical profession of, 249 ; military rec-
ord of, 623.
Hughes, H. G., biography of, 898.
Hydeville, postmastens of, 541 ; slate interest
in, 542.
ICE period, 176.
Industry, importance of, to society, 162.
Ira, town of, 630; churches of, 633; military
record of, 634; organization of, 631.
Iron, 198.
JUDGE.?, assistant, 143 ; chief, 142; county
court, 142 ; first, 256 ; of supreme court
previous to organization of county, 258 ;
of probate court, 144; of supreme court
140.
Justices of the peace, 259.
KELLOGG, NEWTON, biography of, 900.
Kendall, Edward A., description of early
court by, 202.
Kingsley, Harrison, biography of, 901.
Kingsley, L. G., biography of, 925.
Knights Templar, Killington Comraaudery,
No. 6, 293 ; Davenpoil council of, 294.
LAKE BOMBAZINE, 39 ; Champlain, 44 ;
St. Catharine, 44.
Lakes and ponds, 173 ; small, and ponds, 45.
Landon, W. C, biography of, 903.
Lifeguard of Rutland, 76 ; re-enlistment of 77.
Lothrop, H. F., biography of, 902.
Lydius, John Henry, 52.
MALLARY, ROLLIN C, 228, 229.
Manufactures, 168.
Marble companies and quarries, 180, et seq.;
machinery, 190, et. seq.; quarries and
mills, early, 180; quarries, chronological
ILstof, 192.
Marbles, analyses of, 189; comparative strength
of, 190.
Masonic lodges, first, 284.
Masons, early prominent, 285, et. seq.; Royal
Arch, Davenport chapter. No. 17, 293;
Farmers' chapter. No. 9, 293; Poultney
chapter, No. 10, 293.
Ma.sonry, Acacia lodge, No. 91, 294 ; Center
lodge. No. 6, 290; Chipman lodge. No.
52, 297 : Eureka lodge. No. 75, 295 ; Far-
mers' lodge, No. 30, 295; Hiram lodge.
No. 101, 292 : Hiram lodge. No. 7, 296 ;
Lee Lodge, No. 30, 294; Marble lodge,
No. 76, 295 ; Morning Star Lodge, No.
27, 297 ; Mt. Moriah lodge. No. 96, 297 ;
officers of Grand lod^e of Vermont, 288,
289 ; Otter Creek lodge. No. 70. 296 ; Rut-
land lodge. No. 79, 292; Washington
lodge,- No. 21,294.
Medical and surgical clinic, Castleton, 239 ; so-
ciety, Rutland county, 239.
Medical college, Castleton, 235, et seq.
Medical profession of Benson, 245 ; of Bran-
don, 245 ; of Castleton, 246 ; of Clarendon,
247 ; of Danby, 247 ; of Fairhaven, 248 :
of Middletown; 249; of Mount Holly
250; of Pawlet, 251; of Pittsford, 252;
of Poultney, 2.53 ; of Rutland, 384, et seq.;
of Wallingford, 254; of Wells, 255.
Medical society, Castleton, 239.
Medical societies, county, 238; first, 238.
Melvin, Eli-azer, expedition of, 48.
:Mendon, tciwn of, 035; churches of, 639 ; early
business interests of, 637 ; early settlers
of, 636 ; manufacturing interests of, 640
military record 639 ; organization of, 635.
Middletown, town of, 641 ; churches of, 668
early organization and settlement of, 042,
et seq., early settlers of, 661 ; in the
bellion, 667 ; medical profesion of, 249,
670 ; springs and hotels of. 672 ; the freshet
of 1811 in, 664; the " Woods scrape " in
653 ; municipal history of, 671.
Military road, the old, 49, 304.
Minerals, 178; economic, 179.
Mineral springs, 38.
Mountains, 172,' 173.
Mount Holly, town of, 673 ; churches of, 681 ;
early settlements of, 674; manufacturing
interests of, 689 ; medical profession of,
250 ; record of in the rebellion, 679 ; the
professions in, 688 ; topographical and
geographical details of, 673.
957
Mount Tabor, town of, 692 ; early settlements
of, 694 ; in the rebellion, 695 ; manufac-
tures of, 696 ; organization of, 692 ; the
charcoal business in, 696.
Munson, Israel, biography of, 904.
NESHOBE island, 42 ; coat of arms of, 43.
New Hampshire Grants, coUisions grow-
ing out of. 52 ; controversy, origin of the,
50 ; overshadowed by opening of the rev-
olution, 55.
Newspaper, the first, 213.
Newspapers of Brandon, 232; of Castleton,
231 ; of Fairhaven, 226; of Poultney, 228;
of Rutland, 213 ; of Wallingford, 234.
Newspapers, method of circulating, 347.
Newspapers, publishers of, Beaman, George
H., 219; Bliss, Amos, 228,230; Cain,
John, 222 ; Carruthers, James, 225 ; Clark,
Henry, 224 ; Clarke, Hon. DeWitt C. 2.33 ;
Conant, John A., 232 ; Conant, Samuel
M., 233 ; Conant, William C, 233 ; Davi-
son, G. M., 218 ; Fay, William, 217 ; Hack-
ett, D. C. 234; Haswell. Anthony, 214;
Howe, Zimri, 232; Humphrey, R. J.,
231 ; Love, Henry W., 225; Lyon, James,
226, 227; Lyon, John J., 214; Lyon,
Matthew, 215, 226, 227; MacArthur, J.
L., 225; McLean, James K, 222; Max-
ham, E., 219; Maxham, Ephraim, 232;
Miner, Rev. Ovid, 231; Morris, J. A.,
231; Murray, Orson S., 232; Potter &
Ross, 231; Purdy, E. C, 218; Redfield,
F. W., 228; Redington, L. W., 225;
Richardson, Geo. E., 225; Ryder, Still-
man B., 234; Smith, Harvey D., 228,
229; Smith, Sanford, 228; Spooner, J. D.,
226 ; Tuttle, George A., 220, 231 ; Will-
iams, C. K., 224 ; Williams, Judge Sam-
uel, 215, 217; Williams, Rev. Samuel,
215, 216.
New York and New Hampshire controversy,
311.
Normal schools, 211.
ODD FELLOWS, Eureka lodge. No. 22,
301; Killington lodge, No. 29, 300;
Netis lodge. No. 25, 301; Otter Creek
encampment, No. 7, 300 ; Otter Creek
lodge. No. 10, 298 ; Pico lodge. No. 32,
301.
Officers, roster of volunteer, 127.
Otter Creek, 36 ; tributaries to, 37.
PAGE, J. B., biography of, 922.
Patents, list of, granted by New York
in Vermont, 51.
Pawlet, town of, 697 ; attorneys of, 714 ;
charter and settlement of, 698 ; churches
of, 712; in the rebellion, 715; medical
profession of, 251 ; municipal history of,
716 ; physicians of, 713 ; present town
officers, 715; schools of, 712.
Pawlet, West, 718.
Peace in 1815, results of, 68.
Personals, 929.
Pittsfield, town of, 719; churches of, 724;
early history of, 719 et seq.; mercantile
interests of, 725 ; present officers of, 726.
Pittsford, town of, 726 ; attorneys of, 765 ;
churches of, 757 ; early settlement of,
729 ; early town records of, 727 ; Fort
Mott in, 735 ; later settlements of, 749 ;
manufacturers of, 760 ; marble interests
of, 762 ; medical profession of, 252 ; mer-
cantile interests of, 759 ; municipal his-
tory of, 759 ; physicians of, 764 ; record
of, in the rebellion, 755 ; schools of, 763 ;
settlements in, after the revolution, 737.
Plow, wooden, 164.
Post-office building, 148 ; of Rutland, 361.
Poultney, town of, 760 ; attorneys of, 792 ;
churches of, 781 ; early settlement of, 7b6
et seq. ; educational interests in, 784 ;
manufacturing interests of, 790 ; medicsd
profession of, 253 ; mercantile interests
of, 789 ; military record of, 778 ; munici-
pal history of, 788 ; physicians of, 793 ;
post-office of, 794; press of, 793; slate
interest in, 785.
Press, the, 213 et seq.
Primary schools, 207.
Probate courts, 259.
Proclamation of Allen, Baker and Cockran, 54.
Property, increase in value of, produced by
railroads, 161.
Prout, John, biography of, 905.
Puritan school law, 203.
Q
TJARRIES, marble, 180 et seq.; .slate, 193
et seq.
RAILROAD, Bennington and Rutland, 159;
Champlain and Connecticut River, 160;
Rutland and Burhngton, 160; Rutland
and Washington, 159; Rutland and
Whitehall, 160 ; Vermont and Canada,
158; Vermont Central, 158; Western
Vermont, 159.
Railroads, 157 etseq.; changes efiected by, 161.
Records, court, 259.
Redfield, Proctor, biography of, 904.
Registers of probate court, 144.
Regiment, Cavalry, First, 121 ; Eleventh, 87,
record of, 88; Fifth, 81, officers of, 82^
career of, 82 et seq.; First, officers of, 76^
companies G and K in, 76 ; Fourteenth.
123; Ninth, 111, record of, 112 et seq'
of sharpshooters. First, 115, record of,
116 et seq.; Seventh, 94, officers of, 95,
career of, 9G et .seq.; Tenth, 104, officers
of from Rutland county, 104, history of,
105 et seq.; Twelfth, 78, career of, 79 et
seq.
Rehgious influence, early, 73.
Restricted facilities for marketing, 156.
Revolutionary war, development of tory senti-
ment in, 56; importance of Vermont
958
Index.
frontier in, 55 ; opening of, 55 ; state of
aii'airs in Vermont during later years of, 57.
Ripley, Wm. Y. W., 77, 80, 116.
River, Connecticut, steamboats upon the, 156.
Road, old military, 154.
Roads, early, 154 et seq. ; lotteries in aid of,
155.
Roberts, Colonel George T.. 78, SO, 94, 95, 97 ;
death of, 98 ; biography of, 905.
Rogers, A. J., biography of, 810.
Royce, G. E., biography of, 908.
Rumsey, C. S., biography of, 907.
Rutland county, action of people of in war of
1812, 67 ; boundaries and dimensions of,
65 ; debatable ground in early days, 48 ;
evidences of Indian occupation of, 47 ;
first courts in, 66; geography of, 173;
geology of, 171 ; Indian claims to terri-
tory in, 47 ; Indian occupation of, 46 ; in
the war of the rebellion, 75 ; lakes in, 39 ;
mineral springs in, 38 ; organization of,
65 ; rock formation of, 175 ; streams in, 36.
Rutland dispensary, the, 240.
Rutland, town of, attorneys of the, 389 et seq.;
boundaries of the, 302; Center Rutland
in, 451 : charters and grantees of, 303,
307 ; churches of, 303 et seq.; dental pro-
fession of the, 387 ; early settlements of
307 ; financial crisis of 1837 in, 352 ; free-
holders in 1780, list of, 339 ; general his-
tory of, 346 et seq.; geographical position
of, 303 ; in the rebelhon, 353 ; marble in-
terest of, 422 et seq.; medical profession
of, 384 et seq.; officers of, present, 353 ;
post-offices of, 361 ; records of, 337 et
seq.; schools of, 378 et seq.; Sutherland
Falls in, 447; town poor of the, 351;
volunteers credited to, 354 ; West Rut-
land in, 445.
Rutland, village of, architecture of, 406 ; banks
of, 410 ; city charter for, 406; early busi-
ness of, 403, et seq.; financial interests of;
407; fire department of, 413 et seq.;
gas-light companies of, 421 ; hotels of,
439 ; incorporation of, 402 ; insurance bus-
iness of, 412 ; J. A. Graham's description
of, 393 ; manufacturing interests of, 432;
medical profession of. 240 et seq.; mer-
cantile interests of, 437 ; moderators and
presidents of, 407 ; opera house in, 422 ;
railroads, measures favoring, by, 401 ; se-
cret societies of, 443 ; street railway of,
422; wards of, 402; water-works of, 420 ;
young men's christian association of, 445.
ST. CLAIR, General, 58, et seq.
School improvements, 210 ; legislation,
204; early attention to, 201 ; graded, high
and union, 212; of early days, 208; per-
sonal experience of, 209.
Senators, state, 146.
Settlement, beginning of, 164.
Settlers, early, 307, et seq.
Sheep huslsandry, 165.
Sheldon, Charles, biography of, 912.
Sheldon, J. A., biography of, 913.
Sheriffs, 144.
Sherburne, town of, 795 ; churches of, 801 ;
early settlement of, 796 ; in the rebellion,
799 ; manufacturing interests of, 801 ;
mercantile interests of, 800 ; post-office of
800.
Shrewsbury, town of, 802 ; churches of, 808 ;
early settlers of, 803 ; manufacturing in-
terests of, 810 ; mercantile interests of,
810 ; municipal history of, 809 ; record of
in the rebellion, 807.
Slate, 192, et seq.; analysis of, 198; quarries,
193, et seq ; chronolgical list of of, 197.
Slason, C. H., biography of, 910.
Smith, W. H., biography of, 914.
Socialborough, 310.
Social history, philosophy of, 69 ; intercourse,
early, 69 ; prominence, men of, 74.
Societies, county medical, 238.
Society, Castleton medical, 239 ; first medical,
238 ; Rutland county agricultural, 152 ;
Rutland county historical, 151 ; Rutland
county medical and surgical, 239 ; of
alumni of Castleton medical college, the,
240.
Sparks, Jared, first newspaper contributions
of, 229.
Spencer, Benjamin, trial of, 52.
State senators, 146.
State's attorneys, 143.
Strong, Geo. W., biography of, 911.
Sudbury, town of, 812 ; ' churches of, 819 ;
military record in the rebellion, 818 ; set-
tlement of, 813.
TACONIC mountains, 34.
Tarbell, Marshall, biography of, 927.
Taylor, D. W., biography of, 916.
Thanksgiving, the old-fashioned, 74.
Tinmouth, town of, 819; churches of, 828;
early settlements of, 822 ; early records of,
820; in the rebellion, 829 ; manufactures,
etc., of, 830 ; phvsicians and attorneys of,
828.
Town hall, 148.
"C7ERM0NT, action of people of, in war of
V 1812, 66 ; a military highway in early
wars, 49.
Village of Castleton, 535 ; of Rutlan<l. munici-
pal history of, 393 et seq.
Volunteer officers, roster of, 127.
Volunteers, nine-months, 123 ; record of, 124
et seq. ; The Vermont, poem, 139.
ALLINGFORD, town of, 831; attor-
neys of, 843 ; churches of, 838 ; early
records and settlements of, 833; manu-
facturing interests of, 842 ; medical pro-
fession of, 254 ; mercantile interests of,
841 ; miscellaneous business interests of,
846; municipal history of, 839; physi-
w
Index.
959
cians of, 844 ; press of 843 ; record of, in
the rebellion, 836.
Wallingford, East, 845.
Wallingford, South, 844.
War of 1812, 66, et. seq.
Wardwell, G. J., biography of, 916.
Warner, Colonel Seth, 58 et seq; sketch of,
64.
Wells, town of, 848 ; early settlemments of,
848 ; medical profession of, 255 ; military
record of, in the rebellion, 855 ; municipal
history of, 857 ; physicians of, 857 ;
schools and churches of, 856.
Wentworth, Benning, 51.
Westhaven, town of, 859 ; business' interests
of, 865 ; churches of, 867 ; organization of,
859; record of, in the rebellion, 866;
settlement of, 861.
Williams, Dr. Samuel, 227.
Whipping-post, the, 260.
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